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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Grand Bahama
The Freeport News - Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas - Despite the trying economic times which are causing many businesses to close their doors, Frank Outten, the proprietor of Frank's Ice Cream, has found sufficient success with his current two locations in the downtown area and has opened a third at the Port Lucaya Market-place. During a brief ceremony yesterday at the store, Outten expressed his thanks to God for blessing him and allowing his business to prosper over the years. The businessman explained that he was involved in a bad accident in June 1998 in which his Jeep Cherokee turned over five times.
Once he recovered, Outten said the Holy Spirit pointed him in the direction of an old ice cream truck that was sitting in his yard, and so his business began. Since then, he said, it has been a long but satisfying journey. He opened the first location of the store on Queens Highway in 2000 and moved into the second location in approximately 2003. Now, with a total of 10 new employees at this latest branch, Outten said his business has surpassed even his own expectations. He explained that the idea to expand came to him during one of his prayer and fasting sessions. "The Lord said Go for it, the sky is the limit," he said. "He is not a God of fear, he is a God of faith. Although I look in the kitty jar and I don't see it, I believe in Him so much that He will make it possible... so I don't worry about it." His aim, he said, is to simply be obedient. That obedience, he added, has brought him great reward him in the past.
"I step out on faith... Sometimes I look at it with my finite mind and I would have never even opened it up, but the Lord said, 'go for it.'" The official opening of the third location coincided with Outten's annual Bible Quiz Awards Ceremony. For the third consecutive year, Outten had children between the ages of 5-21 study the Bible and take an examination. The highest scorers took home some valuable prizes including laptop computers, cellphones and cash prizes and all participants walked away with school supplies. The businessman explained that when he first began the Bible quiz a few years ago at the back of his ice cream store, there were less than 50 kids participating. "After so many years, it got greater and greater and the prizes became bigger," he said, noting that nearly 500 persons had registered for this year's competition.
The overall winner, 18-year-old Nuelta Baptiste took home a 2003 red Chevy Cavalier car, plus $1,000, a laptop computer and school supplies. The other first place winners in the various categories, who also took home $1,000 and other prizes were Sanchia Roberts, Keith Bullard Jr., Letitia Bullard, Peter Gray, Demetrius Symonette and Ruth Chan. The second place winners included Samia Rampersad, Mickayla Kemp, Danesha Jennings, Hilniqua Gibson, Husani Newbold, Lyndera Hall, and Glendelle Woodside while the third place winners were Mia Stubbs, Shandera Haley, John Chan, Joshua Condell, Christine Clarke, Ariel Russell and Tasega Hanna.
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