• March 2024

In March 2024, Pastor Jon & Angie, along with their sons, visited Santa Clara and spent time furthering relationships with Isbel, Maday, and the Iglesia Casa de Ferez family. This went a long way to initiating what has become a long term relationship between our Covenant Church family and our Santa Clara, Cuba church family. Additionally, we delivered a projector, donated clothes, baby items (including diapers), and medication.

• Fall 2024

In September 2024 we raised enough money to send to the church in Santa Clara for their small electric vehicle, previously donated by a small group from another church, to have a gasoline motor attached to it. This would allow them to use this vehicle (which is used to pick up people who have mobility challenges for church gatherings) even when they haven't had electricity to charge it.

In November 2024, Brent & Letitia Jefkins led a team of seven to visit and build ongoing relationships with our BIC family in Santa Clara Cuba. There were several parts to this visit:

• We took money with us to help them put a concrete floor in their church space.

• We delivered several ministry resources to them - AV resources (including a laptop and microphones), children's ministry tools, musical instruments, clothes, and medication.

• We participated in church gatherings (Sunday and midweek), visiting home churches, special children's programming, visitation to some who were sick, many informal interactions, and even an impromptu praise time in the street during a power outage!

• Spring 2025

In May 2025, Covenant sent two representatives back to Santa Clara to deliver more resources, continue to build relationships, and to serve together. During this trip, many of the developing hardships in Cuba were more apparent - power outages, lack of fuel, and the expense of some food items. We were able to deliver more clothes, children's ministry tools, and medication. The addition of a handheld translator to our tools really added depth to our connection with our brothers and sisters in Cuba during this time.

In preparation for this trip, we realized that we have the ability to order and purchase food from Canada, to be pick up from stores in Cuba and delivered to their home. We made a first food order in April 2025 and a second in August 2025. Both were delivered without issue and were used by the church there to deliver food to their community and to host community meals.

• Fall 2025

In November 2025 (through what can only be described as a miraculous approval of their travel visas), Isbel, Maday, and their daughter Yanisbel (Lola) were able to come and visit Covenant Church. This gave our entire congregation the chance to meet them, worship with them, pray for them, and generally get to know them. We had a special worship gathering, a beautiful pot-luck, and they, shared in small-groups and large gatherings. Before they went home, they were able to visit Toronto and see Ripley's Aquarium and go up the CN Tower! We sent them home with more vital resources and over $6000 for hurricane relief efforts across the island through Hermanos en Cristo en Cuba.

As our Cuban family went home, food scarcity was becoming an increasingly significant challenge. We committed to placing monthly food orders to help them survive and serve their community, as long as we have the resources to do this.

• February 2026

Moved with a desire to provide for our Cuban church family and their community, volunteers at Covenant planned and ran a Canada-Cuba Love Feast and Auction. This amazing event, serving hoagies as an homage to Bob's Hoagie House (a central location in the early days of Covenant Church run by one of the most integral people in Covenant's history), raised well over $5,000 to purchase food for Cuba throughout the year. This has given us the opportunity to send monthly food orders to them, including: rice, beans, powdered milk, cooking oil, and frozen or canned meat. When possible, we have added other food items to the order as well (such as spaghetti).

Since our fundraiser, food costs have gone up while their need for support has since increased. If you would like to donate to our global fund to ensure we can continue to send them food, please visit www.covenantchurch.ca/give for ways to contribute.

All contributions for this project should be labeled "Global."

• Fall/Winter 2026

We continue to send monthly supplies of rice, beans, powdered milk, cooking oil, and canned meat. These have been used to bless and support both the church community and their neighbourhood!

Cancellation of all Canadian flights to Cuba have left us unsure if/when we would be able to visit our Cuban family again. (Several within our Covenant family remain in contact with them via WhatsApp, but it is different than a hug and shared meal.) They are experiencing ever-increasing power outages, food shortages, depletion of medical supplies, and a severe fuel crisis. At the same time, solar systems have become widely available for those who have the resourses to purchase them.

After experiencing the benefit of a solar system at the BIC Cuba headquarters in Cuba, the pastoral team there shared that this is something that would be of significant help to them. A local donor has agreed to cover the cost of a system for the church in Santa Clara. Our Canada-Cuba organizational team is currently figuring out when and how we may be able to send 2-3 people down with the money for them to purchase it. (There are now flights through Miami to Santa Clara through American carriers that we are exploring as options.)

Watch for more information on when this trip will be coming! In the meantime, you can support a small team going to bring resources, love, and encouragement to our Santa Clara Church family by giving to our "Global" fund. (www.covenantchurch.ca/give)