DAYTON, Ohio — For many immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries, settling into a new life in somewhere like the Midwest can come with a wide range of challenges.

However, a common bond of faith can bring a sense of peace and stability.

What You Need To Know

  • David and Pablo Molina are the first Cuban students at Cedarville University

  • The brothers study medicine during the week, but on the weekends, they're helping their parents expand their ministry

  • The Molina family are missionaries from Cuba and have found a home for now at Central Baptist Church in Columbus

  • The mission is to bring their faith to Spanish-speaking communities and to give people a place to worship

David Molina, 20, and his brother, Pablo, have brought something new to Cedarville University.

“It’s very special to be the first Cubans here in Cedarville,” said David.

The brothers have been going to school at Cedarville for a year.

David is majoring in nursing with a focus in pre-med and Pablo is studying pharmacy.

“I believe it’s a great blessing from God, and we are happy to be here,” David said.

How and why they’re here makes their story even more interesting.

“We are from Cuba. My parents are missionaries. We were working with churches in Cuba for a time and then we were missionaries in Ecuador for four years,” he explained.

During the week, they’re hard at work in class and live on campus. On the weekend, most students at the school go to church nearby.

But not the Molina brothers; their church is an hour away.  

Led by their father, Arian, their Spanish-Speaking ministry in Columbus is in the early stages.

“Sometimes, we feel like we would like to go faster, but we are very grateful for the Lord. We can see that he is working in the Hispanic people,” said Arian.

For now, they’ve found a home at Central Baptist Church and host special services for the Hispanic community.

Planting churches is something the Molina family knows far too well. The brothers grew up in a Christian home under Cuba’s communist regime. Their family started an illegal house church in their city. 

“The first three years of that church, I was persecuted. Every third month, I got a citation from the justice department in Cuba, asking me to come and be interviewed and they advised me to stop doing that, you can’t do that. You can go to jail,” said Arian.

Eventually, the pressure stopped and Molinas pushed forward.

Now, their calling is to reach the Spanish-speaking community in Ohio and plant even more churches.

“We saw the need of people, Hispanic people. They don’t speak English a lot of them. Very few Hispanic churches in the city,” said Arian.

“There is a great necessity in Columbus for churches and pastors for the Hispanic community. There are people here from different nations and they have a great need of churches. In this case, people from Latin America from Spain, they don’t have really a church to go to,” said David.

With the holiday season in full swing, the Molinas say it’s important to remember that having faith doesn’t begin with a building. 

“Christmas isn’t about having more stuff, but having more Jesus,” said Arian.

For the brothers, their family’s journey is a special one.

“For me it’s a blessing just learning about God and the idea of being a light to the world. That has shaped my life and the life of my family in everything we do and studying medicine and to help all people,” David said.