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Bahamas 2018 Day One

Day one: We started off the morning with breakfast. After breakfast we headed down to the school to play with the kids before they went into class. After playing with the kids we headed up to the house to do devotions over Philippians 3: 1-14, which was led by Dr. Wilber. Once we finished devotions we split into a group of people that went into classrooms and others that started spreading two large sand mounds. We continued to play with the kids and worked on conquering the sand mounds and in between we took a break for a delicious lunch that was provided for us. After we finished work for the day we cleaned up, got ready, and headed down for dinner. After dinner we hopped on the bus and headed to Paradise Island where we walked around the marina, the shops, and toured the Atlantis Aquarium. This place was beautiful and it was a great time for us to unwind after a long day of hard work and lots of joyful kids. Finally, we came back to the house and ended the night with devotions, led by Patrick. The devotions were about focusing on strengths we see in ourselves and others. This time of the night was an awesome opportunity for us to reflect on our day and focus in on the ways the Lord is working in us. We are excited for the rest of the week and to see the things God does through us!

Thursday, Today was our fun day! We arose early and left around 8 to head to a private island. We had an hour boat ride to an island to feed iguanas, though some of them hid because of the cold. After that, we took another 15 minute boat ride to the gorgeous island, on that island you could feed stingrays and sharks. Some of us also went snorkeling. We then had an amazing lunch and relaxed by the ocean. Once we got home most of us slept and then enjoyed a great dinner from Mrs. Ward of sloppy joes and mac and cheese. Then a couple of us came down to the school to play basketball and paint some more. Tomorrow we will go to chapel with the kids and then head home at 12:45, see you soon!

Wednesday, Wednesday was a busy day, we again woke up early to play with the kids and then got right to work. Several of the guys installed a new back bored for the basketball court. Others painted pick nick tables, and cut and replaced ceiling tiles. Right before lunch two of us interviewed "Aunt Jeanne" and heard her life story as it tied in with the devotion we learned about vulnerability. We later went to another public beach and enjoyed walking around in the clear water. After the beach we again played more with the kids. Then we headed up to the house to have dinner, and do our devotion. Keep us in your prayers, see you soon!

Monday, We arose early Monday morning at 7, and then eagerly went to play with the kids from Hillcrest Academy at 7:45. They were very excited for our arrival and ran to meet us as we came down the hill. They loved running around, playing basketball, and especially showing some of us their classrooms. Doing hair is also a favorite activity as they gathered around to braid our hair, boys and girls alike. Once the school bell rang signaling the kids for class, we got right to work. A group went painting the fellowship hall while another moved a heaping pile of sand from the playground to the large sandbox. At around noon we took a break and had an amazing meal, prepared by the locals at the school, of spaghetti and garlic bread, they also prepared some delicious Bahama sweet tea. Another group took a trip to the expensive super market to purchase groceries for the week. For the following hours after lunch we continued to move sand and finished painting the fellowship hall. The bell then rang to dismiss the kids from school and they all rushed out with eager attitudes to play with the American kids. The kids seem to have unlimited amounts of energy where as the out of shape white kids can hardly keep up. Parents consistently picked up kids from school until they were all gone and it was time to head inside. We then had to clean up and put nicer clothes on for an evening trip to "The Long Lost City" of Atlantis. We were immediately blown away by the elegance and glamor of the resort. We took a tour around the resort and went through the world renowned aquarium. The colors of the fish which were as vast as the colors of the rainbow, were an excellent display of God's beauty and creativity. Upon exiting all the aquarium we were met by an exquisite evening on the beach. We finally called it a night and headed back to reality. We debriefed back at the house, and learned about what it means to sacrifice. We're ready for another full day of work tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers as well as the kids and teachers at Hillcrest. Can't wait to see you soon!

Hello to all from the Bahamas! Travel was safe and we arrived to this beautiful country around noon. We were able to take a tour of the city of Nassau and went to a nice restaurant right on the beautiful waters. We are looking forward to meeting the kids and exploring the school. We are very excited to see what God has in store for us this week! Well rested and ready to work!

More pictures from thursday :)

pictures from thursdays fun!

#exuma islands #exumabahamas

Thursday morning we woke up earlier than usual so we could catch our boat to the Exuma Islands.

We were all excited for our ‘fun day’ to begin and lathered on the sun screen (well some of us haha). We got to feed iguanas grapes, touch and feed stingrays and sharks, and explore the island somewhat. We spent the whole day out in the sun and ate a delicious buffet lunch with freshly made food. We also got to snorkel for a short period of time. We didn't really see much though sadly but there was a scary moment when there were sharks around us and we had to try not to panic and get out of the water as fast as we could.

Later, some of us hiked up a long trail to the top of the island where we got to witness a beautiful view and take cool pictures. Others stayed on the beach and swam in the clear blue waters. It was an interesting and beautiful day.

After the day on the private island we returned to the school sunburnt and tired but ready to finish up the last of our projects. We all got straight to work on re-painting the play house and finishing up the roof and windows. In the middle of working some of the teachers came outside and asked us to come inside for a surprise. They all had gotten us bahama t-shirts, sweets, and magnets. They told us their goodbyes, we took more pictures, and we thanked them for all they had done for us.

Overall Thursday was our biggest day and was filled with a range of emotions from excitement to tearful goodbyes. We were thankful for the time we got and for all the fun experiences we had but we were ready to go home to our families. So we spent the rest of the night packing up and cleaning in preparation for our departure.

Friday morning we woke up at 4:30 a.m. to vacuum the floor and deflate (for those of us who had one) our air mattresses. We packed our luggage into the truck, hopped into the bus, and made our way to the airport. We got through airport security and customs smoothly, made it onto all our planes, and landed in Dayton, Ohio at around 1:30 p.m. Our families were more than happy to have us home.

Our mission trip to the Bahamas was an amazing experience and one we won't soon forget. Being able to help the school and spend time with the people there was eye opening and reshaped our perspective on life and the world around us. We appreciate all that you guys have done to help make it possible for this trip to happen and for the projects to get completed! We are so incredibly thankful, as are they.

I can’t wait to see the adventures of next years Bahamas ESM on this blog and be able to watch as Hillcrest Academy grows and achieves the excellence they desire with the help of those around them. Keep following us to watch tc take on the Bahamas for many years to come!

#hillcrestacademy #nassau #esm

Pictures from Wednesday!

Wednesday :)

Today we woke up bright and early! Cereal, toast, and coffee for breakfast (the coffee was absolutely necessary). We kicked the day off with chapel. There was lots of singing and dancing and piano playing... a completely joyful experience! After chapel, Hill Crest's sixth graders came over to help us paint, build, and clean windows! Once our work was done, it was time to relax. We had lots of great conversations and spent plenty of quality time with them. The boys played basketball and the girls painted nails. What beautiful, intelligent children! Next, the TC team took a trip to the market! We shopped for souvenirs, watched a man clean out conch shells, and listened to jazz music echo in the streets. It was great to be immersed in such a vibrant, colorful culture. Once we got back to the school we made pb & j sandwiches with mac & cheese for dinner. Afterwards a friend of ours, David, freestyle rapped while Ethan made the beat. Haeven also plaited some of the girls hair. Then Matt and Zeke made us all delicious cookies (: Perfect end to another great day. -Mandy, Julie, & Maddi

Today was an exciting day! We started off with the breakfast of champions: cereal ;) After breakfast we got to welcome the kids to school since we are staying in a couple of the classrooms. They were all so excited and loved taking pictures with us as well as taking their own photos. Once the bell rang for them to get to their classes we headed off to work. Some of us worked on fixing the swings and others of us went to help in a couple classrooms (Maddi, Alexis, and I got the chance to help in the nursery :-) )

After we had an amazing lunch of hamburgers, fruit, and bahamian goombay juice, we all got to work on chipping away old paint and repainting the backside of the school. It was very hot outside but the nice breeze kept us cool enough to work.

Once school let out we got to play with the kids again. We even got treated to ice-cream while we were outside with them. After the majority of the kids had gone home the neighbors of the school invited us over to swim in their pool (something thats never happened on previous ESM trips!!) Everyone was really excited to jump in and cool off even though the water was pretty cold.

Since none of us had gotten to take a shower since we left Ohio we were able to hop in after the pool. There was no hot water but i don't think anybody noticed on account of how ready we were to scrub the last couple days sweat and grime from our bodies haha. We then ate a delicious dinner, cooked by our adults, of spaghetti and garlic bread. For dessert we went to Atlantis at Paradise Island! It was a lot of fun because we got dressed up, took tons of photos, looked at lots of underwater creatures and saw several yachts!

I really wanted to post more photos but I’ve been having a lot of difficulty (even posting this blog has taken me a couple hours) We hope everyone in Ohio is safe and doing well!

Until tomorrow.....

-Julie & Maddi

Hello everyone! We finally landed in Nassau at around 2:30 this afternoon and were happily greeted by 80 degrees and sunshine. 😊☀️ We got through customs and security fast and without any problems! What a blessing! (I believe it's because of your prayers 😉) After loading all our luggage into the truck, we hopped on the bus and our driver gave us a mini tour of the island. It was a lot of fun seeing the beautiful beaches and bright colored homes. Even though we were all exhausted from our long day of traveling we were ready to explore Nassau a little more. We went out to dinner at Compass Point, a beautiful restaurant on the beach with a pier. Before sitting down for dinner we were able to explore the beach. We found many little creatures and shells while exploring under the pier and climbing over rocks. We also took lots of pictures and admired the sparkling blue water. Our dinner at Compass Point consisted of the best pizza money can buy and, for some of us, pineapple juice. ( I don't think I'll ever be able to eat dominos again😅) While we ate our dinner we were able to feel the warmth of the air on our skin and watch the sun set. Overall today was a very good day and we had very few hiccups! We are all so blessed to have you prayer warriors back home, so thank you! Tomorrow we get to meet the kids at Hillcrest Academy and we couldn't be more pumped but for now it's time for all of us here in the Bahamas to get some rest! Until next time... -Julie & team

Welcome to the 2016 ESM Bahama blog! After getting to the airport this morning at 4:30 (yes, it was that early and the time change didn't help!) We have finally landed in Atlanta, Georgia. We have a 5 hour layover ahead of us and then we will be on our way. Despite being tired we are ready to take on Nassau. We are all so excited for this new adventure and we would like to thank you for your prayers and support. We will try to keep you updated as much as we can this week so you can be a part of our journey. Next stop, Bahamas! -Maddi & Julie

#Bahama Bound

Snorkeling, Stingrays, & Sharks

Today was fun. We boated to a gorgeous private island . First, we fed sting rays (safely) and got to pet their backs as they swam by us. Stingrays are slimy, yet they are also super cute! Next we looked on as workers fed raw fish to sharks. Don't worry, they were small sharks! Finally, we did the amazing activity of snorkeling!!! We snorkeled in crystal clear waters, seeing coral reefs and brightly colored fish of all colors. It was awesome! After a great lunch and windy boat ride, we arrived back at the guest house. Tonight we enjoyed a nice dinner with the people of Nassau, expressing our mutual friendship and loving our last night in the beautiful Bahamas! We are sad to leave, as it seems we all have fallen in love with this place and the people who live here. However, we will see you all tomorrow at the airport in (hopefully not) snowy Ohio. Pray for safe travels and we will see you all soon! All was well today except for the many sunburns! Peace, love and happiness from the Hannah's and the team!

Sports Day

Well the day has come to a close and it was a tiring one to say the least! We started with a very early morning with no electricity and water! Wow how fun does that sound :-) luckily after about 30 minutes it came back on! We headed to the stadium with all of the Hillcrest academy children for sports day... Aka sprinting around the track all day, literally all day! These kids are fastttt. The time at the stadium went like a track meet with 100 meters, 200's, 400's and relays, separated by age groups and boys and girls. But in between the kids racing we just played with them and hungout in the blazing hot sun! We stayed at the stadium from 8am to 3pm. We then had an hour or so rest and have dinner. From about 6-7 we had a time with the youth group we planned and Hannah Morrow gave a message about hope! All was well today expect a few sunburns! Peace, love and happiness from Hannah B and the team :) thank you for your prayers and support!

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