When people hear that our teams are heading to Abaco, Bahamas, they often smile and make a joke about the resort life. They assume mission work in the islands is just a vacation disguised as service. That perception is a myth, and it is one we need to dismantle.
The reality in Abaco is a landscape of need. While others see paradise, our teams see a community working through the aftermath of devastating storms and economic instability. It is gritty, hard work. But the purpose of these trips is not just to perform tasks in a foreign location. The goal is to provide a training ground for the life you live the other fifty weeks of the year.
Kurt Van Noord, a ministry coordinator who has led teams to Abaco twice this year, speaks often about the frustration of the “vacation” label. When his teams go to Abaco, they are not looking for a beach; they are looking for a place to be obedient. Kurt frames the challenge this way: if you cannot find your mission field at home, you will not find it in the Bahamas.
The mission starts with the small, everyday choices we make in our own neighborhoods. To illustrate this, Kurt often asks his teams a single question: What is your cookie?
He refers to a time his church baked five thousand cookies to hand out at a local speedway. The cookies were not the point. The point was the icebreaker. The cookie provided a reason to start a conversation, earn the right to be heard, and eventually, offer a prayer.
That interaction is the strategy we advocate for at Many Hands. Whether you are in Abaco or Iowa, the principle remains the same. You do not need a plane ticket to live out your calling. You need a “cookie.” You need a simple, intentional way to move past small talk and engage with the person in front of you.
Many people feel paralyzed in their faith because they are waiting for a grand platform or a specific calling. They think impact requires a stage. In reality, impact happens in the hallway at work, over a cup of coffee, or while navigating frustrating traffic. It happens when you decide to turn outward instead of protecting your own comfort.
If you are waiting for the perfect moment to start living your calling, stop waiting. God is at work around you right now. Your neighbors, your coworkers, and the people you interact with daily are your mission field.
Are you ready to stop searching for paradise and start finding purpose right where you are? We invite you to join our community for our next People for Impact call. These sessions are designed to move you from passive observation to active, daily service.
We are transforming together, to be love in action, in a broken world. We hope to see you there.
About Many Hands:
Many Hands is an Iowa-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming together, to be in action, in a broken world. We desire to walk alongside the community and empower individuals and families by focusing on education, agriculture, leadership, safe structures, youth programs, and early childhood development. Together, we can rebuild lives and restore hope, one person, one family, one community, at a time.
