Benigno Sanchez-Eppler (Northampton, MA, Friends Meeting) translated the following message. Friends who heard this during our Annual Sessions were touched by the deep caring and concern that Cuban Friends show for one another.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Dear brothers and sisters, it is not easy to understand what Cuba is experiencing in the midst of what all humanity is living. I want to give you this message that the Lord inspired: I trust that you can understand and go deep in it.
Cuba had incomprehensible scarcities of basic necessities, but now that the world is turned upside down, it has become even more difficult for us to survive. In order to get by, we have learned to speak without words, to laugh and make fun of our own obstacles.
As Quakers we have built bridges and found ways around the hatred between our governments, because although the sea lies between us, we never believed in borders.
We need change, including a change in our own minds—a change that translates into a clear understanding of God. Although in these times we cannot feel free from threats of all kinds, we can still believe in the promises of the living God. We can smell the stench of death and still yearn for life. We can still feel walls and dream of bridges.
Jorge Luis
Presiding Clerk of Cuba Yearly Meeting
Early morning of August 11, 2021