The light outside his window was growing purple and soft as sounds of laughter and chatter filled the humid evening air. Orleidis looked up from his book to see the other neighborhood boys playing barefoot baseball in the field across from his family’s more-than-modest home.

Orleidis was content to spend most evenings in the pages of a book. These pages held the power to transport him to worlds beyond his own.

Growing up in a poor Cuban family, he knew his future would be challenging. He decided at an early age that if he was ever going to make a difference, he needed to study hard and become well educated. By the time he was 9 years old, he had read nearly every piece of classic Cuban literature.

Orleidis was confident in his own abilities to ensure a bright future for himself.

The Power of Prayer
After joining the Union of Communist Youth as a young man, Orleidis grew further and further from God. His mother made many attempts to share the gospel with him, but his heart had grown hard to God’s love.

He enlisted in the army and the military university, in hopes of beginning the successful career he dreamed of as a boy. But military life didn’t bring the satisfaction he hoped to find. When he tried to leave, he was punished and demoted.

It was a crushing blow, and Orleidis slipped into a deep depression.

Back at home, his mother continued to fervently pray for her son. Wanting to provide him with any hope she could, she sent him a copy of Josh McDowell’s book, More Than a Carpenter — a book that was brought by an American team that visited the island.

Orleidis was skeptical as he opened the package. He remembered all of the moments his mother tried to tell him about God. But as he began reading, he felt something in his heart begin to change, and it was as if God was right there with him.

In that moment, right in the middle of his room at the military academy, Orleidis knelt down and accepted Christ.

From Literature to Leadership
When Orleidis started attending church with his mother, his passion for studying classic literature quickly shifted to studying God’s Word. He spent hours poring over his Bible and meeting with his pastor. Orleidis soon felt God’s calling on his life to start a church.

As a new church planter, he knew he would need the help of someone who had the knowledge and the resources he lacked. He connected with the ministry of Casa del Alfarero, a strategic alliance partner of Missions Door in Cuba.

What started with just a handful of people soon grew to more than 200 members. Today Orleidis has planted nine more churches across Cuba, reaching hundreds with the gospel.

On-Going Opportunity
Missions Door has started the Cuba Ministry Fund and your support will allow us to sponsor church planters like Orleidis. When we provide a subsidy of $50 per month to a local pastor, together we can make a difference in the lives of many people and impact them with the gospel of Christ.