February 22, 2013
We are still at Emerald Bay Marina waiting for a weather window to cross to Long Island. This stay has allowed us to catch up on numerous boat chores and explore the island of Great Exuma.
A New Friend
Yesterday we returned to Big D’s restaurant in Steventon to have some more of Alvin’s fresh conch salad. Since the weather was a little squally we decided to sit inside. As we entered, I noticed two young African Bahamian girls sitting at the end of the bar and thought it a bit strange since it seemed they should be in school.
Shortly after we sat down at a table near the window, the younger of the two came over and started to talk to us. Her name was D’Wan, she was 7 years old and in 2nd grade and she was singing a catch-phrase from a Disney show. We are big Disney fans (strange but true) and we immediately had a lot in common with her. She knew about the current Disney shows we watch and surprisingly knew about some of the older shows that are no longer aired on the Disney channel – apparently they run on some other channels.
D’Wan was a VERY smart little girl who loves school and is anything but shy. Shortly in to our conversation, she told us “Ask me a math question – not multiplication”. After faltering a bit on Joyce’s first question, which I thought was a bit hard, she nailed that one and several more. She sang the alphabet song and then recited it slower with just one hitch when Joyce asked her if she could do it without the song – Joyce is tough! (Comment from Joyce: she sang the song so quickly, I wasn’t sure that she had said all the letters). When I asked her how to spell her name, she said “I will write it for you” and left to get a piece of paper. After she didn’t return right away, I thought maybe we were forgotten. But then she returned with a little note, decorated with hearts and signed with her name. She later demonstrated her cursive writing skills.
When Alvin brought our conch salad, we asked her if she would like some and we fixed her a little plate.
We told her a few things about ourselves and she shared many things in her life; for example, she is losing her baby teeth and pulls them herself – “It hurts more when someone else does it”. She was investigating the salt shaker and the kernels of rice included in it to keep the salt from clumping, and shared many things about salt including that if eat too much you will get high blood pressure! She ‘knows’ how to perform a physical exam, because “She watches when the doctor does hers”.
D’Wan is a remarkable young lady, and we think she has a bright future – maybe as a doctor.
Oh, just so you know, the kids were out of school on midterm break.
Ordination at Mt. Sinai Union Baptist Church
Yesterday we attended an ordination at Mt. Sinai Union Baptist Church in nearby Stuart Manor. We had talked to the marina staff about local churches, but it did not look like we would be here long enough to attend one (last Sunday we were too tired and too little time after doing laundry starting at 6 AM). John, the dock master, had offered to give us a ride to his church if we were here on Sunday, and later asked if we would like to attend an ordination at 7 PM on Thursday night. A young man named Desmond Williams from Exuma was being ordained. It was quite an experience. There were at least 20 pastors in attendance, some from the Union Baptist Denomination but several from other churches showing their support along with members of the church, family, and friends – the place was packed. We clearly stood out in a sea of black faces. The service, which included several songs from the choir, was highlighted by a sermon by Bishop Neil Ellis of Mt Tabor Full Gospel Church in Nassau. Bishop Ellis talked about the role of a pastor – he was very good. Desmond had experienced significant spiritual growth while attending Bishop Ellis’church and they had a close relationship. The service was a ‘short’ three hours and it was a late night for us.
We really enjoyed the service and the local senior pastor at Mt. Sinai and wish we could return for a regular worship service, but our current plans are to leave for Long Island on Sunday.
Tom
Emerald Bay Marina
Great Exuma, Bahamas
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