This past October I was blessed by the fact that one of my longtime graduates from the Bible institute finally grasped the need of having church services in his home on a regular basis. I said that because we were having services in his home only when I visited him for a few days, but afterwards, he would not have them. He told me several times that he did not feel worthy to lead a congregation even though he had graduated from the Bible institute. I had a talk with him about that and praised his humility, but I told him that none of us are worth it. I am not worth it either, but Jesus is worth it. “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12) Needless to say, He now leads singing, preaches, and prays.
All the churches in Cuba—Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.—sing contemporary songs in their services. We sing time-proven hymns in our services, in our house churches, and in our missions churches. More than once visitors have told us, “I have not hear those hymns for years,” or “Those are good hymns.” We are distinctive in our music, our behavior, and our doctrine.
In my last letter, I told you about our trip to the small cities of Moa and Baracoa, which are farther east in Cuba. Early in October, Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 hurricane, went right through the small city of Baracoa and pounded the city for six hours. I have been in contact with Christians I met on my trip there; and, needless to say, the already feeble city has been devastated. It is mostly down to ruins.
SOUL WINNING!
Soul-winning opportunities present every day, every hour, and every minute of our lives. Some we identify and grasp; some we do not. For the soul-winning opportunities we did grasp, counting all of our soul winners, the mission church, and the house church, there were a total of 56 people saved during the last two months.
Please pray for:
1. The Christians in Baracoa.
2. Our finances (inflation caused by the rising dollar).
3. Our family’s spiritual life.
For souls,
Ricardo Leyva and Family