Dear friends and family,
Well, The Lord is faithful! He has guided and protected us all the way
to our "desired haven"--Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas. Thanks
for praying for us! When we last wrote, we had safely arrived in Nassau
where we cleared customs and got our long awaited missionary workers
papers. After this it was an adventure of working our way through the
Exuma island chain. This is a dazzling string of more than 365 pristine
cays that trail off of Great Exuma. We enjoyed all of the beauty and the
exploration of such lovely places. However, despite the beauty, our trip
was challenging. It can be summed up in two phrases: "sit out gales
at anchor" and "motor along in the calm between the
storms". All the cruisers we spoke with agreed that this was one of
the wildest winters in memory. It was so stormy and wild, that we really
could not afford to make a mistake with our daily run planning. We were
more desperately looking to Master of the wind and the waves for His
guidance than ever.
To His Glory, we found ourselves in the right place at
the right time--every time as a result. I tell ya--it is so fun to live
like that! We would ask "Lord should we move now or wait", or
"should we attempt to get to one Cay or another Cay", then Deb
and I would listen and discuss the guidance He was giving us. We
consistently received the same leadings, and thanks to your prayers and
The Lord's grace we walked in peace and unity experiencing a special
prayer-life-voyage together. Even though we were always safe, and the boat
was holding her own in the places we found ourselves this doesn't mean it
was easy. There were quite a few nights where we were caught between
strong tidal currents and gale force winds that caused the boat to pitch
and roll ridiculously while we sat up all night in the cockpit in foul
weather gear, life jackets, and harnesses. This just goes to show that the
right path is not always the easy path...
It just so happens that My birthday and Deb's are about a week apart,
and God provided us with some special places to celebrate. One of these
was at Compass Cay Marina. We would not have normally considered stopping
in a marina in the cays, but the weather forecast was calling for a
horrendous gale, and we were in an area that was difficult to find a good
protection from westerlies without strong current. We were so tired. One
of our supporters had given us a special financial gift for our birthdays.
So we decided to spend the money. It was a wonderful gift! The girls had
such a good time. One of the peculiarities of this place was more than a
dozen pet nurse sharks that come to be fed and stroked on a dock that is
built below the high tide level. The girls got right down in the water
with them and stroked their rough heads. (Now to all you alarmed
grandparents and aunties out there--nurse sharks are very docile and don't
bite like other sharks!)
It was such an awesome feeling to watch Long Island slowly emerge out
of the horizon on the last leg of a three month Odyssey of faith. I was
given one really good day of sailing (with actual sails!) just before we
arrived. When we arrived we were blessed with such an overwhelming
reception of love and joy! The Salt boys came down to the sea to greet me
the day after we came in. I dinghied them aboard to see the gift God had
given us, and they were speechless, and they immediately began to help me
with the boat. The boys were so excited to tell us about the exciting
things that God had been doing in their lives since we left. He is moving,
and we can see that this is going to be a season of great fruitfulness.
Please pray that The Holy Spirit will continue to fill the kids here
and draw them into white-hot enjoyment of their God.
Pray that we will have wisdom about how to structure the Salt Program
now that the school year is actually winding down.
Pray that we will be able to finish "Saltair" and
"Dancer" and begin to use them in ministry along with "More
Beyond."
We love and appreciate you all,
Reuben, Debra, Rachel, Stella
