Coastal Missions

We arrived in Nassau this morning...even a few minutes early. After making our way to the church we joined the children's church and then the last few minutes of the main service. After lunch we headed to a Haitian community to invite children to VBS and visit with the residents. There are a ton of children excited about VBS and we're expecting a good crowd tomorrow morning. After our visit we hit the local beach for a few minutes to cool off. In the evening we joined in the evening worship service and then got set up and ready for bed! We're exhausted but we're ready for an awesome week here with New Mission Baptist Church in Nassau!

Monday was our first day of VBS. About 20-25 kids showed up for songs, games, crafts, and Bible story time. This week our theme/lesson is the armor of God. On the first day of VBS, the kids learned about the belt of truth. We have loved getting to know the children and building relationships with them. During the afternoon we worked on construction at the church. We shoveled sand to the second floor which will make it quicker for us to mix concrete later in the week. We also moved rock filling in a hole that was dug for a new septic system. Eventually we will level it all out and replace the drive way that was previously there. After working hard for the day, We had the opportunity to go to the beach for an hour or so to cool off. It's HOT and humid and it's yet to rain so the water is a wonderful relief from the heat.

Will and Sarah help feed some of the kids lunch after VBS on Monday.

Will send Sam show their strength by pulling up 4 buckets at once! LBs even!

Tuesday was our second full day in the Bahamas. In the morning we did VBS and taught the children about the breastplate of righteousness. We had another great day hanging out with the kids and teaching them more about God's word. During the afternoon we continued our construction project. We made TONS of progress and are excited about all we completed. Soon we will be able to start mixing concrete. Some of the teens from VBS stayed with us and helped us work. It was great getting to know them more throughout the day. We spent about an hour at the beach afterwards to soak up some sun and relax in the water. The teens joined us too, which added extra fun to our beach trip! We had a blast as we threw around our football and swam in the ocean. After dinner, we had a special evening at the church. The community was invited for a movie night. We watched God's Not Dead and loved spending more time with the kids and their families.

The children took advantage of the shade to play some games.

Wednesday and Thursday were busy busy busy! We began the mornings with VBS and had more children attend each day! The kids loved learning about shoes of peace and the shield of strength. We added tutoring time to VBS and the kids really enjoyed it. During the afternoon we continued working on the construction projects at the church. We started mixing concrete and began pouring it to complete the walls of the second floor and to fill in holes near the new septic system. A lot has been accomplished since the beginning of the week and the extra help from some of the VBS teens has been greatly appreciated! Wednesday evening most of the group took some down time and hung out around the church before we attended Bible study later that night. Thursday evening was extra special. We went to the beach for an extended evening after a long day of hard work. After we swam around in the refreshing water, we took a stroll down the beach and ate dinner at a food stand. We ended the evening with a group movie night and relaxed with some snacks. We are excited for one more day of VBS and construction on Friday!

Friday was our last work day of the week. We had a great final day of VBS. The kids learned about the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. As a craft, the kids made the armor of God out of balloons and loved it! We were so blessed by our mornings with them and it was hard to say goodbye once VBS ended. During the afternoon we finished up our construction project. The final buckets of concrete were poured which finished parts of the second floor walls. We also continued to work on the hole for the church's new septic system. We ended our evening with a trip to a beautiful beach and enjoyed a dinner of conch fritters and fresh pineapple, watermelon, and mangos as we watched the sunset! It was a great evening to relax and enjoy God's creation after a busy week!

Saturday we spent the day at Blue Lagoon, an private island with beautiful beaches and lots of fun things to do! We swam, relaxed on the beach, laid in hammocks, saw colorful fish, played on giant inflatables in the ocean, and much more! It was a great day of fun in the sun and a special treat after we worked hard all week. When we got back we had dinner on the beach and watched the sunset. It was a great last day! Photo: our beautiful view for the day!