Home Again.

Photos:

1. Rachel Haguewood, Donnie Allen and Savanna McQueen during a long day at camp.

2. Sunrise at the Three Sisters

3. Mother and daughter on Family Night.

Our two week trip to the George Town, Exuma, Bahamas is now over and all of our team members are back home. A flight delay due to a medical emergency on board made for a long day as some of our group did not arrive back to their homes until 3:00 AM ..or later...today. Needless to say, we are looking foward to a full night of sleep. Over the next few days I will attempt to post a few photos and give more information about our trip. Again we wish to thank all of those who supported us on the trip and for the prayers that have been offered. Now for a little sleep and hopefully we can add more tomorrow.

Back on Line!

Photos:

1. Reststop on the way to Williams Town.

2. Kelly and Anne Marie Garside

3. Part of our group in Bible study.

We are back on line after a few day without internet service.

Camp is going great with 25 in attendance on Tuesday and 35 on Wednesday. Last evening we traved to Williams Town to met for Bible study in the home of Kelly and Anne Marie Garside. This a very gracious couple who made us feel at home. They live in the only log cabin in the Exumas....as far as we know.

Tonight is Family Night and we are hoping for another great turnout. This is our opportunity to meet the families of the campers and to start building relationships that, hopefully, will lead to the saving of souls.

More infor to follow............we hope.

Another Great Day at Camp!

Photos
Campers during our mid-day activity time.

Cool breezes, overcast skys and no mosquitoes helped to make Tuesday a great day at camp. We also saw an increase in attendance from 16 to 25. It was probably our best day of camp so far.

Before dawn today we has severe thunderstorms with plenty of rain, but there was no rain throughout the day. The breeze made outdoor play enjoyable and there was just enought sun to keep the mosquitoes hiding in the the bushes. This group of campers is especially fond of singing and that makes for great excitement.

Tomorrow night we plan to travel to Williams Town on the island of Little Exuma and have a time of fellowship and Bible study in the home of Kelly and Anne Marie Garside. Kelly is a member of the Exuma church and Anne Marie regularlly attends services. Kelly is a Canadian by birth and Anne Marie is Bahamian. Hopefully, we will have photos of the Garsides for tomorrow's blog.

We now have just three more days of camp and the we will be on our way home. Please keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.

Second Week Begins

Photos:

1. Jr. Counselors Katilyn Richardson & Savanna McQueen

2. Nancy Haguewood, Kim Clark & Sarah Montgomery in the kitchen.

3. Suzette McQueen working with campers in crafts.

4. Campers participating in a skit in Bible class.

5. Zach Crowder leading singing.

Today we began our second week of Exuma Christian Youth Camp and it was a good day for campers and staff alike. Our numbers were low due to it being the second week and the change in the location of camp, but it was the beginning of another great week. Our camper count today was 16, a good number for Monday. As usual we beging each day with singing and today Steve McQueen, his son Stephen and Zach Crowder were our song leaders.

Our Bible classes this week are being taught by Catheryne Porter of Charleston, South Carolina. Catheryne, also a 2008 Team Member, was in Germany last week we are thankful that she made it back in time to be with us in camp this week.

This week Suzette McQueen and her sister, Natasha Campbell, are leading our campers in crafts this week. Natasha, who has been living with the McQueens for a few months, will soon be going back to her home in Ft. Lauderdale.

Two of our first week campers, Kaitlyn Richardson and Savanna McQueen, are this week serving as Jr. Counselors and doing a great job.

This morning Gaye Tate and Joyce Gowin left camp in preparation for returning to the U.S. Gaye has made seven trips to exuma, both on door-knocking and camp missions. Joyce has served for five years as our crafts coordinator.

Today there was no rain.....overcast skys and fewer mosquitoes flying about. That makes for a good day. Add that to the fact that we have great group of campers and we are calling today a great day.

Also, today was the first day for Nancy Haguewood and Kim Clark to be serving as cooks. It was a great day in the kitchen and we are looking forward to a continued great week.

Thanks for all the prayers and support from our family members and friends.

We also thank our family memebers and others for your prayers and support.

Happy Father's Day

This morning we enjoyed a time of worship with our Bahamian brothers and sisters. After worship we fellowshiped around bowls of Brunswick stew and cornbread. It is always good to share time with our Christian family.

After lunch John David and Elizabeth Morgan made the trip to George Town International for their flight to Miami. This good couple from the Ringgold Church of Christ, Ringgold, Georgia, were our Bible teachers for the first week of camp. They also fought hard defending each other and their students from the swarm of mosquitoes that often resided outside (and inside) their classroom. A highlight for the students in their Bible class was the opportunity to take down Goliath. Students acting as the young David, threw Velcro wrapped balls at the head of Goliath. When the ball stuck.....Goliath was down!

At 3:10 PM Catheryne Porter arrived from Charleston, S.C., via Atlanta. As she made her way through immigrations and customs, John David and Elizabeth boarded the same plane on their way to Miami. As Catheryne and I arrived back to the teams apartments in Mt. Thompson, we saw the majority of our team members floating in the aqua waters of the Caribbean. This team knows how to work hard and to enjoy their times of relaxation.

Saturday, June 20th

Photo: One of our "First Week" Campers

Today is our day off. Some slept in, some washed clothes, some walked on the beach. At 10:30 AM we drove to George Town to the craft market and to pick up a few supplies. As George Town sits on the bay the view was spectacular. Looking across at Stocking Island and the boats anchored in the bay was a treat. The craft market is one building and has the regular tourist items; t-shirts, hats, beads, bracelets, necklaces, etc.

At about 2:00 PM we took Kelsey and Ashton to the airport for their flight to Miami and then to Atlanta. Once there we learned that the flight would be late and that they would reach Atlanta at about midnight. That's if the incoming flight to Exuma arrives early enough. If not, then tomorrow is the only option. We are now back at our apartment waiting to see when American Airlines will be ready for us to drive to the airport.....about ten minutes away.

Update: Ashton and Kelsey few out of George Town International at 5:00 PM. We wish them safe travel. By the way, Ashton Clark was our sports/games director for camp and Kelsey Gurganus was the counselor for our third grade campers.

Help Has Arrived!

At 7:10 this evening Nancy Haguewood and Kim Clark arrived at George Town International from Atlanta via Nassau. These ladies are members of the Seneca Church of Christ in Seneca South Carolina. In fact, the majority of our team members are from the Seneca church. Nancy and Kim will be assisting in cooking and serving approximately 500 meals to our campers and staff over the next week. To celebrate their arrival we ordered grouper, snapper, conch and chicken dinners from a local vender. Tomorrow we are sleeping in and then heading out to do a little shopping and sightseeing.

Great Week of Camp

Today we completed a great week of camp. Amid the revised location of our camp, the scramble for lodging for our group, daily rain, mosquitoes everywhere and very humid and hot days, we had a successful week. We had a great group of campers and a staff that never stopped working to fulfill every need. The feel of sweat running down ones face and back and the sound of hands slapping at mosquitoes has been a common experience.

A humorous experience in the Bahamas is to be talking to a Bahamian child or adult and to have them slap a mosquito ....... on YOUR face. It happened daily to most of us. It is a simple act of courtesy. Everybody needs a little help.

Our kitchen staff has done double duty this week by working in a strange kitchen and having to go back and forth between our apartment and the school campus/camp site to prepare meals for the campers and staff. The kitchen staff has prepared approximately 600 plates of food since our arrival last Saturday. We salute our kitchen director, Gaye Tate of Dalton, Georgia for her diligent service to Exuma Christian Youth Camp for the past five years.

Saturday is our rest day. We plan to visit the craft market in George Town and sightsee around the island. I would guess that a dip in the Caribbean will probably be on the agenda.

Again, we thank those who are remembering us in prayer. We love you and look forward to posting more notes later.

First Week Complete!

Thursday

Thursday was a great day; started raining early and rained most of the day. Combine this with the fact that the school needed to use the activity room for parent conferences and it gets interesting. This means that we had to conduct or opening and closing sessions, and some class sessions on the porch of a nearby building. Oh, did I happen to mention mosquiteos? Well, if I didn't I should have.

Today we gave the campers their camp t-shirts to be worn on Friday. Hopefully, we will have a photo for you tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight was Family Night and the activity room was packed with staff members, campers and parents. Family night was a great success.

Photos: 1. Elizabeth Morgan and Kelsey Gurganus eating breakfast. 2. Ashton, Candace and Rachel eating breakfast. 3. John Diehl setting up a water pump on for our drinking water.

We want to thank all who have been praying for our mission and for our workers. We believe that your prayers have made a great difference in helping us to get through each day.

Tomorrow we hope to see Nancy Haguewood and Kim Clark who will be arriving to help in food preparation for the second week. On Saturday we will be losing Kelsey Gurganus and Ashton Clark. Both will be flying back to Atlanta and to other activites.

We look forward to talking with all of you again tomorrow.

s

Thursday, June 18

This is coming from Gaye, Sarah and Joyce.

We have had plenty of liquid sunshine today. Everyone is being fed well, especially the misquetos. We are looking forward to "Family Night" tonight. The children are enjoying
the crafts they are making. All the staff is well. We are looking out the back door of
our room and there is a beautiful rainbow across the ocean.

Till Later

Wednesday

Today it was HOT! The rains only came as we were dismissing the campers. But hot is good for it keeps the mosquitoes away. Everyone remains in good health and good spirits. We had to do a little room changing yesterday to adjust our lodging and that too went very well.

Today is wash day. The coin operated machines are $2.00 and the dryer is $3.00. So we went today and got $50.00 in quarters.

Will return later.....got to take a group to another beach...can you imagine that?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

This is Brooke, Candace, Ashton, and Kelsey reporting from Exuma. Something inside of Mike told him it was a good idea to let us do the post today...It rained again today, however it did not slow things down. Autumn is already washing tons of clothes and Zach finally got the rest of his luggage. We have determined that all Bahamian children can sing well and can keep a beat on anything solid. Well its time for another lovely meal from Gaye and Sarah, Adios!

P.S. From Mike

We had fifty children in camp today to go along with the two rain showers and a cloud of misquitoes. Everyone is healthy and gaining weight on Gaye's cooking. We leave our apartments at 7:30 AM and return somewhere between 4:00 and 4:30 PM. Part of the group got go swimming today and said that the water was COLD! The photo was taken from our back porch .

We're Here!!

Finally, I am able to get on line to let everyone know that were are in Exuma, Bahamas and doing well. Zach and Sarah arrived yesterday, minus luggage, and we were glad to see them. Their luggage is to arrive today.

The photo is of our worhip service at L.N. Coakley High School. We had a great time of worship and a wonderful meal which followed. The food was great!!

We are still working on our lodging accomodations. The team is working well in cramped conditions, sharing is a natural part of our team spirit.

We had 40+ campers today and we had a really great start. We did have a solid hour of down-pour from about 1:00 - 2:00 PM. Rain has been the norm here for a few weeks. Mosquitoes are in great supply. We have agreed that our next camp shirts should read "Skeeter Bait."

All team members are feeling well and doing a great job.

We will send another report, hopefully, later today.

Oh, yes! Most of our team members has the chance to go to the beach yesterday afternoon. There were no complaints. Actually, it takes about 30 seconds to get from our apartments to the white sands and cool waters.

Please keep us in your prayers...

We love you all.

Friday Update

Team Members,

As we now are just a few hours from heading for Atlanta, Miami and then Exuma, it looks as though our lodging situation has been worked out and we are ready for a great one or two weeks of camp.

Note: it rained earlier this week in Exuma so don't forget your mosquito spray. Both mosquitoes and humans like sitting in the shade.

Passports!

We will be staying in apartments with air conditioning and satellite TV. There are laundry facilities there also. And.....I know that this does not matter, but I think it is much closer to the beach.

No bags over 50 lbs. Carry-on luggage must fit in the overhead bin or in front of the seat in front of you. Not over 40 lbs.

See the Saturday folks in Atlanta early in the morning!

Keep Marching!

Attention

Due to circumstances beyond our control this year's Exum Christian Youth Camp will not be conducted at the Exuma Education Resouce Center, but on the campus of L.N. Coakely High School. This change means that we will be reorganizing our camp program after arriving in Exuma. We became aware of this fact late Thursday afternoon. We will also not be staying at the Resource Center, but in apartments. This means that we will not have the same access to the internet that we had first thought. Thus, we are not sure how often we will be able to update this blog, but we will attempt to do so each day. Please check this blog later on Friday for an update.

$

Let's talk for just a minute about money.
(By the way, feel free to take some from the box in the photo.)

As we near our departure date we need for all outstanding funds to be sent to the Ringgold church. If, for some reason, you will not have the balance of your funds until you leave for, or get to, Exuma I am requesting that you bring it in cash, as we will be needing it to pay for our lodging, additional food and transportation while there. Being that most of our team will be staying for two weeks, and that we are only charging $100 extra for that week, we will need every cent to help us meet our fiscal obligations.

How much money will you need while in Exuma? Good question. Glad you asked. This may give you an idea of how much you will want/need to bring.
1. Airport Food traveling to and from Exuma. $10-$15 each way should cover it.
2. Souvenirs purchased in the George Town straw market. (T-Shirts, hats, beads, key chains, dresses, dolls, etc. All of that stuff we need to prove that we were really in Exuma.
3. Church Contribution
4. Directors Pension Fund................just kidding.
5. Ferry Fare to Stocking Island ...about $10
6. Just in case
By the way.........cash. Traveler's checks are a problem in remote locations like Exuma. "Tens, fives and ones" are a good denominations to bring. Big money is sometime hard to break.

So you will know how we are spending our funds, here is an estimated percentage breakdown based on a two-week stay.

Air Fare 56%
Lodging 12%
Food 17%
Supplies/Shirts/etc. 10%
Ground Transportation 5%

OK! That's it for money. I hope that you are praying for our trip to be a success. Remind your family and friends of our blog address. Make sure you have your passport on you and look forward to a wonderful trip.

By the way, Gaye and Joe Tate are heading for Exuma on Friday. Gaye wants to make sure that she has food ready for us when we arrive. She's a sweetie!

Keep Marching....
See you tomorrow.

gurganus@catt.com

Six Days

Greetings,
I have been on line today confirming everyone's e-ticket. As usual there is at least one hitch... but we will clear that up as soon as the travel agent gets in on Monday.

Still some discussion as to what to wear down on Saturday the 13th.....camp shirt and slacks, jeans, etc. What to wear for church on Sundays? Kinda "churchish" ..... no ties for the guys...unless you want. No jeans etc.

Steve McQueen informs me that the public schools will be out for the summer, beginning this Wednesday. The Anglican schools will be getting out on the 19th. So, we should be able to have students from all the area schools.

What will the weather be like when we get there? Warm and either wet or dry. Sorry, that is the best I can do at the moment. Dry is often better.

Be sure to share this address with friends and neighbors. They should be able to make comments and send messages via our blog.

What will we do on Sunday? Go to church, eat lunch and then......we will see. It is all according as to how prepared we are for Monday ....and....the weather. Will we go to the beach on Sunday? Maybe...but no promises. It depends on how ready we are for Monday and camp....and the weather. We do want to spend some time on Sunday getting to know some of the church members. We don't want to overlook the church members while reaching out to others. This church needs encouragement and fellowship.

When is breakfast on Monday - Friday? 7:30-8:00. At 8:00 we will have a staff meeting and EVERYONE is expected to be present and ready to roll.

Will we get to visit in the community? Yes! Will we get to see the island from one end to the other? According to how long you are staying. We will try.

OK, that is enough for now. Got questions....please let me know.

Tomorrow!

Looking forward to a wonderful and fruitful trip!!

Hello!

Just wanting to say "Hi" and to share a few words regarding our departure from Atlanta.
Our flights leave at 8:15 AM and we will need to arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to that time. On Saturday the 13th, those who have two bags (one personal and one for supplies) should go ahead and get in line to get processed. If you have only one bag then you will need to get the second one before declaring your luggage.

As you probably know, security is important at the airport. You will need to keep your passport with you as well as your boarding pass. And...dress for the occasion. If it is as you usual, you will be taking off your shoes at least once during the process and probably your belts. Any metal objects should be placed in your carry-on luggage and then you will not have to remove it from your pockets and then find it again after you go through the x-ray machines. All objects not allowed in the aircraft cabin must be placed in your regular luggage. Forget to put it there and then when you go through security you will lose it. (Lost a really nice pocket knife that way.)

Though we will be at the airport two hours prior to departure, it may take the entire time to get to our departure gate. And then again, it may not. In case we don't have time to pick up a snack in the airport then you might want to have one in your carry-on luggage. We are to arrive in Miami at 10:00 AM and should have plenty of time to eat then.

General Info. Please don't expect anything to be exactly as it was last year. It won't be. It never is. That includes travel to the airport, getting your boarding passes, the flights, the layover in Miami.....anything. Expect the unexpected. Knowing this (and remembering it) will help to make our trip more pleasant.

Upon our arrival on Saturday we will first go through Bahamian immigrations and then customs. Then we will be transported to the Exuma Resource Centre (Bahamian spelling) to unpack our luggage and supplies......Next? Dinner.

That is it for today... I look forward to talking with you again tomorrow.

Keep Marching!

Camp Schedule

As we are nine days away from our travel date to George Town, Exuma we are making our final preparations. Today we ordered our food that will be shipped from Nassau. Hopefully, it will arrive in George Town on Thursday of next week.
For a quick personal check-list make sure you have the following items to be packed:
1. Passport
2. Clothing
3. A great attitude and a spirit of love.

After that everything else is secondary.

Again, traveling down we will be wearing our camp shirts and slacks or jeans.

Check the blog again on Saturday......and share this address with others so they can follow our trip. (It will also save you a bit of $$ on phone calls.)

Keep Marching,
Mike

12 More Days!

We got our shirts in today and those to go to Seneca are already on their way.
Which one do you like best? Well, that is not the one we are wearing. Or, that is usually the way it goes. So.....wait with expectation to find out which is for the staff and which is for the campers.

Plans are progressing for our trip. Joe and Gaye Tate will be traveling down on Friday the 12th. Our main group will leave on the 13th. Sarah Montgomery and Zach Crowder will be traveling on the 14th. Nancy and Kim are coming down on the 20th and Catheryne Porter will be arriving on the 21st. Then....let's see.....John David and Elizabeth Morgan will return on the 21st and The Tates and Joyce Gowin plan to return on the 22nd. Hopefully, the remainder will be returning on the 27th. Oh, we are such busy people!!

Our next additon to the blog will be about packing.. I look forward to talking to you in a couple of days.

Keep Marching,

Mike