Day 2

High School Mission Trip

The Methodist Habitat, Bahamas

7/14/08

Day two started out a little slow. We probably could have slept in a little longer. Andre had said that we would get a slow start, but I still thought we would get moving fairly quickly. Some off our adjustment coming here is and adjustment to the lifestyle and the pace of life. We come from a world that we can get anything anytime at any point. We are Andros and learning that most of the Bahamas is not at all like Nassau, a large tourist area. Most of the island we are in, which is inhabited by about 6000 people is in a condition that we would call poverty. All the homes need work and not minor needs, like additional paint or an additional panel on the fence. But major needs like repairing leaking roves, sealing doors and windows, securing walls that appear to ready to fall are the norm. Anything less would be considered luxury. Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s are all just seconds away from our homes. For those here on Andros an item like a box of wood screws takes a day to secure. Most items are scarce, must be shipped in from Nassau, and are usually already sold by the time they arrive. I was told that the people here are about 2 years behind in getting repairs done. So, while we are ready to just get to work and get it done, all the supplies to do the work have been secured yet. We don’t have all that we need and it is difficult to get it. Yet, the people appear to be happy, sincere, and genuine. The community is friendly and always greeting us as we walk by or meet new people. Some of us worked on a roof waiting an hour to get started, others repaired a leaking roof, and some worked in the Methodist church across the street. We also cleared the dead brush behind the church so that the church again has a view of the beach. Speaking of which was beautiful. We all ended the day swimming in the ocean. Some snorkeled and found sea urchins and starfish. Our dinner on day two was fried fish, rice and peas (or maybe beans) and corn. The food was delicious. The fish, which some were hesitant to eat, was fried whole. It had been gutted but was fried whole. Head, tail, eyes and all. All as one, fried and served. And it was good! Homemade hot sauce and all. We closed the night out again together in devotion, sharing about the day, singing some songs, and sharing our thought about Luke 17: 1-10. Challenging stuff. It was a challenging day, but highly rewarding.