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For over a decade we’ve been traveling to Eleuthera’s neighboring island, Spanish Wells. Years ago I’d travel up there weekly with Paul doing Bible Study with one of our friends, and over the years Emily and I have developed some enduring friendships with the people of Spanish Wells.
This past weekend Donald Sweeting, one of the Elders at the People’s Church invited me to come and speak on Sunday morning and evening. Donald was one of the first graduates from the Training Center and we’ve stayed friends ever since.
Preaching is inherently taxing, as most public speaking engagements are, and I’m always extremely aware of the importance of handling the Word of God with responsibility and faithfulness. Although I preach every Sunday at our local church this would be a morning and evening set up at a church I’ve only preached at a few times, and so I took a few more hours in preparation.
The People’s Church have been walking through the book of Colossians and the messages I felt the Lord leading me to preach stemmed from what Paul says in the beginning of chapter 3, to paraphrase and sum up: living resurrection reality.
In the morning we looked at the tangible extension of mankind’s endeavor towards pleasure in the “last days” from 2 Timothy 3. The challenge was to make Christ our “first love.” Then in the evening we looked at the climax of John’s Gospel and the resurrection, previewing the Easter celebration. It was an enjoyable time worshipping with the congregation and singing songs that we are more accustomed to back in the US. The familiarity in worship with the faithfulness of God simply brings me to tears and I was touched to see how God is using the people of Spanish Wells to honor Him, despite all the possibilities for division.
Donald and Candy Sweeting invited us to stay with them during our visit (Spanish Wells is over a 1 1/2 drive from Windermere), and we ate well! That’s one thing about folks on Spanish Wells, THEY CAN COOK! However, the most unexpected blessing came on our water taxi ride over to the island. We met a couple who just recently moved the Bahamas from the US, Joseph and Marina. We started up a conversation on the ride over, not even knowing both of us were headed to the Sweetings for dinner that night. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting our new friends and Micah had a blast with their two boys. We hope to have our paths cross again in the future, Lord willing. We also reminisced with our friends the Boykins and their energetic family of 6 – Micah was spoiled!
We are most thankful for the relationships with which God has blessed us with throughout the islands and especially on Spanish Wells. They are a close community and we hold many of them as our treasures. It amazing how when you’re serving the Lord, you might go to be a blessing to them, but in the end you are the one who walks away blessed.