There is incredible transformation happening and profound gratitude being expressed in Abaco! Read about the sweet connections, the power of community, and how the Third Church IMPACT Team found immense blessing in being the ‘hands and feet of Jesus.’ It’s a marathon of hope, and every single hand makes the light work.
Nini, whom I met yesterday, as you guys know already, when I saw her again today, she immediately jumped into my arms and said, “I missed you.” That made my whole day. She made me realize that even when you may not have a good home life, you can still have a good time outside of home. I see God in this situation because he made me trust that he will help her, and so I didn’t feel like I had to help her myself!
Terell, whom we met today at Maxwell’s grocery store, works off tips. When we went up to the store, he immediately greeted us with a big smile and wanted a fist bump. When we were coming out of the store, he really wanted a picture, so we took one and talked to him about Hurricane Dorian. He was still scared. And then we prayed for him. How I see God is that even though he was living off of tips, he was still grateful to be there.
Today, as I watched the transformation of the house we were painting, I thought about what it must look like from the perspective of the people of Abaco. I don’t know what the qualifications are to be chosen as a family/home/project that the Impact teams will serve. There is an overabundance of needs everywhere we look.
While there certainly has been progress and hope for the future of Abaco, hearing and seeing how the needs greatly outweigh the manpower and funding to help everyone is simply overwhelming. However, the people of Abaco seem to understand that it takes time. They don’t seem to have animosity about not being “next in line.” They understand and appreciate the fact that this is not a sprint… it’s a marathon. And they keep on, keeping on, often with a smile on their face and gratitude in their hearts. From their perspective, it must feel like such a blessing to see teams of people coming in, knowing they are seen, heard, and worthy. That in this big, big world, they are the “chosen”, for this day/week etc.
While we are here to bless the people of Abaco, I am equally… or maybe even more blessed through the process. I don’t know that there’s ever been an experience that has given me such contentment and gratefulness. As we stepped back and looked at the house that just 24 hours ago only had primer (on half of the house), it’s undeniable that God is good. This precious family can look at their house and see the beauty of what a group of people did for them. We were the hands and feet of Jesus, which may impact their lives forever. That sweet little girl will never be forgotten by our group of young ladies. She touched their hearts, and hopefully, her heart will remember the love the girls had for her.
From there, we entered an area that was out of the comfort zone of most of our group. Blueprints, materials lists, and a whole lot of lumber that somehow were supposed to turn into 4 new playground sets…..and thankfully, we had some very skilled members of our group who understood the process. Though many of us are not skilled in the world of construction, the entire group remained positive, jumped in to help, and welcomed instruction as we worked together. That project will continue tomorrow, and Lord willing, will be an incredible blessing to all of the youth who will get to enjoy those playgrounds for years to come.
Following our day of work, we were blessed with some free time to enjoy God’s creation and do some exploring at camp. Many enjoyed swimming, relaxing on the beach, shelling, and the excitement of finding beautiful treasures!! As we admired the beauty around us, there was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for God’s creation. Thank you, Jesus, for another incredible day of fellowship, able bodies, and community building.
– Kiaya, Gracie, and Sarah
