It's been a TRIP so far! Definitely faith tester and forced patience builder. Started with a flight disaster that turned what is normally a 5-hour ordeal into 10...including sitting on board without AC while they tried to find a pilot. Team 1 arrived on time with no Spanish and some op fail in terms of where to go...praise God they are seasoned so they figured it out. Daily blackouts of 4 hours a day, which would be fine if they said what hours so one could plan. They don't do it. Anyway so far did some 2nd round biz buys, went to Gitmo which was an EXPERIENCE and fruitful. Back to Havana and changed to a high rise airbnb that is on the top floor so breeze helps with the heat and humidity. As things happen yesterday 4 peeps arrived and of course the elevator broke so stairs 7 floors that are double so it's really 14 and about killed all of us. Pastors wife passed out on the street from heat/humidity and the stairs I think ends any chance she ever comes back. They miraculously did find the parts and 2 guys working on fixing it now. Pray they do! If not she won't leave the house. Today 13 more princesses graduate and sunday Biz buys for them. The church host made the biz ez for us this time. All get the same thing and only one distributor. Monday off to middle of the island for a few days to meet some new churches and next week home sweet home. I blocked out my last 2 days to fast and focus on what God has done here over the last 2 yrs. I need that time BIGLY! All in consider it a joy. Lives are changed and it is worth it. (fb)

It's been a while since we posted. Been in some waves, a lot of traveling and had to pull some strings to get beta team out of Venezuela alive. We go back to Cuba in a few days for additional business buys, another graduation of 3rd Princess class and some other stuff. We have 2 teams joining us this trip, both newbies to Cuba, and it's insanity. Venezuela is better in some ways and worse in others. The gang control stuff has evolved into almost exclusively high level organized criminal networks. Some sponsored by Maduro and others with his blessing. The team rescued over 200 in the 4 months there, but it was brutal. They are all home, and we will be pausing work there, maybe for an extended time. My wife did an amazing job speaking in GA. There was a hiccup with the AV team getting the video, but there is still hope the security camera caught it. If we get it, we will post it. On my end, I go in first week of June for 2 more scopes with biopsy's. What always made our country plants so successful was the ministry was always at our homes/ministry bases. The princesses were completely immersed in our family kids/dogs etc. Many lived with us. It was far more than just the 5 hours a day of ministry. Many of them came early and left late and while weekends were off, they still came to fellowship. We were in their lives, involved with their whole families. It's impossible to replicate what we do in Cuba, as we can't live there. Not sure where it goes, but we will see this trip. September 16th marks 20 years for me rescuing and restoring victims of sexual exploitation. Most of it deep on the front lines. I'm tired, and health stuff is making it even more difficult. Trusting the Lord best I can, but it feels like a new season is coming. Pray that the BC team hears the Lord clearly. (fb)