The year has started out very busy. I made a trip to Nashville to visit at Healing Hands International. They continue to do a great job in getting supplies to areas all over the world when disasters strike. They sent many containers to the Caribbean and the Bahamas after the Hurricanes. On Saturday I got a break and spent the day with my little granddaughter Ella Kay. That was a special delight! Before I got home, I was contacted about the death of my cousin’s husband (Gerald Smith) who died of cancer. I had promised to preach the funeral. While at the funeral home we got a call that my last Aunt had died. Saundra, my cousin lost her husband and mother within 48 hours, and is undergoing radiation herself. Never complain about your problems, and do not offer to trade with others.
Back in Florida we visited and made a report on Hurricane Recovery progress at the West Broward Church in Ft. Lauderdale. This is one of many congregations that took up special contributions for the Islands. We also visited Palm Beach Lakes in West Palm Beach and picked up a box of their annual lectureship books to give to the preachers in the Bahamas. The elders at Palm Beach Lakes have agreed in principal to become partners with the Marsh Harbour congregation in Abaco. They plan to maintain and promote the autonomous nature of the congregation, work toward the goal of having Marsh Harbour as a self supporting Church. They plan to aid in evangelizing Marsh Harbour, (a radio program is planned for April) and Abaco. They will assist in Leadership Training, and plan after the end of next month to be involved in assisting with the support of Jason Quashie the preacher. We all welcome this encouragement and assistance.
We invited my mother to come down and travel with us on the occasion of her 85th Birthday. She and Dad started Mission Printing in Arlington, Texas 25 years ago. These volunteers send out thousands of pounds of Bible Study materials and books free of charge all over the word. Mom continues to work with them daily even since my father’s death almost two years ago. The Bahamas has received great benefit from this labor of love.
We spent some time in Marsh Harbour, visiting with members, town’s people and the Frank Sarvers who are down helping again for 10 weeks. Wednesday evening the ladies had their weekly class with Bea Sarver, Jason Quashie has a men’s training class, and I was asked to speak to them. We had a little get together with a new Christian after the classes as she is going off to college in Nassau. The Sarvers and Greta Culmer put in a big day in cleaning up around the building and unloading the container ( and getting it moved) that had been sitting next to the building for some months. The roof is almost finished. They ran out of shingles and have more ordered. The cost of doing this roof turned out to be about 4 times higher than the estimate. No one wanted to get on the steep 12/12 pitch roof to work.
I spent one morning checking over the plane for what I thought was a slight oil leak with the engine. I tightened every nut and bolt, but found very little. I held clinic on the run, and loaded the plane for the trip to other Islands to the south. We were invited to Birthday dinners by the Sarvers and Lilla Strachan. Marissa Allen made a lovely cake.
Our next stop was Nassau to deliver teaching materials and some Hurricane money. Andrew and Bonnie Major provided a fancy lunch (Mom got sung to by a fabulous Bahamian singer) then a delightful late afternoon and evening rest period and Birthday cake. (Cake number three) Their generosity was a tribute to Mom for all of the help Mission Printing has given them over the years. The next morning we flew out to Exuma for a meeting with the McQueen family. We had a large load of Bibles, Testaments, WBS, Song Books and Study materials to deliver. We shared the rest of the Cake from Nassau with the kids and they got to sing as well. They had experienced a trauma the night before when a drunken birthday party across the street got out of hand. Someone (not the McQueens) called the police. The drunken mob thinking it was the preacher gathered and beat on their door in the wee hours of the night. There were death threats and expressions of harm to Suzette and the children. This time they did call the police who had a hard time moving the angry drunken crowd. Things have been quiet since. Keep this family in your prayers. Dinah spent some time with Suzette and got her sewing on the machine donated by Debbie Ross in Roseberg, Texas. We worshiped with the Exuma Church on Sunday morning and Steve asked me to preach. After a lovely lunch at the McQueen home we went to the airport and discovered the source of my oil leak. The front strut on the plane was flat. The hydraulic fluid had leaked out over a period of time. We took off for Long Island and I nursed the plane in for both the takeoff and landing, holding the front end up as long as possible. I had hydraulic fluid with me, but no nitrogen bottle. We visited with Long Island members and I preached at the evening service. Later we had dinner at the Burrows home. The next morning we shared some more Hurricane money, delivered study materials, visited the Museum and Library. We donated Testaments, Bibles and Drug Education materials, visited the site of a drug plane crash in the back of Sister Fox’s house and after lunch flew to Rock Sound, Eleuthera.
Lincoln had a car waiting at the airport. We loaded and delivered supplies. We visited with Lincoln, made contact with some prospects who have been visiting services. They had 58 last Sunday Morning. We discovered that our old friend Edwina Burrows (now in her 90”s) in whose hotel we stayed for many years before the Hurricanes destroyed it, had fallen and broken a hip. She is with her son Randy in Atlanta. Lincoln had a hand carved coconut man delivered to Mom for her birthday. He ate supper with us and I followed him home as he drove his chair in the night. I have ordered him new batteries and tires which will be delivered next time. Dinah and I were delighted to buy him a new computer. You should soon begin to get his reports again. His old one had quit on him.
After breakfast at Sammy’s we flew back to Marsh Harbour. I went to work on the strut and got it fixed some. The connection to our high power nitrogen bottle was missing? We used compressed air and got some lift. I will get it fixed right before more flights. We visited with members, the Sarvers who are teaching a number of studies, some new members and a lady who lost her husband. We had soup with Lilla and then a nice visit with the Quashie’s.
We flew Mom back to Florida and got her on a plane to Texas. She did very well on the trip and Dinah thought she was not as tired as we were. I have some reports to make and supplies to collect before we return. I went for my flight physical and passed with flying colors! We got more help for Cayman and the Bahamas from White’s Ferry Road Relief Ministries. This is being shared at this time.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support. Hurricane Recovery is still going on slowly. We have continued to get a few checks which we are sharing. Checks can be made to Bahama Mission Church of Christ, and sent:
David Caskey-Missions, Gulf Coast Church of Christ
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Ft. Myers, Florida 33901.
david
Bahama Mission Home Page
http://www.flyingpreacher.com/
Mission Contact
David Caskey
Webmaster
Jerry Pickup
http://www.jpickup.com/
