MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

Nicoll's Town, Andros, Bahamas

January-March 1990

baptized. She understood about immersion but she was living with a man who was not her husband. They haye been together for seven years and have
approached her boyfriend about marriage. After a few months of waiting, he agreed they should be married. Sydney and Helen Scott were married in December and Helen was baptized on her birthday in January of this year. She is delighted with how God has answered her prayers and she has been a great witness to the community. The marriage of Sydney and Helen had a profound influence on two of their friends who had lived together for
Don Joseph, a young Haitian in Dewey's English class, was baptized in January. He is the twin brother of a young Haitian baptized last year. Charlene Bain, one of our teenagers about to graduate from High School,
decided to follow him.

Last summer, one of our faithful attenders asked us about being

five lively boys. We began to pray with Helen about her situation.

She

We hope other couples will see the need to come before God in holy matrimony,
We praise the Lord for these young people who have

twenty years.

Carlis and Bazil Wallace were married the last week of March.

was baptized in March.

In January, the elderly father of one of our members died of malnutrition.

Apparently, he had not eaten for over thirty days. Dewey ministered to Mr. Sumner before his death and attended the funeral. There was much weeping
wailing, and fainting during the eulogy.

local pastors approached the casket and said to the deceased, "Now in the name

At the end of the service one of the

mony, the casket was lowered into the grave.

Bahamians call "dismissing the spirit". At the grave site following the cere

of Jesus you leave here now! And don't you ever come back! We never want to see you in church or walking around the settlement again!" This is what the

It was then sealed with a trowel

pulling a family member's big toe or their reappearance in the home. We are alarmed that Christians would believe these things possible. We have been
teaching about what the Bible reveals about death.

settlement. There are often stories of a dead person "sucking someone's breath",
In March, we greatly enjoyed the visit of our forwarding agent,

and cement while the family watched. There is a prevelent fear that unless the body is sealed in the grave it will rise at night and walk around the

Janice Garrison, and her husband,

sang. They also helped put three turbins on the church roof that will help

jack preached for the church and Janice

home address to avoid anything being delayed or lost.

have been a great encouragement to us over the last six years. Janice has expertly handled our mission business and Jack has always given us excellent advise. Please send any correspondence or donations directly to Janice's
Her address is

ventilate the heat our of the building. These two and their three children

Jim Redmon, the camp director, and his wife, Sarah, were visiting the U.S.A.
A forest fire threatened the camp.

Janice Garrison, 6326 Pine St. , Linglestown, PA 17112 . We spent two weeks in March at the Bahamas Youth Camp in Nassau while

break. Dewey preached at the Golden Gates Church of Christ six times during
that time and we really enjoyed our visit with the congregation there. We thank you all for your generous support and continious prayers.
In His Service,

Fortunately, it did not cross the fire

(ji0.fCK ^Q/iiW

April 1990
MULLIKIN BAHAMA MISSION

Now if we are children,then we are heirs-heirs of God and co

heirs with Christ,if indeed we sh^e in his suffering in order that

we may also share in his glory.

As the forwarding agent,this letter comes to you,to update you on the mission work My husband and I flew to Andros Island,March 5th for a visit with Dewey and Debbieal^During our week stay we beceune very
enlightened about the Mullikins worke

Since they have been om Andros Island they have accomplished a tremendous amount of good We just want to fill you in on some of this
great newso

They have brought revival to the people of the Nicholls Town Church of Christ,the members of the church have taken on a lot of responsibilty of the church work themselves^ Dewey and Debbie,the church people,and the community people have replaced the church roof9
and some of the window frames Dewey and Debbie are in the process of

replacing most of the timbers in the mission house. The mission house has been almost destroyed by termites The church building is poured concrete,so it hasnt been affected by the termites

. pewey and Deb have x^lanted banana trees in their back yardi^ jffhey have become involved in school and community. They have leaQUSadrtio.. dd wiibh,and learned to do without^a lot of things They have .
selves in may precarious positions to convey the message thalpiJpviiQx'is . .
alive and well and that he loves everyone of them. Debbie teaches Aaron and Amber at home now. The children did att

end public school for a length of time. The children seem to be well adjusted and happy. Dewey is teaching three Haitians the English lan guage, the Haitians speak French,Dewey doesnt speak French, they are
all learning from each other.

Dewey and Deb have a full week starting with Sunday, morning and

evening service, Monday Deb has ladies Bible study. Tuesday ^ewey has
mens Bible study. Wednesday is midweek Bible study. Thursday is youth program, usually in the afternoon after school is dismissed. Thursday evening Dewey has English class with the Haitians The Mullikins have acquired many friends over the years, both native Bahamians and people from all over the world. This experience for the Mullikins has been priceless. When you visit with them they
will tell you many tales both pleasamt and unpleasant The day to day living on Andros Island becomes a task for a lot of the people Its not like being in the states where things are readily accessible for use The cost of living is very high, for ex

ample ^Ooz jar of Peter Pan peanut butter we pay 379 for they pay 700

Agallon of drinking water is 600, 6 pack coke 600 Fresh meat and
chicken is almost impossible to find Thank you all for your continued support, please pray for the Mullikins as they continue their mission in the Bahamas

In Christ Service, The forwarding agent

MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

Nicoll's Tomi, Andros, Bahamas

April-May 1990

We hope the Christians back home enjoyed a wonderful Easter Season.

congregation enjoyed participating.

The

Nicoll's Town Church of Christ had Good Friday and Easter services that were well attended. Our choir presented special music and everyone is the We spent one week teaching camp in Nassau in April. We had an oppor tunity to work with 6 other American teachers and approximately 75 Bahamian
campers. Aaron and Amber loved it!

his membership to the Church of Christ in- April.

James Sweeting, a local business man and a baptized believer, transfered

James has great potential

as a leader and has already shown a talent for preaching. He is in a discipleship class and "continues to grow. Please pray for him. There are now several men in the church who are capable of preaching and teaching, but need
to become more consistant in their service.

We enjoyed our Mother's Day Services.

The oldest mother in attendence

was 87 years old and has 27 children, with only four still living. Dewey was invited to preach in the revival services of a neighboring church, the
Gospel Chapel of Nicoll's Town, in May. His sermon on the Great Commission

and teaching the whole Gospel was well received. He and Joseph Oliver have been repairing the windows of the church that have been eaten up by termites.
This is time consuming work. Last February there was a plane crash just off Andros.

Five Nicoll's

Town young adults were killed when their three-seater plane crashed into the deepest part of the Mid-Atlantic known as "the Tongue of the ocean". This plane was accompanied by a second plane. Witnesses stated that the two planes had been joy riding and even flying upside-down just a few feet off the water.

The young people involved had been drinking heavily at a bar on another bay not far from Andros. Two of them were known to be involved in drug trafficking,
They took off for home and one plane never arrived. An extensive search fol

lowed but only a wing and a wheel were found. The settlement suffered a deep depression after this tragedy. A memorial service was held in April to
remember these young people. After the memorial service in a local church, friends and family members boarded boats to go out to the location of the accident and throw flower wreaths into the water. Five small planes were
flying in formation over the boats when one of the over-loaded boats sank

into the sea. Fortunately, there were other boats close enough to rescue the people in the water, many who could not swim and even an infant. During the
following chaos one of the planes barely averted a crash into the local hotel

on the beach.

We have been praying that this accident would open the eyes of

the other young people on the island.

The buildings of the church property have been burglarized three times in the last two weeks. The thief took Dewey's new jig saw. It was new because his old one was stolen a year ago. We think the thief is probably one of the
many cocaine and alcohol addicts that frequent our street. Our next door neighbor is selling cocaine but of her bedroom window. As we sit in our

livingroom we can smell marijuana smoke coming in through the windows. Please continue to pray for our safety and we thank you for your faithful support.
In His Service,
r\

MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

Nicoll's Town, Andros,

Bahamas

"...the one who trusts will never be dismayed."

Isaiah 28:16

We are continually amazed at what God can do for those who trust in Him. In November an eighty-seven year old, blind widow
walked into the cold sea to be buried with her Lord in baptism.

Mrs. Merle Scott is the mother of twenty-seven children. Mrs. Scott realized she needed to be immersed during one of our home

Bible study sessions. She asked her Anglican priest to baptize her but he refused. She turned to Dewey for help and he was happy to baptize her. Since that day her faith has continued to grow. She now plans to have cataract surgery and her doctors feel con fident that her sight will be restored.

Benaby Prosper, one of our Haitian members, was also baptized in November. He is seeking residence and work permit papers so he
can remain in the Bahamas. His sister spent six months in a Bahamian prison because she was here illegally and was eventually deported. We enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day visit from Jim and Sarah Redmon, missionaries in Nassau, New Providence. Jim preached for the church. We were also visited by David Johnson, a Haitian lay minster, in December. Mr. Johnson came at our request to help minister to our Haitian members. The Haitians were delighted to hear the Gospel
in Creole.

Our Christmas program was well attended in spite of the very

cold weather in December. The homes here have no heat and i t was

cold enough to kill the fish in the bay. There was plenty of fresh fish for anyone brave enough to go in the cold sea on a cold day to pick it up with their bare hands.
The Nicoll's Town Church of Christ was visited by the local

burial society on Christmas Eve. The burial society is the lodge whereby paying ones' dues guarantees any member a church funeral
at the time of their death. They have monthly meetings and march

through the community, the men dressed in black and the ladies in white. While Dewey preached a Christmas sermon, the banner carrier
(who was drunk) contimued to sing carols and embarass his associates.

Two lodge members escorted him outside. After they returned to their seats, the spirited caroller crawled back into the church and lay prostate on the sanctuary floor. That's where he spent the rest of
the service, continuing his-singing where he left off.
We wish to thank the Church of Christ, Lancaster,PA for their generous

Christmas gifts and the new Bibles.

We have already given away many of them.

We wish to thank the New Lisbon Christian Church,in Indiana, and the Capital

Area Christian Church, Harrisburg, PA for their Christmas boxes. "Thank You" to everyone who sent us special Christmas donations. These gifts make us realize you are thinking of us and we appreciate your generousity. We are

also grateful to all of you who remember us in prayer. Every family needs sufficient funds, encouragement, and prayer support to keep going physically and to keep growing spiritually. The year of 1989 was a particually hard one for our family and for the mission work here. Dewey, Deborah, Aaron(12) and Amber(9) are all well and very busy. The church continues to grow here on Andros and we pray the same is happening in your home church. Thank you for your faithful
encouragement.

Sincerely in His Service,

Dewey, Deborah,Aaron and Amber

Mullikin

MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

Nicoll's Town, Andros, Bahamas

June-July 1990

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings from the Bahamas! Once again the hot, humid summer has come

to Andros.

Unfortunately, with the beautiful, hot weather comes the threat

of hurricanes.

designed to help anyone improve their reading skills and enjoy a variety of reading materials. This year our director is Ms. Wendy Bowleg. Wendy has
made plans to be baptized this coming Sunday.

Along with the summer comes the church's annual reading program.

It is

We are so thankful for all our

church ladies. They are very faithful in their attendance, offerings, and service including Communion preparation, special music, teaching and cleaning.
Two of the Bahamian men, Brother Willie Pickstock and Brother James

Sweeting, are helping with the preaching. Brother Sweeting is also helping with the youth group that swells between 30 and 50 young people each week. Three of the Haitian men in our congregation minister through their special
music in two languages. Brother Joseph Oliver (Uncle Joe) still continues

and academic problems concerning our children. Aaron {12\ yrs) and Amber(9^yrs) Some problems are due to the fact that they are living in a culture where they
are not easily accepted by their peers. Also, a large percentage of the population is dominated by the drug trafficers, sellers, and users. The have adapted well but as they grow older their problems become more intense.

to help with the maintanence of the buildings even at the age of 86. The mission work has been both a challenge and a blessing. We love and cherish our friends here on Andros, but we have been troubled by the social

has not.

church people have always been kind and supportive when much of the community
We are concerned that our children are in constant, close contact

with people who use alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.

We are also concerned that Aaron and Amber are not getting what they need academically. The Junior High/High School has had two episodes of gun play this year between two feuding groups. The fighting involves whole families, parents and children. The police seem to be intimidated by the superior gun power of the drug families. The drug traffickers also get better community
support than the police do.
a long period of time.

We feel it would be dangerous to send our children

to this school, but the isolation of home schooling would not be healthy over
After much prayer and soul searching, we have decided to take Aaron and

Amber back to the United States.* We feel a sense of disappointment as well as a sense of relief. We believe this is the best thing we can do in the
present situation.

We all will be retiurning to the U.S.A. on July 28, 1990.

God's guidance about where we should relocate.

For a short

418 Wood St., Maysville, KY 41056, Ph // 606-564-5284. We are praying for

summary of the mission work as well as answer your questions, pleas6 write us.
Town.
We ask that you continue to pray for the Church of Christ here in Nicoll's They love the Lord and live in trying circumstances.

time, we will be staying with Dewey's parents, Bronson and Betty Mullikin,

If your church wishes to schedule a time for us to come and give you a

We wish to thank the Fork Christian Church of Maryland for their care

support over the years has served as an inspiration and source of strength to us. May God bless each of you for your partnership in this work and your love for
our family.
Sincerely,

package. It was very kind of you. We are so thankful for all our supporters.

Your generous and faithful

MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

Nicoll's Town, Andros, Bahamas Dewey, Deborah, Aaron and Amber Mullikin

Forwarding Agent:
Janice Garrison 6326 Pine Street

Newsletter Agent:
Jeri Paddock 1435 Carrollton Ave.

Linglestown, PA 17112
Summary 1986 - 1990

Salem, VA

24153

The Church of Christ in Nicoll's Town has gradually been growing over the last four years, We arrived in 1986 to find twelve people attending worship services once per week. Our attendance is now approximately 35-40 people made up of Bahamians, Haitians, occasionally a Guyanese gentleman and his daughter, and our American family. There was an Indian family worshipping with us until
they moved to Nassau last year.

The membership, to our knowledge, consists of 13 men, 16 women, 5 boys, and 4 girls who are all baptized believers. There are approximately 20 children
and several adults who attend who are not immersed.
on another island.

Not everyone is active at

the same time and some are occasionally gone in order to work or go to school

We offer ten weekly services including those similar to your own church services such as Sunday School, Worship, Choir, Youth Meetings, Prayer Meetings, Ladies' and Men's separate Bible studies. We also offer English classes to our Haitian members, a reading program and free piano lessons. We have had three different home Bible studies, revivals. Video Doctrine Programs, Vacation Bible School, Christmas and Easter Programs, Sign Language classes, and child dedications. As a family we have been involved in the local school system, P.T.A., various community and church services her in Nicoll's Town and Lowe Sound (another settlement in North Andros). We have also had opportiinities to help at the Bahamas Youth Camp and the Golden Gates Church of Christ in Nassau, New Providence Island. We have helped the members repair their church roof, doors, and several windows, added turbins, repair and add on to the mission house as well as paint both buildings. The Nicoll's Town Church of Christ has had 19 baptisms, 15 rededications and 2 transferrals of membership between November 1986 and July 1990. We have been happy to see most of these believers contunue in their spiritual growth and broaden their service. Bibles hgve been given to those who need them.

Our goal has always been and still is to encourage our Bahamian friends to take responsibility for their church. We pray that the growth we have seen will continue. We know the Christians here have the ability to lead and serve. We pray they will have the courage to develop their abilities and trust God for the blessings that follow obedient service. We have learned more than we could tell you. Even when we have made mis takes, God had used us in our weakness. We have enjoyed this mission field but it has been very difficult at times. Please continue to pray for the Christians in Nicoll's Town, They love the Lord under very difficult circum
stances.

We thank the Lord for His many blessings. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Nothing could have been accomplished without God's help and your dedicated partnership.
Sincerely,

"^1

cS

MULLIKIN BAHAMA CHRISTIAN MISSION

NICOLL^S TOWN

ANDROS, BAHAMAS

November 1, 1990

Dear Christian friends,

Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age"!
dear friends, and supporting churches are growing in the 1'have been so blessed to have such faithful and dedicated supporters as

Greetings to all from the Mullikin family. We pray that all of our

We mention-^d in our July letter that we were returning to the Now in this letter we would like to let you know how the Lord has been
working in our lives since our return.

you. This is the last Mullikin Bahama Christian Mission newsletter.

On September 12, 1990 I was hired as the minister of the Embreeville Church of Christ, Rt.l Box 634-A, Erwin, Tn. 37650.

The
,

church is located in the mountains of east Tennessee, just twenty miles from Johnson City. Tn. We really feel blessed by God

found.such a loving and caring congregation as Embreeville. We move into the parsonage around the 21st of the month. Since thM our live have changed drasticially. We have had to buy winter clothes, glov , and hats! Aaron and Amber have made new friends irt the ^ . school. They both enjoy having their own rooms. Aaron and Amber na
had to work hard at school this first six weeks.
progressing nicely. I'm sure they will do fine.

But they are both

I recently heard from the Redmons in Nassau- They related to me by phone that the Nicoll's Town Church of Christ is doing good. ro. Sweeting and Bro- Willie Pickstock are still doing the preaching. in

as well as numerically. Please continue to pray for ^ they faithfully minister to the congregation there. Bro. Willie ana
his family are living in the parsonage now since their house burnea
fire.

Nicoll's Town Church of Christ continues to grow in spiritual matters

down.- We are so thankful that they were not injured in that terriDX

agent, Janice Garrison.

Please do not send any more support checks to our forwarding

we are ministering to a local congregation.

send' your checks directly to:

We are not in need of your support now thai:

Janice has informed me
Ms. Neila Dames
Nicoll*s Town

you would like to continue to support the work in Nicoll s

General Delivery

that if she receivfes any more checks she W3,ll just return ^hem.

own p

Andros, Bahamas

Ms. Dames is the treasurer for the Nicoll's Town Church of Christ. She will see that your check is deposited into the church account at the bank. The congregation can use and would appreciate any amount
you can send them-

Thanks again for all your prayers and financial support " over the last five years- May God richly bless you and your families

throughout 1990 and 1991. Comei and see us when you can our phone
number is 615-743-3321-

Sincerely,
Aaron ,

Dewey, Deborah
Amber

Va/