Wow, what a final day in Abaco for the Skutt (Omaha, NE) IMPACT team! Imagine paddleboarding with stingrays and baby sharks one minute, then painting ceilings and jamming to country music the next. These girls didn’t just work, they connected – with Ms. Tammara, with the local boys at volleyball camp, and with each other. A surprise power outage during volleyball? No problem! They rolled with it, reminding themselves of the blessings they often take for granted. And then, they shared powerful Impact stories. It’s a day filled with laughter, hard work, unexpected moments, and deep reflections that’ll stay with them long after they’re back in their own beds (which they admit they’re also very excited about!).
This morning we woke up and some of us went paddleboarding in the mangroves. We saw a sting ray and a baby shark which was stellar. We had breakfast and shortly after, left to go to the work sites. Four of us stayed at Ms. Tammara’s house and the other six went to a new work site. At Ms. Tammara’s, we painted two coats of white paint on all the ceilings. We tried to enjoy the sun during our breaks. We listened to summer country songs while working. It has been such a blessing to meet Ms. Tammara this week and work on her home so that she and her family can live as comfortably as possible.
Meanwhile, at the other worksite, the girls painted the outside of the house and finished sealing the edges. They also listened to summer country music. Following our busy and messy morning, we headed over to Agape High School and ate lunch in the gym. We had sandwiches, salad, chips, and fruit. We had extra time before the camp, so we were able to check off the bucket list item of going to Calypso Coffee Shop. We ordered a variety of smoothies, shakes, iced lattes, brownies, and coffee cake.
Afterwards, we went back to the gym and had our final session of camp.
We were able to socialize and learn more about the boys during camp. In the middle of camp, there was a power outage, so we had to play volleyball with minimal lighting and no fans. We were shocked by this, but the boys were nonchalant. This was another reminder of how blessed we are to have stable electricity, water, and other necessities.
After volleyball we quickly packed up and headed back to camp. We ate our final dinner in Abaco which was corn, chicken, and mashed potatoes. It was scrumptious. The ladies surprised us with carrot cake for dessert. It was exquisite. After dinner we began to share our impact stories. These are the unique stories of each of our own experiences that have impacted us. Each story was inspiring in its own way.
Overall, the stories proved that small interactions can have a great ripple effect that changes one life at a time. Although we are excited to see our families, we wish we could stay a little longer. Abaco has had an extreme impact on each of us that we will never forget… but we really cannot wait to sleep in our own beds tomorrow night!
— Norah and Charlotte
