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FIEL International is a non-profit organization that seeks to empower Christian leaders with the resources they need to build sustainable, discipleship-centered ministries in Cuba.
Dear friends of FIEL,
It has been a season of much waiting and praying since our January trip to Alamar. I think we were hoping to have resolution and answers on a number of fronts before our next update to you; however, we’ve decided it’s time to invite you into the waiting and praying.
This first bullet has been redacted due to confidentiality. Approach Chas or Adam to learn more...Arturo hopes to move away from Cuba: During our January trip, Pastor Arturo and his family let us know that, if the Lord opens the right door, they have decided it would be best for them to move away from Cuba, ideally to the United States. We are in complete support of this decision. They do not have a concrete option, but they are actively exploring and praying daily for opportunities. Although we are in complete support of the decision, it is a difficult one to process as a ministry, since we have been working with Arturo since 2016 (2014 for Chas), and we have experienced God in so many ways through this partnership. FIEL’s model—to find, inspire, and equip Christian leaders with the resources they need to build sustainable, discipleship-centered ministries in Cuba—was born out of our partnership with Arturo, and so it is nearly impossible to imagine FIEL without him in Cuba. We are in prayer and conversation with Arturo, one another, and our board of directors about what God might have next for the Leal family, and for FIEL/CVC if and when the Leal family moves.
CVC HQ Update: Since we last shared with you, Cuba’s soaring inflation and contracting economy have only gotten worse, so the project’s “start-stop” pace has been mainly at “stop.” Materials are scarce, and the friends who have traditionally helped Arturo with these kinds of projects do not have time to help because they are spending more time than ever working and tracking down basic necessities for their families. Moreover, because of the soaring inflation, money that we had sent over for the project that was transferred to Cuban currency in 2021 has dramatically decreased in value. To be honest, a lot of our waiting and praying has been centered on whether building CVC HQ is still viable and in the best interest of the ministry, which is humbling to admit after we felt so confident in 2020 that CVC HQ was the right next step for CVC and FIEL, and after we received so generously from many of you to achieve our $25,000 fundraising goal. We do not take lightly that we are stewards of the financial resources that were entrusted to us by God through many of you for the specific purpose of the CVC HQ project. We will keep you informed as we discern whether to move forward with the project or to go a different direction. We invite you to join us in prayer, and would be eager to hear from you if you would like to talk in more depth. We ask for your prayers and wisdom God puts on your hearts for us.
CVC 2.0: To end on a positive note, Arturo is seeing much opportunity and fruit in his ministry on “la cancha” (the soccer field)! He has asked for specific prayer for the Holy Spirit to continue to work in the hearts of the kids, teenagers, and parents that join him on la cancha each week. Although the continued and increasing difficulties of life in Cuba are tragic, these circumstances make the Gospel—the love and provision of God through Jesus—shine even brighter in Arturo’s life. “How is it,” some of the teenagers (and their parents) have asked Arturo, “that you have peace and joy in these times?” Arturo gets to share the eternal, living hope that he has in Jesus, and of the tangible ways that he has experienced Jesus’ love and care during the difficult times. We pray that God would save Cuba and these families from the extremely difficult circumstances they are in. As we wait and pray for those prayers to be answered, we rejoice with Arturo that the Gospel is being made known to a new generation of CVC families and pray it would take deep roots in their hearts and lives.
Thanks for taking the time to read this update and for your prayers and support for FIEL. We are so grateful for you! As always, we would welcome hearing from you, and please let us know if there are any ways we can be praying for you! “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” - Ephesians 3:20-21 Grace and peace, Chas and Adam
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