Even with a cold start, Sunday turned into a day of warmth and powerful encounters for the Haven Church Impact team. From a beautiful Bahamian church service to sharing food, socks, and the love of Jesus with thankful families, read about their impactful first day on the island.
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise but it felt like 30 degrees with the wind chill. We warmed up quickly at Grace Baptist Church. We were welcomed into God’s presence by hearing the names of Jesus spoken by a worship leader followed by music that led us to the throne of God. We sang “Standing on Holy Ground” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” in Bahamian style. The message encouraged us to wait on the Holy Spirit using Acts 1:1-8, a perfect start for guiding us through this week.
We had a wonderful lunch at Colors restaurant and then went on to distribute food bags to families in Spring City. We walked and talked with the residents there. One of the families had been helped by Many Hands before. They were very thankful to receive the bag of food and the prayers over them. Pastor Tinker walked with us and helped the local people share their life stories with us.
We had met Carl last year and stopped in to see him this year. He is a disabled man living in a plywood shack that he built by himself. We were able to pray with him. He was sitting there with bare feet on this very cold day. We were able to gift him some socks and shoes. We told him Jesus loved him and saw him!
We met a mom living in a shed with her 3 sons. All the shed held was a small double mattress and a small cabinet with clothes piled on it. She slept on the bed with her 10 year old twins and the older brother slept on the rotten wooden floor at the foot of the bed. We were able to pray with them and tell them that Jesus loved them.
Our encounters with these people really ruined us. We saw such hard living conditions. They were so thankful for the prayer and the food bags.
Our day ended with a beautiful full moon reflecting off the ocean. We had a wonderful time of sharing and reflecting on the day at Camp Abaco.
— Terry, Nancy, Kevin, and Deb
