Tuesday 1 October 2013

prayers answered and requested

Can't believe today starts a new month...October!  It's been nearly a month since we last posted here.  So sorry for the long gap.  September was quite a month for us here on 21/7.  News about many things, both happy and not so happy seemed to be the theme for the month. 

Happy News:

  • Delta is beginning a non-stop flight, Nassau to Pittsburgh, beginning this December.  This is a DIRECT answer to prayer for us.  Since Kristin's mom is oxygen-dependent 24/7, she needs a quick and direct way to travel here due to the difficulties of travelling with oxygen on planes.  This option of a direct flight is the only possibility for her to ever visit us here!  We praise God for bringing this into being.

  • We have been praying for a way to cut expenses, and realized our home is the only thing we can cut back on.  However, knowing our lease was for 2 years, we figured we were locked in until this coming July.  BUT.....Our landlords want to move back into the home we are renting from them, provided they are able to break the lease of the home they themselves are in.   If we are able to find something cheaper in a safe locale, we could be looking at moving as early as January.  This will save us money, with the trade-off being we lose the "home away from home" we've had over the last 16 months. But the plus would be that we may be able to afford to turn on the a/c once in a while during the hot days and still save expenses.
Not So Happy News:

  • Funds need raised in order for the Buntings to remain here at Kingdom Life.  If you want to hear a detailed break-down of what Kingdom Life is trying to raise to fulfill our salary through June, listen here www.kingdomlifemedia.org and go to the sermon from Sept. 22nd. 

  • Our van is grounded for now.  Transmission issues as well as old cooling system issues resurfacing are causing us to look at possibly selling it for what we can and looking for something very inexpensive for Keith to drive to and from work.  (He was pulling for a little scooter-type thing, but out of great love for his children and his wife, he's decided against it.)

  • Two days ago, Sunday the 29th, Kristin needed to go to the hospital here for an emergency endoscopy.  After sitting down to a meal we were hosting for the College students that attend Kingdom Life, Kristin began having swallowing issues.  This is something that's gone on for 22 years, but never to this extreme.  After 6 hours of trying other means to no avail, she was taken to the OR for the procedure.  Clearly it was the only solution, because when the doctor went into the esophagus he found all manner of food trapped in the path.  This will continue to be an ongoing issue due to the way her esophagus is unusually narrow and ribbed.  We praise God for helping us resolve this scary episode.  We thank him for the 2 doctors who attend Kingdom Life and their willingness to help us decide on what to do, as well as be an advocate for us once we entered the hospital.
SO, HOW CAN YOU PRAY?

We're SO glad you asked!!  Here's what we are praying for...please join us...
  1. For funds to come in to support us here.  Pray that whether it be from Kingdom Life, or anonymous donors somewhere, God will supply through his people, the means to keep us on mission here.  We have faith to continue and we would not want something as trivial as money to stand in the way of fulfilling what we believe God has brought us here to do.
  2. For a solution to our transportation needs.  Whether we try to fix the van or find a used vehicle, we will need God's help.  The size of the van was a true blessing here, where we do a lot of transporting people to and from church as well as transport visitors when they come!  If the van cannot be fixed, it is unlikely we will be able to replace it with another van.
  3. For our insurance company to make good on payment for Kristin's endoscopy.  In the midst of all the other financial challenges, this trip to the ER was expensive.  The funds to pay our deductible weren't even something we had in reserve, and we really need for the insurance to pay the rest.  The hospital was "out of network" for our Aetna International insurance.  But it is the only option we have here.  Pray that God will give our situation favor before the insurance company.
Well, hopefully this was not a "downer" post.  We want to keep our U.S. friends and family abreast of the situation here without focusing on only the challenges.  We know that if God truly wants us here, He will continue to make a way in the desert.  He is MORE than able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or think.  All praise to Him.

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