Enirique

Guanabo, a small town outside of Havana, Cuba on the coast was one of the first places we ventured after starting a church with pastor Ivan and Margarita in Lawton (the curfew area for rehabbing criminals and homeless).  It was 1999. We had been told by a friend in Havana that there was a Christian guy that lived there - everybody in town called him "Enrique loco" (crazy Henry).  The locals pointed to a shack and said that is where he lives.  Practically everyone else in this small town lived in nice concrete homes, either on the coast or a couple of blocks off the coast.  The folks told us that Henry had fought in the revolution, was a decorated hero and had been given a hotel and several nice houses in Guanabo.  What happened?  He was given an assignment to go fight in Cambodia because he had demonstrated loyalty and fighting skills during the revolution in Cuba.  After meeting him at his house he told us the rest of the story.  He was fighting alongside the communist in 1969 or 1970, he could not remember the specific year.  All of a sudden he said he heard a voice telling him to put down his gun and go home.  He said he had never heard of Jesus before but the voice he heard had said this is the Lord Jesus and I want you to go home.  He was afraid not to, so he went to his commanding officer and said he was going home.  After telling someone the story, the person gave him a Bible and he told him he would find out about Jesus in it. The officer said he would be treated as a deserter but Henry went anyway.  On the way home he read the story of Jesus and gave his life to Him. When he arrived back in Cuba, he was stripped of his honors and properties and given the wooden shack four blocks from the coast. It was a bleak and dark dwelling.  He then showed Isabel and I that Bible and it was the most worn out Bible I have ever seen!  I offered him a new one, but he declined.  He asked why we were there and we told him we wanted to tell others in his town about Jesus and see if we can get a church started there.  We asked him if there were any other Christians in town and he said not that he knew of.  I asked him if he had any friends that he would like for us to share the message of hope in Christ and he said yes, they fought in the revolution with him, but they are atheists...I said good, let's get the tough cases out of the way first.  Their names are Raul and Elba..... their story to follow!