How many Sundays have you woken up and felt like you just wanted to sleep in and not go to church? As young Catholics living in the United States, many of us don't know how fortunate we are to have the freedom of religion until we meet people who have risked their jobs and lives to keep their faith.

At age 13, I'm the first grandchild of my Cuban grandparents to travel to Cuba, a place they have never returned to since leaving more than four decades ago. Recently, a U.S. humanitarian visa allowed me, my mother and several other family members to travel to Cuba carrying much needed medicines, eyeglasses, clothing and toys for children.

What I received in return is a glimpse of the excitement young people feel to be learning about God in a country where their parents and relatives once had to deny their faith or suffer the consequences during the first 30 years of communist rule in Cuba.

One cousin told us that to get into medical school she had to write on her application that she did not believe in God. Another woman told us that as a high school teen she was warned to stop attending church. She persisted, and on the day she was to take her final high school exams she was suddenly pulled out of the classroom as punishment.

Today, most churches are not in good condition. One church we went to had its windows broken and boarded up from where rocks had been thrown. Birds managed to fly in and set up nests in the old worn-out roof. During Mass, as odd as it sounds, the birds would actually poop and it would fall atop someone's head. I mean, who would want to go to Mass for that?!

As difficult as this all sounds, there is new hope in Cuba. The 1998 visit of Pope John Paul II to the island helped to encourage a rebirth in faith --- slowly, but surely. The Cuban people called the pope a messenger of truth and hope. The pope's words for Cuba were, "Open your doors to Christ." Slowly the doors are creaking open.

The Diocese of Santa Clara has opened a library that welcomes the public. The nuns of Matanzas whom we also visited have also been working very hard running programs for pregnant women as well as providing meals to the elderly and teaching catechism to the youth. Young adults have been participating in summer mission activities and knocking on neighborhood doors, inviting people to attend Mass.

We invited one woman who has been actively involved with the socialist government to join us for activities at the church. She replied that she doesn't go to church, but she does pray every day. Even this is a big step.

Youth ministers are super important to rebuilding the faith. In the communities of Jaime Lopez and Diana in the province of Matanzas, we met Victor and Vivian who teach catechism classes on Saturdays. I met young people who are hungry for faith; they want to learn more about God. We created a play about The Prodigal Son and the children quickly learned their lines and performed the parable after Sunday Mass.

We also brought with us donated colorful beads to make rosaries. For two hours, a dozen children ages 5-13 sat on the concrete church floor with piles of beads in front of them. They made a rosary for themselves, then one for their mother, then for their grandmother, and so on. Several adults came and looked just as happy as the kids, laughing and excitedly showing off their creations. Even when we brought in cookies and soda, the children wouldn't spare a minute of rest.

What amazed me most was the heart, excitement and creativity that these kids put into performing Bible stories and making their rosaries. After this trip, I have been filled with hope for Cuba and the next generation.

Back in the U.S., I notice that sometimes as young Catholics we feel that going to church or to our confirmation class is something we have to do. After traveling to Cuba, I see it as something I'm lucky I get to do.

Cristina Hidalgo McCabe, 13, attends Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna, Virginia, where she is an altar server and is preparing for confirmation.