Cat Island Background and
Missions History
I was a part of
the original scouting mission to Cat Island in 2002. When we went
there that first year, we had no idea that God would explode this
mission into what it is today. This is now my 5th time
being back on the island, and it is the fourth consecutive year
that the Ft. Pierce Christian Missionary Alliance church is able
to serve God on Cat Island. From those humble beginnings, God has
now orchestrated a multi-week, 62 person team of individuals who
love Jesus Christ and want to share His hope and joy of salvation
with the residents and visitors to this remote Bahamian island.
Located 150
miles southeast of Nassau, Cat Island is known for it’s physical
beauty and solitude. It is here that God has launched a movement
to glorify Himself both on Cat Island and in the rest of the
Bahamas. Donations of everything from building supplies to bibles
to clothes were received from a variety of generous sources,
enough to fill a 28-foot semi trailer with no room to spare!
Due to the size
of the group, Servant Air Ministries Inc. (SAMI) was not used for
the first time since we began going to Cat Island. SAMI’s Piper
Aztec twin-engine airplane can only carry five people at a time,
so six flights would be required to move everybody for the first
week alone. Instead, MFI (Missionary Flights International) based
in Ft. Pierce utilized their DC3 to transport up to 24 people at a
time.
GOD QUEST 2006
On the morning
of July 15th, 2006, Amanda and I arrived at the MFI
hanger and helped to load the DC3 for its direct flight to New
Bight airport on Cat Island. Excitement was in the air as people
milled about, weighing bags and speculating what it would be like
to fly in an airplane as old as their grandparents. Before
departing, we gathered and prayed for God to bless the voyage.
God’s spirit was evident with the peace and joy He provided.
Loading through
the rear door of the aircraft, all 28 missionaries walked up the
stairs to commence a life changing experience that was about to
unfold. It was a cloudless bright blue sky that morning. Hot and
humid, we were fanning ourselves as we waited for the pilots to
finish their final preparations before departure. I broke a sweat
from the heat, but it quickly subsided as we lifted off from terra
firma, climbing skyward. Our cruising altitude that day was 11,000
feet. This took us directly over Freeport and northeast of Nassau
along our route of flight.
I’ve had the
opportunity to fly a number of planes, but being in a piece of
flying history was a sensory delight. I made my way up to the
cockpit to take a look around and speak with the full time MFI
missionary pilots. Passing North Eluthra Island, there are a
number of sand bars lined up which looks like a God-made sand
shaker. A smile swept across my face as I reveled in the majesty
of creation. The captain invited me to sit in the jump seat for
landing, just behind the captain’s seat. I eagerly accepted since
I had never flown in a tail wheel airplane, let alone a DC3.
As we got
closer to the ground, rising hot air rocked the airplane around,
causing Amanda to feel nauseous in the rear of the cabin. The
landing was succinct, and stopped in less runway distance than the
Aztec typically needed, which is why a DC3 is such a good airplane
to use for missionary flying. We taxied back to customs in New
Bight, unloaded the plane and met up with Dan Pennell and Paul
Kuhn who had flown in the previous day. Pastor Newbold was also
there to greet us on our return to the island.
He is such an
amazing man of God. He hears the voice of Christ and seeks Him in
everything he does. Out of any living man that I have personally
met, Pastor Newbold best exemplifies Jesus Christ with skin on.
We rode in the
bus 40 minutes north to the Doc’s house. ‘Doc’ lives in Tampa,
Florida, but has a beachside home he rents to visitors. It is a
large two-story home with a couple of beach houses located beside
and to the rear of the main house. There are 8 rooms in total,
giving our group the ability to stay in one location. Bennett’s
Harbour, where the Doc’s house is located, has a pleasant charm
and atmosphere. Many of the small settlements located up and down
the coastline of Cat Island are a mix of old and new, broken down
and built up. Bennett’s Harbour is no exception. With only one
main road running north and south on the island, even the most
geographically challenged manage to find their destination… most
of the time.
We pulled into
the Doc’s house ready, excited and expectant about what God was
going to do over the course of the next week. After making our way
to the ‘special’ arrangements they had for me and Amanda, we were
surprised to find something that we were not accustomed to in
previous visits – air conditioning! Since we were the most
recently married couple in the group, we were blessed to get this
exclusive room with hearts on the wall cut from lined paper and
our nameplate on the door stating: “Honeymoon Suite: Ryan and
Amanda”.
With nothing
else planned for the afternoon, we decided to test out the water
and determine if it was still as much of a fantasy as we
remembered. It was. Walking westward out of the side beach house,
we feasted our eyes on the most beautiful beach in the entire
universe. Every time I leave I wonder if it will ever be as good
as I remembered. And each time I go back, it is always better than
even my best memory can recall.
Galloping
carefree into the lukewarm sky blue and emerald green water, we
were on sensory overload. Praise God for making such an amazing
place in His creation. The island is known for its limestone
deposits and nearby reefs, which allows for swimming in shallow
water without the risk of encountering much adverse underwater sea
life.
The remainder
of that Saturday proved to be exceptionally relaxing as we let our
cares and worries from home melt away in God’s natural white sand
cove bathtub. The sun highlighted the distant ocean that evening,
sparkling off the shimmering waves as we gathered for a time to
collectively praise God. That was just one of many nights we came
together to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit as Dan taught us
from the Word of God.
We awoke Sunday
to devotions on the beach. Dan wrote incredible morning devotions
for each person who came on the trip. God used those times in the
morning to reinforce what He was doing in my own life as each day
progressed. After having an incredible breakfast prepared by Ann
and Faith, we hopped into the bus and lazily drove down to Pastor
Newbold’s church in Stephenson. A half dozen local worshippers
united with us that morning for church. It was a time of
celebration for what God had done in their lives. The music was
catchy and full of islander beat. God can be praised in so many
different and exciting ways, unique to each culture. After
service, Pastor Newbold and his family treated us to BBQ ribs for
lunch. They were absolutely delicious!
That afternoon
we enjoyed the beach once again during the afternoon (which would
become a tradition after returning to the Doc’s house). Evening
soon came and the heat subsided. We casually walked 10 minutes
from the house to reach the Bennett’s Harbour Church. Noseems,
sand flees and mosquitoes abounded, each trying to have their fill
of flesh. Bug spray didn’t seem to deter these cannibals, even
through it gave at least some psychological reassurance.
That night
God’s spirit moved in power and might as we enjoyed the worship
and the message by Pastor Strong. It was great to once again spend
time with the men of God on this island. God has created an
unexplainable bond between us ever since our first visit four
years ago, a bond that will surely last a lifetime.
Monday morning
soon came, and it was off to work! The missions group participated
in three main ministries. The construction ministry focused on
electrical work, roofing, plumbing, tile, and any other needed
repairs to the churches of Arthur’s town, Dumphrees, Bennett’s
Harbour and Stephenson. The second ministry set out to evangelize
the entire island for Christ. The final ministry that week was the
VBS (Vacation Bible School) for the kids.
We had been
doing VBS for the kids in Arthur’s Town for the previous 3 years,
so they were excited that we would be doing that again this year
as well. The problem arose when the kids showed up bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed, ready to go on Monday morning… without us! This
year, the decision was made to do a VBS in the middle of the
island instead. It was an attempt to reach a completely different
group of kids. But the kids of Arthur’s town broke our hearts by
showing up without us there, so we announced there would be an
‘impromptu’ VBS Wednesday and Thursday.
The VBS went
extremely well for not being planned. There were over 60 kids in
attendance. God said ‘let the little children come to me’, and we
want to be like Christ.
One of the
ministries that gave us an open door to speak with the people of
Cat Island was the construction that had been done in years past.
Many churches were improved over the past 3 years, which paved the
way to evangelizing. Every year, we would bring down donated
materials. Every year there would be a hold up with customs. This
year was no exception. The construction team was delayed for a
couple of days, but God managed to open up the 28 foot
semi-trailer packed full of materials donated by generous
individuals and businesses from back home.
The same day
that the container was opened, we also had a special night at the
cross. Wednesday night is a time to surrender everything to God,
allowing Him to heal any area of your life. An old rugged cross
stood on the beach, a reminder of what Christ did for us a couple
of millennium ago. There is nothing too small that Christ can’t
take away, and nothing too great his blood cannot atone. Tears
were shed, burdens were lifted, and the cross stood tall, majestic
in the torch’s flickering light illuminating the darkness. Where
light abounds, darkness cannot.
Evangelism over
the course of the week was an enormous success. We brought gift
bags with candy, hats and toys inside to each home and business.
We made sure they knew about the upcoming VBS for the kids, as
well as the basketball tournaments happening each Friday. Our sole
purpose was to exemplify the love of Christ through service. All
but a handful of settlements were reached, and God brought in the
harvest. There were a couple of first time decisions for people
who accepted the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ! Praise
God!
The basketball
tournaments were also an enormous success with people coming from
every corner of the island to participate. There is no better way
to touch the lives of youth than by taking to them in their
language – sports. When Vic gave his testimony just prior to the
final game, there were 8 young men who committed their lives to
Christ. Wow - Praise God. We would go on to finish second in the
tournament, but those young men were now in first place in the
game of life!
Saturday
morning came all too quickly. Were we really on the island for 7
days already? It hardly seemed real. But God had worked in the
lives of Amanda, myself, and every other person on our team. We
were different. We were changed. We were HIS.
Those of us who
weren’t staying for the full two weeks hesitantly meandered back
to the airport for our ride back home. The DC3 greeted us with a
fresh new batch of missionaries that were ready and eager to
experience Christ outside of their comfort zone. After completing
all of the paperwork and loading bags, we again set sail into the
sky. This time the destination wasn’t a foreign island. No. This
time the destination was our earthly home. I look forward to that
day when God will take us home with Him, for you see, our eternal
family just got bigger with new brothers and sisters from Cat
Island.
God Quest 2006 – Making a memory for
the glory of Jesus Christ.
Photo Gallery - Cat Island 2006
- God Quest
