ALIDA'S STORY

More than ten years ago, I met Alida, who was born in Cuba three years after Fidel Castro came to power. Alida was “a child of the revolution,” and I will never forget what she told me. After the Communist takeover on 1 January 1959, life became difficult for Cuba's Christian believers. When Fidel Castro seized the government, the Church was cut off from the outside world, isolated, and repressed. Alida's father was a pastor, and his church suffered along with the others, but this did not deter Alida's parents from instilling in their young daughter a desire to serve the Lord. As the years passed, the government gradually began to ease its tight rein on the Church. In her late teens, Alida went to Bible College. There she fell in love with Pedro, and before long the two were married. After graduation Pedro became assis-tant pastor in his father's evangelical church, and the first four years of Alida en Pedro's marriage were very happy. The newlyweds were surrounded by Christians who supported them in their ministry. In 1989 the Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way in Cuba. Many people came to the Lord, churches overflowed, and countless house churches were born all over the country. However, with the revival came more oppression. Govern-ment spies were sent to attend church meetings. Alida and Pedro's church, like many others, was watched carefully, especially because Castro's secret agents happened to have their office right across the street. From there they watched the pastor's every move. Alida and Pedro were often followed when they left their house, and virtually every month Pedro was called in by the security police and interrogated. Alida was really afraid for her husband's safety. When she was expecting their second child, Pedro was once again apprehen-ded by the authorities. Though this had become almost routine, usually the interrogation ses-sions lasted only a few hours. This time Pedro did not come home when Alida expected him. The security police held him for a whole day. In her fear Alida cried out to God. He answered her through Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (NKJV). “Lord!” she cried, “I know you spoke those words to Your people Israel, but please make them true for my husband today.” After hours of harassment and intimidation by the police, Pedro finally came home late that evening. Alida was overjoyed to see he was alive and well, but it was not his last interrogation. During the following years, the Lord often reminded Alida of the promise in Isaiah. At times He also warned her of imminent danger. “We have always lived with fear,” Alida told me, “but fear has not conquered our hearts. Fear and high-risk circumstances were not Alida's only problems. After the revolution, Cuba became increasingly poor, and most families lacked the basic things they needed. Cuban women had no choice but to go to work, and they had to work for the government, since it was the only employer. It was a challenge to hold a full-time job while properly caring for their families. Household appliances, so common in the Western world, were largely unavailable. To make time for God in their busy days, it was crucial for women like Alida to keep themselves and their families on a strict schedule. Meanwhile, Pedro became invol-ved in the unofficial distribution of Bibles. For security reasons, Alida was one of the few people he relied on to help him in this dangerous ministry. Her life was already hectic, and it was essential for her to depend on God for the provision of their family's daily needs. Sometimes she and Pedro entertained unexpected guests in their home, which meant providing food they often did not have. All she could do was turn to her Father in heaven and ask Him: “Give us this day our daily bread.” When Alida described her challenges and how they were met, her face seemed to glow. “Many, many times I've seen God bless and multiply what little we had!” Like all children in Cuba, Alida's three sons attended public schools. The atheistic philosophy they were taught was far different from what the boys learned at home and in church. Sometimes Christian children were singled out in class and punished for something a whole group had done. All their parents could do was to commit their children to God daily and ask Him to keep them. “God heard our prayers for our children,” Alida told me. “The Holy Spirit is moving in wonderful ways in our country. Many teachers have testified that the witness of Christian children in their classrooms has affected their lives. We praise the Lord for that.” As we said goodbye, Alida had one final thing to say to me. “You know,” she said, “the years that my husband and I have served the Lord have not been easy. We have often faced danger, but it has been worth the risk. Without God's Presence we could not exist. I pray daily that God will always be first in our lives and that He will not allow riches or poverty or anything else to come between us. It is good to have to depend on Him for everything. We have learned to live on our knees.” [Singing through the Night, Anneke Companjen, Open Doors International, Revell, 2007].