I felt it would be really interesting being in a leadership position on trip over people my own age and some even older, but nonetheless, I was excited. When we got here, I was anticipating hard construction work and cold showers. And that is what I got. Just with the added benefit of a gorgeous Caribbean Sea just across the street. I was blown away on our drive from the airport. The island of Eleuthera is very skinny, so much so in fact, that at several places on the island, you can see both the Caribbean and the Atlantic Oceans. It's simply astounding. We stay at the Eleuthera Bible Training Center, right across the street from the most beautiful water you'll ever see. Every day, we'd wake up, have a devo, and start working for a few hours. After lunch, it would be time for an adventure. We explored several pristine beaches, deep caves, and a few holes that just so happened to filled with water. I discovered very quickly how much I enjoy snorkeling. I also tried my hand at spear fishing, but never saw anything worth shooting. Our mission hosts, the Doster family, are some really cool people, and make sure there is always something for us to do. For the first few days, our construction project was to be building a garage for the Doster family. It was hard work, but we had fun with it as well. While two groups were doing that, another was painting the building we were staying at, while one more group went to a school called "The School for Exceptional Learners". We would be rotating jobs every week, so every group got tho do everything. the group at the school eventually got the guy who runs the school in talks with Keith Doster, the guy who runs the Eleuthera Bible Training Center, to build a basketball court for the students. So our work project changed. My group's job was painting the second week, but the third week we were assigned the jobs of being teachers to these students. The students at this school are here because for whatever reason, they fell behind what they should know in their grade. A few students have various forms of autism, one girl had a stroke that left her paralyzed and without many of the skills she had gained in her 16 years, and others are there for reasons I never found out. There are eleven of them in total, and only two teachers. There was a main class, where Mr. Holland would teach and a few people in my team would help the students with their assignments, and a second class with only four students. This is where I was. This class was typically taught by Mrs. Petty, who has been teaching for ten years. She was originally the school's custodian, but somehow began teaching the students who were very far behind the rest of the class. However, because she never officially obtained a degree in education, she still only receives a custodian's pay. I had the pleasure of helping Alan and Justin with their math and language skills. The most heartbreaking moment of the month was when it dawned on me that, at about 14 years old, Alan couldn't read. The simple books they were assigned to read, he had memorized just to get through lessons. So, we had to go back to the beginning and learn how to write every letter and what they sounded like. Justin was bright, but only about 8 years old, which explains why he wasn't learning fractions with the big class. All in all, I enjoyed hanging out with them during breaks and playing with them every chance we got. The next week, I was on construction again. The basketball court was very nearly done, and just need to have concrete mixed and poured over it. That week was fun as well, because whenever the students came outside during their breaks, we could play and hang out. Some of them even decided to help us shovel rocks and sand to mix in the concrete. After working through the weekend to finish, we had the next few days free for adventuring to places far away. We went to a bunch of beaches, each more amazing than the last, but I'm sure no one wants to hear about the crystal-clear waters, the rushing waves that almost carried me away while exploring a island just a few hundred yards from the southern tip of Eleuthera, or the tons of fish I aw swimming in the same places I was. Today is the last day, so we decided we should have a ribbon cutting ceremony for the basketball court and say our goodbyes to the students. I was perfectly fine the entire time, but as we watched the kids go out the door to go home, hugging everyone in a line as they went, I began tearing up. A few minutes later, there was a steady stream of tears falling down my face. I couldn't pull myself together for about twenty minutes. I believe the last time I cried was when I realized Mr Matt wouldn't make it. I realized long ago how fickle life can be, as well as the friendships in it, so knowing that I'll never see a particular person again is definitely not enough to make me cry. I can only attest it to the simple fact that I've grown to love these kids in the time I've spent with them. I don't even know half of their last names, but they are 11 of the sweetest kids Ive ever known. I'll definitely miss them a ton, and will be praying for them long after they've forgotten my name and who I am. I have just over 15 hours left in the Bahamas, and part of me wishes I could stay longer. But I'm overall very satisfied with this trip. If you or anyone you know is looking for a fun summer job, the Doster family has interns that stay here and help the teams that come through. You could also be a part of a team and come on a mission trip here! Or anyone feeling generous can donate to help with their projects and services to the island. Contact them from their website here! Thanks for reading!
You can see my pictures here!
