USA East Music BULLETIN - FALL 2019 - ISSUE 3 | Page 6

Sunday morning’s meeting took place
in the Central Corps, commencing with
some preliminary music by the Pendel
Brass and Sin Limites. A personal highlight
for me during the service was seeing the
Cuban cadets brought to tears of joy
after the Pendel Officers presented each
of them with brand new laptops. The
morning featured contributions from
the Pendel Music & Arts forces, including
Gavin Whitehouse’s “Forever You Will Be”
and Geron Davis’s “Closer Still,” in addition
to a stirring message from Lt. Col. Larry
Ashcraft. Lunch was followed by an
outdoor block party with Sin Limites and
the Pendel Brass/Timbrels. This was a
time for everyone to let their hair down,
as it were; the Brass featured music from
the lighter side of their repertoire such
as Barrie Gott’s “Shine” & Stephen Bulla’s
“Lift Up Your Voice” while the Timbrels
presented a routine to Barrie Gott’s
“Daniel.” The evening finished up with
dinner and fellowship at the guest houses.
Monday started with visits to both the
Bejucal and San Francisco Corps. This was a
bittersweet time, as it was the final outing
for Majors Jud & Lori Laidlaw, along with
their son Josh, as they would be moving
to the Swoneky Division after a thirteen-
year appointment in Pendel. The Laidlaw
family was honored for their service to the
Music & Arts forces before Lt. Col. Larry
prayed a special blessing over them. We
sang “God Be With You” and prayed for the
ongoing ministry of the two Corps. The
rest of the day was ours to spend sight-
seeing in the beautiful downtown area
of Old Havana, where we had lunch and
went shopping for souvenirs. It was a nice
relaxed way to spend our day as our time
in Cuba began to wind down.
After a final meal together and a tour
of the Museum of the Revolution, it was
time to part ways and head back to the US.
God had revealed so much to us during
our time in Cuba and we were thankful for
the new connections that were formed,
the memories that were made, and the
experiences that were shared. Thank you,
Cuban Salvationists, for such an amazing
weekend. “God Be With You ‘Till We Meet
Again.” ■
6 • USA EAST MUSIC BULLETIN | FA L L 2 0 1 9
W W W. M U S I C . S A CO N N E C T S . O R G