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After many tribulations in our first day (airport problems, immigrations issues, missed flights), the Lord helped us overcome all these spiritual obstacles sent by the devil to make us stumble. We arrived safely and gave thanks for being able to serve the Lord in this wonderful island of St. Kitts.

Today (day 2), we took the blessing of visiting the church of St. Mark and St. Bishoy here in St. Kitts. The church is a room adjoining the house of Abouna Shenouda, where he lives with his family. It is the only building on the side of a mountain with a breathtaking view of the Caribbean Ocean. The church is no larger than an average-sized living room, but looking beyond its humble furnishings, we saw that the church was cared for with much love. Everything was arranged meticulously, and the icons on the walls seemed to smile at us, as if to say, "Welcome." We learned that Abouna and Tasoni gather the congregation and drive them up the side of the mountain, because it is such a steep incline and many cannot walk the distance.

We were blessed to work on the farm land surrounding the church, a task that Abouna and his family often do. We helped irrigate a field and plant cucumbers, and we were joined by Abouna Shenouda and Tasoni. Truly, "the harvest is ready but the laborers are few." After that, we sat with Abouna and he told us the amazing story of how he was baptized in the Coptic Orthodox Church, and later ordained a priest and hegomen. He told us about the congregations and the many blessings that are associated with this church. Truly, God has poured His grace upon the little church in St. Kitts.

After, we traveled to the site where the foundation and walls of the new church have been laid.

More tomorrow, God willing. Please pray for us.