Enjoying the Bahamas... while hubby is in Israel

Did you know we live in the Bahamas? I know, I know... I'm confusing you. Within Ukraine there is a little village called the Bahamas. At least, that it what the sign says at our village bus stop - "Bahamas" - something one of the villagers jokingly painted and hammered up. In actuality, though, our village has no name unless you count "3rd village" as a name. Our streets out here are nameless as well. And, our house has no number!

We have been using public transportation since returning to Ukraine. And, boy, do we stir up the comments and stares... especially since, other than us, no one who uses our village bus is less than 60 years of age! The reason? Most of the younger generation do not live out in the villages where there are no schools or jobs. Daily transportation to and from the city would just be too difficult since most Ukrainians rely on public transportation and these buses only run four to five times a day. So, to where were we riding in those pictures? To church... our favorite place... to enjoy Wednesday evening services, baptism, and the Lord's Supper!

Pictured below are Pastor Bob (left) and the four who were baptized:

And this (below), my dear friends, is our indoor baptistry!

Yes, on the mission field we "make do" with what is available. But, praise the Lord for those who have been saved and boldly come before the church to follow the Lord in baptism, no matter what the baptistry looks like. What a sweet testimony!

On another note, hubby has been calling daily from Israel. Yesterday he spoke and sang to a school of over 1,000 students about the importance of the Bible, near Mount Gilboa where Gideon was greatly used of the Lord in Judges 7. At the same time he was there in the north of the country, a tragedy took place in the south of the country: an anti-tank missile was fired from the Gaza Strip and struck a school bus, critically wounding a 16-year-old boy.

Our hearts are saddened anytime we hear news like this. Please be in prayer for Israel and for my David. I spoke with him through Skype and told him we would be happy if he just remains in the north for the rest of his trip. {smile} He's a smart man (actually brilliant) and would not go into a dangerous place on purpose.

So, until he returns late Monday evening, we'll just be enjoying our "Bahamas"... in our coats!