I’ve been to Cuba twice with my church, which has been organizing trips for almost 20 years. It’s astonishing some people still cling to a romanticized version of Cuban life under communism. It bears no resemblance to reality.

On these visits, in 2006 and 2007, my fellow travelers and I brought two suitcases, one for our clothes and another for the things we gave away to Cuban churches and our translators. We loaded up on basic medications, especially prenatal vitamins and children’s Tylenol, which Cuban children would otherwise...