It was a fun packed day filled with touring the island, quality family time, and day 1 of sports camps. We started our day with an amazing breakfast and devotions in Romans reminding us of how we are all uniquely made with individual gifts as part of one body.
The tour of Abaco was a true sight to see. We saw the destruction of Hurricane Dorrian and what the islanders are doing to restore the island. There has been some progress, but it is clear there is lots and lots of work to be done throughout the entire island. We were able to see the place where Pastor Ryan’s church was leveled in the hurricane and hear the amazing story. It was exciting to hear that they are hoping to be breaking ground soon on the new church!
We had the opportunity to see the community center that was destroyed in the storm. It was humbling to see the progress that has been made by the Abaco teams in restoring this awesome facility. We spent time picking up trash around the community center to prepare for the sports camps. It was fascinating, yet devastating, to see the amount of trash around the island.
We spent the early afternoon with our family enjoying the amazing views and activities around camp. Haylie and Lyndi had fun finding a crab and spotted stingrays while paddle boarding. Jaxon and AJ had fun swimming and skipping rocks. Jaxon had a record 12 skips that he was very proud of.
We conducted day 1 of basketball and volleyball camps for the local community. Both camps had amazing turnouts. Haylie and Lyndi assisted with the volleyball camp, where we were able to interact with some incredible young girls. Brett and Jaxon attended basketball and were able to see the love for the game here in a new light. It was neat to see the hope in the eyes of the girls and boys that attended the camps. They were eager to learn and it was exciting to see them laugh and smile. Prayer and devotion time was incorporated into the camps and the kids were eager to hear the word of God. Jaxon recalls one kid from camp that was so excited he stayed and came to devotions twice.
Throughout the day we saw God at work in so many ways. The hope that the community center has for Abaco residents is so exciting. It was fun to watch God work in the families on this trip with their many talents and abilities. The coaches did an amazing job of inspiring the youth and were a great witness to God’s work. It was fun to watch the Abaco kids and our kids interact. They had so much love for God shine through them in their passion for their respective sport. Our camp theme was Challenge What’s Possible. The camps brought a lot of hope for the kids and our group. Our group really bonded together and it was powerful to see the Lord working in us and through us here in Abaco.
