HAVANA – As Cuba deals with the coronavirus pandemic, a group of pastors is banding together to help save lives and share the gospel message.

Vernon Brewer, the CEO and founder of World Help, a Christian humanitarian aid organization, shared about the creative idea in the island nation that relies heavily on tourism. One man told the group he waited two hours in line at a store to buy food but left with a single can of sardines.

“We don’t want to miss an opportunity to continue witnessing for the Lord,” the pastors told Brewer as they put Philippians 4:13 and Acts 16:31 on different masks, written in Spanish.

“They ordered 1,000 face masks printed with Bible verses to wear and hand out,” Brewer explained. “Now, each person wearing them will share the gospel to those who are looking for help spiritually – without even saying a word!

He added, “What an incredible witness. Their faith reminds us that, even when everything seems to be going wrong, God is still at work and we can put our hope in him.”

This comes as religious freedom advocates are celebrating after Cuban authorities released a Christian mom, Expósito Leyva, from jail, after she and her husband, Pastor Ramon Rigal, were imprisoned last April for refusing to send her children to a government-run school.

The couple, who opted to homeschool their children, was charged with “acts against the normal development of a minor,” according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“While we welcome the release of Expósito and are particularly relieved that she can be reunited with her children, we believe that she should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” USCIRF Commissioner and civil rights lawyer Anurima Bhargava said in a statement.

Bhargava urges Cuba to release Rigal, who is set for release next year, noting that his health is at great risk while being incarcerated. Cuba is a nation of more than 11 million and has over 1,000 cases of COVID-19, with at least 34 deaths.

Read more news on Cuba and the Coronavirus Outbreak on Missions Box.

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