BARACOA, Cuba — As Floridians continue to recover from the devastation of three hurricanes that have made landfall in the Sunshine State since early August, Cuba residents are now grappling with similar challenges.
Category 1 Hurricane Oscar made landfall in eastern Cuba Oct. 20 just before 6 p.m. near the city of Baracoa with damaging winds, the likelihood of torrential rain for days and destructive waves.
“Heavy rain falling in the steep terrain of southeastern Cuba raises serious concerns about major flash flooding, as well as mudslides and rockslides,” said Jon Porter, a chief meteorologist for AccuWeather, in a statement.
Intermittent power failures, already a challenge in Cuba prior to the storm, could worsen the hurricane’s impact as the island nation begins its recovery in Hurricane Oscar’s aftermath.
When Hurricane Ian roared across western Cuba in 2022, numerous missions partners, including Western Cuba Baptist Convention’s disaster relief team, along with Send Relief, Florida Baptists and other partners, responded to the devastation left behind.
As weather and travel conditions allow, similar relief efforts will be launched in eastern Cuba in Hurricane Oscar’s aftermath. Twenty centers for evacuees reportedly already have been set up.
Florida Baptists have had a missions partnership with the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention since January 2013 and with the Western Cuba Baptist Convention since 1997. These established partnerships allow Florida Baptists to get much-needed resources to impacted communities as quickly as possible when the resources are needed the most.
Beyond the convention partnerships, Florida Baptist pastors have been engaged in Cuba “for the purpose of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ” since the early 1900s, said Myles Dowdy, Florida Baptists’ lead catalyst for missions and ministries.
A mission team from First Baptist Church in Middleburg, Fla., arrived in western Cuba just prior to Hurricane Oscar’s landfall. The team, the first to be sent from the church to Cuba, plans to “come alongside a sister church in Cuba, do some construction, share the gospel of Christ and love on them and encourage them,” Dowdy said, and will do its best to respond to other needs and opportunities that arise.
Less than a year ago, First Baptist Middleburg Pastor Chris Bonts made his first mission trip to Cuba with a group of Florida Baptist pastors. The eight-day evangelistic outreach trip to Cuba resulted in close to 5,000 professions of faith, with Botts praying that the experience would be a “legacy event that will impact the area for years to come.”
The Western Cuba Baptist Convention and the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention work side by side as opportunities arise and resources allow, with both conventions willing “to give whatever they have to those in need,” Dowdy said.
“They will make that sacrifice. I have no doubt about that.”
‘Hearts ready to respond to gospel’
Recovery efforts in Hurricane Oscar’s aftermath offer a ministry opportunity to share the hope of the gospel, believes Dowdy.
He has spoken with the president of the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention. “Their request is that we will be praying for them and that God will use this as an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ with those in need,” he said.
“It is a prime time for the gospel to be shared and spread in Cuba because we know that Jesus meets all our needs. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in Cuba know that, and that’s why they are sharing this message of Christ and His salvation. They are doing it, even in the midst of a crisis. They know that during a crisis people’s ears are opened and their hearts are ready to respond to the gospel.”
Dowdy said what he has heard “the most” from Cuban Baptists is “just pray for us,” saying, “These are difficult days.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — To contribute financial gifts to the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention for hurricane relief or to the Western Cuba Baptist Convention to help address current opportunities in furthering the gospel, please send checks payable to the Florida Baptist Convention, 6850 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216. In the memo line on the check, designate either Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention or Western Cuba Baptist Convention.)
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Margaret Colson is a writer for the Florida Baptist Convention. This article originally appeared at flbaptist.org.)
