New Faces in New Places
Having been on this trip for eight years now, I’ve developed certain routines as I enter the island: big hug for Raoul after passing through customs, learn all the names of the new people on the trip, and figure out what condition my room at Xanadu is in. (Xanadu, for those new to following along, is a historic resort outside of Freeport that used to be owned by Howard Hughes, visited by Frank Sinatra, and basically just the coolest place around. Now it’s rundown, empty, and basically a sore spot on the coast of the island. But, it was also our home for the last seven years. Too rundown for other people to really use it, and just enough amenities to be rendered useful to a mission group.)
This year, Xanadu has officially closed and we’re calling a new place home. Flamingo Bay, to be exact, although I have yet to spot any flamingos (plenty of Europeans on vacation and country-music-loving boats in the marina below, however). With 51 people, there’s some natural trepidation at the trip as a whole, but adding a new location meant even the veterans of the trip had some butterflies they hadn’t felt in a while.
Overall, we’re settling in nicely, and if we scared away any tourists while playing our group games tonight (and they happen to also read this blog), I apologize. An odd calmness came over me today, and it felt great to sit back and know that everything was going to work out, no matter what potential situations may arise in a trip such as this.
Not a ton to discuss in long form as of yet, but I’m sure there will be plenty to follow. Also, the hope is to do a webcast/chat tomorrow night. Not sure of a time yet, but check Twitter during the day or log on to BahamasMission.com and we’ll fill people in there.
