By Julie Busscher, Ed Gerritsen, and Richard Harms, 2012-2013
Title: Marilyn R. Bierling Collection, 2011-2013
ID: COLL/518
Creator: Bierling, Marilyn R. (1949-)
Extent: 0.5 Cubic Feet. More info below.
Arrangement: Folder level description
Date Acquired: 00/00/2011
De Pérez relates her experiences under Castro's regime while living in Havana. Only 6 at the time, she recalls a specific incident where militiamen came to her school and gave the children candy, saying that it was Castro who would give them candy, not God. She talks about her father's business troubles and her move to Miami. De Pérez exposes the issues she faced with segregation against Cubans in Miami, especially in the workplace. Marisol describes how her family was brought to the church through the generosity of the Good Samaritan Center. She laments the ten years her father spent in a Cuban prison once he was caught by the Cuban authorities, describing the terrible time he had there. She also describes her brother's life in the United States. De Pérez states that the church is a trampoline for Cuban refugees, most of whom still hold out
Project, 2011-Interviews: "Cuban Refugees and the Christian Reformed Church: An Oral History Project, 2011" (contd.)
the hope of one day returning to their homeland. She finishes by describing the differences between Mexican migrants and Cuban refugees.
In this interview, Nyenhuis relates her and her husband's experiences being the first CRC missionaries to Cuba. They arrived only two months before Castro took over.
She then describes their work at the Good Samaritan Center when they moved back to Miami. She mentions the Peter Pan program, but focuses on talking about the work they did with families in particular. Nyenhuis claims that Cubans were drawn to the CRC because she and her husband had been recent missionaries there, so the refugees knew that the CRC cared about and was familiar with Cuba. She emphasizes a continuing need for Spanish-speaking and bilingual churches.