Bahamas Journey
“Through the Eye of a Lens and the Eye of the Soul”
By Nancy Gunther
My journey with 18 women and 2 men makes me smile as I think about our adventure to serve the women of the Grand Bahamas.
Even though the majority of us knew one another there were still those unknown inner souls buried so deep that at times even we don’t have a clue who we really are. Who are we to fly into the Bahamas and offer hope to many who have lost hope because of what life has had to offer or take away.
So we began our journey on the white bus driven by our new friend Karen and our tour guide, her husband Raoul. Two incredible people who let go of life’s securities to listen to God’s call to bring hope to their homeland neighbors and follow God’s call to love one another.
I arrived on the island not knowing just what God wanted me to do, my breath prayer for each day was, “Father, grant me clarity to know how to live today.” The heart condition I arrived with was weary and hardened with not a clue how God was going to use me to help a soul when my soul felt so depleted with not much to offer except an eye behind a camera, some arms to hold a child and a few beads to string hope for women who could use some, just like me. Hope for my soul, that felt lost, just like I saw in many of their eyes looking back at me.
There is something about looking at your friends through a lens of a camera. I prefer candid photos over staged ones. My mission was to help teach jewelry making and capture our story as God led us on this amazing adventure he had designed for us to be apart of. The photo’s before we arrived our first day on the island were just your typical girlfriends heading off together on a journey; laughing, smiling and I suppose if we all were honest, trying not to show that we all had our bag of fears of unknown insecurities and asking why, and can you really use me God?
The very next day what I saw through the lens was the beginning of my heart starting to crack and fishers began running over my hearts surface to expose its pain that had be held captive far too long. It started at a Bahamas church service with the pastor asking us all to get out of our seats and greet one another with a hug. Here we are with our different shades of tan skin, hugging away like we are long lost friends. I believe we had a little glimpse of what heaven will be like when all the saints gather together. Then the pastor spoke words that started to form a fisher that began to crack the hardened shell I had so tightly wrapped around my heart.
When we gathered together at the closing of our first day, miracles began to surface. God was moving and stirring in the hearts of all of us. Three women asked to ask Christ into their heart, no call was given, just God’s call for them to ask and receive. Our team gathered around each of these three women as they asked Christ into their heart. As I took photos, what I saw amazed me. The eyes I had looked into before they met Christ, were full of darkness and sadness, but when they received Christ, there was a glimmer of light where darkness had just been.
As our days came to an end and we boarded the plane to head home, I left the Grand Bahamas with a full and changed heart and soul. I saw miracles happen before my eyes as 10 women asked Christ to be their savior. We saw the change in their eyes, the eye of the soul confirmed Christ had entered in and you saw a glimpse of joy appear. Our prayers and more had been answered. Women opened up quickly, they began to bond with each other and make plans to meet together. We saw leaders rise up to meet with Karen, come along side and serve with her. Mother’s saw hope and learned new skills to be a better parent, abused and hurting women had their hearts held, their stories heard and hope began to form as they now had a group of women to walk them through their future. With the sewing and jewelry making classes, some learned new skills; others perfected their skill that could bring them the hope of some income to support themselves and their children. Hope began not for just the women in the Bahamas but for 18 women and 2 men who were awed by Gods hand making miracles happen before our eyes as well as through the eye of the lens.
The latest update on the Bahamas; Karen had opened up and shared her life story with her new group of women and now has a group of leaders meeting, women continuing to sew and make jewelry and lives have and are being changed on the island of the Grand Bahamas. Miracles’ still do happen when God’s hand is there to move us all closer to Him.
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