Bahama Mission Update
February 4, 2009

We have experienced some good things and some bad things during the past few weeks. Dinah and I were confined mostly to Abaco as I was in need of some new tires for the plane. I usually just buy them in Abaco from my friend Lewis Key at Zig Zag Airways. However this time they sent tires and charged him $360 each. I was able to find some for half that amount in the States and so decided to wait until I got over to Florida to change them out and also the wheel bearings and brakes. I have now completed the Annual Inspection on the plane. I took some time over a period of a month or so and saved about $2500 doing a lot of the labor myself. We are facing a lot of changes in flying out of the country and coming back in. The annual homeland security sticker that we used to get a month or so before the end of the year now must be bought on line over the internet. The government web page was down for several weeks. So early in December, I filled out the paper work at the Customs building in West Palm Beach. It was faxed to them. We are still waiting for the new sticker! We now have to file a manifest and persons list on line before we leave or come in to the United States. You file and then wait for them to e-mail you back??? Then you call them on the phone and tell them you are coming. This is an additional step to the process and gets more difficult as many Islands do not have internet connections. So you fly to one that does and hope they e-mail you back.

Lincoln Young was robbed in Eleuthera. One of his caregivers stole cash from his bedroom drawer and also stole his ATM card and got a total of about $2500.00. Thieves are rotten, but a thief who steals from a helpless man is about as low as they come. The boy has been caught and will in time go to court, but the money will never be recovered. I found out from Lincoln that small amounts had been stolen by the same boy several times before and Lincoln had let him pay it back. This time, he was offered the same opportunity but did not follow through. Thus the police were called. Dinah and I and some others are trying to help him replace some of the money so that he can pay his bills and eat. If you would like to help with this project, you can send a check to the fund and mark it for Lincoln. Lincoln is without the money and the services of the caregiver at this time. We are also hoping to salvage the boy as he is a member of the congregation and has a number of family members who worship in Rock Sound.

The work in Marsh Harbour is going well. Jason and Katrinka set up the first couples meeting and made it a meal for the Valentine season . Eleven couples were able to attend and some others could not make it. This speaks highly of the stability of the congregation as we are reaching more families. The dinner was catered by one of the ladies in the Church and we all had a great time talking about how we met and married. Frank and Bea Sarver and Jack and Donna Steward are both in Abaco. Also a family from Memphis ( He is a Fed Ex pilot and they come every year) will be there for a few weeks on their boat as the vacation. This gives an extra boost to the local work. We had one more baptism last week and also the wedding for the man and his new Christian bride. I spoke twice while in Marsh Harbour. The first time was on Sunday morning. We had 86 in attendance and a number of visitors. Two ladies requested a Bible Study and the Sarvers met with them after worship to set a time. The Wednesday night lesson was not planned until the last minute as Jason got something in his eye and was in a lot of pain. Bea Sarver gave him some drops. They did not work. I then remembered that an old welder had told me that the juice of an Irish potato would heal the eye and even heal the burn from welding flair. So I ran to the store for a potato, scrapped it and put the juice in his eye. I sent him home, and the next day he was fine.The class went well on a short notice.

I had to go to Florida for two appointments with doctors. It was time for my Flight Physical that the FAA requires of all pilots and also a trip to my skin cancer doctor. I passed the physical with flying colors and then went to the Skin doctor. I call his office the butcher shop!. He took some biopsies and froze more places. I fully expected more malignant reports, but was pleasantly surprised to get good reports and I do not have to go back for six months unless I see something that needs attention.

I stayed busy with my clinics and had a lot of emergency patients in between. The economy of the Bahamas is dependent on several things. Tourism is way down and those involved in the industry are hurting and many are losing their businesses. Some restaurants have closed and some mortgages on rental properties are behind. The other industry that helps a lot of people is fishing and the export of lobster tails. The price this year is about half what it was last year, and the catch is one of the best. One of the owners of the export business in Marsh Harbour said they usually sell a lot of lobster to Europe, but the economy is so bad they have not bought any this year. We have done a little more benevolent work than usual in the past few weeks.

Dinah and I plan to be in Abaco, Eleuthera, Cat Island and Long Island the next few days, and then we are meeting two couples from Tulsa, Oklahoma in Freeport for a week-end. One of the men and I may make a quick trip to Abaco also so that he can see more of the work and report to his congregation. Dinah and I visited with Jerry Pickup and family for an afternoon. He donates our web page and we are updating in the next few days.Jerry is in a wheelchair and has a lot in common with Lincoln. He and Sonia have 4 children. I said their wedding ceremony a number of years ago.There will be some new pictures you might enjoy. He is also looking at the possibility of adding the "Flyingpreacher Movie" to the page. This movie was done a number of years ago but still shows a of our work in 17 minutes. We will know soon if the movie can be added.

Our prayers go out to those in the United States that have been hit by the ice storms. I talked with one of the elders in Wynne, Arkansas today. They have been without power for ten days and may not get any until the first past of March. We know others in Kentucky that have been hard hit. Natural disasters do not have to come in the form of Hurricanes to leave victims.

Thank you again for your support and prayers. Checks can be made out to Bahama Mission Church of Christ and sent:

Att: David Caskey-Mission, c/o Gulf Coast Church of Christ
9550 Ben C. Pratt/Six Mile Cypress Parkway
Ft. Myers, Florida 33966.

david

Bahama Mission Home Page
http://www.flyingpreacher.com/
Mission Contact: David Caskey

Webmaster: Jerry Pickup
http://www.jpickup.com/