Okay, we are back from the
Bahamas and my prayer before leaving was that I would keep my mouth shut and
let this team hear, feel, smell, touch, love and be loved like I have been since the
year 1999 when I first began going to the All Saints Camp. I think the Lord made me successful in this
regard and yet, it was like it was brand new all over again.
The All Saints Camp is an old Leper Colony
that now houses those with HIV and full blown AIDS as well as a few with major
other health issues. Often times, the
residents when found with these ailments are loaded in the car and taken to the
camp and usually dumped at the front gate with whatever items they can carry,
and seldom see relatives, family or loved ones again. Their existence is meager at best, with
little to call their own. They live in a
room that is about ten foot by ten foot, most are bedridden or have trouble
walking or even using a wheel chair. Their breakfast, lunch and dinner (usually a PB&J or Tuna Fish
sandwich) is brought to them, and they are helped with their personal hygiene
and diaper changes and bed baths. Yet
with so very little, they give so much of themselves and most offer no
complaints, only praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. One of our team told me on our return that
the first night she was glad to be back home, yet felt so guilty that she could
eat a filling hot meal, take a warm bath and lay in a comfortable bed (none of
which the camp residents have).
There
are so many highlights to this trip that a book could not contain them,
however, a few stand out. One is Miss Moxey who by her own admission has been at the camp for umpteen years and I know for
a fact that she has been there since 1999 as that was when I first met
her. She is a joy with a capital J. When I took a few of our people down to meet
her (the first day at the camp), she greeted everyone with a warm friendly
smile and words of praise to our Lord. She let us read Scripture to her and ask her about the pictures of
family she had on the wall. Then, there
was Patrick who can walk (with difficulty) and is partially paralyzed on the
right side due to one of many strokes he has had due to his HIV/AIDS condition. He was always at the top of
the hill with a great big smile and welcome as we came up in our school
bus. He watched us close as we began
building, and when we let him use our hammer to pound in a nail, you would have
thought that someone had just given him a million dollars. Patrick was also invited to join us in
morning prayer before we began work and to join us during our lunch devotions,
you could see that he knew we both loved him and cared for him.
We stayed at a retreat that was run by Next
Step Ministries (.com, if you want to go to the website). They have a staff of interns that take care
of: the week coordination, job site management, cooking, devotions and worship. I know that when our Lord hears the name Next
Step, or Heather, Rebecca, Craig, Maple, Kaylee, Travis, Jesus or Audrey that
He smiles. We thank the Father for them all.
There were days we had no water at the camp, no gas for cooking, no
cooking spray for the pancakes on the griddle and at times no air conditioning,
yet this staff worked around it, making the best of a sometimes bad
situation. We had confidence in them
from the moment they met us at the airport and that confidence only increased
with every hour that passed. I hope and pray to get Tom C, Justin J, Pam R, and one of our senior youth down there
before this summer season is over. This
trip allowed us to meet 26 people from a church in Wyoming (suburb of Cincinnati) Ohio.
One of the girls, Alex, came with her mother as her mother was not okay with
her working at an HIV/AIDS camp. That
changed real quick, and I would look for her return next year. This group was one of the best groups I have
ever met. Their leaders taught us much, and we could see their investment
in their youth and their youth's devotion to our Lord.
I will stop now only because of space and the
fear of boring you by going on too long. I pray that you will invest yourself in our Lords Kingdom and do as Jesus
said, GO! And what you do for the least
of these you do also for Me.
We will be planning the
Summer 2013 Bahamas trip very soon, get your passport and get ready to
experience God showing up everyday in everyway.
You will be changed, I guarantee it.
Love and Prayers…john hartley
missions team chair
Bahamas Team
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