Our Journey Begins

Kevin and Adam jammin'

Resting up.

Our trip begins at 10:30 pm in the parking lot of St. Paul's by the Sea Episcopal Church in Jacksonville Beach. There are 13 in our group, 5 adults and 8 youth. The youth are Kevin Todd, Mary Giles Morgan, Carl Schifanella, Zac Kendrick, Devon Jones, Paul Cuffe, Jordan Rodak and Adam Coston. Adults are Mike Coston, Tom & Betsy Schifanella, Anne Wiggins and James Kendrick. 

Mike, James and I will be traveling in style in Mike's huge SUV and the rest of our group in a 16 passenger rental van driven by Anne. The plan is to drive all night and arrive at the airport early the next morning for a 9 am flight to Havana Cuba then a two hour bus ride to a youth camp in Cardenas. The purpose of trip is to meet the youth of our sister church in Cienfuegos, make new friends and bring needed supplies for the congregation there. More importantly, this trip is an opportunity for our youth to experience another culture and learn the true meaning of God's gifts.

Traffic is light and we make good time on interstate 95. A couple of stops for gas and we arrive bleary eyed at the Miami International Airport around 3:30 am. MIA is already alive with activity and our group finds a spot near the TACA check-in counter. We are going to be met by Magaly our travel agent who will bring us the necessary visa documents so that we can enter Cuba legally. At 6 am, Magaly arrives with our paperwork and we begin the lengthy check-in process. We have a ton of bags and supplies to check, including two used surfboards that were donated by a local surf shop. We are not the only passengers with unique cargo. I spy a woman checking 4 tires and another passenger shrink wrapping a bicycle! In fact, many people wrap their bags in plastic for extra security so we look like refugees fleeing some third world disaster. We get all of our bags checked without any problems and quickly depart for our gate.

Checking any tires on the flight today?

What would we do without Anne?

Our first glimpse of Cuba!

Getting through customs

Arriving at the airport in Havana

You must pass through customs one person at a time.

The sun shines bright as we depart the plane and are taken by bus to Cuban customs. Once are visas are approved we are thrown into a chaotic scene of customs agents, baggage handlers and travelers all jostling about. An "aduana" helps us to fill out a customs form for sickness so we can claim our bags.

The baggage claim area is very disorganized because we have no idea which bags match the flight we are on. They are all being thrown onto a single conveyer belt. Folks are jumping across the moving belt and shouting to each other trying to spot a bag they think is theirs. I have never experienced anything like this! About an hour and half later we finally snatch the last bag and move towards the entrance tax station. An entrance tax is charged by the Cuban government on everything from consumer goods to food. Rationing has been ongoing for years so our visits are an opportunity to bring much needed supplies and medicines to the people here. Luckily an "aduana"' identifies us as "americanos con visas religiosos" so we are allowed to leave customs without paying any taxes. As we exit the airport we are surrounded by a sea of faces all waiting to greet friends and relatives.

Outside the airport.

Tired and hot.

We quickly spot Francisco, the Canon to the Ordinary to the diocese of Cuba. Francisco greets us warmly and then directs us to the church bus. We climb aboard and get our first look at Havana. It is a busy city alive with traffic and pedestrians. There are banners and slogans everywhere promoting "Julio de 26", the anniversary of the Cuban revolution. We arrive at the cathedral and have a quick bite to eat at a sandwich shop around the corner from the cathedral. Carlos,our bus driver takes us on quick tour of Havana to view the downtown and waterfront. I recognize several of the famous hotels along the waterfront from my collection of hotel luggage labels. Hotels like the National and Englaterra were fashionable destinations during the golden age of travel. Carlos also shows us monuments to more recent events like the Cuban Revolution of 1960. As we leave the city all of us begin to doze off as the fresh air lulls us to sleep. Along the way, Carlos points out some of the government projects that have been initiated here including wells for oil and natural gas exploration. The countryside is rich with lush tropical forests and the coastline is almost always in view.

One of the many beautiful hotels in Havana.

We arrive at a small compound in the city of Cardenas late in the afternoon and we are greeted warmly by Reverend Carlos the arch deacon of the Matanzas province. The compound consists of a concrete courtyard framed by a small dining hall one one side and and sleeping quarters on the other. The rooms are small and cramped and have two bunk beds each with a small window air conditioner. Most of the creature comforts we take for granted in the US such as hot water and toilet seats are nowhere to be found. Overall the conditions are primitive at best and I can see the shock and surprise on the faces of our kids. The open air kitchen has flies swarming everywhere and even though we are hungry the flies make it difficult to enjoy our simple meal of rice and beans mixed with a little meat.

The entrance to our compound in Cardenas. Notice the "taxi" at right.

The courtyard. Lots of volleyball games were played here.

Songs of praise

Every morning after breakfast the kids gather for a devotional session about our camp theme. It gives the kids a chance to talk about situations that they encounter in their everyday lives and how they can make the right choices. They break into several groups, have discussions and then create short skits to illustrate what they have learned. The skits are then followed by songs. The Cubans are very musical and really enjoy singing. I think it is a way they can celebrate the word of Christ in a meaningful and joyful way.

Making new friendships with our fellow campers

There are about 60 people attending the camp this week, mostly teenagers and young adults. Father Carlos explains that the theme of this camp is about seeing what you have and how you can offer it to others. He sites the gospel story where Christ feeds the 5000 with a few loaves of bread and fish. By freely offering the hand of friendship to our Cuban hosts, we hope to build new relationships that will last for the rest of our lives.

Dominos & Tic Tac Toe

One of the amazing aspects of this trip has been how all the kids have been enjoying their free time without the benefit of cell phones, video games, Facebook or the Internet. Hopscotch, volleyball, dominos and card games are all typical activities after lunch, dinner or hanging out at the beach. The kids seem to enjoy every minute of it. Dominos is especially popular here and the games are usually intense and competitive.

Surfing in Cuba?

Some unusual cargo being checked.

After lunch on the first day we pile into the bus and head toward the beach! All of us are excited to get our first glimpse and when we finally get there we are amazed by the brilliant blue green water and white sand. It reminds of the Gulf of Mexico because the water is sparkling clear and the sand is very fine like powder. The beach town here is called Veraderes and is popular with foreign tourists.

Thanks to the efforts of our youth director James Kendrick, we were able to bring a couple of old surfboards with us. Surfing is a novelty in this country and most people know nothing of the sport. The first time we unpack the boards and carry them down to the beach, we get lots of curious looks and stares. Even the kids are a little wary. James and I quickly get to work and demonstrate how it's done. The kids are hesitant at first, but once we get the first one up and riding the sheer joy they are experiencing is evident on their faces. James and I spend hours pushing the kids into tiny waves as more and more people come up asking to try it. We have brought surfing to this little corner of Cuba!

Don't worry, it's easy.

Nice style!

Hopefully Fidel never saw this!

Cuban Juice Bar

What do you do when you want some fresh coconut juice? You go up a tree and get it! 

Leonel showed us how it's done here. Enjoy.