Andros Island, The Bahamas
At the beginning of World War II, G.T. Bustin (founder of EBM) took his wife and four young children to begin a mission work in the Bahamas. This became the birthplace of what is today know as EBM International. During that trip Revival broke out after only a few days. Surprised at how quickly Revival came to that Island G,T, Bustin wondered what was going on until one night a lady stood up in the service. She then begin to say “Dis am de Man that the Lord showed me in a dream.” She went on to say God had shown her G.T. Bustin in a dream almost 34 years before. Two years before he was even born and told her G.T. would be coming to that Island some day. She had prayed for him and for revival for The Bahamas for all those years.
The Bustin Family lived on Andros and both Paul and Gerald Bustin (President of EBM) where born in The Bahamas. That Revival in The Bahamas helped to spark many Ministries around the world including the late Miles Munroe who attributed the start of his Ministry to G.T. Bustin and that Revival in The Bahamas.
Today EBM Missionaries, the Bryants are working on that same Island and helping children with after school programs, kids clubs and bring the love of Jesus to those who are hurting.
If you are interested in helping out in The Bahamas or going on a short term Missions trip please Email Us or call (352) 245-2560 for more information.
These last few months have been challenging for us on every front, to say the least! The Lord encourages us to learn to cling to Him ever the tighter and trust His direction of every circumstance touching us. Every day we ask that we be able to praise Him with our words, our attitudes, our faces. The house in Maine is empty, progress renovating the shop is much slower than expected, the car needed new brakes (done) and shocks (not done). And of course finances march to a beat of their own!!!
such; a 12th grader is scheduled to take her SAT in Nassau. (This is a BIG deal–pray for her!) We are thankful every day for God’s amazing grace to us and His Holy Spirit in us; and for you, our family and friends who love, pray for, and support us faithfully. We so appreciate all the friends and “family” here in the Bahamas who encourage us, bring us food, open their homes, repair our machines, entertain us, and make us laugh. Most of all, they hug us, love us, and help us along our life’s path.
September 2015
We arrived to discover that all the people we worked so hard to get ready for Passports were still waiting for the Mobile Team from the Nassau office to come to Andros, and more requests from other Red Bayans to continue working to secure all their legal documents needed so they, too, can be ready when the Team arrives.
Through a series of events and a generous Christian couple from Maine, God provided a 2005 Chevy Silverado which we brought back (by request) to pay off the balance due on the building that we are purchasing. When the truck arrived, the man requesting it didn’t have the money to pay for its shipping and customs duties. Yes, we had to do some scrambling to find money to pay those bills as there was a crucial time frame per Customs to claim it. At present, we are waiting for him to come repay us those fees and sign off on the building. In the meantime, that put a hold on purchasing a vehicle of our own. Please pray that this will be resolved soon.
I just wanted to introduce this wonderful couple to you because Elder Robert Evans and his wife, Rose, are our local Church Sponsors for us to remain on Andros as Missionaries. They are a wonderful, dedicated, loving couple, who believe as we do, and are supporting us in every way they can to keep this ministry moving for the Lord.
One of our construction teams is expected to come in January to help with the renovations, and a second group is trying to put together a trip for March. Getting this building renovated and completely operational looks to be a monumental task and I expect it will be a year or more before all is completed. I have been working to clear out the main area of the building so that we can fix it up, get electricity installed as well as a bathroom, and then be able to start Bible Clubs again. It has been over a year now since we had clubs and we don’t want our Red Bays children to forget or lose out on the opportunity for spiritual growth in the biblical values we’ve been trying to instill in them. Once we get the building in shape, we will also be ready to begin Sunday services.
Pumpkins, Pumpkins everywhere! We returned to find our farm overrun with pumpkins. Pumpkin vines climbing over everything else that we had set out: pineapples,banana trees, coconuts, and sweet potato vines…anything and everything! Happily, Sue has been bringing home a great variety of sizes and colors of pumpkins as a result, which will be cut up and shared around town or made into cookies or dried and made into “flour”. Guess we will have to do something to keep them contained on the next round. Our boys did the best they could while we were gone to keep the weeds in check, and we rewarded them as promised when we got here.
(As of yet, we have not had our land surveyed, but I will be checking on that in the next few days.)
Keep praying for Red Bays and Andros Island in the Bahamas, that lives would be changed forever by coming to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, and for us as we serve Him here. We love you!
As noted in the last letter, we had planned to bring a couple kids with us to Maine, but the passport process turned out to be much longer than anticipated, and they can’t travel until that vital document is in hand. Several of you have expressed interest in having them visit you, but it appears that’ll have to wait until next summer.
One of the fun events this spring was a short visit from two of our “adopted” grandkids, Kim and Kyle, who decided to celebrate their anniversary getting sunburned at the beach instead of shoveling snow. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing Andros with them!
While in Maine this summer, we are putting our house on the market, as it is no longer being rented, and has become a financial burden to us. We have no plans to live there again, and do not have the resources to make mortgage payments. We are working with a great realtor, who is also a Christian friend, and we are praying that the Lord put the people and pieces in place that fit His plan. We are so thankful that the Lord puts our obstacles and trials in perspective! (Proverbs 3:5&6)
Looking ahead: The storage shop needs to be renovated, a septic system and bathroom installed, electricity and water hooked up, and equipment put in place for both Bible Clubs and a Learning Center–our little living room is too cramped for the use it is getting! All that requires money for materials as well as labor, so we are asking for volunteers to help with the project.
In the few weeks before we left, since the land around the storage shop is both arable and deeply disked, after burning piles of vines and weeds, we worked hard to transplant all sorts of fruit trees, coconut trees, herbs, vegetables, and even grape and kiwi vines. We hired three teen boys to keep it weeded–the grass’ll grow 8-10’ high, and the sheep vines are awful–they’re sending us pictures to show their diligence. They’ve asked for specific items rather than pay, so we are hoping to find them.
We pray that we all watch and prepare to be caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds soon–what a reunion that will be! Everywhere we travel, those who know and love Him are saying the same thing–there’s expectancy and excitement in the midst of increasing darkness and struggles. Lord willing, we hope to have opportunity to fellowship with you one way or another before that great event.