Cuba clergy share stories, bring hope of better relations with their U.S. neighbors

The Revs. Elmer and Gisela Lavistida of Santiago, Cuba have been in the United States for 10 days, talking to the people of the United Church of Christ about fostering a stronger relationship between our two countries. As guests at General Synod of the Southern Conference, the Lavistidas are sharing experiences of life under the blockade (the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba), and their hope that the UCC resolution that calls for ending the embargo moves other people of faith to show love to their neighbors in Cuba, and advocate for the normalization of relations between our two countries.

The Lavistidas and the author of the resolution, the Rev. Jerry Rhyne, who first met the couple during a UCC Cuba Study Seminar tour in 2016, would like more Americans to visit the island nation off the Florida coast and see first-hand what life, and the people of Cuba, are like. Despite our political differences, friendships can flourish across the divide that separates our countries.