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So, the previous day was exhausting and that’s why church and our snorkeling excursion were exactly what we needed.

Church started at 9:30 and everyone needed to bring their bathing suits with them because we were going straight to the boat for snorkeling from church.

Traveling in the Bahamas is much different then here in the states. First off, they drive on the opposite side of the road then us. Also, it’s not a large country, much smaller than just the state of NY we live in. And the other thing is, just like we have to watch out for hitting a deer here in NY. In the Bahamas they have potcakes. I’m not sure if I’ve told you about them already but man are they everywhere. You’re probably like what the heck is a pot cake? Well, a pot cake is a dog and they’re everywhere. They call them pot cakes because when the women would cook rice in the huge bowls and the bottem would get burnt they would go out back and dump out the pot cake. Well these stray dogs all over the island would come and chow down hence the name pot cake.

So anyhow, church was great. The worship was sweet. There was actually a white Bahamian man leading the worship team and it was crazy. You could clearly see he was white but when he spoke he had the thickest Bahamian “hey mon” accent.

The message was great also and it connected right in with what our devotions had been on that week. It’s crazy how God orchestrates things. He was definitley in control our entire trip.

After church we headed over to Stewart’s Cove, the name of the place where’d we be going snorkeling. Everyone signed there lives away and you’ll find out in a minute why. Soon after, we boarded the boat to leave. We were given our mask, snorkel and flippers but I was a bit shocked everyone didn’t get some sort of weapon as we would be jumoing in the water in the the middle of the ocean.

Our first stop was incredible. There were fish everywhere and the water was beautifully amazing. Neko, Reshawn and I swan off together and we actually saw a shark swimming in the open waters. It was a bit intimidating to say the least. The weird thing that still kind of freaks me out when I think about it, is that we were looking at the shark and I wanted everyone else to see it too, so I picked my head up out of the water and started yelling for the rest of the team so they could come… I didn’t want them to miss it. Well, when I put my head back in the ocean the shark was gone. I was looking very carefully all around for it when suddenly from right under neath me I felt the current of the water shift and like a powerful train the shark breezed right below me. I thought I was going to lose it.

Neko and Reshawn seemed to love every minute of it.

At our second stop Nathaniel and I were swimming around and we saw a huge sting ray. Nathaniel followed it around and we were just in awe of how this animal glided through the ocean. It was absolutely spectacular.

While we were on the boat from on stop to the next Brad started to talk to one of the Bahamina guys on board. Eventually he sent the guy over to me. His name was Deano. When he first cam over he thought Brad had said we were on a fishing trip but I explained that we were on a mission trip and that this was kind of like our day off. IHe asked me what type of stuff we were doing there and I told him aobut the outreach at the park, and the trip to the orphanage and the ministry in the AIDS camp.

Then, the weirdest thing happened. He said to me, “so, what are you guys doing next?” I said, after this we’re going to a neighborhood called Adalaid. He looked at me with a quizical look on his face and responded, “oh wow, that’s where I live.” There was a strange pause and then he had to go becasue we had gotten to our next stop.

Now this was the stop of all stops. The dive of all dives. When the captain shut the engine off and we looked over the side of the boat there were sharks circling the boat. When I say shark I am not sure what image pops into your head but I know what I see in my mind. It was the huge shark that was along side of us there. I had never seen a shark that close outside of an aquarium. It was unthinkable that anyone in their right mind would actually get in the water with these man eating beasts. But, as the thought was passing through my mind, I saw Nate Malone being the first person to slip in amongst the man eaters. Eventually, I saw as everyone on the team, even Eileen “I wish the sharks were trying to eat me” Hughes was in the water with the sharks. That’s when I realized it was my turn. Wow!!! What an experience.

After we all came back to our senses and climbed into the boat, we were back to shore before we knew it. What a day… I was absolutely exhausted.

We got back on the bus with the expectation to go to Adalaide, a small village on the out skirts of the Bahamas.

When we arrived, it seemed like there was no one any where to be found. We drove through and I was ready to go, but our camp guide, Jen suggested we drive down to there little beach front and see it. We pulled onto this one lane road that led down a long way to the beach. Everyone got off and started to stroll toward the beach when I realized that a small white pick up truck was trying to back down the road but our bus was in the way. I could tell that Jen was trying to back out but the road was so narrow. Narrow road, hmm I think there’s an illustration there. As I was leading her back out on the narrow road, a man walked up to me who was selling a carribean fruit called kanips(spelling is probably wrong).

He and I walked and talked all the way down to the beach. I don’t remember how it started, but before I knew it we were talking about the things of God and I saw Rebecca and Carol praying. I knew they were praying for this man and the salvation that God was planning for him and his household.

I shared with him that Jesus became sin for us and that He gave us His righteousness if only we would believe. At the end of our time together, and Carol and Rebecca praying, this man, Fado, asked what he needed to do to receive Jesus. It was absolutely a plan that God had ordained before I woke up that morning (more like before I was born).

While we were leading Fado to the Lord, the rest of the team met up with an unlikely person. Deano, our shark guide from our snorkeling expedition, had come to the beach after he got off of work and hooked up with the rest of the team. Nate Malone and the team were sharing with him about the love of God displayed through Jesus.

How incredible is it to be used by the Lord?

Just ask everyone who went to the Bahamas.

More to come soon.

God bless

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So, where did I leave off…

Yes, yes, yes. We got a good nights rest the night of Junkanoo(we got a good nights rest every night in the Bahamas because we were so tired and it was so incredible hot…in a good way).

The day ahead of us would be a hard one. We had decided to move the time of the Jump Off at Pinewood Gardens Park from a start time of 11 am to a start time of 4 pm. You see, the day before, we were passing out fliers when a christian Bahamian woman told me that the only people crazy enough to go outside at 11 am in the Bahamas were us and that we should move the outreach to later in the day when it wasn’t so hot. (Lets put it this way, I’m sweating just thinking about how hot it was). 

So, the first thing we had to do was go to the park, put up posters with the new time on them, and pass out updated fliers.

When I got back to pick up the team they told me that at least 50 children had already showed up for the event @ 11 and there was one 15 year old guy who told me that he was going to wait there for us until 4. I laughed and said, ’see you later then.’

We got back to the ALC, prepared all the supplies, sports equptment and food for the outreach, had lunch, a moment to rest and then off to the park once agian.

Now, last year we had between 50-75 young people show up and it was amazing.

Well, when we arrived at the park this year kids were already waiting. Nate and a young girl walked around picking up glass because there was trash and broken beer bottles all over the park. Edy and Eileen prepared their face painting booth. Nate, Time, Carol and I began to set up the kids olympics, and Owen set up the grill for all the hamburgers and hot dogs.

Before 4 o’clock even came there was so many young people waiting that we decided to start. Now remeber there was only a total of 11 of us on the team, so how many people could we really run an event for? Hmm. I guess we’d soon find out.

I’m not sure exactly what happened next because so many people were there, but at one point in the midst of a footall game I was playing, I stopped and looked around and saw the Children’s Olympics going on, Nate playing football with at least 15 people, Edy and Eileen painting kids faces and so much happening and I just stopped for a moment and praised God for how He was using us.

On a side note, there’s nothing like being a tool in God’s hands when He’s using you to help others.

Well, the food was ready, but I knew that before we did the food we should have a time for all that were there to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. I shared with them the infamous t-shirt analogy, decribing how Jesus switched shirts with us. We explained to them how Jesus wants to take their dirty shirt and give them His perfectly clean shirt. It’s always interesting to see the spiritual light go on in people hearts when they get that Jesus Christ already paid for their sin and that He wants to give them His perfection.

Now, it was time for food. We tried to keep order during this time but it was like trying to plug a hole in a dam with only your finger. It would be like the eleven of us trying to get a stampede of 500 bulls to stop dead in their tracks. We didn’t have nearly enough hamburgers and hot dogs so we cut them in smaller pieces and thy we gone it seemed before we could blink our eyes. Also, school supplies and prizes and candy were given out to all the kids.

What a blast we had? How cool it was to hang out with all of those kids. I can still see many of their faces in my minds eye. Oh Lord, do something fantastic in their lives.

Neko, was with us all day, watching us serve in his coomunity, and this was the beginning of him learning to serve the Lord by serving others also. Reshawn came to the event and brought some friends and ended up leaving with us and staying with us for the rest of the week.

Neko and Reshawn were such a blessing the whole trip. Day by day they became more and more part of the team.

The Jump Off in Pinewood Gardens park was a testimony of what God + a group of surrendered christinas can do. The odds were against us 250-11 but truly God + you always equals the majority and the victory.

Oh yeah, I almost forget to tell you that yes, even in the Bahamas, when the Jump Off takes place it always rains, but no worry, God was there and He was glorified.

Coming up next:

Trip to Orphanage

Salvation of Fado, Trip to AIDS camp, Salvation of airport security guard & more.

God bless and I hope all of you can come with us next year. Hike!!!

Pastor Billy

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