Lord, thank you for 2016 and I ask your blessing on 2017!

As I look back on last year I am thankful for God's grace and provision for my family, my ministry and myself and I am reminded of how God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

Even though we had significant damage at the Centre and Camp, several individuals and teams from the states came to work alongside us to get the ALC back on its feet to help us continue ministry to Bahamian children and adults. Thank you to all those who prayed, came and supported our restoration efforts.

Within a month of the hurricane I was back teaching 6th graders on the nature trails and in the mangrove wetlands. Although the boardwalk was only partially restored it was verification and a perfect opportunity to explain why and how the wetlands are so important. For 15 years I have been teaching how mangrove wetlands act as a natural buffer from hurricanes by absorbing tidal surges and wind. This is exactly why we didn't suffer more damage at ALC. God created everything for a purpose and more importantly each one of the 6th graders purpose in life begins with a relationship with the One who created everything!

In addition to clean-up and some teaching, our main focus last semester was preparation for our Christmas Lights Drive-thru. This year we decided to offer the event for free to all. Hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of lights were utilized in preparing for this outreach. This year our theme was Light of Hope...      

The event was a huge success. We saw over 3,600 adults and children come out to see the lights over the three-day weekend. After driving into the ALC and seeing the massive Christmas light displays, families in their cars passed Isaiah, prophesying "Unto us a child is born..." next they saw Roman soldiers declaring a census, after that a market scene then they saw Mary and Joseph on the trail to Bethlehem. The scenes progressed from an inn with no room to an angel to the manger scene, then they drove past young Jesus at the temple saying "Why are you looking for me, didn't you know that I had to be about my Father's business?"

Then Jesus in a fishing boat beckoning each car to "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Next, the last supper then three crosses on a hill then the empty tomb. As cars continued out the back trail, they met me along with a few pastors as we alternately shared a brief gospel message with each car. Each person that came saw and heard of the love that God poured out to us through sacrificing His Only Son for our sins.

This week we are starting with a mission team from my sending Ft. Lauderdale church and hundreds of Bahamian primary school children will come and interact with them on a field trip to ALC. My goal again this year is to share the gospel with all of the 3,500 government school 6^th graders by the end of the school year through the planetarium or wetlands teaching. Please pray with me.

If you would like to help me share the gospel and would be willing to sacrifice some of your hard earned money, I would be blessed. You can donate thru GO! Ministries online at http://go.ccnorco.org/donate.htm  My missionary account # is 1273.   

We made it through Matthew!

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and God has proven His faithfulness to me once again. We made it through a major hurricane with no loss of life or harm to my family or my ALC family or any major damage to the buildings at ALC or my apartment! 

Petting Farm

There was some roof damage and blown off shingles and a majority of the trees are down in the petting farm and at my apartment along with smashed fences and minor flooding at ALC and the Camp. 

Adam surveying the damage

more trees down

I’m sorry to get this blog out late but we still have no power or internet and the few sites that do like DQ and McDonalds are overcrowded. I have spent the last 2 days cleaning up and securing our apartment. 

There is plenty of work, repairs and expense ahead of us to get ALC up and running for program but God continues to be faithful and Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale is already working on sending a team or two to help cleanup.

My last blog asked you to pray that God use the “wind” to impact people in the Bahamas (see it for explanation).  Well something amazing happened on the eve of the hurricane. About 4pm Wednesday, hours before the storm, a NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) official, Scott, contacted me because he had seen the ALC school buses that we had moved to higher ground along an elevated highway. He asked (about begged me), to use our 3 buses for emergency rescue and evacuation by the Defense Force, in high water areas. Without hesitation I offered him full use of the 3 buses which we had filled with fule the day before. I then met Scott at the NEMA headquarters at about 4:30 to get him the keys to the buses. The Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Perry Christie, was there in meetings also. Scott insisted to introduce me to him because of our contribution.  After waiting for about 20 min. the Prime Minister came out of a meeting. Scott introduced us and told him of our offer to use the buses. Mr. Christy shook my hand and thanked me and said “you do a great work down there at the Adventure Learning Centre. In fact isn’t there some land that is next to you that the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) are wanting to get?" I  took the opportunity to explain the issue....

Mark meeting with the Prime Minister

You see for the past 15 years we have been using a vital piece of Crown Lands that we have had an annual license form the Ministry of Lands. The 5 acres portion in particular is laced with nature trails and a beautiful special coppice ecosystem we use for our educational program. In fact thousands of school children learn about and "in" this forested area every year.  

Five years ago the SDA built a school next to ALC and have been petitioning the PM for the same Crown Lands to extend their school facilities onto. We've had many meetings with the Ministry of Education, the Department of Lands and whoever we could would listen. Although we had support from the environmental and educational community we were not able to secure the land for preservation and educational purposes, we were never able to meet with the two different Prime Ministers over the past 15 years. As recently as a few months ago we received a letter from the SDA telling us that they had gotten approval to move forward with construction on the lands. It looked as if we were going to loose a critical outdoor teaching area. But God...

During that God ordained, 90 second meeting with the PM, I gushed as much information as I could. He said; "You need to come see me, I'm in charge of Crown Lands. Get in touch with me after this is over." I said "Your in charge of the whole country. I'll take you up on that offer." but in my heart I was thinking, God is sovereign over all! 

Obviously the meeting has not happened yet but I believe the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas was orchestrated by God through this storm. 

     1. Please pray with us for a successful meeting with the PM resulting in the preservation of this land for our educational program which in turn will result in thousands of school students hearing the gospel and trusting in Christ.

     2. Please keep this information confidential until I know the outcome of this issue. I do not want the SDA to get "wind" of this meeting as they have been able to meet with him in the past. I am only sending this to a select few.

Pray for people to be impacted by the Wind!

Jesus said; "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." And in Acts as the disciples were in waiting on the Lord...... "suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." God even answered Job out of the whirlwind.

God uses the wind to fulfill His purpose. As I sit in Nassau with my family and watch the weather reports of a major hurricane named "Matthew", that is forecasted to head right through the Bahamas and possibly hit Nassau in a few days from now, I know that God is sovereign and does all things well.   
Ironically in Matthew Jesus says; "He (God) causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Please pray for safety for my family from or through the storm

Please pray for all who have been and will be effected by this storm

Most importantly, please pray for the Holy Spirit to fill hearts with a fresh Wind as Matthew passes through the Bahamas

I will give an update of all that is going on at the Adventure Learning Centre and with me and my family after the storm.

What a GREAT Summer!

Yes, the days were hot, yes the days were long BUT the summer was Awesome! Over the 6 weeks of Adventure Learning Centre summer camp, 483 children came, had a blast, learned, were loved and heard the good news of the One who sent His Son. Many of the children return year and for all or most of the 6 weeks of summer camp. 

For part of the time I was the "Wacky Science Professor". From sports to crafts to gardening to wacky science and Bible class, Jesus was lifted up and shared in a fun and unique way. We learned things, burned things and  we "Magnified the SON"!

There are so many parallels that can be drawn between the Creator and His creation and the laws that govern it. But, even more importantly, relationships were forged and fostered between campers and staff, campers and each other and most importantly between campers and our relational God.

When I was not teaching science I was hosting campers from other summer camps for a tour of the ALC. This included a puppet show, train ride tour of the nature trails and wetlands, a petting farm tour, time on the super slide and playground and the gospel presented in a closing puppet show. We saw 764 children and adults come on a summer tour.

As Paul said; "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth".  Thank you for your part in enabling me to be a "sower" in the center of God's will for my life. I absolutely love what I do and as I look forward to the fall school semester, again my goal is to share the Gospel with every 6th grader in the government school system in Nassau, Bahamas.

My family and I are heading to NY to visit family and friends and a church in Piseco, NY to raise support and then to Ft. Lauderdale for more of the same. Please pray for us as we go.

If you would like to help me share the gospel with Bahamian children and would be willing to sacrifice some of your hard earned money, I would be blessed. You can donate thru GO! Ministries online at http://go.ccnorco.org    My missionary account # is 1273.