A Week of Serving in March

The first week of March was amazing as we hosted our 7th annual Spring mission trip, serving in Abaco with 13 Hyde Park High School students.
​

Each day was filled with hard work fun and lots of smiles from both our kids and the kids we served.  On Friday, we went from the plane to meet kids in the community. Saturday, we put on an all day carnival from start to finish.  Sunday, we attended church in the community, taught the church congregation a song, served lunch and spent the afternoon learning and talking about a verse, making bracelets and hanging out.
​On Monday, we painted the entire outside of a church that was rebuilt from the storm.  On Tuesday, we built 6 picnic tables to be used in the community, we cleared an outdoor play area for the kids, built and painted a church sign, filled 120 toiletry bags to be handed out and we set up a "store" with over 500 pair of shoes where we helped 150 children and some of their parents shop for new shoes!  Wednesday, we said our Good Byes.

Friendly Competition
​The kids loved competing in sack races, soccer, volleyball, football toss, jump rope contests, and musical chairs!

Community Carnival
​We hosted right at 100 kids for an all day carnival complete with a bounce house, tattoos, ring toss, crafts, bracelet making, polaroids, lots of prizes and of course hot dogs!

Sunday Fun!​
​We attended church at Faith Bible in the Pavilion that we helped to complete last year.  We served lunch to the congregation and stayed after to put on a "Children's Church" and just to hang out and play games with the kids for the afternoon.

Smiles for Shoes
We gathered your shoe donations and loaded up 15 duffel bags, bringing over 500 pair for of shoes for the kids to choose from.  We spent hours sorting and setting up a shoes on the picnic tables we built!
Each child had a personal shopper to find the perfect shoes.  Kids also received socks and a hygiene bag. 
​Thank you to all of you who donated shoes and made this day possible!

Christmas 2022
Once again we are hosting the Austin Serving Abaco Christmas Party!  We will be traveling to Abaco to celebrate Christmas on December 21st.
As you think of your year-end giving, please consider helping us bring Christmas to the Kids of Abaco!
Below is the Amazon Christmas Wish List
https://a.co/0P4I7Rh
There are two ways to give!
You can ship gifts to this address:
ASA C/O Angela Goossens
621 Kingfish Rd
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
OR
You can Venmo @AustinServingAbaco-ASA and all funds will be used to purchase gifts off of the Amazon list.
VENMO
@AustinServingAbaco-ASA

Thank you so much for your support!  We could not do this without you!

Abaco Update: Fall 2022

Mourning the Loss of Nicholas.
On August 23rd, 2022 Nicholas Amiscar passed away at an Austin Serving Abaco beach day.  Please continue to pray for peace for his family and friends. Nicholas was a 16-year old student at SC Bootle high school on the island of Abaco.  He lived on the Farm, one of the communities ASA serves.  He was a bright young man working to become an electrician.  ASA planned a picnic at the beach that Nicholas attended with friends to celebrate going back to school.  In a tragic accident jumping off of a dock into the water, Nicholas lost his life.  ASA and the Abaco community were devastated and continue to mourn the loss of this incredible young man. 

Celebration of Life
On October 1st, we gathered to celebrate Nicholas' life.  Please keep his family, especially his twin brother Nichol, in your thoughts and prayers. They have been an amazing example of Grace and living out their faith as they deal with pain and loss

​Thank You Golden Farms Foods
ASA has partnered with Golden Farms Foods to deliver their organic pineapple sauce, pineapple chunks and canned cassava to those in need on Abaco.  THANK YOU, for your donations and for shipping all of these amazing products to the island. 
ASA delivered dozens of cases of Golden Farms foods to the Cooperstown Primary school breakfast program and families needing help from social services.  Thank You Ms Vernette Parker for your help with distribution.

Your Donations Provided 
Books  & School Supplies to 145 Students!
While our hearts were heavy with loss during our August trip, we were still able to complete our annual delivery of school books.  And for the first time we also handed out composition books, pens, pencils, folders and back packs to EVERY kid! 

Back to School in September 2022
​The kids of Abaco are finally going back to school in person!  These kids have not been in school full time since the storm in 2019.  On August 21st we headed to Abaco to deliver school books and supplies. 
​We still have many kids that need sponsors. 
Click Here to help a child be able to stay in school! 
​

Summer 2022
We were on the island for 2 weeks earlier this summer.  Pictured (right) we took several of the kids to church, we hosted beach day, and hung out in the community to play games.  
​

NEW School Breakfast Program
Abaco Strong is sponsoring a program to provide FREE breakfast to all students at the schools we serve. 
ASA will be making a donation - if you would like to make a one time donation to this program click here.

First Mission Trip Since 2019
We were so excited to take 14 kids, 2 teachers and 2 work crew members back to Abaco for the first time since Hurricane Dorian and the emergence of COVID.  We had so much fun with the kids and we were also able to do some great projects in the community.​

Abaco - Getting Back to Normal
​
In March, we were finally able to hold our annual mission trip partnering with Hyde Park Schools.  We spent a week serving kids on the island.  We held a sports camp and VBS for 50 kids.  We completed projects in the  community including clearing and sodding a play area, building picnic tables for a community church, setting up a clothing store with donations allowing locals to shop for free and of course Beach Day!

​Community Projects
​
We continue to support efforts to provide a safe place to gather and play close to the community where most of the children live.  Generous donations have allowed us to support an open air structure which will be completed next month. During our trip we cleared and leveled a brushy field and laid 3 truck loads of sod. 
​

Camp was a Hit
​
Sports highlights included lots of soccer games (where kids from the community won them all), wiffle ball, volleyball, dodgeball and an evening basketball game! Fun Indoor and OutWe were thankful to have access to the Urban Ministries building for Camp.  This let us get out of the sun for Polaroids, bracelet making, drawing, tattoos, ring pop walks and of course learning our Bible Verse,
Eph 2:10. 

​Clothing For Over 100 People in The Community 

​A huge thank you to everyone who donated clothing for children and adults of all ages.  The community was so thankful and everyone left with great items!Beach Day Never Gets OldIf the local kids could choose, we would do this every day! 100 Kids, 200 hot dogs, gatorade, cookies, 50 sets of floaties, playing in the cold water and games on the beach ....a tiring but awesome day!

Kids Attend Hybrid School
​
Kids in both primary and high school are now in the classroom at least 2 days per week.  Remote learning continues to be a huge challenge due to lack of access to power and internet connectivity.  We continue to try and assist with tutoring programs to help the kids get caught up.  We are excited that the kids will go back to using traditional workbooks and textbooks in the fall.  Your sponsorships allow us to provide these to the kids!

​Austin Serving Abaco 2021