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Sadie and I only had a week in Eleuthera, but it was like being home again. From the moment we land on the island, we feel like we never left! We had an eventful trip there, but the Lord was faithful every step of the way, from late and canceled flights to making our way to and from hotels late at night, to bumpy weather on the flights, to getting lost in Chicago, He was there with us!
We were able to bring presents for friends, and we were able to deliver boxes from some amazing girls at Grace who have pen pals at our Spanish Wells church! The girls have been writing some girls in Spanish Wells, and even across the ocean, they have been able to share the love and encouragement of Christ!
I am so proud of Maddie and Aubrey for sharing what the Lord has given them! We were also able to bring things like walnuts and clothing for friends here, which might not seem like a lot, but on an island like Eleuthera, there are very limited resources, and what they do have is very expensive. I love shopping for friends and brining them things to meet their needs on the island!
This trip was a different one because there are a lot of people on the island right now that have been displaced from Hurricane Dorian a few months ago. The hurricane destroyed Abaco and parts of Freeport. Eleuthera has taken in hundreds of evacuees. I met a lady who’s house had been destroyed in Abaco, and she and her family moved to Eleuthera until things can be repaired in Abaco. It will be a long road to recovery though. She has two young kids, and has had to start all over again in a new place, with new people. She said that her church in Abaco was completely destroyed. She was a worship leader there for 15 years.
I can’t even imagine losing everything like she has; her house, cars, job, clothing, church, friends, family, her child’s school, everything. She has only her husband and her two children. Even through all she has been through though, she was praising the Lord for keeping her family safe and allowing them to be in Eleuthera. Her outlook was positive. I am humbled by her joy in the Lord even through so much loss and displacement. It makes my heart long to be there to help people like her who are going through so much.
On the Island of Spanish Wells there are a few hundred extra people now who have come from Abaco, which is a big change for the tiny island, but the people of Spanish Wells and Eleuthera are amazing and have stepped up to the challenge of ministering to those who have come in search of a new home and life, whether temporary or permanent. I am blessed to know the people of Eleuthera!