Missions, The Persecuted Church Across the World

“The Lord is in Control in Cuba” – May 3rd

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 22 April 2023 (excerpts)

“Although we would like to see total victory, we know that you have been praying for this.  He looks a little different to us, better.  Step by step.”  So says the wife of Pastor Lorenzo, Maridilegnis Carballo.

Be encouraged that your prayers are being answered step by step, for Pastor Lorenzo and his family.  The Cuban pastor is now in a minimum-security prison which is closer to home, so his wife and children can visit him more often.  Yet Pastor Lorenzo shouldn’t be imprisoned at all.  The independent church leader is serving a seven-year sentence for peacefully protesting on 11 July 2021.

Since these protests, the government crackdown has only intensified, and Cuba is experiencing the biggest wave of emigration in decades.

Last year, we recorded 657 violations of freedom of religion or belief – more than double the 272 we documented in 2021.  Pray that Cuban authorities would end their repressive rollback on human rights, which has affected both registered and unregistered religious groups.

Pray for more documenters to take up the work of those who have been forced into exile for investigating and exposing injustice, and for their safety.