We had to say good by to our group from ICON.

I was very blessed to call these people my friends. They came here to do work and they did well. If you look back on my blog you can see all the neat tings they got done. I will miss them. When working along side a couple of the ladies, we had a nice talk. It was about, if they ever believe they are called to the mission field. Please give us a try first. They would only be a hop and a skip from their mommy's I even had a couple of chances to talk with the guys too about the same. Folks if you have been here one time or another, you would see what is needed and how we really would love for people to come back and just help out for a couple of months or so. This next school year we will be in need of three or four missionaries to work along side with our staff we have.

Okay the guy sleeping on the sofa, that is my son. He stayed over night on Sunday. It was really a good time for him and the people here. He played games and just hung out. He is back to his sister place this morning. It really was nice just to sit down and have our small talks like we use to. I ask for prayer for him. He has been out looking for a job since he left on July 5th. To stay with his sister, there is a cost. So while he lived with me, the only cost was food. Now he has to pay to stay with his sister. Which is a good way to find out what the real world is like. You remember your fist job? I do and how I had to pay rent too. This was a way for my dad to teach me what it is like to work and pay bills. It really was a eye opener for me. Now Kevin is in the same boat now. He needs to get a job and find out how the world works. 

What is Emancipation Day here? I have off today for this very reason. It is a Holiday.

EMANCIPATION DAY

It was on 1st August one hundred and seventy two years ago when freedom was won.

Emancipation Day is celebrated each year in all the former British colonies in the West Indies.

Set aside as an anniversary marking the birth of liberty from legalised control, violence and enforced labour, many West Indians and their extended families and friends will be coming together to remind each other of their long walk to freedom.

Although abolished some 26 years earlier in 1807, it was not until the 1st August of 1833 that the British MP and social reformer - Thomas Buxton, presented the Emancipation Bill before the British Parliament.

The ensuing Act then came into effect one year later on 1st August 1834. On that day it seemed as if history had been created for slaves throughout the West Indies.

At last, all peoples of the West Indian colonies would, through legal emancipation, be free to embrace their liberty.

However, and not for the last time, the history of Black people was to record that surviving truism - power is never freely given.

Amidst the joy and celebration, the small print emerged and a dulling realisation that full freedom would not be granted immediately.

After all, slavery had been a part of the British way of life, not only in England, but across the imperial kingdom. Lest we forget, many English merchants had become very wealthy by trading in slaves and they were not about to give any of that power away overnight.

Specifically, chattel slavery, had enforced the absolute legal ownership of a person or persons, and this had included the power to buy and sell a human being as we do products today.

In an attempt to preserve power, if not the status quo, it was further ordered that ‘ex-slaves’ would be apprenticed to their former master for a minimum offour years.

Thus a period of ‘apprenticeship’ was put in place to bridge the gap between slavery and complete freedom.

History now teaches us that the process of ‘apprenticeship’, most certainly born out of the prevailing slave owners culture of denial, did not achieve their own desired outcomes.

This was because the spirit of collusion and compromise, upon which the economic success of the previous system had depended, was now broken. Liberty, freedom and justice were now renewed goals.

I guess Jingles has a new bed?

I am not sure if Scooby is enjoying this or not? It sure looks like he is. But after I took these pictures I picked Jingles up and put him some where else. It really is neat to see how good Scooby really is. He could not snapped and just taken Jingle's head and ate it. But he laid there an didn't even more. Like I said, not sure what he thinks. I am very blessed to have both of them. They keep me entertained. 

This is our painting crew for Saturday.

I am going to start off with these are some great people. Remember on Thursday they are the ones that came in to do the painting for us? Well yesterday they did what they were called to do. It was so neat to see all of them just work and work even more. We started out at 9:30 am and finished up around 5:30pm. So by looking at the pictures in the next sets. You can see what they did and who did what and just a good time. Over all I was very blessed and I know ALC was too. We have primed the front wall. The picket fence and all the concert too. 

This is the second round of shots of this group

By looking at the pictures above, I am not sure what I was taking pictures of? I guess this one is of the tree branches. It is Tim and Stephen behind those branches. Sorry guys. 

I took these pictures as I walked around trying to make sure all was going well. Which it was. I had to go back out and buy more primer. So I was gone for about 1 hour and half or so. Before I left, my prayer was that they would ad least get the front wall done. Both sides, primed. I got back and they were all most done doing it. Tim and Stephen the guys behind the branches. They were my sprayers. Tim did the back wall in the Petting Farm, the cement area. When I got back he was all most finished. It really did make a differences with those sprayers. Stephen finished up the wood pickets. Both the back wall and front one. So over all I would tell any one, buy a sprayer for the outside work any time. It really did a good job. Oh one more ting. The hard part was after they finished spraying, guess who cleaned them up. What a mess to clean. It took us about 2 hours to clean them up. You know you have to get them as clean as possible. The reason, if not you can just throw them away. They will not work again. The oil base paint was easier to clean than the latex. Not sure why? But over all a coupe of hours later. All cleaned and oiled. Ready for the next job. Maybe that will be on Tuesday? We have a Holiday on Monday. Emancipation Day. it is the first Monday of the month of August. Now do you understand what this day is for? I will explain tomorrow. 

This is the final shot of these guys for Saturday work projects.

Just look at all they got done. They primed both sides of the front wall. Plus they painted all the benches and picnic tables under the Palven. It was a wonderful day. I thank each and every one of this group. They worked together very well and I even saw when one person was having trouble painting in a spot, another came along side and help them out.

I have sad news, our fairy new pressure washer stopped working a couple of days ago. (August 2012)

My man Stephen is on top of it. He stared taking the pump apart. He was thinking maybe some dirt or something got into the pump itself. But sad to say, that is not the problem. It looks like the small little springs that control the water flow are broken up. The reason is when Stephen took it apart, he fond pieces of them inside. So yesterday I got on line and looked up dealer in Florida. I called them. they told me that the pump is under three year warrant. Plus she gave me a guys name and phone number in Pompano Beach. It is A1A Small Engines. I have bought many parts from him before. I tried calling him yesterday. But he told me that he could not hear me that good So I will try again today. Just to see if I have someone bring the pump to him. Will he repair it? That is my prayer. We really need this pressure washer. It has saved us many hours of labor and it does such a good job too. I will keep you posted. 

Look at what we have now?

This was Mark idea. He was thinking on how to paint the front wall faster. Well he asked about if we have a paint sprayer? Which we do. But after talking with him, I tried it out. It is not spraying at all. I think I wrote about this before? But I asked Adam to see if he or anyone could go buy two at Home Depot? Well I guess on Wednesday he went and got them for us. Now they were not gifts. He got the funds from our account, by Jeff. So they were not free, but they were duty free? That means we did get a gift any way. 

Yesterday Stephen and I started out spraying the primer on the wood picket fences. It really work great. Then after lunch Joel came along and him and I took turns spraying. It really went well. We have 5 one areas of picket fence to prime today. Plus I will have the Icon group rolling and brushing too. My prayer is we get all the priming done today. We might even get some paint down too? We will see what happens. Oh that right we are working today. The reason is Icon will be leaving on Monday morning, so Adam was telling me how he really wanted to bless us by working here a couple of days. If you look back you can see they helped out on Thursday too. It really is neat how our Lord has tings in His hands. I try so hard to get work done. Then is rains and I say WHY? But He knows and His way is so much better than mine. 

Now you can see what rain I am talking about.

That right I still have my helpers too. Stephen and Joel worked on finishing the Nature Centre railing. Boy that looks so much better. Now we need to paint the poles and the rest of the trim. 

What is Stephen working on here? That is our new pressure washer we bought last year. Looking at the paper work, it was Aug of last year. After taking it apart Stephen could not find the problem was. It stopped pushing water out. Thinking it must be something small inside the pump plugged. But he didn't see anything like that. Hopefully I can take it to a guy here and he might find out the problem is? 

Hey I was looking at these pictures above. I don't see an rain? Take my word it was raining on and off all day long. 

That right the Calvary has made their way here.

Yesterday I went to the airport and picked these guys and girls up. We had some small talk going back to the Camp. Adam is their leader. He use to be part of Patmos many years ago. I am sorry but he is not in any of the pictures above. But before the week-end I will get a shot of him. Well the day didn't start out that great. We had rain coming in all day long. Now if you have been reading my blog before. We have been working on getting the front wall ready for these guys to come in and prime it and paint it. That was what I had planned out. BUT God had another set of plans for yesterday. It rained all day long. You can see below how much rain was happening.

Oh I did tell who these students are. I don't know their names as of yet? But this is a group of student form Calavary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, Fl. Their group name is ICON. Their ages 17 and up to 25 I think? Icon meets on Wednesday Nights at Calvary. Pastor Billy is the over seer. I was sadden to hear he was not coming this time. I have known Billy since I worked with him at Calvary.

Well we found something else for them to do. Now this is things that were needed to do any way. The first pictures getting rite of mildew on the bath house ceilings. The girls used bleach and scrub their little hearts out. After ward it was so nice to walk in and see it all gone.

The next picture is the guys moving tiles. In the cottage we were storing 18" tiles. The reason we had them moved out was, hopefully in the next couple of weeks there will be some work done on them. They got the job done and it is so wonderful to see team work. But the sad part is one of the guys dropped some tiles on his big toe. He is all right. But he will loose his nail. Adam was the doctor. He wrapped a gaze around it and it should be okay. He is the one sitting down. Kyle is his name, I think? 

The next show is the girls cleaning the benches and picnic tables off. They had some mildew on them. This way if it is raining on Saturday. They can paint these. Oh that right, the bath house the same. That area all needs to be painted too.

The last group of girls. They scrub the out side walls around the Media Centre. This area was pretty dirty too. Plus they cleaned up around the weight area. That place was a mess. The guys from groups that come over. They just use the weights an not put them back where they belong. 

So over all this was a great day. They really did us a favor by all they got done. 

NOW HOPEFULLY Saturday, we can do the front wall. Today Stephen and I will try to get the new paint sprayer ready for them. That right. Adam and his students brought us two new Wagner Paint sprayer. I have been reading up on them. Hopefully the primer will flow out. You know sometimes you have to thin the primer or paint. Today we will test them both. 

This is our NEW AID Napa Store.

About two years ago. This place burnt to the ground. I wrote about it then. The real neat thing is they kept on going. There are two stores for auto parts. One is on Blue Hill Road. The other one is on Mackey Street. Plus they have two or three stores in the mall. that is for your home and bath stuff. 

Oh AID the letters stand for AUTO @ INDUSTRY DISTRIBUTORS LTD. This is our NAPA Store here in the Bahamas.

I remember when I first got here and talked with the manger of the auto parts. Mr Flowers. I was telling him. in the next year or so, this place will be a furniture store, no more auto parts. We both laughed and in the next year or so, they felled more than half the store with furniture. Just think about the mark up on that? Most places have ad least a 200% mark up. Even in the states. Just go in an look. Then ask what about a discount? I have never paid full price for any furniture at any time. That is how Room To Go make their profit. 

Now when the new store opens, we will see what it inside then. I will bet, ad least half will be furniture? You know me, I will be there with my camera. 

Look someone came to visit with us?

That right it is KEVIN. I was so blessed to have him stop by. So during his time he did some work. If you look the first picture you can see, he thinks this is paint he is putting on? Just joking, he is just brushing off the dirt that was on the boards. These are the boards that have been sitting in back here for the last year or so. I asked him to prime them all. This way they will be ready to use at any time. The way they were back here, I had them on top of each other with boards between them. This way they would dry out better. So why wait, just prime them now and be ready at any time. 

Stephen and I worked on the finishing touches of the porch rails. We repaired them and repainted them and now today we will re install them. It is so neat to see how tings work out. You look at a job and say, wow it is done. So will show you the finish project tomorrow. 

Okay this is Dr. Springer, Sean and Mark

This should be our final approval on our porcupine area. Dr. Springer is one of the veterinaries that work for the government here in the Bahamas. To get these porcupine in our country we need to have their approval. So hopefully this is it. Dr. Springer was telling us how this all works out. He will take the pictures back to his office and his boss will look at them and let us know what he thinks. Folks I really think we did a good job on this and it should pass. Hey do you see the dog house. That was Mark's idea. He had this for many years in his back yard. Not having a dog any more. Why not sell it to us ALC. That should be just right house for them. It is plastic. I found out that porcupine love to chew on wood too. The barrel was Eric idea. This way they can play hind and seek. We will cut the bottom out this week sometime.