Active Sponsored by AGO Ministries to Go on Mission to Cuba
One of our actives, @Daniel Nava (A-932) from the Alpha chapter at UCLA embarked on a mission trip over spring break to Cuba with an organization called "Filter of Hope," a ministry dedicated to bringing clean water and the Gospel to people all over the world.
Daniel gave us a great run down on his trip:
"During the trip, we would visit houses in the community with local church members, install filters, and share the gospel using the filters as an illustration. When visiting the families, we would first affiliate ourselves with the local church and then, with the help of translators, say that we came to give them two gifts. After giving them the filter and showing them how to re-install it if they need to later, we would then present our second gift, the Gospel. For our presentation, we would get two cups of water, one dirty and one with clean filtered water; the clean cup of water would demonstrate God because the water was clean and "holy," while the dirty water would demonstrate us who are dirty because of our sins. We would then explain that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves clean again and that even by adding good deeds or clean water to the dirty water, the water would still be dirty, and then explain that Jesus, much like the filter, is the only one who can make us clean; and that again much like the filter, the forgiveness of sins and salvation in Jesus is also a gift that you can receive. The Lord was at work. T
hroughout the week, our group was able to share the gospel with around 120 people and saw over 60 people make decisions to receive salvation in Jesus (glory to God). The trip really revealed to me how simple the Gospel truly is and that there is nothing we can do within ourselves to make ourselves clean and receive eternal life; it is fully the work of God. The verse that really resonated with me throughout the trip was Matthew 11:25, which reads, "At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children...". The people of Cuba were very hospitable, gracious, and humble; they were quick to listen to the words of God in the Bible and repent, while my experiences with people in the States and on campus have been very different. I can remember visiting with many women and seeing the readiness they had to receive Jesus and how happy they were to have security in their salvation, knowing that if they were to die, they would be in heaven. Overall, the trip left me feeling very encouraged and blessed to have been able to participate in God's work in such a tangible way. The experience showed me how plentiful the harvest really is and that, even though it may be more difficult, we should strive to reap the harvest at UCLA as well. I hope this small testimony blesses you in some way.
Thanks to AGO Ministries for supporting me to go on this trip. Strong the Ties!"