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Moderators Message 2013 is past! What a BUSY and whirlwind year!
Twentieth anniversary of Living Waters for the World, first LWW
International Network Coordi-nators Conference, Wil Howies
retirement, new LWW Board of Directors, new Executive Di-rector,
ten new systems in Cuba, first full year of official LWW Cuba
Network operation, first LWW Cuba Network Operators Conference,
over two MILLION gallons of clean water produced in Cuba since the
first system was installed in 2009
2014 is in front of us, and it looks to be just as busy. The new
LWW Board of Directors will begin their work, the new LWW
organizational struc-ture and responsibilities will be in place
along with a new Director of Education, the tenth anni-versary of
Clean Water U will be celebrated, 8 new LWW systems in Cuba are
already planned for 2014, planning toward a LWW warehouse in Cuba
has begun.
Exciting things are happening. I trust that every-one had a
nice, restful, hiatus during the holidays and that we are now ready
to pick up the harness and resume the efforts in Cuba with renewed
enthusiasm and vigor.
In the midst of this wonderful chaos, let us not forget that God
is in charge. Let us seek His Will in all that we do and every
decision that we make. Before we charge out to tackle the work
before us, let us pause daily to thank God for his many blessings,
for giving each of us the vision of his calling in our lives, and
ask for His guidance and direction. Let us also remember our Cuban
brothers and sisters who are working alongside us under sometimes
difficult circumstances to bring Gods Word and clean water to all
of His children in Cuba. Remember always, God will give you what
you need to do His Will.
If you receive this newsletter and are not actively involved in
the LWW work in Cuba, we invite you to join us in any way you can.
Search for oppor-tunities of service in the LWW Cuba Network as you
read the enclosed articles and be open to Gods direction.
Breaks over GET BACK TO WORK! J
Jerry Goode, Moderator, [email protected]
LWW Cuba Network Coordinating Team
Newsletter March 2014 Jim Luther, editor [email protected] Vol.
2; No. 1
First Cuban Operators Conference By Verniece Goode and Kendall
Cox
First Living Water at LaPlaya
On November 25, 2013, over forty participants representing all
20 operating sites gathered at the Seminario Evanglico de Teologa
(SET) in Matanzas for the first Cuban Living Waters for the World
(LWW) operators conference. During this two day workshop, wa-ter
system operators were able to share and discuss best practices
leading to the improvement in the production and distribution of
clean water as well as the long term sustainability of the
systems.
The SETs rector, Dr. Reinerio Arce, and the Rev. Daniel
Izquierdo represented both the Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de
Cuba (IPRC) and the Seminary. Facilitators from the LWW Cuba
Network were the moderator, Jerry Goode; Kendall Cox, the education
di-rector of LWW; and Verniece Goode, volunteer coordinator for the
network. Moraima Gonzlez of the SET provided logistical
arrange-ments while worship was planned and led by Elizabeth
Gonzlez and Jess Martinez from the SET.
The operators, some of whom had traveled 13 hours by bus to get
to Matanzas, enjoyed getting to know each other and seeing that
they are part of a big group who can call on each other for
assis-tance and advice. The camaraderie and enthusiasm among them
grew as they worshipped together, viewed power point presenta-tions
and videos and participated in small group discussions and
activities. Proper procedure for the whirl-pak bacteriological test
was demonstrated and practiced in pairs. Discussions included the
responsibility for record keeping, system maintenance, repairs, and
replacement filters. Emphasis was placed on reporting with
(contd. on page 2)
(from L to R) Verniece Goode, Dr. Reinerio Arce, Moraima
Gonzlez, Ricardo Farfn, Jerry Goode, the Rev. Daniel Izquierdo, and
Kendall Cox before the first LWW Operators Conference at the
SET.
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How You Can Participate In The LWW Cuba Network
Pray for the LWW teams and their work in Cuba
Pray for the Cuban people who lack access to clean water
Form a LWW team, attend training at Clean Water U and install a
system in a Cuban community in need of clean water
Contribute to LWW & designate your gift to the Cuba Network
http://livingwatersfortheworld.org/ecard/index.php)
Contribute directly to a team doing an installation in Cuba
Become a Sustaining Partner to insure ongoing maintenance to
existing systems
Purchase and carry spare parts and filters when you travel to
Cuba (contact the LWW Cuba Net-work for details)
Encourage others to become involved in LWW in Cuba
Share information about LWW in Cuba on social media
Be a Clean Water Advocate
(contd. from page 1)
frequent communication between the Operating Partner and their
Initiating Partner. The idea of forming a water committee at each
operating site was explored. Ways to educate the community in
proper bottle cleaning and the process of working toward a bottle
exchange for the future were also discussed.
Before the concluding worship, each water system site reported
their number of gallons of clean water produced. The grand total
was over 2 million gallons of clean water distributed to the 20
communities served by the Living Waters for the World systems in
Cuba since June of 2009. Several pastors shared that the water
system brought people who had never before been to the church. Now
they come to find clean water but also hear about the Living Water
for the very first time.
Gracias a Dios! May clean water flow for all of Gods
children.
What is the Living Waters for the World Cuba Network?
Water system operators, SET representatives, and LWW
facilitators at the first Operators Conference at the SET on
November 26, 2013.
LWW Networks have been established in countries where groundwork
has already been laid by previous LWW water mission teams. The
purpose of the LWW Cuba Network is to provide assistance to LWW
teams working in Cuba and also to help insure sustainability of LWW
systems installed there. Another purpose of the LWW Cuba Network is
to identify clean water mission opportunities and to bring
initiating and operating partners together. The LWW Cuba Network
has a Coordinating Team (CNCT) made up of ex-perienced Clean Water
U graduates and a moderator ap-pointed by LWW. This team will help
coordinate efforts between U.S. groups wishing to work in Cuba and
Cuban sites needing clean water and will enhance sustainability for
the growing number of systems located there. If your church or
organization is interested in exploring the possi-bility of working
in Cuba, your first contact should be with the CNCT moderator,
Jerry Goode, at [email protected] or 601-649-8250. The moderator
will maintain a master list matching teams to sites, and this
initial contact with the moderator will avoid the dupli-cation of
efforts for the same site.
Have questions about working in Cuba? Click on this
link.
https://livingwatersfortheworld.box.com/s/
rg0qjgn2rwptk4ko4nyg
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Links of Interest
Living Waters for the World Website
http://livingwatersfortheworld.org
Water of Life Newsletter -
http://livingwatersfortheworld.org/PageN-News.php
LWW Cuba Network Information -
http://livingwatersfortheworld.org/LWW_MO.php
PCUSA Cuba Partners -
http://missioncrossroads.ning.com/group/cubapartners
LWW Network -
http://missioncrossroads.ning.com/group/living-waters-for-the-world
LWW Opportunities Forum - http://lww.hoop.la
LWW Cuba Network Guidebook -
https://livingwatersfortheworld.box.com/s/8rvsgtma3zgtjnnwt22q
LWW Cuba Network Newsletters -
https://livingwatersfortheworld.box.com/s/xkbqnhtzqbr92w87l0mw
LWW Youtube Channel (LWW Videos) -
http://www.youtube.com/user/LWWmission
Cuba Network Coordinating Team -
https://livingwatersfortheworld.box.com/s/ffkcyfxnzqxlobxd0kur
First Cuban Living Waters for the World Installations by
Episcopalians
Tyler Macmillan, a 103 installer, and the San Pedro Apostol
installa-tion and operation team pose with certificates of training
in front of their new water system in Zorrilla, Cuba.
By Tyler Macmillan, Sarah Puckett and Dennis Howard
In November of 2013, a group of missionaries from St. Johns
Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, FL combined with members of Christ
Episcopal Church in Monticello, FL installed LWW water treatment
systems in churches in the rural Cuban towns of Zorrilla and Cuatro
Esquinas. These were the first systems installed by Episcopal
churches anywhere in Cuba. This effort began in October with the
training of team mem-bers Kakki Bissell, Tyler Macmillan, Sarah
Puckett, Roger Ru-menik, and Blan Teagle from St. Johns and Bob
Henderson from Christ Church, at Clean Water University, an Oxford,
MS training school of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Living Waters
for the World program. After graduating, the trained team quickly
gathered and packed over 600 pounds of sup-plies that would be
transported on their flight to Havana. They were joined by the
remainder of the St. Johns and Christ Church travel team.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, members of their sister parish, San Pedro
Apostol, and Christ Churchs sister parish, Cristo Rey, worked
furiously to install water tanks and plumbing for the systems.
On Sunday, November 17, the team arrived in Havana to be greeted
by Fr. Carlos Tamayo, the energetic priest of their two Cuban
sister churches. After spending the night in a Presbyteri-an
dormitory in Havana and stopping along the way to pick up Carlos
Austin, a seminary student who would serve as a second translator,
they arrived in Cuatro Esquinas to joyous greetings. The team then
quickly divided into groups that would train their Cuban
counterparts on clean water hygiene and system installation and
operation -- simultaneously in both locations! Over the next three
days they trained and watched as their partners constructed their
new systems and learned how to utilize the clean water in their
daily lives.
Their Cuban brothers and sisters are an incredible group of
people who impressed them with their ingenuity and hard work.
Though the Cubans live with adversity, they persevere with
patience, humor, and resolve. When health and hygiene training
sessions were conducted at the two churches, the in-structors were
happily overwhelmed by the number of children who arrived, many of
whom were not from church families. Church members and non-members,
alike, attended the cele-bration the last evening and enjoyed
fellowship and the arrival of the first local source of clean
water. Fr. Carlos said later that he was approached by an
unfamiliar woman whose child attended the training. She was
impressed enough to return for the celebration and told Fr. Carlos
that her family would like to start attending the church. The
missionaries experienced the excitement as well, feeling extremely
blessed to be a part of this life changing mission.
Veteran Cuba missionaries renewed longstanding relationships and
newbies were introduced to wonderful church leaders and members.
Future trips will be conducted to check the systems and to deliver
supplies; the team also expressed interest in assisting with
additional clean water systems in appropriate locations. On behalf
of the entire mission team and their sis-ters and brothers in Cuba,
they wish to convey their profound thanks to all who contributed
time, treasure, and talent to help make clean water a reality for
the towns of Zorrilla and Cuatro Esquinas
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Whos Who In The Living Waters for the World Cuban Network
Dr. Reinerio Arce-Valentin
Dr. Reinerio Arce is the current President of the Evangelical
Seminary of Theology (Seminario Evanglico de Teologa SET) in
Matanzas, Cuba and also serves as the current Moderator of the
Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba (Iglesia Presbiteriana
Reforma-da en Cuba - IPRC). He has a long history of service in the
IPRC.
Dr. Arce has been involved in the work of Liv-ing Waters for the
World in Cuba since the very beginning, providing guidance and
advice as these new waters were chart-ed. The IPRC, along with its
leadership, includ-ing Dr. Arce, have assisted in the LWW work
within the IPRC churches in Cuba. The SET, being ecumenical,
provides guidance and di-rection regarding installations other than
IPRC churches and other entities.
Dr. Arce holds a doctoral degree in Theology from the University
of Tubingen in Germany and a Masters degree in Theology from the
SET. He served as Moderator of the IPRC and has held positions in
the Cuban Council of Churches. Dr. Arce has traveled on several
occasions to the U.S. and has briefed mem-bers of Congress and
State Department offi-cials on the state of religious freedom in
Cuba and other matters.
Some links of interest regarding Dr. Arce are:
http://www.lawg.org/action-center/lawg-blog/69/997
http://www.knox.utoronto.ca/167th-convocation-address-dr-reinerio-arce-valentin
http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2013/08/cuba_huntsville_friendship.html
Kendall Cox
Kendall Cox is a long-time Living Waters for the World
volunteer. She has served in nu-merous capacities including CWU
instructor and CWU Program Director. She presently is a member of
the LWW Cuba Network Coor-dinating Team and serves as Secretary and
Coordinator/Publisher of the CNCT Guide-book. She is Moderator of
the LWW Educa-tional Team and was recently named as the full-time
Educational Director for Living Wa-ters for the World.
Her church, First Presbyterian, Greenville, MS, is a faithful
financial supporter of Living Waters for the World and holds
annual
fundraisers which have been very successful.
Kendall, as a member of their LWW team, has participated in
water system installations in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba and in
Haiti.
Kendalls supportive and talented family in-cludes her husband,
Wade Chambers, and their twins, Lesedi and Caleb. The entire family
is active in LWW work and have all participated in system
installation trips. Ken-dall and Wade also served in the Peace
Corps in Africa. She is also a co-founder and co-director of Every
Mother, Inc., a lactation counseling and training non-profit
Embajadores de Buena Voluntad - Ambassadors of Good Will By
Faure Montesino-Gonzalez translated by Dr. Karell Acosta,
University of Havana
Faure, who is a system operator and poet, wrote the poem
Ambassadors of Good Will for the West Jersey Presbytery water team
at the conclusion of their water system installation at CANIP.
Si nos dieran a escoger If only could we decide
queremos ser como ustedes, wed like to be as you are:
pues son hombres y mujeres the best men and women by far
de autntico proceder. who just by your hearts abide.
Gracias mil gracias Seor Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord
por este gran colectivo for the great people you sent
que demostr ser amigo who have proven to be friends
que puso fin al dolor. that made our pain be no more.
Mil gracias por el favor Thank you again, our Lord,
y no vamos a olvidar and we will always remember
el humanismo sin par their souls being so tender
de un proyecto tan sensible, providing us with so much,
que convierte lo imposible which is a magical touch,
en sencillo y natural. A divine service to us rendered.
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AGUAS VIVAS PARA EL MUNDO - CUBA
LIST OF LWW MISSION TEAMS 2014 PLANNED TRIPS
TEAM NAME
DATE
PLACE
TEAM LEADER OR CONTACT PERSON
Lower Providence
Presbyterian, Eagleville, PA
West Jersey Presbytery,
and Quakers
February Christian
Conference Center
(Quaker) Gibar
Holguin
Kary LaFors
[email protected]
Bill Kelly
[email protected]
Westminster Presbyterian Minneapolis, MN
April Los Palos Havana
Ed Cunnington [email protected]
First-Trinity Presbyterian Laurel, MS and First Presbyterian,
Greenville, MS
Summer First Presbyterian Caibaguan
Verniece Goode [email protected]
Kendall Cox [email protected]
University Presbyterian Baton Rouge, LA
Fall Cuba Council of Churches, Havana
Linda Walker [email protected]
Deborah Serra [email protected]
Clear Lake Presbyterian Houston, TX
November Hogar de Ancianos Soldados de la Cruz Coln
Jim Luther
[email protected]
First Presbyterian
Atlanta, GA
TBD Perico Presbyterian Perico
Chris Moore-Keish
[email protected]
Water Filters How YOU Can Help
Presently, there are no known suppliers in Cuba for the filter
cartridges used in the Living Waters for the World systems
installed there. The teams installing the systems carry extra
filters upon installation of the systems and on subsequent
follow-up visits. Unforeseen or premature filter failures will
result in system shutdowns if adequate supplies of extra filter
cartridges are not available. The replacement frequency of filter
changes varies from system to system, and periodic unexpected
turbidity in the water supply may cause unexpected or premature
filter failures.
While the LWW water teams strive to provide an adequate supply
of extra filters for their in-country partners, there are
situa-tions where timing and logistics prevent the timely arrival
of replacement filters. It is also cost prohibitive for a team to
travel to Cuba simply to transport filters. Due to the U.S. trade
embargo, it is not possible to ship filters directly to locations
in Cuba from the U.S. Shipment of filters through other countries
is difficult, slow, time-consuming, and often unreliable.
Hand-carrying is the most reliable and efficient option at
present.
If your church or organization travels to Cuba, the LWW Cuba
Network would like to encourage you to consider purchasing and/or
transporting filters to Cuba when you travel. This might mean
transporting filters to a specific location on behalf of a LWW team
or simply transporting filters to be stockpiled in a central
location to handle emergency situations. If your church or
organ-ization has a relationship or other affiliation with a Cuban
counterpart having a LWW water system, you might wish to consider
helping supply them with filters.
If your church or organization would like to consider
participating in this vital supply chain, please contact the
moderator of the LWW Cuban Network, Jerry Goode
[email protected].
This would make a great youth group project!
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AGUAS VIVAS PARA EL MUNDO - CUBA LIST OF LWW SYSTEMS INSTALLED
AS OF FEBRUARY 2014
TEAM NAME DATE PLACE CONTACT
First-Trinity Presbyterian Laurel, Mississippi
June 2009 Seminario Evanglico de Teologa Matanzas
Verniece Goode [email protected]
First-Trinity Presbyterian Laurel, Mississippi
June 2010 La Playa Childrens Home - Matanzas
Verniece Goode [email protected]
First-Trinity Presbyterian Laurel, Mississippi
July 2011 Martin Luther King Center /Ebenezer Baptist -
Havana
Verniece Goode [email protected]
Christ Church/ St. John Presbyterian Houston, TX
November 2011
Iglesia de la Playa Matanzas Karen Persley
[email protected]
Clear Lake Presbyterian Houston, Texas
November 2011
Kairos Center / First Baptist - Matanzas
Jim Luther [email protected]
Westminster Presbyterian Minneapolis, MN
January 2012
Luyan Presbyterian Havana Ed Cunnington [email protected]
St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian New Orleans, LA
May 2012 El Fuerte Presbyterian - Cardenas LauraSt.Clair
[email protected]
First-Trinity Pres. Laurel & 1st Pres. Greenville, MS
July 2012 Sancti Spiritus Presbyterian Sancti Spiritus
Verniece Goode [email protected]
St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian New Orleans, LA
November 2012
Juan G. Hall Presbyterian Church Cardenas
Bonnie Shoemaker [email protected]
Clear Lake Presbyterian Houston, TX
November 2012
San Antonio de los Baos Presbyterian
Jim Luther [email protected]
Westminster Pres & Presbytery of Long Island
March 2013
Guines Presbyterian Church Ed Cunnington [email protected]
University Presbyterian Church Baton Rouge, LA
April 2013 Getsemani San Jose de los Ramos
Linda Walker [email protected]
West Jersey Presbytery June 2013 CANIP Santa Clara
Bill Kelly [email protected]
West Jersey Presbytery June 2013 El Buen Pastor Union de
Reyes
Bill Kelly [email protected]
Lower Providence Pres. Eagleville, PA
July 2013 Iglesia de Amigos (Quaker) Holguin
Kary LaFors [email protected]
Clear Lake Presbyterian Church Houston, TX
November 2013
Escuela Abel Santamaria Ha-vana
Jim Luther [email protected]
Clear Lake Presbyterian Church Houston, TX
November 2013
Soldiers of the Cross Seminary Playa Baracoa
Jim Luther [email protected]
St. Johns Episcopal - Tallahassee November 2013
Zorilla Episcopal Mission Dennis and Sandra Howard
[email protected]
St. Johns Episcopal Tallahassee November 2103
Cuatro Esqunas Episcopal Church
Dennis and Sandra Howard [email protected]
Presbytery of South Louisiana November 2013
Matanzas Central Presbyterian Laura St. Clair
[email protected]
Lower Providence Pres. Eagleville, PA
February 2014
Iglesia de Amigos (Quaker) Giba-ra
Kary LaFors [email protected]
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If your church is interested in participating in the LWW mission
in Cuba, there are two sites waiting for partners. Both sites have
been visited by LWW teams in the past and vetted by our partners in
Cuba as being viable sites for consideration and partnership.
The first site is the Guanabacoa Presbyterian Church located in
a neighborhood near the Habana Vieja (Old Havana). This church was
first visited and a preliminary survey completed two years ago, but
due to a change in leadership, was postponed. The LWW teams
interested at the time, moved on to other sites. Since they have
been waiting for two years, we thought it time to publi-cize their
availability.
The second site is at the CCRD (Christian Centre for Reflection
and Dialogue) in Cardenas. They have been under consideration for
some time, but have not been a priority since a LWW system has been
installed in the same neighborhood. The situation has changed due
to the massive demand for clean water there. The nearby church has
been providing for the water needs of CCRD as well as their own
congregation and surrounding community. Due to the increased demand
for clean water and the expansion of CCRD programs which use clean
water, it is felt that there is sufficient need in the area to
install a system there. Information can be found at:
http://www.united-church.ca/partners/global/caribbean/cuba#ccrd
For more information, contact Jerry Goode at
[email protected].
If you would like to have your material published in this
newsletter, please submit to Jim Luther at [email protected].
Cuban Church Leaders Hold Briefing
for Congress on U.S./Cuba Relations
On Thursday, February 27, 2014, a delegation of Christian faith
leaders from Cuba briefed the U.S. Congress on the status of
religious freedom in Cuba. The briefing was sponsored by Senator
Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA).
The six faith leaders called for meaningful dialogue between the
United States and Cuba, the removal of Cuba from the State
Departments State Sponsors of Terrorism list and the elimination
of all restrictions on people-to-people travel.
Featured panelists include Rev. Joel Ortega Dopico,
Presbyterian, President, Cuban Council of Churches, Griselda
Delgado, Epis-
copal Bishop of Cuba, Rev. Dr. Reinerio Arce, President,
Matanzas Seminary, Havana, Pastor Maria Yi, Quaker, Vice
President,
Cuban Council of Churches, Rev. Rhode Gonzalez, Christian
Pentecostal Church, and Rev. Raul Suarez, Director of the
Martin
Luther King Center in Havana.
The following is an excerpt from an op-ed in The Hill newspaper.
It was written by Rev. John McCullough, a Methodist minister
and CEO of Church World Service and Rev. Joel Dopico, President
of the Cuban Council of Churches.
It may surprise many people to know that there is a Cuban
Council of Churches, and that there is a thriving, growing faith
com-
munity in Cuba. While many outside Cuba imagine that religious
life has been stifled, there are in fact a wide range of
churches
active in the country, and religious membership and
participation has been growing for twenty years. The Cuban Council
of
Churches has 54 member organizations. Church World Service and
many of its 37 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican member
communions work closely with churches in Cuba and with the
ecumenical Cuban Council of Churches.
Were proud of what we have accomplished together in providing
humanitarian aid in times of disasters and by accompanying
and supporting the Cuban churches as they have gained more space
to minister and offer social services over the past twenty
years. Our collaboration has helped build bridges of
understanding between our countries, which have been divided by
politics
and an economic embargo for over fifty years now.
To read more:
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/religious-rights/199366-cuban-and-us-churches-work-together-our-
governments?utm_source=February+28+Blast&utm_campaign=February+28+2014+Blast&utm_medium=email#ixzz2ujhRCxJ0
