Yamilé Díaz Habderrasul and her husband, Angel Esteban Bles Batista, have been married for eight years. They live in Havana. Yamilé has two adult sons, Julio Cesar Figueredo Díaz and Alejandro Figueredo Díaz. Both are married, and Yamilé has two grandchildren from her eldest son, Julito. Yamilé serves as the secretary and deaconess of her church. Angel serves as a praise leader at their church, called El Calvario. He has been a tour guide in Havana since 2015, using his fluent English to connect with visitors.

Yamilé’s journey to loving Christ unfolded in an unexpected way. She felt she needed to experience His love, forgiveness, and mercy. Although Yamilé had been introduced to the Word of God before, she had never embraced it.

One day at work, she began receiving e-mails with Biblical verses and worship songs. At first, Yamilé deleted them, until one day, something changed—Yamilé decided to read the message, listen to the songs, and reflect on the Bible verses. She had no idea how she ended up on the e-mail list, but with each passing day, her curiosity grew.

Then, one day, at a hairdresser’s house, Yamilé discovered that people gathered there to deepen their faith and learn about God. The hairdresser shared with her about Jesus Christ, and another woman offered a powerful testimony of the Lord’s work in her life. From that moment on, the Lord has guided her in service and work, shaping her path and purpose.

Since then, Yamilé has engaged in Bible studies to deepen her faith and knowledge. Yamilé leads a women’s intercession group at her church. She attributes her calling to the Holy Spirit, who has guided her to work with imports and container logistics for humanitarian aid since May 2017.

Yamilé works full-time in the offices of the Superintendencies of the National Office of the Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Cuba and the Assemblies of God. Initially, she worked as secretary of the superintendent before transitioning to a position in the commercial activity of humanitarian aid imports. There, she made several missionary trips to different provinces of Cuba with her husband, taking humanitarian aid to other provinces. Currently, Yamilé supports four other churches and ministries in this critical mission, which has become a blessing for both the churches and communities in Havana and other provinces in Cuba.

However, this work comes with many obstacles. Not only is each import challenging because the church that wants to send resources isn’t designed for commercial activity, but receiving resources in Cuba undergoes various hurdles. Depending on the assortment of supplies, you can face many procedures, approvals, and permits needed.

Transportation is another obstacle. Sometimes, there is no transportation to transport the container from the port of Mariel to the unloading place. If this transportation doesn’t exist, an expense is incurred, and it can be costly for a vehicle to transport the container to different customs agencies, companies, port offices, and airports when importing by air. Plus, fuel is scarce, impacting the container’s ability to reach its destination.

Errors in documentation received from the country of origin can occur with problems in the type of packaging and declared quantities. When inspected, they may find missing or excess products, lack of technical information, and goods not declared in the documents from origin, as just a few examples. Unfortunately, these complications lead to confiscation.

Yamilé’s extensive knowledge of the process, exceptional communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail all help successfully get a container released into the country—with God’s presence in every step. Various documentary procedures must be carried out from the origin to the final destination in Cuba. The entity sending the container must request permission through a letter signed and stamped by the national presidents of each denomination and get registered In the Ministry of Justice. The letter is presented to authorities that handle the Religious Affairs of the Council of State. Once this approval is issued, various documents such as shipping documents (either via air or sea), commercial invoices, packing lists, SATSA proforma, itemized list of merchandise, type of transport, carrier, place of unloading, and the final destination are presented to Customs SATSA and Customs Control. Various procedures happen to request permits depending on the kind of merchandise inside the container. According to the Cuban company that issues authorization, Customs inspects each container. Although working in the import business has challenges, Yamilé finds her work deeply rewarding.

“I marvel at the Grace of God, His power, and how He orchestrates everything in a miraculous way for the good of His people. These shipments greatly impact many churches and communities throughout Cuba. All work in commercial activity, import, and logistics of containers is thanks to God, his guidance and help in everything.”

With God by her side and Angel’s support, Yamilé knows anything is possible. She and Angel share in God’s miracles, pray together, and encourage one another through life’s blessings and hardships. Yamilé cherishes fellowship with friends and other church members while also valuing quiet moments of worship alone. She finds peace in being still with the Lord, listening to worship songs, and reflecting on His Word by reading the Bible.