trivets of grace

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, a trivet is "a three legged stand" or "a usually metal stand with short feet for use under a hot dish."  But you probably knew that already, right?  But here's what you may not know: several years ago God gave me a picture of broken china...the formal stuff ladies only take down once or twice a year on special occasions...and this china was hammered down into pieces that no longer were pristine.  Then, the picture was of the broken pieces being plastered together into a hot-plate, or trivet, if you will.  This trivet, made up of the fine china, was now a serviceable tool that could be used at every meal...365 days a year.  And so, God's indication to me was that our lives (the Buntings) have been broken down from fine china to a serviceable trivet or "hot-pad" that will be used every day, anywhere...for His glory.  One further detail to note is that the trivet is Three-legged, indicating the presence of God working there through us...similar to the picture in Eccl. 4:12 "A three-fold cord is not quickly broken."

Well, many times in the last few years I have recalled this picture the Lord gave me and smiled, even in the midst of pain, remembering what He has done and is doing in us.  But this morning as I was reflecting (Boy, I do THAT a lot!) it struck me again that much of my personal ministry here in Nassau has been manual labor...simply preparing, serving, and cleaning up food.  At church, in my home, in others' homes, and out at camp...food and all that goes along with it has been the #1 thing I've been busy doing here!  This is unique to this place, though we have served in two other churches vocationally as a pastoral family, and in three other churches as lay-people.  My desire in ministry would be to counsel, disciple, and facilitate ladies' groups, and for the most part this is how God has used me in the past, but that is not how the Lord has used me here.  At times, it has felt like a misuse of my time and gifts.  At times I have likely complained.  But this morning I am thanking God that He has used me nonetheless...just differently than before.  There is nothing dishonorable about preparing and serving food, in fact Jesus himself gave us the example of "serving" the Last Supper to His disciples as an indication of laying His life down for them.  Should I seek to rise higher than He?

We Buntings are simply trivets of God's grace.  Usable in whatever form God asks of us, we desire to respond humbly.  Be encouraged this morning that whatever service God asks of you, there is nothing "too small" when it is done in the name of Jesus. 

 ^"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”  Matt. 10:42

When we hear a "no"

How we respond when something we really hoped for does not happen tells us much about what we're hoping in.  Two nights ago, as our Care Group was walking into our home, we received news that the home we tried to purchase in Crestview, FL had been snatched up by another buyer.  We felt sure that home was for us.  Our realtor even thought so. She said how unusual it was that it had lasted this long on the market.  ("That's because God's been keeping it for us," we thought to ourselves).  Then BOOM!  It was gone.  Back to the starting line again.

This is a small thing in the large scheme of life.  Though our desire is not to rent again after 3 years of living in someone else's property, we humbly realize it is not purely up to us.  God has a plan.  Perhaps renting is best, though we cannot see it now.  Our girls have expressed their desire to "settle in" somewhere, paint their walls and actually hang some photos.  Our oldest is hoping to have a picture of what "home" is before she moves away to college in a few years.  But God may not have that for us.  The lesson of finding our real home in God alone is one Keith and I have been learning all of our married lives.  Wherever we land, whether we rent or buy, it will be our ninth dwelling place as a couple.  Yes we long for something long-term and stable, but God alone can truly provide that sense of "home."

It is hard to know whether I was born with a desire to "nest" or whether the desire was born out of so much moving.  I love to set up a home, decorate it, and make it better than it was when we moved in.  It truly is a delight for me.  But God may have another year (or more) of not settling in.  These two years in Nassau have been so interesting in this regard.  It is the first time we lived in a home that was so big, but also came completely furnished...down to the pictures on the wall.  The only things we brought were kitchen items, books, and a few family photos.  Not a single design idea was mine.  Not a single paint color was our choice.  Yet people walk in and say, "Oh, I love your home."  Or, "What a neat color for your kitchen."  I just laugh and say, "Yes, our landlord has great ideas." 

So as we wait and pray we consider; where is our hope?  As the Lord would have it, our weekly memory verse for church memorization is Colossians 3:1-3.  I'll "recite" it for you now:

"Since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

according to the Spirit

Last Saturday night, I (Kristin) awoke from a nightmare.  In the wake of the fearful dream, I sat motionless on our bed, asking God for help and assurance.  You see, in the dream, I was dying.  But beyond that, in the dream, I was crying out "Jesus, Jesus!"  but could not get my voice above a whisper.  In the nightmare, I could not feel the presence of God or see anything like a "light" or any of the things I was looking to see or feel.  It was dark, empty, and scary.  I began to doubt God's ability to save me from the grave...then I awoke.

Immediately, I began praying, asking God to help restore my confidence in Him and all the truths I know about Him from reading His word.  And He answered.  He gave Isaiah 43 to hold on to.

43 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
    peoples in exchange for your life.
⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;

I knew in the moments I sat there in the dark, praying, that God wanted me to share this the next morning at church.  During the church prayer time before the meeting, I took the prayer need listed to "Pray that the Spirit will be at work this morning, helping us to employ the gifts that have been given us..."   I knew in my heart that I would go to the prophecy microphone to share.

God arranged it, no doubt.  The flow of the songs we were singing led right to the word I wanted to share :

What heart could hold
The weight of your love?
And know the heights
Of Your great worth?
What eyes could look on
Your glorious face
Shining like the sun?

Your name alone
Has power to raise us
Your light will shine
When all else fades
Our eyes will look on
Your glorious face
Shining like the sun

Who is like You, God?

 

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus You are
Jesus You are

(Read more: Matt Redman - Holy Lyrics | MetroLyric)

As I shared, I knew God wanted to speak to those with nightmares, both of the night and the day.  Lives that felt like nightmares due to oppression, sinful choices, or other circumstances along with those who battle nighttime dreams of great fear.   And the Holy Spirit was at work.

Four ladies came forward at the end of the service, two of whom struggle with nightmares (including ones of their own death, like mine) and one of whom feels that she's living a nightmare due to the oppressive circumstances in her life.  Only one of the women is a regular attender at our church.  Many women gathered around these dear ladies, engaging in prayer on their behalf.  One lady came to me and shared my word was directly for her.  She is not a regular attender.  In fact, though her husband is highly involved at our church, she attends another church.  But for "some reason" she was at Kingdom Life last Sunday. 

It has been many months since we've seen the Lord move through his people like this.  The fact that the previous week had been our Corporate Consecration Week of Prayer and Fasting is no coincidence, I am sure.  But can't every week be like this?  Where the Spirit is moving in and among us, using our spiritual gifts to touch the lives of His people?  I pray so.  Lord, let it be so.

Let me encourage you this week to be praying for the Spirit to move in your respective churches.  God wants to use his flock to reach those inside and outside the fold.  Don't let your pride, fear, or any other sinful response cause you to stay silent or inactive when you feel God prompting you to go.  Even if your church is not one where gifts like prophecy or words of knowledge are held up as "for today," God expects his people to be speaking words of encouragement, hope, and gospel-truth "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."  (Eph. 5:19-20)

hellos and goodbyes

As I type this, the thermometer on my parents' back porch is reading 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  Quite a change from the usual 80-85 degrees of Nassau!  Lots of snow has been falling in the 5 days the girls and I (Kristin) have been here in Butler, PA.  It was a sight for sore eyes as we awoke Sunday morning to the beautiful white flakes falling down on the quiet scene outside our windows.  A blanket of newness.  We did not know what awaited us that day or the next.  But God gave us a beautiful winter wonderland to come home to that first morning.  Our "Hellos!" had been a happy time the day before as we met mom and dad at the airport and gave hugs all around.  It was a warm day last Saturday, about 40 degrees and lots of sunshine. 

After attending my parents' church, First Baptist, here in Butler, we went to one of our favorite breakfast places for a meal, then headed home.  After having our traditional Christmas dinner that night and cleaning up all the dishes, I sat down to check email.  A lump quickly formed in my throat as a picture I was not prepared to see showed up on an IM from a lady I've never met back in Nassau.  It was a close-up of our Kali-dog's collar.  Dread grabbed me.  You see, on December 18th, Kali went missing.  We had high hopes of her returning to us and had many people across the island keeping their eyes peeled for sight of her.  But when I saw the picture of Kali's collar there on my computer, there was no denying it, she was in fact the dog that had been hit by a car at the foot of our neighborhood several days before.  A kind lady I've never met went back to the seen of the accident where the person who had taken Kali's body away had left her collar.  It was hers, no doubt about it.  I didn't know what to say or do in that first moment.  How could I tell my girls?  We loved this dog like no other pet.  Now God had taken her.  For us, she was one of the brightest parts of our move to Nassau.  It seemed as though a small little piece of us was now lost forever.

The next morning, after a night of sadness, we received even harder news.  Keith called me via Skype saying he had difficult news.  Keva, our dear sister in the Lord and one of our closest friends at Kingdom Life, passed away Monday morning at 9:30.  She had entered the hospital about two weeks ago, was put on a ventilator, suffered what appeared to be a stroke, and simply never woke up.  Keva is nothing short of amazing in her persevering love for God.  For the last 7 years or so she has been battling illness related to her total kidney failure diagnosis.  Amidst it all, she has continued to serve the church, love her family and friends all the more, and praise God with all that is in her.  It is possible that she may be the most joyful saint I've ever met.  And now, she is with her Savior.  Such a loss we cannot even fathom for our little church of 65 or so.  Keva was a part of every facet of our church and her loss will affect everyone there. 

Keva and me.  August 2013

Keva when we first met, August 2010

Please keep Kingdom Life Church in your prayers.  This is a time of grieving for all of us, but especially for Keva's family and Cedric and Alexine Moss.  Keva was like family to them, and was known as "Auntie Keva" even to our own children.  She was a member of our Care Group, and I cannot even imagine having meetings without her in this new year.

Keva Poiter, second from the right.  Always radiant.  She was the guest of honor this year at our Mother's Day Lunch

 

thankful theorem

Today was one of those days...the kind where one sees mostly good things for which to be thankful.   A perfect day, not too hot, very low humidity, blue skies.  We lit candles, put some premature Christmas music on, and felt a little skip in our step.  This came at a very opportune time, I assure you.  In my flesh, there is much I could point to as discouraging right now, but God has been working in my heart, quite unexplainably.  Or maybe not so unexplainably?  Lately I've felt the call to pray more and more, unceasingly.  Living overseas has many more challenges than I ever imagined.  Is it possible that we are under specific enemy attack by seeking to promote the gospel in this place?  We think it's quite likely.   And quite honestly, we have grown pretty weary of comments about us living in paradise.  Sinfully, I often bristle at such comments and wish for a moment that the "paradise" experience of having a tarantula run up their leg or a cockroach run across their neck in bed would happen to the person making said comments.  I assure you that if you were to live here for about a month, your ideas of "paradise" would be shattered.  Perhaps that sounds corrective, but surely we should all realize that any tourist spot we've been to has two sides: reality and fantasy.  The fantasy side is what sells.  The beauty, the charm, the fun, the entertainment.  But once that wears off, reality is all that's left. 

 

And that is when the work of being thankful for the hard realities begins.  Here are some of the realities for which I have really just begun to learn to be thankful:

• no family to support us, but a church family that truly cares
• friends who still don't know us well, but are trying to understand us, just as we are trying to understand them 
• scary experiences (snakes, tarantulas, criminal activity) that cause me to run to God for peace and protection
• financial difficulties which cause me to press into God further, trusting Him to provide for bills we cannot pay
• crazy hot weather that reminds me this world is truly the closest I'll ever get to hell, since my hope is in Christ.

Recently we have seen God provide for us in amazing ways.  It's often the little things that "wow" us the most, because we know nobody could have known our need in a certain area but our Heavenly Father.  So when he prompts another child of His to give to us in a specific way, we are amazed!  Just a few days ago, we were praying that God would financially help Kristin's parents to secure plane tickets for her and the girls to visit over the upcoming holidays.  Within a few hours, a friend, somewhat "out of the blue" communicated that they felt led to help us in a particular way that day.  We knew immediately that God was using them to help offset the cost of the plane tickets.  That day also happened to be Kristin's dad's birthday.  How fun it was to Skype with her parents that day and let them know how God had supplied financial resources to help with the plane tickets!

 

Another moment of provision recently occurred when Keith was in Florida visiting family before and after the Sovereign Grace Pastor's Conference.  One family member happily passed on to us not only a laptop computer they no longer needed, but also an ipad!  Keith was so excited to show these surprises to the girls when he arrived home.  A few years ago when we first saw how an ipad worked and the opportunities for assisting in church music it could provide, we prayed that God would someday make it possible for us to acquire one.  Now God has generously supplied us with one, free of charge!! 

 

Another blessing by God through his people came recently when our guest Elisa Pawson came bearing gifts her family had sent.  Chocolate chips, nuts, and coffee are high-ticket items here, due to the rates of duty imposed on them, so when Elisa unpacked her bag and handed us these gifts, we were so grateful!  God cares for us in the most specific ways.

 

So my thankful theorem is this, usually in the midst of the hardest of times, there is a threshold we will cross. We will either give thanks in the midst of hardship and hold on to hope, or begin to complain, tired of the suffering.   So many times, I fail to express thanks to God in these difficult times and just after I "give up" on ever seeing and end to the difficulty, God supplies an answer or a provision.  I then wish I had held out in faith, believing God without doubting in that last moment.  I shared this recently with our Care Group here, and my faithful friend Keva said, "that's because you have to come to the end of yourself before you're ready to receive what God has for you."  Hmm.  Maybe she's right?  But perhaps there's a way to come to the end of myself without losing patience?  Without doubting?  Without giving up on God?  Still working on this "thankful theorem."  Consider these verses from the Hebrews "Hall of Fame" passage:

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

AMEN

finding our rhythm again

Happy Saturday to you.  I am so thankful for the last few weeks of busyness and guests in our home!  Just when we need it, God fills our lives with great people and wonderful experiences.  Music Camp, the crew that came to serve from the U.S. Sovereign Grace Churches, and having Gracie Brown stay with us over the last two weeks were God's provision to us. 

Gracie is a kindred- spirit- friend of Keaton's whom she met while we were at the Pastor's College.  I will never forget, upon leaving Lancaster for the PC, John Haughery telling us of his special childhood friend whom he had met years before when HE was a boy in Gaithersburg.  Same type of PC training model...families together for months, then sent out to churches all over.  John's boyhood friend ended up being a friend for life and stood with him on his wedding day.  Keaton had no such hopes for her year at the PC...yet God blessed her with Gracie.

 

Having her visit with us for two weeks was a reminder of how God can alter the course of our lives through relationships...and we never know when or where we are going to meet people who may become forever etched into our future. 

These past weeks and days, we've also had the chance to bond more with Chris and Stephanie Jessee.  Chris is the director of worship, youth, and children's ministries at Metro Life Church in Orlando.  He stayed with us back in April? when the Orlando prophecy team came.  We met up with he and his lovely wife and kids during our short stay in Orlando this July. Then we were able to work together during our week of Music Camp, and host them for a few nights after the rest of the team headed home. 

We also met some wonderful adults and teens from Niceville, FL, Philadelphia, Clearwater, FL, Miami, FL, Charleston, SC, and Gainesville, FL.  We were blessed to the gills when mission team members showed up with bags of coffee, 9 containers of Goldfish (which my girls requested), toiletry items, books, chocolate chips...the list goes on.  They already were serving us so amazingly just by coming to help staff our Music Camp, but they went above and beyond by bringing us treats!  God continues to amaze our children by the way he provides gifts like this that we often can't provide for ourselves.  It's our "manna" we tell them.  Can't keep it and horde it, but while it's here, let's enjoy it, share it, and give God thanks.

 

I meant to give a resounding "THANK YOU LORD!" for the amazing turnout we had at our Music Camp held August 6-9.  All in all, 97 children came at one point or another to our camp, with an average attendance of 85 each day.  Only 15 of those were from our church.  So...70 or so visiting children were exposed to the gospel each day.  Along with that, we had 83 children perform Friday night...in front of all their parents, siblings, and extended family.  I have never seen our church so full!!  We pray God will water and fertilize these gospel seeds that have been planted.  In conjunction with this Music Camp, Keith would like to begin a Community Children's Choir with practices held in our church either weekly or bi-weekly.  He mentioned this idea at the concert last Friday night, and it was met with hearty applause from the parents.  This would be a way to provide underprivileged kids with an opportunity to belong to something positive and skill-related.  They would receive musical training, social connections to Christian children, and ultimately be exposed to the gospel weekly.  We pray God works out the details and provides all that would be needed for such an endeavor.  Will you pray along with us?

 

filled to capacity

Kingdom Life Music Camp 2013 started off with a BANG this past Tuesday at 9am.  With over 80 kids in attendance the first day, we realized God had answered above and beyond the prayers we prayed for this camp's attendance.  Today was day 3of 4 and we are still in the 80-85 marker for kids coming.  WOW.  That's a lot of kids, you know? 

It feels as if every inch of our church building is filled with humanity.  It feels as if every inch of our strength is being called upon to love and serve these kids the best way possible this week.  Broken and spilled out...I think I said that a few posts back.  We are so tired we can't think straight at night (sorry, 'cause nighttime is the ONLY time I have to blog!)  I would love to be more eloquent, but for now I'll leave you with some names, numbers, and pictures.  

J-quan, Dave, Savannah, Maquanda, Stephen, St. Clair, Jermaine, Samuel, Keni, Kennae, Alisha, Ephraim, Paris, William...just a few of the many beautiful children I get to love on this week...pray for them...pray for salvation...for their parents too...

85 children!  We prayed for 60 and God gave us 85! 
6 hours a day...long days...kids come early and leave late....
24 hours...24 hours from now the camp will be over, the concert will be over, and we will have shared the gospel with 85 kids and all the moms, dads, aunties, uncles, grandmothers, cousins, and neighbors who came to see them perform. 

community day

WOW!  It is hard to imagine that just a year ago, we were doing our mall "Community Day" presentation for the first time.  Keith's parents and nephew Jess were here for it.  Today the same bench where they sat was just across from our booth, and I looked longingly at it, thinking, if I just stared long enough, Jackie would re-appear there.  But she didn't.  She's with Jesus.  And I wouldn't take her away from Him for anything.

  In honor of her, I wore the blouse we bought her for her birthday on that trip.  I was able to reclaim it on our trip to Florida last month.  And how Jackie would have loved to hear our Children's Choir singing today...  And maybe she did?

We must have handed out a hundred balloons today, greeted many families, and invited their children to our upcoming Music Camp/VBS this week.  I believe we received about 15 more registrations today, bringing out grand total to 69.  We were praying for 60, and 69 would be wonderful! 

Our worship team sounded exceptionally good in the mall, proclaiming the goodness of God and the kindness of our Savior.  Many people gathered around for songs such as "How Great Thou Art" and "Blessed Assurance."  Keith was even interviewed on a Christian Radio station!  He had mentioned to the radio guy in passing, that this kind of religious activity would never be welcomed at a mall in the U.S.  The man found that interesting, so they began interviewing Keith. Cool?  I think so.  It also provided an opportunity for him to pitch the Music Camp one more time!  God's ways are definitely higher than ours. 

All in all, we had a full but wonderful day as a church.  Gracie Brown, Keaton's dear friend she met at Pastor's College in 2011 is here for 2 weeks, and already she's been a blessing.  We look forward to our time with her and all she will add to our mission this week!

The girls and I will be serving dinner again out at Adventure Learning Camp this week, filling in for dear Mindy who just had her knee operated on.  Have no fear, the Bunting Girls (and Gracie) are here!  The camp is where our mission group from Florida is staying anyway, so by cooking out there, we'll only get to spend more time with them! 


Pray for us as we step into this week of serving, morning, noon, and night.  We know we will make some amazing memories and see God move in ways we haven't yet.  Pray for stamina, safety and health, resources, children to be saved, and for those of us who know Christ to be drawn closer to Him.  We couldn't do this without you all praying!! Keep up the good work.  'Til next time...

Keva and Kristin...kindred spirits

Beautiful Tia...2 weeks 'til college!

Kendall and Sarah...fun friends

Donovan loves Pastor Keith!

though the fig tree should not blossom...

I've always treasured these words of Habakkuk,

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, YET I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."

After our precarious homecoming (see last blog post), we knew we needed a fresh vision of why God has placed us here on 21/7.  There is always a period of adjustment when we come back home to Nassau, as we are re-entering a developing country with many inconveniences we do not experience back in the U.S.  

At first, our prayers seemed to be counter-productive.  Instead of our eyes adjusting to all the blessings of living here, we began to see more of the challenges.  Our refrigerator would not return to working status after the power had been cut for 24 hours, our van wouldn't start, and when it did finally start, it was blowing lots of gray smoke out of the exhaust.  The pool guy was not returning our phone calls and so the pool continued to be a rich green color, playing nursery to many tadpoles.  We were quickly reminded of the happy mosquito population inside our home as we pulled out the OFF spray. 

Then Saturday came.  It was "Spread the Word" Saturday to advertise our upcoming Music Camp-VBS which begins August 6.  We had been expecting at least 20 people or so to come and help canvass the streets, yet only 13 of us arrived at the church.  Other than the Moss and Bunting families, we had only 4 people come to "Spread the Word."  We knew there was a birthday party taking place that had been planned before we set this date, but we didn't realize HOW MANY people it would involve!  So the 13 of us prayed, equipped ourselves with water and sunscreen and hit the streets around our church. 

The two hours or so we spent canvassing the church neighborhood were two of the best hours we have spent living on this island.  I have previously posted about the Kemp Road area...it is a low-income, "don't be there at night" type of neighborhood.  But what joy we found there as we met people, invited them to our Music Camp, and just walked the streets together!  Heaps of trash were just a part of the ambience.  As I got down to talk to one little boy, I was struggling not to eyeball the old shoes, abandoned refrigerator, and countless discarded cans and bottles that surrounded us.  Another boy was ingeniously making a basketball hoop out of an old crate and hammering it to a telephone pole.  I picked up his ball, dribbled it, and shot it through his new hoop.  He stood looking in disbelief that I, a middle-aged white woman, would play with him.  I was touched by how much they wanted to hear what we had to say, people coming to gather as they saw us standing amongst their neighbors sharing our invitations.  Two unknown ladies said they wanted to help spread the word and took a small stack of invitations to hand out as they walked in another direction.

At one home made of plywood, two mothers stepped out with guarded looks at first.  I quickly smiled and said, "We're from Kingdom Life Church and we're having a FREE music camp August 6th through the 9th..."  They took the invitations and began looking at them. Children in a group of 6 or 8 suddenly were there at our side, saying "I wanna come!"  "Me too!"  One young lady, who said she was 17 said "I'm comin' too!"  We looked at each other, knowing the camp is supposed to be for ages 5-12 and said, "Go ahead and come.  There'll be other teens there helping." 

I can't even tell you the good it did our hearts to interact with these wonderful people....people God made and desires to save.  Even now, my heart is full and my eyes are weepy to think of them.  Homes that don't have running water, homes that are ramshackle and surrounded by rubbish.  But people with beautiful smiles and hearts eager to be loved by somebody. 

We hope to go out again this coming Monday, when the team from Metro Life will be here to help.  Honestly, next to Sunday meetings at church and serving out at Adventure Learning Camp, this is the biggest highlight of living here so far.  "For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." Ps. 9:18

Pray that God will urge the hearts of these mothers to send the kids, and that the kids will remember to come.  Pray that hearts will be fertile ground for receiving the gospel next week.  Pray for souls to be saved.

Keaton, Kristin, and Leslie caught in the rain as we canvass the church neighborhood

welcome back, or not....

We have made it safely back to Nassau!  And it is no small thing.  Thank you to all who have prayed, provided, and partnered with us in the last 16 days.  Our trip back to the U.S. was a whirlwind of visiting with friends and family, hours and hours of driving (which we don't need to do again for a long, long time!), and shopping for things to bring back to Nassau.  We were feeling pretty eager to get home yesterday, sleep in our own beds and just relax after all the activity of traveling, but alas; that was not what our Heavenly Father had in store for us!

After boarding the plane at 12:30 and sitting grounded for over an hour, we realized we would not be leaving the U.S. when planned.  The plane had mechanical issues.  We were thankful the pilot never tried to leave the ground.  Eventually the flight was rescheduled for 4 pm. The flight was smooth and safe and we were able to land, go through immigration and customs without any incidents.  This is no small thing, I assure you!  Every time I have traveled back to Nassau in the last 12 months, there have always been issues at the airport, usually at immigration.  God was answering our prayers for a smooth re-entry, and we are so grateful.

 We arrived back at our house around 6:45 last night, having been taxied by Cedric back to his home, where we had left our car (and a receiving a wonderful dinner to take home with us from Alexine!) All of us are a little under the weather with colds, and we were anticipating a few hours of relaxing, after the long travel day, little sleep the previous night or two, and a general need for down-time.  Keith was eagerly hoping for a dip in the pool to cool off before going to bed. Once home and walking up to the front door, he noticed a  yellow sticker on the door, announcing that our power had been shut off that day due to an unpaid balance.  Ahem....the power company here doesn't give warnings or make deals with you, they just shut off the power a few hours before nightfall...and boom...you're in the dark.  Since we are renting, all our utilities are paid through our landlords.  If we don't receive the bill from them...well...you see what happens.

 We also quickly saw that the pool was filled with algae and debris.  It was a lovely greenish color.  OK, not so lovely.  We were confused as to why this would happen, since we had a pool service man taking care of things while we were away.  Apparently, he did not come over the last 16 days.  So the pool is in dire need of chemicals and cleaning, and won't be up for use any time soon. 

We made a few calls and realized we would need a place to stay for the night...so back we went to the Mosses!  What would we do without them?  They gladly put us up for the night and here I am in their guest room, typing this blog post this morning.

As we reflect back on our trip home yesterday and all the details that surrounded it, we see a few things.

1: God is faithful and our lives are filled with obvious blessings.  He took care of us.  He sustained us through all the driving, flights, and changes we could not have planned for.  He provided a smooth entry through immigration and customs, easier than ever before.  Cedric was right on time to pick us up and drive us to our vehicle.  Alexine had a lovely blessing of a warm dinner prepared for us to take home.  We can celebrate the kindness of friends, once again.

2: God is faithful when life is full of unplanned disappointments.  We cannot ever assume things will go as we've planned or that we'll find comfort when we think we need it most.  God speaks through the difficulties, however small and insignificant they be.  A rescheduled flight, a power-less home, overgrown yard, algae-filled pool and having to ask for help yet again, may not be the comfort we were seeking, but they are what God gave, alongside all the positive aspects of yesterday.  Blessings in disguise, I am sure. 

This morning we were able to take some time and pray, asking God to help us have clear sight as we return to life in Nassau, embrace the busy weeks ahead, and get our home back in order.  It was a grace-filled morning after a series of unplanned moments yesterday.  It can be our tendency, as fleshly people, to only speak of the negativities in life.  And of course, in the fallen world, there are many.  But it takes grace to speak of the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  And that is what we want to communicate.  GRACE.  God's riches at Christ's expense.  Always.  In every trial.  In every unseen event.  GRACE.  We live in it, are redeemed by it, and stand because of it.