An Update from our Partner in the Bahamas: Water Mission
Hurricane Dorian created massive damage to the Bahamas.
“I can’t believe this is here. ”
The Bahamas
Pastor Ruby examines his church after the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian.
It has been two months since Hurricane Dorian slammed the Bahamas. We are grateful to so many of you, our donors, who have contributed to the ongoing relief efforts there through our partner, Water Mission. Because of your generosity, you helped water Mission meet a matching gift of $1M for Hurricane Dorian Relief!
With these funds, Water Mission is providing safe water, storage, and distribution solutions. Through their Reverse Osmosis systems, water is being produced and distributed in Marsh Harbour, Treasure Cay, Green Turtle Cay, and Freeport. They are working with the local government to repair or replace the existing infrastructure. They are also supporting other relief workers with clean water. A lot is happening! As Kevin Herr from Water Mission reports,
“Currently, we have a 47,500 gallons per day of water treatment capacity in operation on the ground, making Water Mission the second largest safe water provider on Grand Bahama and Abaco after the municipality!”
However, more than numbers, it is the people affected and the relationships built that are the real headlines. The following story of Pastor Rudy was reported to us from Water Mission.
Pastor Rudy McKinney was standing outside the community clinic and water system in Treasure Cay when the Water Mission team met him. The team accompanied him to see the impact of Hurricane Dorian on his church. His is one of the biggest churches in the area and suffered tremendous damage. On this day, they all climbed to the second story of the church, which Pastor Rudy had not yet visited since the storm.
The exterior wall of one of the upstairs conference rooms was blown out, displaying a view of the entire town. The conference table was crushed, windows gone, and drywall ripped away from the studs. Overhead beams were exposed with the roof completely missing in parts of the building.
Pastor Ruby with his bible, which miraculously survived the wrath of Hurricane Dorian.
However, on the floor, lay something unexpected: Rudy’s Bible. When he saw it he gasped and said in a choked voice, “I can’t believe this is here. This is the Bible I used to pray over every meeting held in this room, and the Bible I leave here in order for us to focus all of our intentions on God’s Word.”
As he picked up the soggy book, there was not only a sense of awe and reverence, but one of gratitude and affection: gratitude and affection that God allowed him to keep this treasure; amazement that the concrete wall could be ripped away by the power of the wind, yet - just feet away - these lightweight papers, bound in a single piece of leather, remained in the place he’d left it.
We are so thankful for the good work Water Mission is doing and the opportunities that we have to see God at work, even in the aftermath of such disaster.
To learn more about the situation in the Bahamas, contact us at admin@ardf.org.
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