DAY 1

Yesterday I began my seven week adventure on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Anna dropped me at the airport in the morning (oh so early) and my 53 pound suitcase, my 27 pound backpack and I headed into the Atlanta airport. I ran into the three girls with who I will be interning at my gate, so we were able to travel together all the way to Eleuthera. We landed in Nassau, were waved easily through customs, and headed to our next gate where we ran into the other three boy interns with who we will we working. Together, we crowded onto the smallest commercial airplane I have ever seen. There was only one seat on each side of the plane and it only had nine rows. We had to bend over at the waist and take our backpacks off in order to squeeze to the back of the plane. There were no flight attendants (probably because there was no room for a flight attendant), and I sat in the middle seat on the back row of the plane so I could see everything the pilots were doing straight up the aisle. All seven of us were at the back of the plane, and we took our first group picture as we flew over the bright blue water speckled with little Bahamian islands. It was definitely an experience to remember. 

The leeeeetle plane

Always a beautiful flight

Our group got the back of the plane

We were greeted at the Governor's Harbour Airport by Abe (BMH director), Brenda (camp facilitator), Amelia (the camp dog), and Jackson (Brenda's new puppy). We loaded all of our stuff onto the Bahamas Methodist Habitat school bus and headed back to Camp Symonette. The road from the airport to camp (and the main road that goes all the way down the island) goes right next to the Caribbean so it's not a bad drive to say the least. We arrived at camp, unloaded our stuff, settled in a bit, and then after a quick orientation we grabbed our swim suits and headed over to Abe's house to swim off the cliffs and have dinner with the entire staff cooked by the fabulous Miss Pauline. It was definitely a wonderful way to start off my seven weeks in the Bahamas: reconnecting with some familiar faces, seeing many spectacular island views, and (of course) swimming in that clear Bahamian water. 

The view from Abe's house

I quickly learned that Bahamas Methodist Habitat has a different definition of "missions" than one I have ever heard before. For me, missions had always meant going somewhere (whether it be Eleuthera, Mississippi, or Knoxville) and repairing as many roofs as I possibly could (or some other form of hard work). I sought God through my actions on these trips, but to me, missions meant simply that: actions. In contrast, BMH believes "missions" is not simply an action that we can do and finish and "check off" our list. BMH believes "missions" is a lifelong journey on which we embark as followers with the goal of finding God. I was startled at first when I heard this definition, simply because it was so different than the type of mission I had experienced in the past. But when I signed up for this trip, I knew I wanted to face this trip differently than my previous mission trips. Not because there was anything wrong with my previous mission trips; my mission trips are some of my favorite memories and most impactful experiences. I simply knew I must focus on different things on this missions experience. My purpose for this trip was to find God, to come closer to God, to love God, and to serve His purpose for my life. So when I learned the BMH definition of "missions," it became clear to me that my purpose for this summer is not to check mission work off my list. My mission is not to simply "help" the people of Eleuthera who are suffering. My mission is not something that will be finished at the end of the summer. My mission is a lifelong journey that I have already begun, and that I will be continuing throughout this summer and for the rest of my life. My mission is to find God. 

Luckily, Eleuthera is not a hard place to find God. Everywhere you look you can see the most beautiful water you ever will sea, pristine beaches, bright palm trees, and cloudless blue skies. But speckled throughout this beauty is suffering. The "true" Bahamas is not Nassau. The true Bahamas is not Atlantis resort or the ritzy stores you will find in the area. Bahamians are poor. Bahamians have limited resources due to a limited economy and the high cost of imports on all goods. All goods in the Bahamas cost at least three times what they do in the US, which, when paired with the hurricanes and other natural disasters that frequent the area, often leads to devastating housing and living conditions. BMH serves disaster relief on 6-8 islands in the Bahamas as well as focuses on building community in the James Cistern area, which includes an elementary after-school program and local teen nights. BMH is a large ministry that overall works for the betterment of life for all citizens in the Bahamas. 

Before leaving for Eleuthera, the interns were asked to read a book called "A Mile in My Shoes" by Trevor Hudson. Hudson discusses his belief in the importance of taking a "Pilgrimage of Pain and Suffering" at some point in our lives as believers. Hudson believes that the best place to find God is in the lives and stories of those who are in pain or those who are suffering. The hope, joy, and faith found in these people helps us to understand God in a more honest way. Hudson says, "I believe when we open our lives to those who suffer, three things happen: the Spirit of God opens blind eyes, uncovers inner poverty, and reveals hidden riches." I hope and pray that these happen to me this summer because God knows I live a blind, comfortable life and God knows every one of my many faults, but God also knows my worth, and I pray that he will show me each of these this summer through the people I meet and the experiences I have. 

Reflection is another key aspect of our pilgrimage according to Hudson, and that is the purpose of this blog. Hudson says how our daily experiences teach us so much, but that we must reflect on them in order to learn from them. So this is me reflecting. I plan to write what I learn this summer, and I also plan to recount my adventures, because I know without a doubt that I will have many life-changing experiences, and I hope you enjoy hearing about them. I will try to keep it brief, but clearly I have already failed at that. 

(I did not actually learn all this on day 1, but this was actually written at the close of day 3. I figured I should preface the rest of my stories with an explanation of how seriously I plan to take my experience in the Bahamas.)

DAY 2

Today we started the day with a little tour of camp and an explanation of certain chores. We saw the garden for the first time and the amazing job the volunteers have done with it. I was also able to help feed the chickens and collect the eggs, so I felt like I was back on the farm (not that I have ever collected eggs before). After the tour of camp, we spent the rest of the morning doing team building exercises with the entire BMH staff, which is made up of mostly local Bahamians. It was really great getting to know everyone better on a more personal level. After lunch and a quick meeting with Brenda and Abe to learn more about BMH, its mission, and its history, all the interns hopped on a bus and headed over to James Cistern Primary School to pick up 25 kids who participate in an after school program at Camp Symonette. We brought the kids back to camp, played with them on the playground, did homework with them, and let them play with the parachute (great childhood memories). This is a great example of the work BMH does: they saw a need (that young children were behind in school), so they are doing what they can to help fix the problem. After the kids left, Brenda took Madison, Maggie, (two of the other interns) and me to Abe's house for a quick swim before dinner. We did a little snorkeling along the cliffs and saw some pretty coral and a sting ray. We were supposed to go to church, but church was canceled so after dinner the seven interns all walked into town and sat on a pier over the Caribbean and watched the sunset while one of the interns played the guitar. Once it got dark, we walked back to camp and climbed up on the roof of the building and looked at the stars for over an hour. I don't know how Brenda and Abe found such a great group of people, but they did a wonderful job recruiting these people, and I can't wait to work with them this summer. 

The kids playing at After School

The interns (minus me) in front of camp

sitting on the dock watching the sunset

DAY 3

We started today with breakfast, chores, and devotion. Then we headed out for our first day on the work site. We drove south a little ways to Hatchet Bay (a community in which I have worked on three houses before), and we spent the day working in an elderly lady's house who has no overhead lights because her house was built before the island had electricity. I spent most of the day working inside with KP (head BMH construction leader) putting in light switches and outlets all over her four-room home. I had never done electrical work before, so it was interesting to learn a new skill. I was reminded today of how much I truly enjoy construction work, no matter the type, and how fulfilling the work is when you’re doing it to help make someone’s life a little easier.

As soon as we pulled away from the construction site on the BMH bus and we rounded the first corner we came across the most beautiful beach. Manex (another BMH construction leader) stopped the bus and said we had five minutes to go swim (even though we were already three hours behind schedule). So we all hopped off the bus and ran into the water in our work clothes. It was a glorious feeling to swim away all the sweat and grime from the workday.

When we got back to camp we had another meeting with Abe and Brenda where we found out what our individual job assignments will be this summer. I will be working in the office this summer helping Abe and Brenda do all the tasks that keep BMH running. One intern is serving as a construction intern, two are camp interns, and two are moving to South Eleuthera for the next few weeks. I am excited about my job because it will help me gain hands-on business experience in an exciting and interesting way. Also, I will still be working on the work site once a week as well as doing whatever jobs need to be done around camp or in the community. I wasn’t sure exactly what job I was hoping for or expecting to be assigned, but I am excited about the work I will be doing and the experience I will gain working this closely with a nonprofit organization.

After the meeting, we had dinner with all the BMH staff including construction site leaders. Then after dinner we all played games together. I played a Bahamian version of dominos with one other intern and two Bahamian staff, but with a twist on the rules. In this version of the game, when you lose the round, you have to put a clothespin on your arm as punishment (which is a lot more painful than it sounds). It definitely made the game more exciting, and it was fun connecting more with the staff members. After the rest of the staff left, the interns had our first of what I’m guessing will be many late nights playing cantelope/nerts (a card game).

 

KP doing electrical work

Walking to lunch on Hatchett Bay with Ciara (a local girl)

The beach as we pulled away from the work site

I got a few bug bites

My clothespin punishment

Every night the sunset astounds me

DAY 4

This morning we began planning our devotions that we will do each week for the volunteer teams, and then I met with Brenda to start learning about my jobs in the BMH office. In the afternoon we helped out with the After School program again. I worked with a kid named Grawille. Grawille is a third grader who struggles with reading. He has trouble concentrating, so someone usually works with him one-on-one at BMH on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I’m sure has helped him over the past years.

After we finished with After School, the interns and long-term volunteers went to hang out at a man named Dave’s house who believes his mission is to serve the BMH staff. Dave has a nice house right on the water with a horizon pull and cliffs right out front to jump off of into the Caribbean. We went cliff jumping and swimming for a while and then had dinner.

When we got back to camp, the power was out and stayed out for two hours, so we went up on the roof again to watch the stars. It was even better looking at the stars tonight than the first night because the street light was out so it was completely dark where we were. A storm was rolling in as well, so there was lightning off in the distance. I am reminded constantly here of how great God is because of the pure beauty that surrounds me every direction I look, and this was definitely one of those experiences. Even in the darkness God created something wonderful for us to see.

Sunny and sunset

DAY 5

Today our main job was to clean the camp to prepare for the volunteer groups that will be arriving on Sunday. In the afternoon, I went into “town” with Brenda to help her pay bills. “Town” is Governor’s Harbour, which is about a 25 minutes drive from camp. It’s not a large town, but it is definitely bigger and busier than James Cistern. Paying bills in Eleuthera involves going to each business individually and giving them a check, which seems basically like going back to the stone age when living in a world where everything is done online. It was awesome to go out into the community and see the presence BMH has down here on Eleuthera.

After cooking fish tacos for dinner, we headed out on an adventure Abe and Brenda called “cave devotions” without giving any more clarification than that. We pulled up in the school bus in the middle of a field in dark and were told to leave our flashlights on the bus. We entered the cave and were handed a lit candle, then Abe told us to go on in without any further explanation or direction. So the six other interns and I explored this dark cave with bats and crabs and uneven footing for the next three hours, even entering into chin-deep water at one point and crawling army style on all fours because the opening was so small. Abe tied it all into a powerful lesson about working together, appreciating silence and stillness, and the importance of reflecting upon our experiences. I don’t know about the other interns, but I learned a lot about my own leadership styles on this adventure, and it is one I won’t forget for a long time.

We came out of the cave around eleven at night covered in dirt and mud, so on the way back Abe pulled over the bus and told us to get out. He had stopped at the beach so we could clean ourselves off “because we had done such a good job cleaning the camp this morning and it would be a shame to make it dirty again.” So we all jumped in the ocean to clean off. I floated on my back and looked up at the stars and again reflected on how powerful God’s presence is in everything that we have done so far on this journey and how He is everywhere we look.

DAY 6

Today was our day off, so Madison, Maggie, Tom and I had decided we would go fishing at Abe’s house. We weren’t able to get a ride from camp, so we decided to walk out to the main road and hitchhike from there. We failed at hitchhiking, so we ended up walking the entire three miles to Abe’s house in the heat and sun carrying our fishing poles and bait. We passed a store at one point when we got close to his house, so we stopped and bought an Eleuthera pineapple, hot dogs, a gallon of tropical punch, and “the best homemade bread on Eleuthera.”

We got to Abe’s house right as a storm rolled in, so we hung out inside and listened to music and made lunch, then we went down to the water and swam for a little while and then started fishing. We weren’t catching anything from the cliffs, so we decided to take the inflatable rowboat out to sea to try fishing from there. It was a struggle trying to put the boat in and get all four of us in the boat, but once we made it out to sea and casted off, Madison caught a fish almost immediately, and then we caught another one within the next ten minutes. Unfortunately, but the time we had caught two fish, we had floated almost half a mile downstream, so we decided to paddle into shore to a person’s sort-of dock to take the boat out because it was impossible to fight the current. We ended up walking the boat and our bucket with two fish all the way back to Abe’s house—not our easiest task ever. But once we got back we sliced up the Eleuthera pineapple, which made it all better. Pineapples take 18 months to grow, and pineapples grown in Eleuthera are so sweet and tender that you can eat right through the core.

We hung out at Abe’s a little longer and fished and read before packing up and cleaning up and heading back out to the road to try to catch a ride back. We were much more successful this time with catching a ride, and they dropped us off right next to the turn off for camp. We met back up with the rest of the interns and headed into town to pick up something to make for dinner. It was definitely a fun day off. 

Coral explorin

Working hard

Madison, Maggie, and I

Abe's porch