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BAHAMAS METHODIST HABITAT NEWSLETTER| FALL 2013

www.MethodistHabitat.org

Bahamas Methodist Habitat Newsletter

Phone: Bahamas: 242-359-7518

US:931-230-7771

Email: [email protected] Web: www.MethodistHabitat.org

Address:

P.O. Box: EL-25803 JC, Eleuthera, The Bahamas

Bahamas Methodist Habitat- GHB

Agape Flights- 18693 100 Airport Avenue

RELIEVING DISASTER-‐PROMOTING COMMUNITY FALL 2013

BCMC Women’s Retreat BMH was fortunate to host the Bahamas Regional Women’s Conference Annual Retreat at Camp Symonette. Over 70 participants from various Bahamian islands joined together in Eleuthera to share their passion for Christ. Despite the unfamiliar setting and unacquainted faces, the women raised their voices during worship and confided in one another throughout the weekend to further embody their motto “Life in Christ – Good to the Last Drop.”

Current Projects

29.2 Marathon Mission Bahamas Conference of the Methodist

Church Women’s Retreat Pensacola District | Pensacola, FL

Uwharrie District UMC | Albemaries, NC Debby Creasy | Grand Junction, Colorado

Carolina Crew | Raleigh, NC Fly-‐in & Help-‐Out

Palm Harbor UMC | Palm Harbor, FL FUMC Irving | Irving, TX

Fall Volunteers

Assistant Construction Coordinator, Manex Newton, and Pensacola District volunteer, Fred, working together on a construction site.

Safe Housing With the service of 620 volunteers working over 19,840 hours, BMH is proud to announce that families on five different islands received critical home repairs: Eleuthera, Andros, Current, Grand Bahama and Nassau in 2013.

BCMC Women gathered after Sunday Church to close their weekend with fellowship and worship with the James Cistern community.



Dear Bahamas Methodist Habitat,

I wanted to extend a sincere thank you for providing me with the opportunity to experience the multiple sides to this amazing culture. Thank you also for allowing me to spend time in my area of interest (the children!) as well. It helps my mind to better process problem solving strategies and different methods of achieving goals to best suit this community, as well as all people. I have never met warmer and more loving people, and I know I will never forget the way their experiences have touched me. I have been very awed and humbled in my time here and definitely will plan to return to continue the good work. It refreshed my soul and recharged my emotional batteries. I will return home rejuvenated and closer to God!

Bridget Gay Trinity UMC Ft. Walton Beach

Volunteer Experience

Homeowner Spotlight Ms. Gloria Moss and her brother, Alton Cooper, recently received a new roof on their house after damages sustained last year during Hurricane Sandy's trek across Eleuthera. Ms. Moss, being the caretaker of her brother, was unable to have the needed repairs done after the storm, which has resulted in other interior damages. Due to a damaged ceiling and the fear of water pouring down on her, Ms. Moss was unable to sleep in her own bedroom. Likewise, her living room became a small pond after many failed attempts to catch the rain with large pots.

A team, comprised of four churches from the Uwharrie District of the United Methodist Church in The Western North Carolina Conference, spent two days making repairs and getting to know Ms. Moss’ family and her neighbors. When asked about their experience and memories, one of the team members replied, "I will never forget how she greeted us with hugs and told us she had already received her blessing because we were there!" Another remarked, "The hospitality was amazing! We were part of the family as soon as we arrived and she insisted on making us all lunch while we were at her home!" This team experienced the true hospitality of the islands and what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ!

I encourage you to come be a part of this ministry here. Be a part of the body of Christ through your service and through your gifts in support of the ministry that is happening everyday at BMH.

Dean Martin Uhwarrie District UMC Monroe, NC

Bridget teaching the K4 students during the After School Program.

Ms. Gloria Moss and brother Alton Cooper sitting outside by their house



Our After School Program sure has been busy! We have 21 fantastic kids from James’ Cistern Primary School registered in our program. Every Tuesday and Thursday the kids meet at Camp for tutoring and enrichment programming. The students play outside, eat a healthy snack, and have homework/tutoring time. Many of the resources available at BMH are not available at school or at home. The kids jump at the chance to work with us on computers or play music with our newest BMH intern, Alex. To add to the excitement, BMH has received an abundance of after school supplies and clothes for its programming. Because of the generous amount of supplies, BMH was even able to store a surplus of traditional supplies for later use. In addition, BMH traveled to nearby schools and settlements to donate extra supplies to teachers, students, and families. Other specific supplies needed are listed our Needs List. Thank you again for your continuing support! Please “like” our Facebook page to get updates on fundraising, events, and programming with our kids! www.facebook.com/SmokeysAfterSchool

Smokey’s After School Program

During the weekend of October 24-‐27th, over 30 pilots and passengers will meet at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL) where Bahamas Habitat (BH) will host a luncheon and training seminar at Showalter

Aviation. This passionate aviation crew will be learning about flying over beautiful open water, the joys of Bahamas Customs and Immigration, and the importance of topping off the tanks and filling the rest of the plane with donated goods in a low-‐stress environment. This training will prepare them to one day fly critical supplies to our region after a disaster. This group of mission minded pilots will make the flight to Camp Symonette to deliver supplies and helping hands for our ongoing community projects. This event is the perfect way to learn to fly to the islands, support a vital mission and be introduced to

how to further serve. Stay tuned for our follow up article about the event next week. Our next Fly-‐In will be in February 2014, make plans now to join us!

Smokey’s Fun Run During the weekend of September 29th, BMH had the pleasure of hosting representatives from the organization Mission 29.2. These volunteers spent an entire weekend at Camp Symonette and raised almost $6,000 for the After School Program! These runners raced down Queens Highway with several members of our community. They completed 6.5 miles, just over a 10k! The day continued with a field day for the kids, and some shiny medals for the winners. Our first winner ever was Shane Thompson, Garnet Smokey Thompson’s grandson, who claimed, “My trophy is going right where it belongs in Smokey’s house.” Thank you to Mission 29.2 for your support, enthusiasm, and love! Please “like” the Mission 29.2 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Mission292

13th Bi-‐Annual Fly-‐In & Help Out



Zion Children’s Home The ZCH is so close to opening you can almost hear the children’s voices now! The experience of witnessing the transformation of a section of bush into two beautiful homes has been incredible. We hit a speed bump about a month ago, and with the finishing of our brand new septic tanks and a few minor punch list items these homes are nearly open. Nikal Fernander, Senior Dept. of Social Services Officer was sure to let us know her feelings last week, “You think you’re excited … I can’t wait to place our children at ZCH! Our kids are ready, the funds are ready, we’re ready … let’s make it happen!” Notice she said “our kids,” this single word encompasses the sense of community, which makes the Bahamas so special. The grounds around the home were recently crushed, smoothed, and leveled by an amazing machine and once the rains come and the grass starts growing, the kids will have a beautiful yard to play in! Thank you for all the ways you

Yes ... they had to dig the new pit with a jackhammer!

Notice how nice and smooth ... soon reach green grass!

BMH Goes to Alaska “Want to go to Alaska bro? 2 weeks ... Everything free!” That’s how it all started and as they say, the rest is history. KP and I were invited to join one of eight UMVIM teams in a FEMA sponsored “Invitational Travel” disaster relief mission to Galena, Alaska (275 miles due west of Fairbanks). A spring snowmelt flood hit Galena last Memorial Day weekend and it became urgent to move families back into their repaired homes before winter arrived (winter being 60° below 0!). The Alaskan’s sense of urgency is like nothing we had ever experienced. If you don’t properly prepare for winter, “you’s dead dred!” Our two weeks in Alaska were truly eye opening regarding the ‘volunteer experience’, which KP and I have not fully appreciated or participated in for a very long time. Being on the other side of the fence allowed us to understand BMH from your point of view … yet in a slightly cooler climate. KP even saw snow for the FIRST time!

It is hard for me to fully wrap my mind and heart around our time ‘down north’ and put into words the blessings that have flowed so freely from it. What I can say however is that KP and I have a much greater appreciation for you our volunteers! Your sacrifice, your spirit, energy, love and service with BMH and the families we serve in The Bahamas is beyond a doubt inspiring. As the community of Galena thanked us, BMH thanks YOU for being such an amazing support with this ministry! Abraham McIntyre BMH Director

Abraham, Michael Bayden, Derek Enreshwender, Stephanie Hunt, Alex Hunt, and KP



Staff Spotlight Tony “TJ” Colebrook, Mechanic & Site Leader Over the past two years, TJ has become an essential member of the BMH team. His talents and work ethic have kept BMH running...literally. Originally, TJ began as a site leader and while his knoweldge of construction was valuable, TJ had a chance to show off another set of skills. He landed a position not just on the construction sites, but also working at Camp Symonette as our mechanic. He now works hard to maintain and fix any problems that may inhibit vital BMH vehicles from functioning properly. However, it would be hard to list all of the characteristics of TJ’s job description. In addition to exercising his mechanical skills, TJ can be called upon to fix anything at Camp, help host the volunteer groups, drive the bus for the volunteers and After School students, while still managing to help on the construction sites. His passion for BMH inspiries his vision for the organization’s growth across the Bahamian islands; so thanks to staff members like TJ, our expansion is an attainable goal. Thank you, TJ!

Fall Interns Jessica Dunn | Oley, PA Alicia McClain |Jacksonville, FL Alex Hunt | Roanoke, VA

Alex, Alicia, and Jess are currently serving as BMH Fall 2013 Interns. During Alicia’s volunteer experience, she focuses on Smokey’s After School Program. Every Tuesday and Thursday she plans out the children’s homework schedules, distributes healthy snacks, and directs the fun activities that keep the students moving! Jess serves with Brenda in the office with marketing, social media, and communications. Alex improves BMH facilities by fixing anything broken, building anything requested, and maintaining the Camp’s grounds. In addition to these specific job descriptions, the three interns work together to host the various volunteer groups coming every week and represent BMH in the best way possible!

Volunteer Spotlight Melisa Miller BMH exists because of persons like you and volunteers like Melisa Miller. We’ve been blessed with Melisa’s passion for BMH since 2006 and are thankful for her time with us at Camp Symonette this past season. Melisa focused on our procedures manual, website design, volunteer database and assisting with plans for future expansion in the big and little aspects of BMH. We are now proud to announce that she is the new Chief Ministries Officer of the Appalachia Service Project. We wish her well and would welcome her back in a heartbeat! Thank you Melisa for serving with us and we pray your continued success in Relieving Disaster and Promoting Community … in Appalachia!

Our great interns taking a well deserved break after work!



Donate In-‐Kind Visit: www.methodisthabitat.org/donate/ for the most updated needs list. Many contributions can be shipped with upcoming volunteer teams. Contact our office for planning your shipment. Financial

Give Online securely through PayPal Mail a check to: “Bahamas Habitat” Attn: Steve Merritt 103 Dumbarton Court Cary, NC 27511

(Bahamas Habitat is a US based 501(c)3 non-‐profit. All donations are tax-‐deductible.)

Vehicles are one of our major needs to facilitate the work from Camp Symonette. Well running vehicles make a tremendous difference for the volunteers and our staff. While all types of vehicles are greatly appreciated, we are specifically in need of a Cargo Van in order to transport supplies across the island. This donation would improve our efficiency by reducing the multiple trips it takes to carry tools and materials to multiple work sites. If you have a vehicle you would like to donate, please contact us as soon as possible.

Needs List Tide Pods Laundry Detergent

Basketballs Kitchen Knives Extension Cords/Drop Cords (10’-‐100’) Garden Hose Sprayer Twin Size Air Mattresses Corded and Cordless Drills 2 Headsets for our Plane Level’s 4’ and 8’ Individual wrapped snacks for After School Program

Small Plastic Containers for School Supplies

*Please visit our website for the full list

Volunteer at BMH! BMH is now accepting volunteer applications for 2014 and 2015. Weeks are filling up fast. A $100 deposit per person reserves your spot, so act now! Information and applications can be found on our website.

Bring a Group (Year-‐Round) Volunteer as an Individual Be a Summer Intern! Retired Teachers are needed in the After School Program

Pilots: Fly-‐In and Help Out (February 2014)

www.MethodistHabitat.org/volunteer

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