Mark & Debbie Baskin - "reunited with children adbucted 20 years ago"

Watching the National News on television, most of the time it feels that there is absolutely no local connection. However from time to time former residents or families, or individuals who operate businesses take center stage with a news story or event. Often in those situations the news event being covered is not one that brings personal hope or encouragement in life. The National News coverage regarding Mark and Debbie Baskin and their children Christie and Bobby have a strong local connection of service here in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky.
Mark Baskin served as a staff member and minister at the First Baptist Church Barbourville, prior to continuing his education at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mark and his wife Debbie are remembered well by those that attended or were members of First Baptist during their term of service and ministry to that congregation and this community. The Baskin’s were parents of three children at the time of their enrollment into seminary and they had left their two oldest children with Debbie’s parents in Murfreesboro, Tennessee while they made the move and transition to Louisville. It was during that period that allegations were made against Mark and Debbie by her parents and after an investigation cleared the Baskin’s and her parents were ordered by the courts to return the children, her parents abducted Christie and Bobby, that day was March 1, 1989.
After 20 years of searching and attempts to locate their children, and her parents to regain rightful custody, they were discovered in San Jose, California on February 3, 2009. The children had lived with their grandparents, who had taught them that they were their parents and given them new names, Jennifer and Jonathan Bunting.
The break in the case of this abduction came after 20 years because their grandfather, Marvin Maple, (a.k.a. John Bunting) was upset by a recent news story by The Center for Exploited and Missing Children, that depicted him in a negative light. He sounded off to a lady who immediately called local authorities which resulted in the discovery of the Baskin Children which led to what I want to call a “reunion” but what might be better termed a “time of re-acquaintance”, on Thursday, February 05, 2009.
Today, Mark is Pastor of the Normantown Baptist Church and a music teacher in Montgomery, Georgia while his wife Debbie is a 5th grade teacher in Toombs County, Georgia. The Baskin’s are also parents of a 16 years old that they had adopted and the story of their discovery and the miracle of this opportunity to reunite as a family is a story of God’s grace for Mark and Debbie, as parents, who never stopped believing and never stopped searching for their adducted children. It will be a story of God’s grace for their children, separated for 20 years, as they begin a new day of discovery and truth as Paul (16 yrs old) has never seen his siblings before but will begin to build a new life with his brother Jonathan and his sister Jennifer.
The real story that should be broadcast across the Nation is not only about the search for children kidnapped for 20 years but the news that should be broadcast is about how God has given a daughter, Debbie, the ability to forgive her parents for kidnapping and abducting her children, and a news story about how she and Mark are able to forgiving them for the false acquisitions would be appropriate. There should be a news story that tells how the greatest gift in the entire world helps children to forgive their grandparents who lied and inflicted so much pain and separation, and how their hearts can be healed through the greatest gift given to us from God. The Bible says, “now abides faith, hope and love. The greatest is love”….Love is still the answer and faith and hope have already done their duty now, the remaining work is to be performed by love from the heart as communicated by the Holy Spirit and comforter.

Until then