Join the Haven Church IMPACT team—Natalie, Evie, Sam, and Anabelle—as they share powerful stories of resilience and faith from their time in Abaco. Amidst hardship and seemingly insurmountable challenges, they’ve witnessed incredible examples of how trials can blossom into unexpected blessings. Discover how the “roses” emerge from the “thorns” in this inspiring reflection from their day.
During devotionals today we talked about roses and thorns. It is easy to see these symbols within Abaco, a place full of beauty and life; Abaco is also a community that comes together and helps each other through all the hardships they have endured. Soaking in that information, we reflected on what the roses and thorns could be in our lives. The thorns represent the trials and tribulations, but the roses are beautiful gifts from God.
Today was a big work day for everybody, we divided and conquered to work hard on three houses. The projects included roofing, painting, cementing, and wiring. The houses belonged to Malinda, Tamera, and Zhivargo. We were able to come together at the end and talk to the three Bahamians and then pray with them. Throughout the day there were many examples of roses and thorns.
Everybody we talked to had powerful stories about their experiences in Hurricane Dorian- the category 5 hurricane that destroyed much of the island in 2019. Although there were many tragic stories, they all were praising God for the little things. Malinda said that she is very sensitive to things, and God protected her by not having her see any of her neighbors who passed away, which was a very common experience, and she was very grateful to God saving her from that. Even though there was a lot of hardship in her life she still found the “rose” in her trials.
Tamera is a single mom with two children– Tomas and China. Because her house is under construction, the three of them live in a small shack in the back.
You’d think Tamera would see many thorns in her life, but when we were talking to her she was always praising God and saying things she was thankful for. She was constantly saying how she was worried about her neighbor, even though her family was struggling. She was a rose in a bush of thorns, and God used her happiness to impact all of those around her, including our team.
— Natalie, Evie, Sam, and Anabelle
