Bahamas Methodist Habitat » BMH

Denton, Texas Wesley Foundation

bmh — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:10:07 +0000

What happens when you mix 19 college students (and 2 team leaders) who have hearts for serving with an island who welcomes them with a warm embrace? You get a blessing bigger than any of them imagined! Despite some setbacks along the way (like arriving without luggage), the Wesley Foundation from Denton, Texas poured their hearts into the communities of Upper and Lower Bogue and Bluff. The group split up into 3 different teams to do some much needed home repair. One team put up siding, installed new windows and doors, and put on a whole new roof. The second team was able to tile a whole house. Team three had the privilege of jumping around to several sites and helped repair some damaged siding, re-framed windows, scraped paint off emergency housing, and even helped team two to complete the tiling project. Though it rained every single day, they worked through it showing how big their hearts really are. The group also did a Vacation Bible School at Bluff Primary School. The kids’ faces lit up every time the group arrived for another day of games, crafts, Bible lessons, and singing. The kids even taught Denton a few songs to take back to the states. To say these teams were a blessing is an understatement. God definitely worked through them. Evenings were filled with fun, lots of smiles, and tons of laughter. As they prepared to head home one student told me they had never before been that exhausted but had that much fun and been so blessed by a community. Thank you Denton Wesley for your serving hearts and the handprint you left on our community.

Tarpum Bay Manse

bmh — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:43:38 +0000

Tarpum Bay is a settlement that is south of James Cistern. It is home to one of our Bahamian Board Members, Ken Culmer. Having the opportunity to house groups farther south on the island will make it easier to broaden where we are able to be of assistance.

Flight Instructions:
From Nassau (NAS) to Governor’s Harbour (GHB): You will fly with Southern Air (19 seater) or Bahamas Air (50 seater).
From Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) – to Governor’s Harbour Airport (GHB): You will need to fly with either Continental Airlines (19 seater), Lynx (19 seater), or Twin Air (8 seater).

Facilities:

Island Coordinators:
Abraham McIntyre (Director)
Kenrick “KP” Pearce (Project Coordinator)
Emily Bagwell (Camp Coordinator)
and Year Round BMH Staff

Transportation:
40 passenger Bus

Max # of Volunteers:
25

Day-off Adventures:
Trips North
Hatchet Bay Caves
Island Made Gift Shop, Gregory Town
Glass Window Bridge
Pink Sand Beaches

Trips South
Pink Sand Beaches
Snorkeling
Ocean Hole
Island Made Gift Shop, Rock Sound
Banyan Tree

Wofford College

bmh — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:37:39 +0000

It seems that when most people think of Nassau, their thoughts are geared towards tourists and cruise ships. These are the more “popular” areas of Nassau, but there is also a lot of poverty and need. Thankfully, a group of college students from Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC wanted to serve this specific community in a real way. St. Michael’s Methodist Church housed the group, and along with a few key members of their church body were able make the group feel instantly at home with a welcome dinner, only to be followed the rest of the week with helpers at the work sites every day, wonderfully prepared meals, and a dinner and Bible study their last night in town. We couldn’t have asked for a more gracious set of hosts.

There were two different homes that were in desperate need of attention that housed more children than there were beds. The group was able to close in a hole in the front of one of the homes, work on both roofs, re-frame and replace windows, build cabinets, and redo a floor and ceiling! What a blessing! Along with these projects, they also worked at the Fort Charlotte Urban Renewal Center. They were able to remove old tile and paint the floor, redo the work space around the perimeter of some of the rooms, and scrape and paint the outside of the building.

As a ministry, we try and stress that the work done during a week is important, but relationships that are built are just as important if not more. Thankfully, at the end of the week, the team had developed strong bonds with the families, and found it very difficult to leave them. I know that the relationships that were built will have a long lasting effect in both the team and the families’ lives. Thank you for coming to serve Wofford!

Staff Highlights – Larry and Elaine

bmh — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:00:12 +0000

Larry and Elaine Balliet, senior long term volunteers from Maine came to BMH in June of 2008, fresh from a five day United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) orientation in Portland, Oregon. They feel that they represent a new wave of retirees with a social conscience wanting to give back in some way the abundant blessings they have experienced in their lives.

Elaine’s sister is a home owner in Eleuthera and they have visited the island many times, always admiring the Bahamian people and their welcoming, friendly nature. So, when Elaine on a visit in January ’08 noticed a truck pass by with some kids wearing Bahamas Methodist Habitat t-shirts, it didn’t take long to connect online with UMVIM and discover that they were indeed looking for some long term volunteers.

Larry and Elaine have sold their property in the U.S. and will be nomads dispensing peace and love wherever they may land for the foreseeable future.

Please contact BMH if you are interested in pursuing a Long Term Volunteer position like Larry and Elaine. Skills needed: Construction, handy-man/woman, clerical, food prep, accounting and computer skills are all needed but more importantly a spirit of willing service to others and flexibility is key.