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While the US considers a “friendly takeover,” God is already at work in Cuba · The Daily Article

• 0:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Greetings, and welcome to the Friday, March 13th, 2026 edition of the Daily Article podcast from Dineson Forum.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: Senior Editor for Theology, Dr. Ryan Dineson, wrote today's Daily Article.
• 0:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Chris Elfkins, narrator.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: While the Trump administration's focus remains largely on the war in Iran, the president took time earlier this week to address the situation with Cuba as well.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hinting that they may be next in line for regime change, he stated, it may be a friendly takeover, it may not be a friendly takeover.
• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: It wouldn't matter because they're really, they're down to, as I say, fumes.
• 0:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Trump went on to add, they have no energy, they have no money.
• 0:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis, in quote, as I discussed in the newsworth-knowing section of this week's focus, those comments came after he'd previously muse, they want to make a deal.
• 1:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: And so I'm going to put Marco over there and we'll see how that works out.
• 1:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: in quote, as we've seen with Iran, Russia and Ukraine, Venezuela and a host of other conflicts, waiting to make a deal and being willing to give up what it would take to get a deal are really the same.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: And while the president is correct that Cuba is struggling in almost every way, it still is unclear what any such negotiations would entail.
• 1:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cuba does not have a
• 1:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: They also don't have the same kind of economic or natural resources that could prove appealing.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, it's likely that any concessions of interest to the administration would center around the country's relationship with Russia and China.
• 1:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that there are likely multiple sites on the island of Cuba that China is currently using to spy on the United States.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: Russia is also thought to use Cuba and other Latin American countries like Nicaragua for similar purposes.
• 2:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Reducing our neighbor nations ties to these countries would be difficult, but it would also fit well within the administrations for and policy focus on the Western Hemisphere.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: Yet, until a deal is reached, it's the people of Cuba who will continue to suffer, and it's crucial that we don't lose sight of their plight as we consider the broader negotiations between governments.
• 2:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: While the toppling of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and more specifically the cessation of free oil to Cuba,
• 2:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: was in many ways the tipping point for the Cuban people many were in dire straits well before then.
• 2:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cuba is one of only two Latin American nations currently in a recession while Haiti, the other.
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: 89% of the population in Cuba live in extreme poverty and even their government admits that most live on one meal a day if that.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Moreover, a mosquito-borne illness easily treated
• 3:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: has proved difficult to contain and has led to 55 deaths since November due to a shortage of medicine.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: A nationwide blackout was triggered recently after the Antonio Gitteta thermonuclear plant, the island's largest power station failed.
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Even when the plant was functioning, though, the aforementioned fuel shortages meant many went without power.
• 3:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Power cuts of up to 20 hours are common, while the lack of fuel makes getting to work, transporting food, or simply getting around to great a struggle for most.
• 3:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: And as Jacob Lushnusky, the Minnonite Central Committee regional director for Cuba described, it gets worse farther you get from the Capitol.
• 3:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: Well, when you arrive in Havana, you can tell something isn't right, but it's nothing compared to what you begin to see as you travel further east.
• 3:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Entire cities look like ghost towns.
• 3:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are factories, schools, and hospitals that once functioned,
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: As is often the case, however, God is already at work through his people in ways that are making a genuine difference in the lives of those in need.
• 4:13
  [SPEAKER_00]: Her non-Ristrapalm has an excellent article in Christianity today about the work believers are doing in Cuba.
• 4:21
  [SPEAKER_00]: In it, he describes how Christians are using whatever means are at their disposal to help those around them.
• 4:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Whether it's providing food,
• 4:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: clothing, hygiene products, are simply comfort.
• 4:32
  [SPEAKER_00]: God's people are giving from what little they have to be his hands and feet to the people the Lord has placed around them.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Moreover, even the government has started to recognize the value of getting help from believers.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_00]: Ministries like the Menonite Central Committee have met remarkably little resistance as they've brought in shipping containers of humanitarian relief.
• 4:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, their greatest problems have come from getting that aid to the people once it arrives.
• 4:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: The oil
• 5:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: embargo has made it difficult to use trucks to distribute the supplies and the churches with whom they work are often forced to rely on underfed horses and carts instead.
• 5:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Still, they're doing what they can and it's still often far more than the people receive from the government.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: As myra Espino, a sociologist and researcher in Cuba points out, quote, in a country where the state can no longer provide basic services like health care and education, Christian churches have become essential spaces for society, not only to receive humanitarian aid or spiritual comfort, but also to build community.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: quote, and it's been that way for quite a while.
• 5:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: In 2008, for example, Cuba was devastated by four hurricanes in a single year.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Espino notes that Christians earned a new found respect after local churches helped repair the roofs of their non-Christian neighbors before fixing their own.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: it was a gesture of care that was not soon forgotten in part because Cuban believers have continued to demonstrate that kind of concern in the years since.
• 6:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: And in so doing, they offer an important example for believers everywhere.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes it can be easy to look at the gravity of the knees around us and feel overwhelmed.
• 6:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's all right.
• 6:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Any of those needs are truly overwhelming, and to put it a bit cynically, there's a reason Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 26, verse 11, that they would always have the poor with him.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: But the lesson we should learn from our brothers and sisters in Cuba is that we don't have to meet every need in order to make a tangible difference.
• 6:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: Moreover, seldom will you be called on to meet those needs alone.
• 6:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cuban believers at their best make a difference in their communities by working together.
• 6:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: They try to model the kind of fellowship Luke describes in Acts 2 verses 42 through 46 where the believers devoted themselves to the study of God's Word, to sharing meals, to prayer, and to provide for the needs of those around to the extent that it was within their capacity to do so.
• 7:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: and the result recorded in Acts 2 verse 47 is often the same today as it was 2000 years ago.
• 7:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
• 7:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: As Pastor Carlos Alamino off proclaimed Cuba, described when he and his son were guests on the Denison Forum podcast, quote, The Gospel is relational.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if we are able to provide for a person, if we're able to meet their needs, their hearts are going to be ready to receive the gospel in quote.
• 7:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the key is that they are not doing it alone.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: Carlos went on to describe how, quote, if I close my eyes and I touch any part of the island, we have somebody there, we can call on and do ministry with.
• 7:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: And quote, can you imagine how much more we could accomplish for God's kingdom in America if we could say the same?
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: Can you imagine how much more you could accomplish just in your city or your town if you could point to any part of your community and know that your finger would fall on someone you could do ministry with?
• 8:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: The best place to start toward that goal is to make sure you are willing to be that someone in your community.
• 8:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: While your role in the body of Christ is essential, you can't play that role well if you're trying to do it by yourself.
• 8:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: So don't try.
• 8:26
  [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, take some time today to ask God where he would like you to serve, then pray for the people to serve with you in that capacity.
• 8:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's start right now.
• 8:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: No, if you would like to find out more about what God is doing in Cuba and how you can help.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: I encourage you to visit proclaimcuba.org.
• 8:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: There are a number of organizations doing God's work on the island and they're a great place to start learning more.