Greetings from sunny Abaco! Our day began standing along the shoreline eagerly watching the sunrise and wondering what God has in store for us today. It’s amazing walking the shoreline and admiring the fine details of creation. It’s always so easy to overlook the evidence of creation while in our normal everyday surroundings. However, the abundance of life, like snails, starfish, conchs, and so much more brings great awareness to the intricacies of his creation.
Today we enjoyed a cultural day where we explored the local customs and routines of the Bahamian people. We traveled by ferry from Marsh Harbor to Elbow Cay and the more affluent city of Hope Town. It was fascinating to join the local men and women as they commuted on the ferry to work like we might on a bus. These men and women were on their way to construction and hospitality jobs on the other islands. We were able to interact and have conversations with locals as we island hopped.
Upon arrival to Elbow Cay we explored the bright and beautiful lighthouse, which is the last of its kind in the world. This lighthouse is the only one in the world that still runs on an oil burning lamp and has to be hand wound every two hours. This is done by a keeper who runs the lighthouse throughout the night. We talked with Heather who is employed by the lighthouse preservation society where we not only learned about the lighthouse and its operations but also her personal experiences through hurricane Dorian. Her family lost their home from the hurricane and have been staying with family. We had the opportunity to climb the 111 winding stairway steps to the top of the lighthouse where we enjoyed the most incredible views.
We jumped on another short ferry to Hope Town where we got to explore the community and how they enjoy their everyday life. We were impressed by their relaxed and joyful demeanor as they go about their day. As we enjoyed shopping and exploring the local stores we passed by a small school along the hillside. Kids were just returning down the sidewalk from their recess where we were repeatedly met with smiles, laughter and greetings from the children. They were always initiating the interactions as we approached each other.
“This gave us a greater perspective to how other parts of the world live differently than we experience and yet we all live under the same creator and form a greater community that goes beyond borders.”
After our exploring ended, we waited with all of the local workers who were eager to catch the ferry after a long day’s work. It was once again like a busy bus stop as everyone was seeking a seat on the ferry before it filled. We were on a tight schedule to get back for a youth group night at a local church and luckily we all made it back onto the same ferry. Our experience with the youth group was amazing as we interacted with dozens of youth and other church leaders. We were able to do crafts, play games, serve food, carry on conversations and even pray with some of the kids.
It was an amazing day of experiencing the local culture and gaining a slight understanding of their customs and lifestyles. This gave us a greater perspective to how other parts of the world live differently than we experience and yet we all live under the same creator and form a greater community that goes beyond borders.
