In the dash...

"27 March 2012 – 12 April 2012 : Cayman Islands"

This what was written on our itinerary we received for this year, but now looking back, I realize that it isn't the dates that matter but the dash in between those dates. That dash represents all our days and all our hours in Cayman weather it was spend praying, having fellowship with people, practising for the church service we presented, cooking, helping to fix a lady's home after a hurricane or explaining to the kids next door over the fence that Jesus loves them. That dash carries every moment.

If I could sum up that dash in one verse I will without any doubt quote:

Matt 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (NLT)

We entered Cayman with a very small budget and realized that we are in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Cayman doesn't produce any of it's own food and everything gets imported out of America witch results in very high prices.

We arrived in the country at about 4 p.m. We soon found out that camping is illegal in the country, so the type of accommodation we were bargaining on was totally out of the question – and sleeping in jail wasn't a option. We desperately need to find a cheap place to stay for the night, and started to phone around. Trying to get closer to town we took a taxi to try and go scouting for accommodation. At about 7p.m. we were still standing on the sidewalk not knowing were to turn. Although we were all praying we held a communal prayer about were He wants us to go and just trusting fully on Him to provide accommodation for us for the night. Well we ended up sleeping in a hotel on the beach for the night all expenses paid by a local guy who met us. It was amazing to see in that moment how God provides, not then yet fully realizing how he will keep showing us his providence in abundance throughout the whole country.

In this Cayman we started to pray about God providing us finances for a project to reach out to the remote villages in Papua New Guinea later in the year. We gave everything over to God and as a result we saw how God blessed us abundantly in the area of food, accommodation, transport, and even financially so much that we walked out of the country with more money than we entered with. This we see as a miracle out of the hand of provision of God. You never realize how much God provides until that is all you have.

The other miracle that is much closer to my heart involves me personally. We were asked to present a whole Sunday service at a church. After praying about what God wants us to do we decided on doing a drama, a dance, and then preaching about salvation. While practising on the Wednesday in trying to do a gracious landing after a jump I landed with my foot in a hole covered by the grass... the sound my ankle made that moment still haunts me, it sounded like a twig snapping as you break it. With Linel and Marielle nearby they immediately prayed for my ankle and I could feel how the pain was draining away. By Sunday my ankle was healed and I could partake in the dance. To this very moment I believe that my ankle was broken or at the least that my ligaments were completely off when I laid on the ground after stepping in that hole, I believe that God brought me healing so that the devil couldn't steal away what God wanted to tell His children in that service Sunday night.

God showed us the importance of personal fellowship with people and how valuable it is to invest time into individual's lives. We spent a lot of time with individuals talking and sharing about God's love, grace and mercy in our lives. Encouraging people that Christianity is far more than going to church on a Sunday, it is a living relationship with Christ.

As we're in Jamaica now I am also looking at the future dates on my itinerary, I wonder what those dashes will hold. We know that our team doesn't have all the funds for those dashes yet –but we also know that God provides. We are seeking His kingdom and His will, so we know that God will provide for us as He promises in the future as well.

Blessings and greetings

Marlene Putter

If you would like to contribute and help us by giving some financial support, we would really appreciate
it. Here are the banking account details:
Account name: GCX-One Year 9206958383
ABSA
Branch: 31 Da Gamma road, Jeffreys Bay, 6330, South Africa
Branch code: 334515
Reference: DISTANT ISLANDS – MARLENE PUTTER
Swift Code (for international payments): ABSAZAJJ