HAMPTON – On the heels of a very successful week featuring visits from two candidates for the GOP’s 2016 Presidential nomination, the Republican Party of Franklin County says it is excited to announce the featured speaker for this year’s “Legacy of Leadership” event as Pastor Rafael Cruz will bring his a powerful message of the pursuit of the American Dream to Mayne’s Grove south of Hampton. Born in Cuba, Rafael lived and suffered under a cruel, oppressive dictator. He began fighting Batista’s regime as a teenager and was imprisoned and tortured simply because he wanted to be free.
His son, Ted Cruz, is a constitutional conservative U.S. Senator from Texas and candidate for United States President in 2016. When Ted was a child growing up in Houston, Rafael would tell him, “When we faced oppression in Cuba, I had a place to flee to. If we lose our freedom here, where do we go?” That’s why Rev. Cruz is passionate about returning America to the biblical and historical foundations that made this country exceptional.
Shawn Dietz, Chairman of the Republican Party of Franklin County, says he has met Pastor Cruz, and feels his message will resonate with the citizens of Franklin County and surrounding areas.
“Pastor Cruz is very passionate about freedom and has experienced, first-hand, the struggle to become liberated from an oppressive government. He came here from Cuba and chose to work hard, and become an integral part of our American fabric. We’re very pleased that the Pastor has agreed to come share his vision for leadership with North Central Iowans.”
Rafael arrived in Texas in 1957 on a student visa. He got a job as a dishwasher, making 50 cents an hour, and worked his way through the University of Texas, while learning English. He later built a small business in further pursuit of the American Dream. He is an ordained minister and the Director of Grace for America, sharing the Word of God in churches and Pastors Conferences throughout the United States.
The Republican Party of Franklin County’s “Legacy of Leadership” event will take place on Tuesday, August 11th, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at Mayne’s Grove Park, located four miles south of Hampton on Highway 65. Meat for the meal will be prepared by the Franklin County Pork Producers. Tickets are $20 each through the end of July and are available online at FranklinCountyLegacy.eventbrite.com. Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.
A Canadian is going to tell us how the chase the American Dream?