Our day started off with a bang! We all piled into the van, ready to begin our mission…
We made it about 50 feet, and then the van got stuck in the sand! Everybody jumped out of the van to help, or so we thought. Some grabbed a shovel to help, some went into the ocean, some went back to the air-conditioned room, and some laid on the hammock. What a great team! 🙂 We had to call in reinforcements. A truck and chain came to the rescue. And then we were off!
Our faithful guide and amazing driver, Laura, gave us a wonderful, eye-opening tour of Abaco and the surrounding community. We witnessed some of the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. We were also witness to the restoration underway of homes and businesses. The restoration is a testimony to the courage and strength of the Bahamian people who live here.
One stop was at the supermarket called Maxwells. We were shocked and amazed by their prices. A 20-pound turkey cost $72. One fresh grapefruit costs $9. A package of toilet paper costs $42. A container of Starbursts costs $22.25. Did you know that 90 – 97% of their goods are imported? Imagine being a poor family struggling to get by and being faced with these prices?
The national pride the Bahamian people feel is evident by the flags decorating the shops and buildings. The flags are up in celebration of their 50th year anniversary as an independent country on July 10.
Our final stop of our tour was the Community Center in Murphy Town. Many Hands has partnered with the community and another organization, Sol Relief, to restore the center, which was damaged greatly in the hurricane. The roof had blown off, the windows blown out, and there was damage inside. Our NCC team spent the afternoon sweating, painting, singing, and getting to know each other as we worked side by side to get the job done. We painted the trim in each of the 5 rooms: the main room, two restrooms, hallway, and computer lab. One local young man even jumped in to help us! We walked away feeling exhausted but joyful. It was our first chance to work together to accomplish a task.
Sweet satisfaction!
