14 February 2015

Remember the best summer camp ever? The fun, the things you learned about yourself, and especially do you remember the special relationships forged in that group dynamic? Now remember that heart sick sort of nostalgic emptiness when you suddenly realized on the last day or two that you may never see most of these people again or if so at least not in this setting. Or can you remember the couple of weeks at the end of summer between your senior year in High School and freshman year in college or perhaps just when you left your parent’s house...for good? Remember feeling that life would never be quite the same? Take those emotions, add them together and multiply the sum several times, such has been the intensity of our experience at the YWAM base on ST. Croix. Now toss in the cloud of uncertainty regarding what is next on our journey, the physical challenge of moving everything we'd brought ashore for two months back to the boat, the drudgery attendant to the unending nature of boat maintenance and then to top it all off consider that we lost Beatrice's cell phone in the ocean and our watermaker suddenly stopped working. All this was our lot the day we moved back to the boat last Wednesday, but God be praised He does not allow His people to suffer unendingly or outside of His purposes.

Wednesday and Thursday Feb 4th-5th were, without exaggeration, two of the most difficult days of my life, but Friday in the course of less than an hour, God lifted the burden, brushed the cloud aside and provided some clear guidance and direction. Suddenly and inexplicably our watermaker started working again (I'm suspecting the original Watermaker had something to do with this test) and from the dozens and dozens of emails and messages I'd exchanged on three different websites from people all over the world offering to come crew for us, two men, both in Colombia emerged as the clear choices to accomplish our specific purposes. Suddenly the future became quite clear, although it had been murky at best. We would sail to Santa Marta, Colombia together as a family and from there Beatrice and Josh would fly to the Cook Islands so that B can be there in time to staff the DTS (Discipleship Training School) that starts there on March 7th. Gabriella, Martin (a German with loads of experience and contacts in the areas we’ll be sailing to), Jan (Colombian who not only cooks but was a close quarter battle -CQB Istructor in the marines) and I will sail through the Panama Canal and then out into the Pacific to meet them there.

 Before we look forward we must take a good look back, however, at all that God has done in and through us on St. Croix. First you must understand the setting. The YWAM base on St. Croix is on the location of a long forgotten sugar mill that's been given National Historical Landmark status and is on about a dozen acres of lovingly maintained grounds bursting with color and lush tropical beauty. The bougainvillea, hibiscus and coral vine, the mango, coconut palm and papaya trees, the broad leaves of the banana plants and abundant produce of the organic garden all testify of God's grand creativity and His enjoyment of color and beauty. In the middle of all this, shining in the tropical sun like an elegant estate in the South of France, is the Great House where a large percentage of the activity transpires. The old slave quarters (refurbished of course), a trailer and some simple cabins and bath houses surrounding the house make up the living quarters of most of the staff, DTS/Outreach Teams, Mission Builders and guests, but the great house with its weathered stone and beautiful arches is where most of the worship and prayer, teaching and dining occur. The great room with vaulted wooden ceiling, flags from all over the world draped all the way around and large shuttered windows, that are opened to the trade winds to cool the room, and the adjacent dining hall both overlook the newly refurbished swimming pool that sparkles in the afternoon sun. There are volleyball and basketball courts and large fields for all kinds of games.

 I'm well aware that I've just painted a little picture of paradise, (and so it is) but make no mistake, significant ministry and service and serious spiritual battles take place here daily.

Populating this very special spot are a great number of very special people who've dedicated their lives, or at least this season of their lives, to whole heartedly seeking God, serving him and finding His will for their lives. There are five families with two children each and several godly young ladies on staff here and then there are the teams who come to visit. While we were there a team of nine (from China, Ireland, Canada, Norway and the U.S) from the Kona, Hawaii YWAM base came to do the "Outreach" part of their DTS and five students, all from the U.S., came shortly thereafter to do the lecture phase of their DTS. In addition there have been several teams of "Mission Builders." The breadth and depth of the relationships that were forged not just here but through St. Croix Christian Church, where Josh and Gabriella just love the youth program, in such a short period of time is truly amazing.

 YWAM St. Croix is a training center, and while the DTS school and outreach teams they house and facilitate are central to their ministry they also are very actively involved in or directly driving no less than 12 different ministries on the island that are impacting the community around them and bearing eternal fruit. We had the distinct pleasure of serving alongside them in some of these and in so doing got a good taste of what YWAM St. Croix is all about. I can testify first hand that it's purposes are consistent with the stated goal of all of YWAM, namely to "Know God and Make Him Known."

I will just mention a few of the ways we got to serve alongside our wonderful brothers and sisters here. Once a week a van full of joyful souls goes out to the ironically named Paradise Mills, a low income housing project in the center of the island to play with the kids, most of whom come from single parent homes. After the play time comes a short and simple Bible lesson. The kids themselves are like little sponges soaking up all the love lavished on them and relationships have been formed and are being formed with the parents as well. Twice a week a few "YWAMers" go down to the "Lighthouse," where the homeless can receive a meal and a Bible based message six days a week and once a week, (Tuesdays for the ladies and Friday for the men) receive free clothing and toiletries. Again, with repetition, relationships are formed. Also twice a week there is Basketball Ministry for the young men on the island many of whom struggle with anger and identity issues. Again relationships are being formed.

 Our work on the base itself consisted mainly of landscaping type chores such as weed eating, tree trimming and feeding branches through the chipper for me and for Beatrice and the kids work in the marvelous organic garden, which Bob created and maintains. There are so many lessons to be learned from a garden. You can see more about the garden and the YWAM base at www.ywamstcroix.org The kids also had the chore of cleaning the pool twice a week and we helped out in the kitchen with meal prep and cleanup as well.

In addition to all this we had Bible studies every day at lunch before eating, Monday morning Prayer and Worship in the Great Room and Tuesday, Community night also in the Great Room, which consisted of worship followed by the teaching of whoever was in town for the week to teach the DTS students. Then on Thursdays we went to different parts of the island and worshipped the Lord with music and prayer. Sometimes bystanders would join in and sometimes they would just stand and watch, but either way we always sensed the Presence of the Living God there among us. On Wednesday and Friday twice a month the kids had youth group at St. Croix Christian. Through all of this, God has done tremendous work in each of us. He has refined and shaped and built character into us, worked faith into our lives.

One such refining work came at the end of the Boykins visit right after Christmas. We'd spent several days doing ministry work i.e. prayer walks and a great deal of machete work clearing the ever present overgrowth of coral vine and tan tan among other unwanted foliage both at the YWAM base and a nearby church. Having decided that we're most alive when we work hard and then play hard we took several days to sail up to St. John and enjoy the raw natural beauty of the place during hikes and snorkeling, grilling fish on the beach and generally filling every waking moment with fun activity. It was on their last day here, back on St. Croix as we sat in the cock pit of s/v Elin at the marina. I'd asked for prayer for my life long struggle with impatience and my incessant need to always be in motion and always hurrying, which heretofore had been a significant, although manageable, irritant to my better half and children, but as of late due to the intensity of our current situation had become a real problem for all of us. As that great prayer warrior Scott Boykin prayed I could sense the presence of the Lord and within the next two hours I experienced answer to the prayer on three separate occasions. We wanted to spend their last hours here visiting some of the historic sites in Christiansted, then sharing one last meal together and getting some ice cream afterward. At three different junctures during these activities I witnessed almost as an aloof bystander how one of the other adults in the party was moving the group along. This phenomenon was totally new to me. Previously I'd always been the one pushing, pulling, prodding, whatever it took to get the group moving so we'd stay on schedule lest we miss out on something. Now I was able to sit back, relax andjust enjoy the moment. What peace! All my life I have been Martha rushing, fretting, complaining that Mary is not helping. Finally, I am learning what it means to sit at the Lord's feet and just be in His presence.

 This is but one of the mighty works God has accomplished in us here and again it would take a small book to recount all that has transpired, all we've learned, the stories of the lives that have touched ours, the ways we have grown. It has been truly amazing to see what can happen in such a short while when God is fully in charge. The people we have met, the things we've learned and the ways we all have grown will reside deep in our hearts for the rest of our lives. We'll never forget this time or this place and especially not all the beautiful people we've shared a little moment in time with.

 For all of you back home, on Marco Island, here on ST. Croix and around the world who faithfully pray for us and support us we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Please know that we appreciate you more than our words can express and sincerely wish that we had the time and ability to personally give each of you a big hug and thank you properly. God willing we will some day!

We must press on now because God is calling us forward to new adventures and challenges, new people and opportunities for growth. I am quite certain though that we will carry a piece of St. Croix within us always and even as the lapse of time colors and shades our memories, when we do look back and truly remember, our hearts will be full. They will be full. We love you all!

 Kenny, Beatrice, Josh & Gabriella . St. Croix