We are happy to announce that on September 17, 2023 in Bayamo, Cuba, Yoandris Pompa Valdespino was baptized into the Hope of Israel. Five and a half years ago, searching on the web for a community that studied the Bible, Yoandris came across labiblia.com and requested the postal course. He has been studying with us ever since, firstly by mail until the service was interrupted, and from thereon in mostly by Skype and WhatsApp.  He is a delightful young man with a lovely wife, Lisnet, a neonatal nurse, and three sons aged 10, 8 and 4. We believe this to be the first baptism in the Truth in Cuba.

It took some time to navigate around the problem of a US resident’s travelling to Cuba, but it turned out to be much less difficult than anticipated. The day of the baptism Yoandris and I had to travel up and down the river which flows through the city to find a stretch deep enough for him to be immersed. Afterwards Lisnet gave us lunch at the house, then Bro. Yoandris and I celebrated a memorial service in which I received him into fellowship and we broke bread together. May our Heavenly Father bless and guide our new brother in his walk to the Kingdom.