It was almost like old times. Rich Rohde, a project coordinator with Mission Discovery, invited me to be the camp speaker during the June 2-6. 2015 mission project. A Catholic school group from Cincinnati took their school mission trip to New Providence Island, Bahamas with Mission Discovery (www.missiondiscovery.org). The reason I say it was almost like old times was because I was a project coordinator with Mission Discovery for 18 years. In 1993 I organized and ran Mission Discovery's first mission project in the Bahamas. I then directed the work in the Bahamas until I resigned from Mission Discovery / HOLD the children in 2010. I am grateful to my friends at Mission Discovery for the opportunity to minister to the Cincinnati mission team and to my Haitian and Bahamian friends. It was also a special joy to serve with Jim Weber. Jim, a talented song writer and recording artist, led worship each evening. He and I go back 20 years in serving mission teams with Mission Discovery. It was a great reunion week with Jim, Rich, Bazile and Exante at the Adventure Learning Camp, South Beach.
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| Don speaking at Bahamas mission camp. |
I served a number of Haitian families in the Bahamas for over 20 years. Anna Joel and her children are very dear to me. I have watched some of her children grow from infancy to young adults. Anna has had her share of life's ups and downs but has managed to keep her faith in the Lord Jesus. Mission Discovery teams have helped improve Anna's living situation by building a house that she and her family now live in.
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| Anna, surrounded by her family, has her arm around my shoulder. The Cincinnati mission team finished the drywall and painted the walls behind us in Anna's new home. |
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| Annas, Shamika (holding baby) and Elsie |
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| Anna is queen of her home. |
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| Ronald, now in his early 30s, is as healthy and happy as ever. I love this guy! |
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| Franklin is 14. I was visiting this village the day he was born. When I looked into Anna's shack, I saw her holding him, the size of a grapefruit, in a paper towel with the umbilical cord still attached. She then walked out of the village with paramedics at her side to go to the hospital. |
