Bahama Mission
October 1999
October 1999
Some of you may not have been able to receive the regular reports and up
dates on the progress of the work with the Hurricane Relief during the past
few weeks. Others of you have gotten them via some member of the
congregation who has e-mail, or you have taken them off of the web page and
also seen the pictures posted there. If you are not receiving the e-mail
reports, and have someone in the congregation on the internet, please have
them contact us so that we can have the extra communication. Communication
is one of the most difficult aspects of missionary/supporter relationships.
We want you to be up to date on all activities. This is the Lord's work and
we are working together as a team to carry out our part. You can not be
involved if you do not know the details. Our e-mail address is:
flyingpreacher@mindspring.com. The Web page is:
http://www.mindspring.com/~flyingpreacher/.
We hope very soon to have this means
of direct quick daily contact with each supporting congregation and as many
individuals as possible. To our knowledge we do not have a contact in San
Augustine, Crosby, Rockport, Desdemona, or Weldon, unless someone there is
getting the material off of the web page. Please help us out with e-mail
addresses.
Many of you are aware of the difficult times being experienced by the
people of the Bahamas due to being hit by Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd,
Tropical Storm Harvey, and Hurricane Irene in just over a month's time. You
have been most generous in helping our brethren and their families and
friends. We are still looking at about a year to have most homes repaired
and rebuilt, and for victims to find some degree of normality. Your
generosity has lifted spirits, saved lives, and given hope to a great
number of people. We and they thank you from the depths of the heart. In
most places we are past phase one and two. (Emergency food, water, medical
supplies, and care boxes and water). With what we have left we are trying
to assist in repair of roofs of members, church buildings, and then on to
emotional and spiritual assistance. Most of those in the affected Islands
have lost much of what they had. Our plan is to take the last of the money
given and supply Bibles, tracts on Stress and Depression, and Bible Studies
along with personal encouragement to those devastated. Our sermons have
centered around Thanksgiving, Deliverance, Brotherhood , Hope, and Recovery
from Suffering.
My Brother-in-Law, Cleo Tarver came down from Houston and spent more than a
week helping to repair the building in Marsh Harbour, and our room. This
building was the hardest hit, sustaining about $35,000 in damage. Henry and
Elva Respess from Virginia, plan to make their vessel available to us for
shipping the load of heavy Bibles to the Bahamas, and then plan to come
over and assist in the distribution. Others in the Bahamas have come from
Islands spared to help brethren in harder hit places. We are thankful for
all of the various types of help received and most of all for your prayers.
The death toll has mounted due to tornadoes and fires that followed the
main storms. We have discouraged workers from coming this soon due to the
fact that many areas have no power, water, or living facilities. Not every
one can eat jerky and peanuts and bathe out of a coffee can, or sleep with
massive mosquitoes. I can attest that doing so these past weeks has brought
back memories of my early days in the African Bush.
Dinah and I were able to spend a delightful week-end in Long Island to
share with the brethren in celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary of
Brother and Sister Vincent Burrows. They had gotten the building usable and
we had inspiring services and fellowship. Some in that congregation had
lost their farms due to the surge of salt water.
We are most excited about the commitment of Todd Brunner to move to Marsh
Harbour in June of 2000 as the new preacher. Efforts have been made to
secure a congregation to oversee his work and others to help in his
support. The Church in Marsh Harbour has also made a financial pledge. We
hope in the next few days to be able to make some exciting announcements
about his plans.
Marsh Harbour is really coming alive. Last Sunday morning we had 62 and
about 50 on Sunday night. This was only 5 short of their attendance record.
We had only one visitor from out of town. They recently gave $1000 in a
special contribution to aid one of the members with medical bills. This was
done out of a background of recovery from the storms. They have a wonderful
attitude, and we are sure that when Todd moves in, that the Church will see
its greatest period of growth. Please pray for these brethren. Freeport is
to have a Mission Day on November 28. They are bringing in all of the men
they help support and have invited others of us to share. We will not be
able to be there due to a previous commitment. We are most proud of our
Brethren in the Bahamas. The Highbury Park Church in Nassau gave more than
$2000 in a special contribution to help victims. We received a letter and
check for $1100 from the little church in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands
to help their brethren in the Bahamas. These are spiritually mature mission
churches reaching out to each other. Jack and Donna Steward sustained
damage to their plane during Hurricane Irene and had to return to the
States for repairs. They plan to come back after repairs are completed.
Checks for the work or the Hurricane Relief can be made to:
Bahama Mission Church of Christ and sent:
Attn: David Caskey Missions
Gulf Coast
Church of Christ
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Ft. Myers, Florida 33901
David Caskey
