Bahamas, Camp Symonette, Day 1

"Do All The Good You Can"

(Note...a lack of internet access, limited time, and exhaustion have led to a delay in blog postings --Barb)

I won’t lie – it was difficult to leave the soft sand and crystal clear waters of Rainbow Bay. On Sunday afternoon, we packed up and readied ourselves for mission work.

By now, our sixth member, Kurt (a.k.a John) Pelligrino, had joined us in Eleuthera. A new member at Central, Kurt tracked me down one Sunday in the lounge and slapped a “Spring Break Bahamas Mission Trip” flyer on the table proclaiming, “I want to go on this trip.” Having never met Kurt, I wondered if he was connected with Central or was just another Traverse City resident looking to get away from the cold. But at that point, I wasn’t picky. Our team had dwindled from an optimistic group of nine down to five – two teenage girls, two 50ish women, and one 50ish man. Kurt looked sturdy and, judging by his approach, seemed enthusiastic – he was in.

It was a short ten-minute drive from the rental house to Camp Symonette. The driveway was lined with palms and an entrance sign quoting John Wesley.

As we began to unload, I dutifully grabbed my binder – with forms and final payment signed, sealed, and ready to be delivered. But the camp was deserted. Of course, the exact check-in time was never very clear. We may be at Camp Symonette, but we’re still on island time. Nancy, Ashley, Allie and I waited on brightly painted benches outside the dorms while the guys traveled another six miles down Queen’s Highway to Governor’s Harbor Airport, returned the rental cars, and hoped someone would eventually pick them up.

It was another 20 minutes before a couple staff members and 30 of our fellow volunteers rolled in to camp and poured out of an old green and yellow school bus, still sandy from the beach. Bryce, a recent college grad nearing the end of a two-month stint at the camp, graciously agreed to pick up Pat and Kurt.

We settled into our rooms (a window air conditioner!) and the rhythm of Camp Symonette. At 6:00 pm, we encircled the dining hall hand-in-hand and were welcomed by K.P., an easy going yet commanding Elutheran and part-time staff member. A volunteer from the Orlando contingent offered the blessing and we sat down to our first Camp Symonette meal. After dinner Pat attended a meeting with other leaders to discuss the various projects. In the morning, we’d be split into four work groups on two school buses and head out for our first day of work.