the gift of friendship

I have always loved reading of the friendship between David and Jonathan.  Long after Jonathan is dead, David is still showing kindness to his friend's offspring.  God knit these two together. 

When I think of the ways in which Keith and I are richest, there isn't anything monetary to point to.  No nest egg, no Swiss bank account, no valuable real estate.  We live not by sight, but by faith that God will keep providing for us, and this almost always happens through his faithful children.  Our richest gain in this life, apart from Christ, each other, and our family, is our amazing friends.  When I say that we have good friends, it is a vast understatement.  Our friends are the kind that: let us live with them for 6 weeks, collect clothing, shoes, homeschool books, and various other needed items for us, help us in thinking through key aspects of parenting, ministry, and marriage, give generously to us of all they have, pray for us, walk through the hardest parts of life with us, rejoice with us when there are times of celebration, come to visit us in our new country and bring us goodies, make time for us in their already packed lives, love our children like family....perhaps you are starting to get the picture?
:
I love the verse in Proverbs 27:10:

Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend,
    and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
    than a brother who is far away.

In most Bible versions, the word "neighbor" reads as "friend."  And for us, it has almost always been our friends who are near, since we have moved around so much and not been near family.  God has ordained that for us, and in the absence of family over the years, God has given us the rich gift of deep friendship.  This past week and in the week to come, we have the privilege of staying with friends, meeting friends for meals, sharing our lives and hearing about theirs, hugging, reminiscing, and laughing together.  Friday night we spent the evening at Kevin and Becca Deming's home in Holly Springs, NC.  Becca was my college roommate and matron of honor.  Kevin was also our college friend and has been serving as a youth pastor for about 20 years.  They are amazing!  We laughed, cried, listened, and spoke of the goodness of God together.  They are partnering with us in our mission to Nassau, even though they aren't in the Sovereign Grace family of churches.  They showered us with gifts and love during our stay and we are forever grateful.  They hope to return to Nassau to visit us (they were just there on a mission trip in June) within the next 2 years or so.  This time, they (hopefully) will bring their boys!  God is so good to us, giving us friends who love in thought, deed, and action.  This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, we are at CROSSWAY CHURCH in Lancaster and are staying with the Randy and Tina Wenger, and Dan and Julie Garner are here at the house with us as well, doing a family sleep-over so we can enjoy extended times together.  Tina and Randy were our care group leaders upon first moving to Lancaster and quickly became close friends.  Dan and Julie go WAY back with us and have been through so much with us, as well as being responsible for our move to Lancaster.  Our children love being here, as it is the last "home" they think of from our time living in Lancaster.  Last night, Quay and Shannon Hanna and their kiddos came to visit, and we had a wonderful time of reconnecting.  Shannon has been collecting shoes, handbags, jewelry and gifted the girls and I with all of it last night.  What a blessing she is to me!  This morning we get to worship at Crossway Church for the first time in over a year...and in the NEW BUILDING!  Keith will lead worship and we will get to reconnect with all of our sending church.  We go with full hearts, aware that our riches are the people who love us, surround us, and keep us always on their hearts and lifted up in prayer! 

The Demings and the Buntings...friends
since 1991!

Meet the Finlays

In a few of our posts, we've referred to the ways God is growing our church here in Nassau.  I've introduced you to the Seeleys.  Today, I present: Blair and Alissa Finlay!   Blair already had a cousin living here with her husband and children.  Blair and Alissa moved here in January for Blair to take employment as a project manager for one of the newer developments on the island.  They have been a blessing to our family in so many ways.  Last night we had them over for a belated Independence Day get-together.  Blair hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada (so he may not care so much about our American independence!) and Alissa from Wichita, Kansas.  They've been married about 4 years.  Aren't they a cute couple?  Alissa is a fellow homemaker,recipe lover, writer, and lover of books.  She graciously has offered to keep the Bunting girls current with haircuts FREE OF CHARGE, as she uses her skills from her previous work as a hair stylist.  Blair always engages with children wherever he finds them, being zany and fun.  He and Alissa have both agreed to serve in significant ways at Kingdom Life, including sound room work and projection, as well as play a large part in our upcoming Music Camp/VBS in early August.  Last night after having a Mexican meal (Well, really what is American food?)  we engaged in a fun game of "Things."  This is really hilarious.  Somehow the answer "Pirates" kept being given by one of us in answer to many various questions.  We were laughing so hard a few of us shed tears of joy.  For instance, "Things that hang..."  Someone gave the answer "Pirates" (meaning they will hang for their crimes).  But then later topics like "Things girls talk about while going to the bathroom together" or "Things that should come with instruction manuals"  And people kept giving the answer "Pirates."  To us this was Laugh OUT LOUD funny.  If it's not to you, well, it should be. 

We had such a great time last night.  I haven't laughed like that since we've moved here, I'd say.  We are blessed that God has brought this couple into our lives and church.  May God bless them beyond their imaginations as they seek to be salt and light in this nation.

hands that serve

It's easy to become overwhelmed with the needs around you, around your church, around your family.   And then there are the needs around the world...so big, so dire, so untouchable...it would seem.  As we recently celebrated one year here in The Bahamas, we've done some accounting.  Finances are always a piece of the pie.  But accounting for time and usefulness and service...these are blurry figures.  Which comes first, the poor child in the street, or the low-income child I know by name and hug each week at church?  Which comes first, the unemployed stranger living out of his car or the single mom with little to no income at church?  It can feel hard to know.  I can rationalize that the needy loved ones at church will be taken care of by someone else at church while the poor stranger may only have me in his corner.  Yet God's word says, "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10.  And then Luke 6:30 says "Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.  And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

This second verse...the Luke verse, pains me from time to time.  Begging is common here.  At street lights, at entrances to stores or pharmacies...there are people asking for help, some in wheelchairs, some who appear to be deaf.  Our local friends have told us to be cautious, and when in doubt not to give.  It could be dangerous for me to wind down my window and reach my hand out to a man on the side of the road.  But this nagging feeling stays with me.  "Won't God protect me?  Won't God do what he says?  Will God let me be harmed if I give without knowing this person's true state?" So I keep praying, keep asking God for sight to know what to do, what to risk.

The last 2 of 3 weeks my girls and I have followed the Lord's prompting to serve at Adventure Learning Camp, where a church member is the director.  What joy we have found as we arrive early in the morning to prepare breakfast for 40-60 people who are visiting from the states to do mission work.  Seeing these young people and their leaders refreshes my heart.  They have only part of their last day to do sight-seeing and a trip to the beach.  They are doing hard work.  They are caring for people at our local AIDS camp, ministering to children at VBS meetings, building roofs, walls, repairing homes, and in the midst of it all, sharing God's love through Jesus Christ.  And our care for them, by cooking and providing sustenance for them twice a day, is helping their mission go forward.  I find myself literally beaming at times as I serve up the food, asking "one piece or two?"  "Green beans"  Or "Peas?"  I love seeing God's people come and fall in love with the Bahamian people as we have.  I love that they are willing to give up weeks of their summer to come to this hot, buggy climate where they won't get air conditioning all week and still end the day with a smile, praising and worshipping God for all He has done through Jesus. 

So for now, this is how we help.  This is how we make a difference.  This is how we do mission.  And it's only been all blessing.  This is how we grow hands to serve.

where we found Joy

Kendall was intent on spending her $2.  And she knows how to haggle at the straw market.  All my girls do now after living here 12 months.  My brother Neal was looking for some souvenirs to take back to Atlanta and so we hit the local Straw Market last Friday. 

Souvenirs bought and bagged, we wanted to leave.  But Kendall still hadn't found her item.  She was hoping for a bracelet.  She was eyeing a few in one of the booths and the vendor began with the usual haggle-talk, "What you lookin' for pretty girl?  You like those?  Which one you like? "  Kendall blushed and looked back at me.  "How much for these?" she asked.  "Will you take $2?"  The vendor frowned, "No, those $5."  Kendall said, "ok."  Then the vendor said, "How much you got?"   Kendall said again, "$2."    "OK...pretty girl.  You know what...take it.  I give it to you."  I told Kendall to give the lady her $2, as we once had a vendor say she was "giving" us necklaces but then wanted "donations...for the children."  I wanted this transaction to be fair and square.  "No" said the vendor.  "Let me tell you something, mom.  It's not about the money.  It's about givin' and receivin'....it's about puttin' the children first."  I butted in..."I understand.  We're a pastor's family.  We know Jesus."  She stopped, wide-eyed.  "You a what?"  "A pastor's family," I replied.  "You see 'dere...I didn't know who I was dealin' wit.  Now you gonna pray for me and I'm gonna get a blessin' from God" she said.

I asked her for her name, and she said "Joy...it's Joy....and I need healin'...physical, spiritual, and mental."  I said, "I'd like to pray for you right now Joy."  And I did.  My big brother, my girls, Joy and I all held hands, laid on hands, and prayed right there in the straw market.  Tears filled my eyes.  Tears filled Joy's eyes.  Jesus was there in the midst of us. 

I don't know if Joy is a Christian.  If she is, I think she probably attends a church that is of the "name it, claim it" variety.  Christian karma wrapped in a type of gospel.  If you do good, good will come back to you.  But that's not what Jesus said.  It's only by his goodness that we can do anything eternally good.  And so I am thankful our paths crossed with Joy.  It was a moment God ordained.

with the strength God supplies

All has been quiet on the blog front lately.  That's due simply to the fact that the Buntings are serving in an "all hands on deck" kind of way these days.  Church life slows a bit over the summer as we close off care groups, youth meetings, and ladies' meetings for the summer vacation.  But due to the number of visitors we've personally been hosting lately, our pace has not slowed but rather increased.  Last week the girls and I (Kristin) were serving out at Adventure Learning Camp, making breakfast and dinner each day for the 40 or so mission team campers.  Tim Seeley, a new member of our church here, took over as director of the camp back in January.  When we had their family over for dinner some weeks ago, they mentioned that Mindy (Tim's wife) would be in the U.S. during the first official week of camp season.  I couldn't imagine Tim doing all that cooking, serving, and running the camp alone...so I volunteered our girls and myself to help!  What a blessing it was!  In fact, the girls have all been slightly down since Saturday when we ended our one week serving there.  They are begging to go back asap, and I will try to get us back in the kitchen there next week after our current guest, my brother Neal, is safely back home in Atlanta. 

Each morning, we were on the road by 6:15AM, eagerly anticipating the work of preparing and serving the new people we were meeting, as well as old friends.  My college bestie, roommate and maid of honor, Becca Deming, her husband (also our college friend) Kevin, and their church group from Holly Springs, NC made up 11 of our 40 or so campers last week.  I can't even say how wonderful it was to reconnect with these friends.  When we first saw them at the camp, Becca wrapped me up in a big hug and shed tears, telling her church group, "This is one of my favorite people in the whole world."  I cried along with her.  We enjoyed our week immensely, even though physically we were beat!  Cooking with gas in a hot Bahamian climate is nothing to laugh at, folks!  To cool off, we'd stick our heads in the freezer for a few minutes or joke about hopping into the industrial-sized refrigerator.  On Thursday, my prince on a white horse came as we were preparing dinner, announcing, "I come bearing electrolytes!"  Keith swept in to rescue the girls, Tim and I from dehydration.  I kissed him and said, "This is why I married you!" 

Other highlights to last week at camp were getting to connect with another new addition to the camp and our church here, Jen Rogers.  Jen recently moved back here from Denver, CO, where she was a member of a Sovereign Grace Church.  12 or more years ago, Jen was here in Nassau working in the same place...at Adventure Learning Center, on a short term mission.  Now she's back, creating curriculum for the Adventure Learning Center, in accordance with their mission to educate Bahamian children about the wonders of God's Creation while presenting the gospel.  More info. on the Center can be found here: www.alcbahamas.org

I have some pictures I need to round up...then I will add them to this post.  If you are a young adult interested in a short-term mission project involving children and the outdoors, please consider coming to see us and serving at Adventure Learning Center.  It is such a unique place!

family matters

This past week, from June 3rd-June 11th, Keith's sister Kim, and her three boys; Nathan, Philip, and Jack were here to visit!  It was fun getting to reconnect with this part of our family, whom we rarely get to see.  This was really the biggest chunk of time we've ever been able to spend together.  Nathan and Philip are twins, and we vividly remember Philip attending our wedding 18 1/2 years ago as a little baby with his mama.  Nathan and daddy Duane had to stay back home in Georgia at the time and hold down the fort.  Well here we are nearly 19 years later and these boys are all grown up and graduated from high school.  It was a blessing getting to see all God has worked in their lives over these years.  Seeing the young men they've turned into reminds me to keep chugging along with my own children, knowing God will be faithful to sharpen and hone their skills and abilities, but most importantly that HE will grow their love for Himself as they age and mature.

Our nephew Jack is quite a different boy from his twin big brothers.  While they are creative and intellectual, Jack needs to be moving, running, swimming, or have some kind of ball or bat in hand most of the day.  He is all athlete.  He reminds me a lot of my own brother at the ripe old age of 11.  Though I didn't spend as much time talking with Jack, I know my girls loved spending time with him out in the pool, playing the Wii together, and just being hilarious with him.  It will be fun watching him grow up and seeing what God does in his life.

Then there's Kim, my dear sister in law.  She and I have a lot in common.  Like Keith and me, Kim and husband Duane were also involved in full-time ministry for many years, with Duane serving as a worship minister.  They've moved around LOTS!  In fact, we compared stories, and to be SURE...THEY WIN for the most moves.  Kim is a teacher, though she does her job in the public system while I am at home.  Kim loves recipes as do I.  Kim loves to decorate...as do I!  And we have very similar tastes in clothing and jewelry.  But the most important thing we have in common is our love for God.  Nearly two years ago, Kim was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 44.  This was in the midst of her own mom already struggling in a 5 year battle with ovarian cancer at the time.  It would have been tempting to give in to self-pity or bitterness toward God in the days, weeks, and months when Kim was walking through her surgeries and chemo treatments.  But instead, she found Christ to be her all in all, her "closer than a brother" friend.  Today, Kim will say she wouldn't trade her experience with cancer for what she gained in that time.  As we talked, we shared our common experience of Christ being more than enough for the deepest trials we have walked through.  And conversely, how we often have more difficulty trusting Him in the little day-to-day things than in the life-altering moments.  Kim was kind enough to re-cover the throw pillows on my couch with some material I had been wanting to use.  THANKS KIM!!  She and the boys also brought us lots of goodies: coffee, chocolate chips, Doritos, Nutella, granola bars, fruit snacks, Dasani water flavoring drops, cake mixes, peanut butter...  We are SO GRATEFUL!!  And Duane, who was unable to join his family, was the one who did all the shopping for our numerous treats...so a hearty THANK YOU DUANE!! 

Since Mom B. died in December, we have to work a little harder to stay connected with family.  She was the heartbeat of the Bunting Family, to be sure.  We  are soooo grateful that Kim and her family took the time and money to invest in coming to see us.  It is no small thing!!  WE LOVE YOU!!

what they see/ what we see

Recently the topic of our new country and its current rate of unemployment/homelessness/poverty came up again.  Usually when we have visitors or sometimes friends from the states who inquire, we are reminded that the world at large doesn't see the what The Bahamas looks like, once you get past West/East Bay Street or Paradise Island (Atlantis).  Yes there is a good-sized middle class here.  This is a sign of hope and stability for this nation.  But there is also a vast dichotomy between the rich and the poor here.  And unfortunately, many of "the rich" are white foreigners who buy up million dollar real estate, turn it into billion dollar resorts, and cycle the money back to their foreign countries.  The Bahamas doesn't get the benefit of massive enterprises like Atlantis or the up and coming Baha Mar.  Giving the locals "thousands of jobs" as housekeepers, maintenance men, and counter clerks at these resorts doesn't exactly repay the vast amount of wealth these foreign investors are making.  It's the Bahamian's land.  But they aren't pocketing the lion's share of what is being generated from it's beauty.  And more and more local beaches stand in danger of being bought up by out-of-country investors to be turned into money-making real estate.  Beaches that locals have fond childhood memories of no longer are accessible to them...unless they can come up with the million dollars to buy a condo that now stands upon it.

Well...for us as Americans it was quite eye-opening when we came for our first visit nearly 3 years ago.  At this point, our eyes have adjusted.  We no longer are shocked to see the heaps of garbage, stray mangy dogs, decrepit buildings, and homes that are nothing more than wooden shacks where the many poor live.  And when we leave "Paradise Island" and drive back to Nassau proper, we heave a sigh, feeling the distance...and I don't mean the literal short arched bridge that exists between the two.

 What most people think of when they hear "The Bahamas"  is Sun, Water, Beaches, Resorts, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  And to be sure, these things exist.  And that is what the government wants you to see. This is what tourists want to see. What they want you to avoid begins about one block up from "Tourist Row," where real inner-city Nassau begins.  We have difficulty taking pictures of this side of Nassau because we don't want to offend people.  We look like tourists already with our white skin and sunglasses...if we whip out our cameras, we will look as though we're gawking, and we don't want to do that.  So I've pulled some accurate pictures from google images...both sides.  In our everyday lives, we are in the thick of it, the city streets, the backroads, all of the "real Nassau."  This is what we see, this is what we carry on our hearts.  Last night, Keith received a phone call from a lady who's been attending our job-placement help course, offered on Tuesday mornings.  She was desperate...out of money, nothing to eat, and a 5 year old depending on her.  That morning her roommate told her to get out by nightfall.  She was grief-stricken when she called.  Keith wisely counseled her that sometimes just curing one piece of the need helps the other needs not look so large...he asked her if she'd eaten that day.  Not really.  He said, "Alright.  I'm coming and bringing you a meal.  That's step one."  And so he did, with the help of another man in our church and my 19 year old nephew who was here visiting.  Step one.  Feed the Hungry.  Yeah, I can do something about that.  I can cook.  I can "drive thru" Wendy's.  I can pack a bag of food.  Step one.  And the other needs begin to fall in line.  Oh help us God.  Help us to feed the hungry, care for the poor, and shine your light where darkness wants to swallow all the brightness.  We know you will.



There is so much beauty here, but also so much disparity.  This post is dedicated to setting the record straight.  Next weekend, my college roommate (also my maid of honor), her husband (a youth pastor), and their youth group will be traveling here from Holly Springs, North Carolina to do a weeklong missions trip.  They chose the Bahamas because of the need, not because of the beauty...at least, not the obvious beauty.  Jesus is here.  And the need that He can fill will be beautiful.

.