Dinah and I have just returned to Abaco from a trip to 4 other Islands to visit speak, encourage and haul teaching materials and supplies. Our weather was good for much of the trip and did not get messy until we started back north from Long Island. I was thankful to Dr. James Morris who is a member at West Broward in Ft. Lauderdale for setting me up with a new set of lenses used by the U.S. Coast Guard for bad weather flying. They are almost unbelievable. I could see nothing in front of the plane without them and could see the sandy beach 18 miles away with them! As I am writing this, I am waiting for people to gather at the building for a trip to the sea and another baptism.
The brethren in Exuma, Long Island, Cat Island and Eleuthera are doing well. Lincoln Young is in need of two new batteries and 4 new tires for his wheel-chair. The electric wheel chair that he has had now for about 3 years has changed his life, by allowing him mobility in the community. I am to be back in Eleuthera soon, and have been invited to give out the trophies for an Island wide basketball tournament, as well as to host Brother Benny Morton who is to preach in Rock Sound on Sunday morning.
The Year has been very busy and different in some ways. My dad died in March: Dinah's youngest brother had open heart surgery and then a second follow up. Her brother just younger than she got married, we had Ella Kay our first grandchild in April; Cleo, my brother in law lost his mother at age 93; we traveled to Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida to speak in behalf of our work in the Islands .A number of our friends both in the Islands and the United States have gone on to their reward.
We have done work on several Church buildings; Abaco is getting ready for the arrival of the steel for their class-room building. The money for the steel and shipping and duty came from several very generous special contributions. The brethren in Abaco have air-conditioned their building and will be responsible for the labour and completion of the new addition. Lincoln Young has just about completed all of the work in Rock Sound on the renovation. Dinah is redoing the signs for Long Island, and we are looking into getting some land donated in Exuma.
The 33rd Annual Caribbean Lectureship was held in Nassau, Bahamas with great success. The Freeport congregation again hosted the Annual Mission Day, Manpower 2002 was well received both in Nassau hosted by the men in the congregations, and got Island wide exposure when it was rebroadcast over National radio, and the Annual Commonwealth of the Bahamas Lectureship was well attended.
Jason and Katrinka Quashie moved to Abaco to preach, and Steve and Suzzette McQueen moved to Exuma to start a new congregation. We had many visitors and groups who came to various Islands to hold VBS programs, and to do personal work, and to assist with helping with the physical plants.
We had no major damage from Tropical Storms or Hurricanes, but did have a fire in Marsh Harbour that destroyed 70 homes in about two hours.
We made and are still making some radio tapes for broadcast by brethren in Freeport and Nassau. These have been well received as we deal with tough social and moral issues. We have had the usual amount of weddings and funerals, and a host of baptisms. Lincoln and I both had new computers donated for use in the Islands.
One of the most exciting new opportunities has come through Brother Sandy Haney in Lewisville, Texas. He has been collecting individual contributions to buy World Bible School Materials for us to hand out and collect in the various Islands and through the schools. Most Islands do not have a Post Office and mail is slow and expensive, and undependable. This makes sending WBS lessons to the States for grading a disappointment. We have been having great success with handing out the lessons and grading them locally. What we needed was the lessons to hand out! Brother Haney has made this a reality. We have also had a special anonymous donation of $10,000 that we are using to buy Bibles for distribution through the schools and in the settlements.
We are thankful that you have shared with us in contributions and prayers to make 2003 a great year in the service of the Master. May we see even greater progress in 2004!
Bahama Mission Home Page
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Mission Contact
David Caskey
Webmaster
Jerry Pickup
http://www.jpickup.com/
