Bahama Mission Update
July 9, 2009

The past few days have been busy and productive. We have learned to appreciate more than ever some of the modern blessings that we come to take for granted. The power grid in many of the Islands of the Bahamas is overloaded. This means that they are engaged in "Power Sharing". Your power is off from 4 to 6 hours at a time and sometimes for more than 24 hours. Without power, the water pumps do not work, so you have no water either. Dinah and I joined the parade in Marsh Harbour of getting in your car and driving around with the A/C on to get cooled off. The internet was off and on, and the phones finally came on after about 5 weeks. Our Satellite Phone was our only contact.It was raining so much, that I hooked up the car antenna so that we did not have to stand in the rain to make a call. Dinah thought that was a great improvement. The price of fuel is up again to $6 a gallon for the plane and almost $5 for the car. I do have a small generator that we use for Hurricane Relief and it will run some lights and a fan, and allow us to make coffee. In Nassau the Capital, the water usually goes off about midnight and comes back on around 6 a.m. It is at least predictable. In addition to the power problems, we have had a lot of flooding. It has rained more than 35 inches in the past 4 weeks, and the drainage is not set up for that volume. Several times, I could not get to the airport until the water went down over the roads. We got used to wearing rubber sandals to keep from ruining shoes while walking in deep water. The good news is that we are safe and thankful for opportunities of service. We learn that our needs and wants are two vastly different things. Our prayers are with those in other countries that are facing dangers due to political unrest.

I was invited to speak on Father's Day in Marsh Harbour. We had a large crowd and the ladies went all out to honor us with lapel flowers, coffee cups wishing us a Happy Father's Day, and a wonderful meal. I had brought Bibles to be presented to the five new converts. Leslie Rolle a fairly new convert, has done a great job of preaching the past two Sunday evenings. Jason Quashi is also training some young men to lead singing. The afternoon was used in holding clinic for a number of patients who had been waiting for my return. We enjoyed meals with both members and non-members over the two week period. Usually I am working on the plane, but this time I devoted efforts to getting the car and van in shape. The muffler system on the little 92 Honda had been patched up for several years. I finally found a muffler and about 10 feet of tailpipe and have it going quiet again. Dinah says now that I sneak up on her when I come to the room. The bumpers on the 93 van had been destroyed long ago. I had built a wooden one for the front a couple of years ago. The back one, I fiber glassed and repainted. It did ok until someone backed into it at the airport while we were gone. So some time and effort was put into a wooden bumper for the back as well. It is so strong now, that we will know who runs into it by the damage to their car. Both cars had to be licensed and the insurance renewed. We did clean and polish the plane and wash the cover. Time was spent in visiting with the elderly,sick,disabled and the retarded, along with daily clinics. On our first visit with Cony, whom Dinah calls "Cony Island," there was confusion. Cony is 85 with the mind of a 4 year old. She is a sweet child. Dinah usually plays and colors with her while I visit with Florabelle her younger sister who cares for her. This time we did a swap and I played with Cony. She kept asking me who the other girl was that I used to bring to see her. I told her that I had not brought another girl. She said her name was "Dinah". I pointed across the room and said that is Dinah. "No", she said, "Dinah is a young girl and that is an older lady". Dinah heard her and told her again that she was Dinah. Cony told her she had really grown up since she was there last. Cony was much happier on our next visit when Dinah played with her again. We also did some benevolent work as the economy has some folks not able to buy groceries. Dinah is always working on the bulletin boards and the flower arrangements to keep the buildings updated where ever we go. We laughed one Sunday morning at Jason Quashi using reverse psychology on a two year old. She did not want to go to class. He told her she did not have to go and could stay with the adults. That did it, she ran to class. Dinah and I also visited the Youth Camp, and are in the process of getting some Bibles for them to use and take back to the various Islands where the kids live. Bibles and Bible Study Materials are really enjoyed by young and old. Putting a Bible in the hands of a young person means that the whole family can read and learn.

We stayed in Marsh Harbour and cancelled our trip to see Lincoln and speak in Rock Sound. The weather was not good, and Lincoln got stuck in Nassau where he had gone to get his US visa renewed. He comes to the States with his family in August each year. There is a American man working in Cape Eleuthera who covered for Lincoln on Sunday. I was able to do Lincoln's banking in Marsh Harbour with the help of Courtney Chandler. She is a manager at the bank and a faithful Christian. Courtney was in Rock Sound for a long time and helped to feed Lincoln every day while she was there.

Last weekend we flew to Nassau to be with Andrew and Bonnie Major at the Central congregation. They invited us to stay with them and treated us with such kindness. This was the beginning of their VBS. Three couples from the Longmire Road Church in Conroe, Texas took their vacation time and paid their own way to come and assist with the School this year. Last year a large group had come from Conroe and done the VBS while training some of the local members. This year, the local teachers are doing the VBS with some backup help from the group. I taught the adult Bible Class and John Helbig the preacher, began a series that would last through Wednesday night.The singing at Central is really outstanding. In addition to John and Kerry Helbig, Mike and Carol McCain and Dennis and Pat Bonner made up the support group. Andrew is tireless and burns the candle at both ends.He preaches, teaches school, does his radio program,and has started writing his own tracts for use in Nassau. I did bring him a dozen Bibles for new converts, a box of Bibles and Testaments for use in the VBS, a number of tracts for use in door knocking in the neighborhood. Andrew said that postage costs out of the US are too high to make it worthwhile shipping materials. Pat Bonner said they sent a small box of VBS materials to Andrew and it cost over $60.

Bonnie Major has been in the Islands for more than 30 years, but was born in Tyler, Texas. She wanted us to celebrate the 4th of July, so she had a meal with American flags for the group. She cooked chicken and fish on the grill, made a great slaw and baked beans. Bonnie had been all over Nassau looking for a water melon to no avail. I found two small melons in Abaco that were grown in the shallow soil. Bonnie was over overjoyed. She said it just did not seem like the 4th of July without water melon. My East Texas grandfather would not have understood how a melon could cost that much! When I was young he sold huge melons for 10 cents each. Now you know how old I am.The pure joy on Bonnie's face made the price of the melons seem insignificant. We visited with Drexel Major on Sunday afternoon. He was in Abaco years ago and led singing. His auto accident left him a paraplegic. He has been in and out of hospitals ever since. His manuel wheelchair is pretty shot. He is in need of another with large wheels in the back. The Dr's do not want him to have an power chair. If anyone in South Florida has a chair they would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. Tomorrow is the 36th day of Independence for the Islands. The Bahamas is a Commonwealth Nation tied to England like Canada.

Next week we have the Caribbean Lectureship.In Freeport.(July 19th-22nd). We are looking for large crowds from the Islands of the Bahamas and all the Caribbean nations including Cuba. It will be a great time of reunion, revival and fellowship.

The summer thunderstorms have us flying early, and the winds have been very strong. We were on the ground a long time in Nassau going back to Marsh Harbour. The main runway was closed and traffic was really backed up. Dinah got a little tense when I had to make a short field take off. She was not too sure we would clear the trees. Flying in and out of the United States has gotten more complicated. Homeland Security now has us filing forms to leave and arrive by e-mail. we fill out the long form,send it and wait for a reply that gives permission to take off. Then we call and confirm the exact time of departure and arrival. Yesterday we waited and waited for a reply e-mail. It finally came about 4 a.m. after filing it around 9 p.m. You may have seen where someone was messing with government web sites. I was told that no matter why I do not get a reply, do not fly until it arrives. There is a $5000 fine.

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/