A Slice of Paradise

My first 6 months in Kissimmee had a little something for everyone.  For the youth, there was a busy summer schedule and a great Fall kick-off.  For the Youth Counselors there were a couple of retreats and pizza rolls at every meeting.  For Jill Painter, there was the fact that I was older than her and that I had the wisdom to buy new ink pens for the youth room- trust me, this was a big deal to her!   And for Marilyn and I, there was a trip to the Bahamas!

Spanish Wells is a tiny island (that's it at left) that is a part of the Bahamas chain of islands.  In the early '90's it had no tourism and was populated almost entirely with Anglo-Saxon lobster fishermen.  The island was quite wealthy, but was a magnet for hurricanes.  After once such storm a mission team from FUMC-K had flown down to help repair the island's Methodist church.  The team had fallen in love with the people and the church, and a sister church relationship began between the two.  Pastor Bill Higgs from SW and Pastor John Willis from FUMC-K became fast friends, and plans were made to have more interaction between the two communities.  I arrived in Kissimmee as these plans were being finalized, and very quickly Marilyn and I learned that we had just won a lottery!  Bill (at John's suggestion) invited us to fly down and spend Labor Day weekend 1994 on the island, leading workshops in Christian education, youth ministry and parenting teenagers.  They would buy our plane tickets and pay me for my efforts.  We were headed to the tropics- and it was free!!!

We flew to Ft. Lauderdale and board our plane to Eleuthera, another small island in the Bahamas.  Spanish Wells had no airport, so we would land in Eleuthera and then take a ferry to SW.  We boarded a very small plane, with two pilots and one or two other passengers- and it was full.  Too full, in fact.  Because of the weight of the passengers (OK- the weight of me- I have never been small but I was huge at that point!) they could not get our luggage on the plane.  So we spent our first day in paradise with only the clothes on our backs.  But it was wonderful.  The island is tiny; you can stand on a hill in the middle of the city and see the ocean on both sides.  The people are wonderful.  You feel like you are a part of their families immediately.  Bill and Lauren Higgs were the perfect hosts.  And the church (above at right) was so responsive and loving.  The workshops went very well; eventually our clothes arrived.  And while we were there it was determined that we would return with our youth the following July to lead a Vacation Bible School for the island and its' four churches, and at some point they would bring the youth from their church to Kissimmee for Youth Week.  A vision had been established.  Teaching had been done.  The entire trip was a smashing success. 

There are not many perks in the youth ministry business.  Aside from all the pizza you can eat and the wonderful people you serve, you give more than you get most of the time.  Our weekend in Spanish Wells was certainly a perk.  Eating conch, lobster and mango with every meal is something I could get used to.  Waking up to an ocean breeze, a gorgeous sunrise over the ocean and the smell of "Johnny Cakes" would be easy to live with. Swimming in crystal blue water, listening to stories of "craw-fishing," and visiting the Higg's amazing home on a bluff overlooking the water were all things I could have spent a lot of time growing accustomed to!  We hated to leave.  I would only get to return once; it was Marilyn's only trip to SW.  But we knew we had discovered a little slice of paradise, and that the students we loved would love it there.  And they did- but those are stories for another day!

Because of Jesus,