How do you build a missions program in your church when the average monthly income for each family is $20/month? That challenge faces church leaders in Cuba with a vision to carry the gospel beyond their shores.

For a decade, church leaders have been training in evangelization and catching a vision for reaching world. But the economy in Cuba barely supports the local church. The challenge is daunting.

The Cuban government faced a similar challenge with their desire to spread the ideology of communism to Latin America and the world. Their economy struggled to sustain the local population. They had one asset they decided to exploit. Their universities were turning out more professionals than the economy could support.

They decided to turn their weakness into a strength. Cuba started exporting their professional talent to other countries to fill the need for medical and engineering professionals there. In turn, the local country paid for and supported those professionals. At the same time, they became “ambassadors” for communism.

The Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) has been preparing church leaders in Cuba for over a decade. While studying the life of the Apostle Paul, the question came up, could tentmaking be the answer? Talking with friends in Mexico City they learned about the training Global Intent had done there. Could that training be the next step in meeting their vision for the world?

They approached Global Intent and asked if we could teach them about tentmaking in their Cuba training courses. Our conversations lead to scheduling the first Global Intent course to be taught in Spanish, in Cuba in April 2019.

By Phill Sandahl