Games, food, and friendships! The Midwest Mashup IMPACT team shares about their Saturday in Abaco, which included connecting with local families, playing games, and experiencing impactful moments during food distribution. Read about their day and the surprising discoveries they made in the team’s latest blog update, written by Ian, Arianna, Tyler, and Jessica Kamerman.
Ari– Today we went to a woman named Tamera’s house. I mainly played with her kids, Tomas and China. We played games outside like Mongolian, volleyball, red light green light, and frisbee. Inside, we played 31, which is a card game, and just hung out. I really loved how sweet Tamara’s kids were, she raised them to be great people. I also got to go shopping for a girl whose house had caught fire and burned, which I really enjoyed because I was thinking about how it would impact her even if I didn’t see her reaction personally. It has really been a good perspective shifter for me going on this trip.
We also did food distribution around Abaco today and that was impactful to me. Hearing these people’s stories was just eye-opening, I was also surprised at how joyful those people were considering the situations they were in.
Ian– We got to work at this amazing mother’s house. Originally, I was going to dig holes with my dad but there was a boy my age and my dad said I could play with him instead. Me and Tomas (Toe-Moss) started by talking then playing volleyball with all the other kids, but after a while we gradually drifted inside where we started playing some 31. Then Tomas’ cousin Aiden came over and we went back outside where we ran around. After a little while, we all went back inside and Tomas showed me a fun game he had on his phone. Something that really surprised me is I was expecting it to be more like a 3rd world country where no one had connections to the outside world. But they mostly all had phones and were all caught up on the latest trends so that was very eye-opening. Then we went to lunch at this little gathering. I was expecting it to be bigger, but it was only a couple of people so then we got back in the vans to do food distribution. There were lots of interesting people we talked to that helped us understand a little bit more about the people on the island. It’s sad to see all these people who need food, but it’s good we are here to help and teach.
Jess– I am always so blessed to be around the joy of the people on this island. Through struggles and insecurities they still continue to praise God and give thanks for what they do have. Tamera said to us multiple times, “I have always had what I need. God provides.” It’s so easy to think about what we don’t have or how things aren’t going the way we would want in our own lives. I am always brought back to center when I am here with the wonderful people of Abaco!
Tyler– It’s great to get our kids’ perspectives on today and on this week. To be able to make friends from another country at their age is a blessing and seeing them learning from the kids and culture here has been incredible. For me, today was an incredible day of seeing how our connections on the island continue to grow. Spending time on a home build, putting the finishing touches on a project at Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS), helping a counselor from the school – who also plays an integral part of the Bahama Youth Network (BYN), and then meeting 4 new families through food distribution was a reminder of the wide spread reach of the Many Hands mission here in Abaco. As we continue to focus on being Love in Action, God will continue to move through the work we are doing, and allow us to touch more lives for Him.
— Arianna, Ian, Jess, and Tyler
