Recently a group of Cru staff and students from the University of Connecticut (UConn) set out to quench the physical and spiritual thirst of rural communities in Cuba by providing clean and spiritual water. They packed dozens of small water filters modeled after the kind used in kidney dialysis. These filters, obtained through Filter of Hope (filterofhope.org), eliminate even the smallest bacteria, and they are long-lasting, affordable, and high-volume.

In partnership with a local church famed for its outreaches (basketball, children’s orchestra, domino tournaments, and jujitsu classes), the Cru group was divided into four teams and spread out into local neighborhoods accompanied by a Cuban interpreter and a representative from the church.

Andy, an 18-year-old student, was on a team that met up with Mario and Lola. The team showed the couple how to install the gravity-operated filter. To prove its effectiveness, the Cru team stirred in a cup of dirt, demonstrating how the filtered water still emerged sparkling clean from the bucket. For further proof, the team drank the purified water themselves. 

As Andy began to tell Mario and Lola about the living water Jesus came to give them, he sensed “the Holy Spirit slowly changing Mario’s reluctance to resolve (to follow Christ).” Andy and the team witnessed Mario and Lola pray to put their trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. 

These UConn students are now back in classes and are more equipped than ever to be God’s ambassadors on campus. In total, the UConn team installed 59 filters, shared the gospel 104 times, and saw 39 Cubans put their trust in Christ! 

Many of our Cru ministries partner with Filter of Hope to bring clean and living water to locations around the world. Please pray for those teams and pray for those who are receiving the water filters. Pray that they will be open to hearing Jesus’ declaration in John 4:14, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Thank you for praying for Robin’s hip replacement surgery and recovery. She is recovering very well and has already transitioned from a walker to a cane. We are also grateful for your prayers for our ministry with Cru.

Yours in Christ, 

Steve & Robin