Bahama Mission
March and April 2001
I hope that most of you are either seeing the regular e-mail reports that we
send or are able to retrieve them from the Web Page on the World Wide Net.
The address is listed above. We are doing all that we can to keep you
informed about all of the activities in which we are jointly engaged.
We want to put out another reminder about our Memorials/Honors program. The
proceeds go to establishing new congregations in the Islands. You can send
checks to the Gulf Coast Church of Christ and will receive an attractive
letter noting your gift and the family or recipient will also have a very
nice notification listing you as the donor. We want to thank those who have
been using this gift that keeps on giving. We encourage others to join with
us.
Dinah and I enjoyed the visits we had with so many of you. We were refreshed
and strengthend even after traveling more than 5500 miles, speaking 24 times
and having 51 meetings.
Most of the congregations in the Bahamas are reporting monthly baptisms.
Recently there were 8 in Marsh Harbour, 5 in Freeport and several in all of
the congregations in Nassau.
We are so thankful for the many who come to the Bahamas to help with various
aspects of the work. The Frank Sarvers spend 10 weeks each year in Abaco.
Jack and Donna Steward now have a home in Treasure Cay, Abaco and do many
good works with the Church in Marsh Harbour. Harry and Teressa Broadwell
will begin 10 weeks of work with the Church and the children in Long Island
June 4th. Groups are planned from Memphis, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers,
Auburn, San Augustine, Rockport, Tennessee, Hot Springs, and Wynn. We have
been blessed this year with assistance from Danny and Melanie Guinn of Ft.
Myers. They have used their plane to fly materials into the Islands and help
distribute Bibles from Island to Island. Recently they brought $5000 worth
of school supplies donated by the Young People at Gulf Coast to the children
in the 7 schools of Cat Island. They have few supplies, not even paper to
practice writing or a pencil to write with. Any supplies in these outlying
areas are bought by the teachers out of their meager salaries. This same
group will be doing VBS work in the schools June 25 and 26 and will have
services each night at the building for a week. The Guinns' will be bringing
more materials and will be a part of the support group during that week.
Brother John Deveaux who will soon have his eighty-first birthday will be
preaching on Sunday morning to kick off this effort. Please pray for all of
us as we get ready for another Hurricane Season. We have still not recovered
from the last big one more than a year ago.
Lincoln Young is living in his new quarters and we hope to soon have them
finished. He is enjoying his new wheel chair and has a much better access
to the community from his handicap friendly rooms and with his electric
wheel chair. We still have much to do in Eleuthera, but are moving well in
phase one of the five phases planned in developing the building and helping
with the evangelistic outreach.
The day to day activities are not always pleasant even with the thought
process that goes through peoples minds when they think of the Bahamas. We
have been eaten up lately with mosquitoes, have to fly through rain and get
wet wading to the plane to take off.. Boxes of Bibles and Study Materials
are heavy and hard to load. We spend a lot of time clearing red tape, and
working with immigration and customs officials. We do not stay in luxury
hotels in the tourist areas. We are splurging this month and adding a "john"
to our little room. This is after 17 years of having to go outside,
downstairs and through a building to reach the bathroom. Dinah says we are
old enough to need a change.
Rest assured that the spiritual values we derive from this work are well
worth the labor and the discomfort. We do what we do by choice, and deeply
appreciate all that you do to make it possible. To God be the Glory in all
things.
We have recently revived the preacher exchange program among the preachers
in the various congregations across the Islands. This is good for the
churches and the preachers to know they are not alone as they work in
isolated areas. Dinah and I stay busy moving from place to place not only to
preach, but to be an encouragement to the families who do not have
opportunity to travel. Last Sunday, Todd Brunner was in Freeport and Brother
Bill Miller was in Abaco. Dinah and I with the Guinns were in Long Island.
A look at our financial report, might leave the idea that we have more money
than we really do. The majority of the total includes a one time special
contribution that was given by Jack and Pat Frazier, to make sure that the
plane is kept safe. We are thankful to have this back up, so that as we need
to maintain the 35 year old plane we can do it and not disrupt the work.
Also that total includes a $5000 contribution for Bibles that we will soon
be using. There is also $3200 in that amount given as a special to help with
the building in Eleuthera. All of that is said by way of explanation, so
that you will realize that we need every dollar to continue to reach lost
souls in the Islands. Gas prices continue to rise and this is our largest
budget item. We fall short of our budget with the contributions from
congregations and rely on individual contributions each month to keep us
going.
Bahama Mission Church of Christ and sent:
Attn: David Caskey Missions
Gulf Coast
Church of Christ
3825 McGregor Blvd.
Ft. Myers, Florida 33901
May the Lord continue to keep us safe and direct our steps as we labor
together in His Cause.
david
