The Third Church Family Team has started their trip. The DeNooy Family capture the team’s first two days as they experience the beauty of the island, work on Driftwood Hydroponics farm, and bear witness to the hope and faith Bahamians have in Jesus.
Seeing the teal blue airport in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, was a relief after many hours of travel and a few hours of sleep. There were many delays due to weather in other states, maintenance, and crew issues, but through it all, our team was able to be flexible and go with the flow in anticipation for our arrival. After getting settled into Camp Abaco, we ate lunch, and our host, Laura Nicholson, gave us a high-level view of what we would be doing this week. We are excited to partner with what the Lord is already doing in Abaco!
Saturday afternoon we went to Driftwood Farms and got to see how they are organically and hydroponically growing fruits and vegetables for the island. Right now, 95% of food is imported because the island is mostly limestone, which is not conducive to growing crops. By growing their own lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, coconuts, guava, bananas, chickens, and more with the help of hydroponics,
The team taking a tour of the farm with Glen Kelly
Driftwood is not only able to provide work for some of the local people but also fresh food for the community. One thing us Iowa folks got a kick out of was harvesting corn in March! The farm is currently experimenting with growing different hybrids of corn in an effort to be able to use the corn for animal feed. After enjoying dinner on their farm, we were ready to get to camp and sleep.
The team shucks corn harvested at Driftwood
Sunday morning, we woke up to the sound of ocean waves as we got ready for church and ate breakfast. We loaded up the vans and worshiped at Kirk of the Pines church. What a gift it was to be reminded that on Sunday mornings there is worship happening all over the world.
Lunch was at Colors and that’s exactly what it was–a colorful beachside restaurant. While waiting for our meals, we got to see a food stand nearby harvesting fresh conch from the ocean, sea turtles swimming around, and dolphins playing by the dock.
The DeNooy family sitting at Colors resturaunt
After a delicious meal, we went to check out one of the projects we will be working on this week. The family lost their home in Hurricane Dorian in 2019. There are lots of families that have similar stories about what was lost in that storm. This home project is ready for electricity and plumbing, and we have some electricians and builders along with us willing to use their gifts to make it happen.
Next we met up with Pastor Ryan and Daniella Forbes, Ms. Jackie, and Ms. Wendy; they are all members of the community and passionate about helping their neighbors. We separated into two groups and went to five homes each. Our teams distributed blessing bags full of food, supplies, and bottled water. We were graciously welcomed into their homes and heard their stories.
It’s hard for many people on the island to talk about the trauma that came with Hurricane Dorian. We felt honored when they were vulnerable with us by sharing the aftereffects of the storm and other trials going on in their lives. The trials ranged from cancer diagnoses, blood clots, losing family members, and raising multiple children in campers since their homes were swept away and not yet rebuilt. Through all these unimaginable trials, we still got to witness their hope and faith in Jesus. Meeting these strong individuals and families was an experience we will never forget.
After we finished with food distribution, we were able to come back and enjoy swimming, snorkeling and shell hunting. There is tension in hearing the hard stories, yet knowing God is still good through it all. We are thankful for the prayers answered for safe travels, and ask that you continue to pray for the whole team throughout the week!
