Day five in Abaco by Ben Gosselink, a student with Pella Christian’s team.
This last full day was extremely fun. I had the opportunity to go to a Bahamian church, Kirk of the Pines, today and was amazed at the atmosphere around me. Walking into the church I felt a little nervous with it being really small compared to my home church. But, after 5-10 minutes people started filtering in and they started to talk with one another like one big family. The culture behind this group of people was truly amazing. Back in the U.S. I had taken for granted the right to worship and have church. But, here in Abaco, Bahamas, these people were pouring out their hearts and praising their God with all they had. I admire those kinds of people. Next, we went out to eat at Colors by the Sea. It was a quaint little place by the harbour that offered many kinds of dishes. I ordered the Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo which was extremely filling and also tasted great. We headed back to camp and took a little break. Shortly after that we piled back into the vans and took a short drive to the Kelly farm. The Kellys’ operate a small local farm that grows all kinds of vegetables, bananas, and egg-laying chickens. The owners of the farm were from the church that we attended earlier and had invited us to come to a little get together with members from the community. We played Spikeball, volleyball, and ping-pong. We also got a little tour from Glen Kelly who was very kind to us, giving up his home and showing us around. The energy among these people was, again, very cool to see. They have a different approach to life and it’s good to get out of Iowa sometimes to take a step back and get a break from a busy life. Looking back on this trip I have learned a lot, mostly by listening, and am thankful for all the blessings God gave us through this journey.
Day five in Abaco by Carly Huyser, a student with Pella Christian’s team.
Today was our last full day on the island and I’m feeling a lot of different emotions as we’re getting ready to leave tomorrow. This past week has been incredible and full of a lot of good moments and bad moments too. Today was a good day to reflect and look back on the past week. Church this morning was so refreshing and good to be back and worship the Lord in His House. I truly enjoyed the worship this morning; it was powerful even though there was one singer and guitarist. They were both incredibly talented and it was encouraging to see them using their gifts to glorify God. The sermon was also relatable as the pastor talked about the origin of brokenness and sin which I found fitting for the week as we were surrounded by brokenness. Church was an enjoyable time for me today even as the past week has been difficult. Later in the day, we had the opportunity to go to the Kelly Farm and play some beach volleyball and enjoy fellowship with the families that gather there. It was fun to see people enjoying games, food, and music together.
Both of these times today were reminders to me that there is always hope amidst difficulty. This has been a constant theme for me throughout this week as I have repeatedly seen the brokenness and destruction of Hurricane Dorian and also seen good things come together and hope take root even when situations are unimaginable here. I’ve seen this while working at the church and seeing the destruction that happened, yet the genuine and kind people that came down to help and bring joy. I’ve seen this most with the kids that we had the privilege to spend time with. These kids are so full of energy, joy, and smiles yet they go home at night to homes with no electricity and 12-15 other people living in their homes, after eating 1 good meal that day. I can’t begin to understand what it would be like to experience life after a hurricane, let alone living with joy and contentment after a hurricane. Overall, today has been a peaceful day after a long week as well as a good time to think back on everything that has happened and look forward to what life will be like when we return back home.
