Kindersley resident’s first mission trip is an eye opener

By Joan Janzen

KINDERSLEY - Eight volunteers from Kindersley joined a group of eight from Saskatoon and an individual from Winnipeg as they headed to Cuba on March 25th. The first mission trip for Lori Bleile from Kindersley was an “eye-opener.”

The group spent a week at a resort, which may not sound like a typical missionary experience. The first-time visitor to Cuba explained, “We brought six local pastors and their wives to the resort. Because there was such a shortage of food, they not only wanted to share the resort experience with the pastors, but it also eliminated the need for the pastors to try and feed such a large group.

Kindersley resident Ameera Alindogan enjoyed playing music with some of the locals while on the mission trip to Cuba. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Kindersley group’s fun-filled visit to a Cuban resort was a complete contrast to their experience distributing supplies to people in need and interacting with local people in their hometowns. SUBMITTED PHOTO

A Cuban Pastor presents a cake the locals had made for the visiting group. The locals waited until the Canadians were served before eating any of this rare treat. SUBMITTED PHOTO

This man cried when Lori Bleile gave him a bed sheet, which he could use on his bed made out of a wooden pallet covered with cardboard. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Canadians also spent two full days venturing out into the community. They had brought thirty-four 50-pound tubs filled with medical and sewing supplies, ten sewing machines, toys, bedding, and other necessities, which they distributed.

The living conditions in Cuba are vastly different than the resort experience. Lori said they had been on the bus for over an hour before they began to witness the contrast. The bathrooms consisted of a hole in the floor or a bucket, no toilet paper and nowhere to wash your hands. “One place had a hose outside to wash your hands, and they recycle all the used water,” she recalled.

“The streets were littered with garbage because they don’t have enough fuel for garbage trucks to pick it up. They put it in piles and when they get big enough they burn it,” she said. Dilapidated buildings were missing doors and windows.

Lori said they worked along side a group called Wounded Sheep, who go out and help the homeless and people in need. “They took us out in groups,” she said. And so it was that they got to see the people who received the supplies they had brought from Canada.

Lori gave a bed sheet to a homeless man who held it and cried. “His bed was a wooden pallet with a piece of cardboard on top so that one sheet made a world of difference,” she explained. Despite the warm climate, evenings can get quite cool. Receiving simple things like toothpaste, shampoo and toilet tissue are appreciated more than gifts of money because they don’t have access to so many necessities.

“When we showed up at one of the pastor’s hometowns, there were probably fifty people greeting us with the Canadian wave. They were so excited to see us!” Lori recalled.

Children played in the filthy streets, playing with cloth wrapped in the shape of a ball. “It was amazing the joy they had just playing with that ball,” she observed. “One girl handed out stickers and they just lit up, so excited to get a simple sticker. Everybody was so happy there.”

Not only were they happy, but also generous and considerate. “We bought two pigs, and they did a pig roast for us in one of the places,” Lori said. However, none of the locals would eat any of the pork until the Canadians had eaten. “Yet they were so excited to eat it because that was the only time they would get to eat roast pig,” she said.

Even though the ingredients to make a cake are very difficult to obtain, the local residents made an iced cake for the Canadian team. Once again, none of the local people would eat any of it until all the Canadians had a piece, even though they rarely enjoyed such a treat.

“None of them are greedy. They share whatever they have with everybody. They’re very generous,” she said.

Meanwhile, most people staying at the resorts are unaware of this reality. Cubans aren’t allowed on the beach with tourists. Even the people who work at the resort only work there for a couple of months. “Everybody works on a rotation basis. They have no control of their lives; they do whatever the government tells them to do,” she said. “They don’t talk about the government; that’s not allowed.”

However, they are allowed to mingle with the various mission teams that come to visit and help them out. The Kindersley team enjoyed playing music and having fun with the Cubans, who are joyful in spite of their lack.

“It was a good experience. I would definitely recommend it for anybody,” Lori advised.