Angels Watching Over Me

As I (Estela) arrived at the church to meet with the women on Tuesday morning, Elsa met me at the door and said, “Madam Daniel, you know that even though I am not a Christian yet, God looks over me and I think that is because we take time to pray for each other everyday.” Then she added, “I was supposed to be in this group that had the tragedy last Sunday night on the ocean. But because I missed my connection with the guy who was planning the trip, I had to stay and now fifteen of them have drowned, three are in the hospital, and ten are still missing.”

Elsa was referring to the small migrant boat that capsized Sunday night en route from Nassau to Bimini, a story that had dominated the airwaves since it first broke on Monday morning. Like so many who have gone before them, these migrants were using Nassau as a jumping off point to get to the “promised land” of the United States. Many of them came to the Bahamas from Haiti years ago and had finally saved up enough money to make the last and final leg of their trip. For most, it turned out to be a dream that would not come true.

Please pray for the families of those people who lost their lives, many of them who don’t yet know whether or not their loved one is dead. Pray for the many children who have been orphaned by this tragedy. Pray for the salvation of Elsa. And pray for us, that we might be able minister effectively to Elsa and the many other women like her.

For more information about this tragedy, see the Bahama Journal or the Nassau Guardian.

This story was written by my wife Estela Schweissing for the 26 April 2008 edition of News from Daniel and Estela Schweissing. The painting, titled "Hope I - Haitian Boat Migration" was done by P. Neko Meicholas, a local Bahamian artist.