As we made our way through the international terminal of the José Martí International Airport in Habana, Cuba, my anticipation of the unknown was at an all-time high.
As I approached the immigrations window, I felt my knees begin to shake. This was serious, and you could witness just how serious on every immigration official’s face. In 2004, tourism was at an all-time low in Cuba, so I wondered what they would ask me as to why I was coming to Cuba, especially with an American passport.
After being asked to remove my glasses and look at the camera above, the immigration official snapped my picture, stamped my visa and handed my passport and papers back to me. This indicated an “all clear” to me. A buzzer signaled that the door to my left was unlocked, and I could proceed through it.
During our week in Cuba, we had amazing church services and were received with joy and gladness. Before we departed one church, the pastor showed me a mound of dirt and some other construction supplies located in an obscure place behind the house. I was told these materials were for the much-needed repairs to the church. But they needed to make the repairs very slowly as to not cause any attention to the authorities as to what they were doing, including any growth or progress being made to the church, or they’d be shut down.
Since that first trip to Cuba, I have returned to that beautiful island over 55 times. I love Cuba and its people. As we recently celebrated Independence Day in America, I have such an awareness of what a free country looks like versus one controlled by socialism and communism. I’m incredibly thankful for the United States of America where we live in a land of freedom. I’m on a mission to make sure my children and grandchildren live in the freedom I’ve had now and forever!
Listen to The Transformational Coach with Leanne Goff on Charisma Podcast Network now. {eoa}
Leanne Goff is a catalytic leader. A pastor, author, international speaker, entrepreneur and business owner, Leanne is a power-packed minister on the subject of identity and destiny, as well as cultural transformation. She delivers her message of transformation with relevance, wit and intensity. Leanne has been personally mentored by Leif Hetland and trained as a 7-Mountain consultant by Lance Wallnau. Leanne is an ordained minister through Randy Clark’s Apostolic Network and is also associated with the Global Legacy Network at Bethel Church in Redding, California.
