3

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