The Fresno Bible Church team made it to Abaco. On their first day they witnessed the intense destruction of Hurricane Dorian and the damage that was left behind on the island.
Read past blogs from other teams at Team Updates – Many Hands Impact
Today was our first day on the ground. Yesterday was a whirlwind with travels. The day before was a day of many prayers answered in unbelievable ways. What we thought would be a smooth transition from a little town in Ohio to the Bahamas islands was anything but. However, now that the whole team is together, we can finally relax. We can finally start processing the culture around us. We can finally begin to become a little overwhelmed.
Driving through the town of Abaco, we could see the destruction that is still left behind from the hurricane four years ago. Trees that were once tall and majestic are now bare, fragile sticks. What used to be a mattress is twisted and mangled in the middle of the marsh. Cars that used to be functional are missing more than windows and buildings are twisted in ways that you couldn’t possibly imagine them being twisted. The greenery is just starting to grow back and the birds are coming home.
Just like in the US, the rich ignore the poor. Across the street from homes with no roofs are extravagant yacts. One of our team members said, “As we were driving through the port, it saddened me that these rich people could get on their fancy boat while ignoring the poor people across the street who don’t even have a roof on their home.”
The price of goods is high. People only fix what they can afford. A local church we visited just rehooked power to their building a couple days ago. They had been without electric for four years. Their preschool has been shut down for four years. Hopefully tomorrow, we are able to bless them by painting their preschool so that they can open it. The pastor of the church said that they lost many in their congregation after the hurricane. Either because they fled to other neighboring islands and it’s too painful to come back, or they didn’t survive the hurricane.
As a team, we are overwhelmed. We are overwhelmed by the destruction the hurricane left in its wake. By the stories of survival during the 52 hours the storm sat on the island. We are overwhelmed by the work that still needs to be done but is not always easy to accomplish. We are overwhelmed by the kindness of the Abaconians. Greeting us with warm smiles and saying, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon.” We are overwhelmed by the hope that these people have. By their resilience to stand back up and rebuild their community. By their faith. We are overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s creation in the ocean, the beach, the sea shells, and the hermit crabs that surround us.
We may be overwhelmed, but we are taking it all in. Like a drought ridden field soaking in a hard rain. We are doing our best to be present and to serve these people who have so graciously welcomed us with open arms.
