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The last few weeks hurried through a blur of activities. First,
Vacation Bible School in mid August came and went all too fast. The
thirty-four member team from Okaloosa Baptist Association in
Crestview, Florida wowed us with enthusiasm and stamina. Both
morning and evening VBS sessions kept four rented vans busy ferrying
folks to and from the VBS location on the bluff, the mission house
for lunch and supper, and places of interests about the island in
the afternoon. Of course, the high point had to be the twelve
decisions of faith made by children and teens during the week, PTL.
The following week involved washing mounds of bed linens and bath
towels, rediscovering my kitchen (where three ladies cooked for VBS),
and getting routine back in our daily schedule. We hardly had time
to do that before Hurricane Gustav headed our way. Since shutters
installed in late spring offered additional protection, we decided
to “ride it out” here in the mission house. Winds picked up around
noon on Friday and continued into late Saturday but thank goodness,
electricity was back on within twenty-four hours for us but the
south side was out for a few days. Church services were cancelled on
Sunday due to lack of power on the east end of the island so we
worshiped with the congregation at Crossroads Baptist Church which
is just a couple of blocks from us. The pastor invited Nick to
deliver the evening sermon and he appropriately spoke about
surviving the “storms of life.”
Telephone contact with our church members found all did OK through
the hurricane but were left with lots of debris to clean up. The
fire station just a block from us clocked the winds at 110 mph. The
southeast wind force hit our front yard and downed the largest and
best shade tree, the Ginep (fruit bearing), the Brazilian Pepper
tree, and numerous limbs, fronds, and coconuts. Nick gathered all
the coconuts and stacked them on the porch while I started dragging
brush into piles near the roadway. Then Nick used a bow saw, dull
machete, and a rusty old ax to cut up what he could before a fireman
friend from church arrived with a chainsaw a few days later. The
recovery teams went about the island with intent and purpose much to
everyone’s delight. Even Her Majesty sent two military ships to
offer aid as needed. By Saturday a week later we had more brush
piles in the back yard and the Public Works crew came with a loader
and dump trucks and made three trips to clear out the biggest
“trash”. My greenhouse fell in a limp pile but I had moved the
plants to high ground against the back of the house so I may yet
have fresh papaya, mango, and avocados - some day!
Last Sunday we were back in our church for services as usual, then
Monday Hurricane Ike hovered along the coast of Cuba bringing us
high winds, rough surf, and additional rain through Wednesday.
Consequently, the supply barge was delayed and store shelves looked
somewhat bare for a few days. Finally, the last couple of days are
back to typical tourist days – bright and sunny! AND school finally
began this week after two postponed starts!
We now look forward to a new Sunday school year with the new class
for our eight high school graduates going well. A promotion for high
attendance day begins this week and Friday night youth meetings
begin soon. Thanks for each and every prayer for our safety and our
continuing ministry efforts here.
Nick & Kay
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Kay Nichols
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