November Newsletter '11

Greetings,

Hard to believe that November is already here, but we sure can feel the difference here in the Bahamas. A cold front just moved in and its feels freezing here right now (only 77 degrees - I can hear the jeers now… can't believe he's complaining! Somehow, and I can't explain it, when you're used to the high heat and humidity, the 70's can feel quite cold - but we are thankful for that cold). October was a packed month, check out the main events below.

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School and Ministry

Eleuthera has an abundance of ministry opportunities and we are discovering that more and more of them are right at our doorstep here at school. Over half of our students come from home situations that are less than ideal; many with single parents or parents going through a divorce. This, in turn, precipitates poor grades, bad behavior, and unhealthy and ungodly decision making.

One way Windermere focuses on the student's spiritual health is their quarterly Spiritual Emphasis Week. We invite a speaker who over the course of a few days has the opportunity to speak to the children and directly address their spiritual growth and discipleship. This year we had Pastor Cranston Knowles, and he did a fantastic job addressing the underlining motives of the heart which need to be centered in God's will in order to produce Godly behavior.

Emily also wrote a post this month about her ongoing discipleship with the girls on Eleuthera. She has a deepening relationship with a young woman named Sandy, and they meet every week to go through a Bible Study together and talk about life and the challenges of being a young Christian woman in the Bahamas. Please remember to keep us all in your prayers as we follow God's leading for the spiritual growth in our ministries and our school.

See MORE about Spiritual Emphasis Week
See MORE about Emily's Island Girls
Read MORE about our School Ministry

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Halloween and Missions in Spanish Wells

Spanish Wells is a neighboring island to Eleuthera and it is very special to us because of the many friends we've gained over the years. This year we attended their Missions Conference and had a wonderful time speaking with two missionary families serving with New Tribes Missions. The subject of God's Mission for the nations is frequently absent in most of our church contexts, and the time we spent at this year's Missions Conference was a poignant reminder of the lost and the Church's calling to be salt and light in our world.

We have also kept the tradition of traveling around the community of Spanish Wells for Halloween. Each year the entire island puts on an elaborate community centric effort to greet the little trick-or-treaters with an abundance of junk-food! And as much fun as the dressing up and door-to-dooring is, Spanish Wells uniquely special in that it provides a safe and fun environment for us to spend some quality time with our little family and a handful of friends.

And this year Micah was a monkey (after his favorite monkey "Curious George") - we should have known what we were getting ourselves into!

See Halloween Pictures and more HERE
Read about the Missions Conference HERE

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Update

The past month began with a wonderful respite trip back to Wisconsin to see my family and celebrate my Dad's retirement. The crisp cool northern air was so refreshing, and with the hurried pace of school, the break was perfectly timed.

This past Sunday a dear friend of our passed away: Rev. Charles Sands. He preached an afternoon service right after I preached in that same pulpit in the morning, and only an hour later, after complaining about some chest pain after the service, he was with the Lord. It is our prayer that his legacy of integrity, humility, and Biblical soundness will continue as his job on earth is now finished.

November will be a busy month of teaching. So far I'm still preaching every Sunday and Wednesday morning and evening. Along with these ministry opportunities I have some speaking engagements lined up in various churches for instruction on the Inductive Bible Study Method and Biblical Preaching and Teaching. And all of this is on top of my normal teaching responsibilities allow with coaching our budding basketball team (more new to follow soon on that front)!

Emily has her hands full with Micah, ministry, and the school. She is very excited about celebrating Thanksgiving and decorating for the holidays. And we are so thankful for the recent "care packages" we received from our ministry partners and home churches. Emily says she can't even put into words how wonderful it is to open your boxes and have all kinds of goodies to use for Micah's classmates and our students here at school.

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Prayers and Praises

Praise for safe travels and a sweet time with family
Praise for a productive month and the moving reminders from Spiritual Emphasis and the Missions Conference
Praise for our church family and supporters and their loving generosity

Pray for the busy upcoming month and our ministry plans with churches and individuals
Pray health as Emily and Micah have been sick
Pray for God's provision for upcoming financial needs and the needs of our school

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Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and your involvement in our ministry with God's mission. To find out more about support CLICK HERE.

- Ryan Emily and Micah Flunker