The InOnTime IMPACT team wrapped up their trip in Abaco with some reflections from the week. Hear more from Judy about the people of Abaco who made an impact on her.
Moment One – As we said good bye to Ms. Sheila after Food Distribution, the two sisters went up and embraced her and said a blessing over her. I glanced up at Ms. Sheila as she took it all in. She sank into the hug savoring the moment. There was something in her expression that was more than gratitude. I saw the depth of a longing being satisfied by the touch of a hug. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. I wondered how long it had been since she had been hugged. I was blessed to witness this sweet moment.
Moment Two – Ten of us stood around a table holding hands in Ms. Fristina’s home. Some of us had just met and others knew each other for a while. As we began to sing … Bind us Together Lord, Bind us Together… I felt the Spirit of the Lord fill the room and fill me. It’s one thing to sing this song with fellow Christians in our own churches, and our own country. However, singing together with two women we had just met in a different country–the Bahamas–held special meaning. I will never sing that song again without it taking me back to that moment in time.
Moment Three – We entered Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS) as the students were finishing up an assembly. The students had all but disappeared back into their classrooms, and yet there stood a boy against a wall looking at me with a huge smile on his face. It was Thiago! He stayed back to welcome me! I had met Thiago last year as I helped in the school. He had asked me to give him extra reading lessons during lunch time. He had crept into my heart. So saying goodbye at the end of the trip last year, knowing he needed so much more help, discouraged me. Now here he was happy, content and … reading! God had surrounded him with teachers who met his needs. It was a testament not to be discouraged and not to forget -God’s got it! To Him be the Glory!
— Judy Zwiep
