For an hour and 20 minutes, Hanger and Rodriguez sat waiting, wondering and praying. Finally, the pastor emerged. The officials started by asking the pastor how his wife was. She had burned herself with hot oil the day before and had asked for prayer in the service the night before. They recounted several of the pastor's recent activities to let him know that he was under surveillance.
Government informants are a regular part of church meetings in Cuba.
The immigration officials then told the pastor that Hanger and Rodriguez would no longer be allowed to speak at the conference since their religious visas had not been stamped by immigration at the airport. They even suggested that the pastor cancel the conference. Hanger was scheduled to preach that night to the 130 pastors and growth group leaders, but another Cuban pastor had to fill in for him. The host pastor, Hanger and Rodriguez spent the next day in the capital visiting government offices trying to determine the validity of their religious visas. Officials there told them their visas were valid even without the airport stamp.