A Month of Thanksgiving!!

November left us with a lot of stuff to be thankful for, well every month does but it just happens that November has a whole holiday dedicated to the idea of giving thanks- so that will be the theme of this post!

The first weekend in November we got to attend our Regional Committee/Leader weekend in Puerto Rico with Melissa Yates (leader at Windermere), Chis and Ashley Darling (potential Central leaders) and Nicole McCardy (potential first Committee). It was so cool to be able to see what we do through our Bahamian friends eyes and see them catch the excitement for what Young Life can be on the island. These new Bahamian leaders and Committee are key to creating sustainable ministry here and I ask for your prayers for them and their involvement with us!

We also got to have Ben's parents visit for the first time! It was an amazing visit and so wonderful to feel like a little bit of "home" had come to this new home! We got to play tourists for a few days and it was amazing to Ben and I all the parts of the island that we take for granted because it is our home and "real world", not vacation. We got to share so much of what we do here with Carla and Brad and it was fun to step back and be reminded of all the things the Lord is doing through Young Life here! As the kids kept popping by, anxious to meet them, I could see Brad and Carla really getting why we are here doing what we are and their hearts being captivating the same way Ben and I have been!

Thanksgiving lasted about a week for us this year! We shared the holiday the Friday and Saturday before with our Bahamian friends and families. Pam cooked a Bahamian feast Friday night and we all cooked our traditional favorites to bring to dinner together on Saturday!

On the Real Thanksgiving Day we had a potluck dinner with all our Gregory Town YL Small Group kids! Everyone brought something whether it was a can of corn or a hug tin of Macaroni and we watched the Polar Express! As we went around saying things we were thankful for, I totally got chocked up thinking about how so many things I was thankful for that were sitting in that room! Have I mentioned how much I adore these friends?!! Also the picture is of our home decorated with lights for this celebration...lights that slowly fell down as our duck tape succumbed to the moisture of our little Bahamian world! The kids (and Ben's) reactions were priceless!!

And finally the next day we shared Thanksgiving dinner with our American community on the island. There were about 10 adults and a handful of kids that have become so dear to us. We shared hearts and stories over our traditional meal and were thankful to realize that we are surrounded by such wonderful friends that share the same mission- to make Jesus's love known in whatever way we have been called to! Note: the power went out so the picture is more for our amusement that actually being able to see everyone's faces haha!

And as November came to a close that weekend, we celebrated the marriage of our dear friends mentioned above, Chris and Ashley Darling! It was a beautiful day full of love, laughter and most importantly centered on Christ!

Thank you, each of you, for the role you play in this ministry! Whether it is praying for our friends, encouraging Ben and I or providing the financial support to keep Young Life going here, we would not be here without you and we are thankful for you! Hope this Thanksgiving was a wonderful time to count the blessings that the Lord showers all our lives with daily!

October (a little late)

I am so sorry to be late with the monthly blog post but whew, October and November have been FULL months!

Our schools and clubs are back in full swing. We are still doing Windermere Young Life Club after school on Tuesdays with Melissa and Ryan Yates. The students get to hear two of their teachers call them to life to the full in Jesus and it is beautiful, holy chaos! Also we get to watch them rock at basketball which Melissa has a sweet spot in her heart for!!

We have switched Central Young Life to afterschool AT the high school (thank you Principal Galanis) and it is booming! The other "official" leaders for this club are Keith and Lori Doster who the kids adore, and we seem to attract a lot of visitors that we are praying will turn into more leaders so that we can continue to grow!

These clubs are the favorite part of the week for a lot of people-me included!! Thank you Lord for the chance to laugh and sing and learn about Your incredible love with these awesome friends!!

Ben and I have been really blessed this semester to get to know the teenagers in our settlement better through the Small Group (Campaigners) that we have at our house every Thursday. The girls and I had started with this last semester but it is so cool to have Ben and the guys with us as well. It is crazy the stuff we have been allowed to see as our friends give us pictures into their world. I won't share more but will simply ask that as you see this you take a moment to pray for these friends that have captured our hearts so fully!!

 

 

 

I have to share these pictures with you as well. We were a part of the Ride for Hope on island the last weekend in October, which is a 100-mile bike ride on Eleuthera to raise money for cancer! Our sweet friends have been praying for and fighting along side of my Aunt Brucie back in the states who is fighting the battle against cancer right now. The day of the race while we were volunteering the took pictures holding a sign that said "4 Brucie". Please join my family and our friends all over the world as we pray for my incredible Aunt and all those that we love who have been impacted by this disease!

 



Thank you, each of you, for your prayers and support of Young Life on Eleuthera!! The Lord is doing amazing things here and because of you we get the chance to be a part of them!!

Hello 2013-2014!!

There is something exciting about the start of school every year! The teachers are rested, fresh and excited about the potential of their students, the students are excited to see their friends and energized with the idea of "new leaves" and hard work that makes their dreams possible. And we, the YL leaders, are soooo ready to get them back on island, hear the crazy stories from summer and get back into life with these high school friends of ours!!

This month has been filled with all sorts of wonderful things: 

The first annual Young Life Teacher Appreciation Brunch where we got to shower the Central High teachers with love (and bagels) and dream together about this year! 

The second annual Back to School bonfire in which my handsome husband put his fire-making skills to good use. Let's just say that it was a way bigger, wayyy more impressive version of what my well-meaning self tried to cook up last year...so yea, shout out to the boy scouts of the world! Also it came with free explosions sort of resembling fireworks...haha, who knew?!

The start of homework season...oh boy- thankful to be married to someone who gets math because apparently that is not a gene I was blessed with!

And FINALLY the start of Young Life clubs at Central High (pictures to come) and Windermere high!

Thank you Lord for letting us share our lives and our love for You with these precious friends!! We have had quite the month over here on this little island, and we hope where ever you are in the world, it has been a wonderful one for you too!!

A Summer to Remember

Wow, where did the summer go?! As most of you know I was on staff-leave for June and July this summer back in the states! Between graduations, time with family, wedding festivities, honeymooning, packing and moving back down, it was a breathtakingly beautiful whirlwind from the second I landed in the States to the moment Ben and I unpacked back in our little island home. Thank you all for the prayers for a good visit with family and friends, for our big day, and for our new life together- we are more grateful for each of you than you know!

And now our summer in pictures:

And now we are settling in and getting ready for another amazing school year...come one September :)