Smuggling the Gospel into Cuba

As his plane landed on the runway at Havana International Airport in Cuba, Ron Gillespie felt his stomach churn nervously from the challenge that awaited him.

For the last six years, the retired businessman from Gurnee, Illinois, had donated funds and supplied sports equipment to the first Cuban chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that the country’s communist government had begrudgingly allowed to form. When the opportunity arose, Ron decided to visit Cuba himself.

Knowing the risks associated with smuggling Christian materials into the country, he traveled to the Caribbean nation with two suitcases filled with sports gear, reading glasses, Spanish-language Bibles and Christian literature, including ¿Quién es Jesús? Un Estudio del Evangelio de Juan, a devotional on the Gospel of John from Today in the Word.

“We’ve had trouble getting Bibles or any kinds of books into Cuba,” he said. But despite his worries, as he disembarked his plane he prayed, “Lord, it’s Yours.”

After arriving in Cuba and passing through personal security, Ron headed to the baggage carousel and waited for his luggage. The area cleared out and “still no bag,” Ron said. “Finally my bag came through with a tag on it.”

He then walked to a second security location to have his bags checked again. When the officer saw the tag on the suitcase containing the Christian resources, she told Ron to follow her. They walked through a succession of three security stations, but none of the security personnel opened the tagged luggage.

“I thought the worst they’ll do is take everything away or, at the very worst, arrest me,” Ron said. “They don’t allow anything in the country that is against the communist government. And Bibles are considered just that.”

At last, Ron was led to a private room. Another officer instructed him to hand her the tagged bag. She unzipped the suitcase and asked, “Why are you here?”

“My visa stated that I was in Cuba to help the Cuban people,” Ron said, “so I said, ‘I’m here to help.’ She opened the suitcase, seeing the Bibles, books, and Today in the Word—all in Spanish.”

The officer picked up a copy of the Today in the Word study of John that explicitly presents the gospel message. After thumbing through the pages, she looked at Ron again.

“You’re a pastor?” she asked.

“No,” Ron replied. “But I am a Christian.”

The officer kept referring to him as “Pastor,” so he finally agreed, saying, “Yes. I care for people for Christ.”

The officer returned the books to the suitcase and wrote in Spanish on a card. Ron was then escorted back through the security lines, where each officer read the card.