Day 6 May 21 Havana
Pamela Runyon
We bid a tearful goodbye to Matanzas and Fieles a Jesus this morning. Some of the Daughters stopped by, and we were waved off by Mother Tulia, Osmani and Xiomara. We all fit into one van for our trip to Havana, with only a few suitcases and our carry-on luggage. (Quite a difference from the two packed vans that we arrived in!) Our first stop in Havana was the Diocesan Office and Cathedral, where we had a brief visit with Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio, who had just returned to Cuba the night before. And we were shown the beautiful new guest rooms that are under construction.
We were then taken to our guesthouse for the night - the Catholic "Casa Sacerdotal" (Priest's House), which was lovely. We spent the afternoon exploring Havana ("La Habana") while the taxi driver took Bishop Bill and Debbe to see his childhood home. We spent our last evening in Cuba dining out together with our driver in an elegant restaurant overlooking the city.
I can't fully express how much joy the team and I felt being with our sisters and brothers in Cuba. We were welcomed with open arms and treated like royalty by our hosts, Mother Tulia and Osmani and family, and by the Daughters, clergy and parishioners of three Cuban churches. We were showered with love and surrounded by angels. I am so very grateful, and I will carry many sweet memories with me as we travel home tomorrow. I will leave with a better understanding of the challenges these dear ones face and with a desire to do what I can to support them in their lives and ministries. The Matanzas Daughters told us that they want to be "chispas," or sparks, to spread the Kingdom and The Order. My prayer is that I might be the same. Lord, make me a spark, that I might bring more of Your Light and Love to the world. Amen.
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