I Was There!

I am experiencing a nostalgia moment this week of President Obama in Cuba 5 years ago.  The US Air Force airplane delivering the  “stuff” for President Obama’s visit to Cuba landing in Havana. What a sight to see standing in the  Havana airport parking lot. Through no effort of my own I experienced an historic event between the United States and Cuba that changed eleven million lives in a heartbeat.  The establishment of relationship and the reopening of the United States embassy in Havana brought optimism and hope I have never witnessed in Cuba. There were smiles and jubilation that finally after decades of mistrust and persecution things were changing!

I saw Cuban's hugging each other, I had Cuban brothers and sisters coming up to me shaking my hand and saying, "your president is in my country." 

 At the time I had no idea of the significance of the moment. My skeptic friends and other political pundits said, it was all theater it will not last.  All I said was, "if that was theater, it was an exciting episode. Nothing could have prepared me for the catastrophic spiral from the pinnacle of optimism to the dungeons of desperation that were about to besiege the program.

Yes, we have differences and that is understandable we are two countries, but we also have similarities. I know from experience and I am not the only one we can work together only if the hand that is offered is an open hand of friendship. 

 Continue to pray for our brothers and sisters just 90 miles away!

Dan Christopherson

Southwest District Mission Program, Inc.

Cuba's Biggest Dilemma

On my first trip to Cuba fifteen years ago it was eye opening in many factors.  I could not believe the discrepancy in transportation between Cuba and the United States. Yes, I had read about the old cars and that I expected.  Havana was a bustling metropolis of old cars, bicycles, horse carts and people everywhere walking.  The sidewalks were packed with people, where were they all going, what were they all doing? They all seem to have a destination; it did not matter time of day or night there was always someone along side the roads.

We also had a destination in mind and it would take us across the entire country of Cuba.  Your initial thoughts were it could not get any worst.  Oh did I have so much to learn.  The comment I have heard so many times over the years, I was about to experience. The comment is even today; “there is Havana and the rest of the country is grass.”  The deeper into the country we traveled the more difficult life was. The number of cars started to dwindle away and the horse cart, horses, ox cart and of course walking was the only way of travel. 

There were vast acres of fallow land for miles.  Nothing all this land lying idle, why and how could this be? Then you would see a man with a two oxen’s plowing and working and small plat of land.  It is not possible for this man to ready enough land to make any difference in the food crisis in the country. You travel further and see a man with a bag of seed over his shoulder dropping a seed and stomping in the seed in the ground to grow. This way of planting a crop is hundred years behind the United States. 

I said this in 2007 and I still say this today. Cuba has gained nothing in food production in this fifteen year. In fact I really think they have lost. There are still by far more oxen pulling plows than tractors.  

You cannot talk about agriculture reform and in the same breath show a team of oxen pulling a one-bottom plow.  Fifteen years ago Cuba was one hundred years behind in agriculture now after fifteen years they are one hundred and fiftten years behind.

The above is the start of a series of articles on the catastrophic failure of Cuba farming system and food production.  More to come.

In Christ,

Dan Christopherson
Southwest District Mission Program, Inc.
Direct Line: 941-468-8209