Lex is back in Haiti. PHEW!!!! Many thanks to all of you who prayed for me to make it through those eleven days. I DID! My heartfelt gratitude to all of you who took such good care of Lex while he was in New England, too. I asked for a picture of Lex in the snow and I got one with our little man, Nathan. I thought you might enjoy it, too.
Many of you took the time and energy to get some OTC medicines to Lex before he came back. Thank you so much! They are all now in the pharmacy and being handed out, as needed. Lex was also able to locate some needed items and get them to the shipper in Boston. We look forward to receiving them here in Haiti within the next couple of months.
Laptops
Mark teaches the students how to clean the laptops
We are so grateful to Child in Hand for bringing One Laptop per Child to MOHI this week! Adam Holt and Mark Battley, along with their interns, Junior and Elisabeth, spent four days working with twenty of our students. I was disappointed that a few of our students chose not to participate in the training, but we replaced them with those that were a little more interested. By the end of the first day these kids were just on fire. I’m not sure what they thought computers were about, but they discovered lots of fun things about them. They got some basics down, like washing your hands before using a laptop, how to plug them in and turn them on, how to use the keyboard and mouse. Once they went through all of that they were ready to give the laptops names and begin playing some educational games, so that they could grow accustomed to finer details of operating the mouse.
The second day the students spent at the missionary compound, which is located right on the shore. It may have been a bit distracting for them during class time, but they sure enjoyed it. Now that we have a bus (thanks to our friends in Akron at The Chapel!) it was easy to get everyone to this out-of-the-way location. Now the students were taking photographs and video clips using the laptops, as well as learning to draw.
Learning about cartoon-making with Mark
Using laptops under the “choukoun”
What’s with the crowd? Ah, taking pictures of the scenery.
Over the next couple of days the students worked on several projects. I’ve included pictures of some of the work below.
Emmanuel
Peterson
Elange
Soiline
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Junior and Elisabeth will be spending two days per week working with our new computer club, as we give these twenty the opportunity to really explore with the laptops and begin inviting their friends to join them. Eventually, we hope to have the laptops become an integral part of some of our classes in the school. Mark has cautioned us to be patient, as even in the USA it took many years before that became a reality. In the meantime, those who really want to expand their knowledge and computer capabilities are able to do so.
Friends from Afar
The Winchendon School presented Lex with a t-shirt.
It’s such a joy when we have visitors from back in the States and other countries, too. This week Forward in Health stopped in with a team from the Winchendon School. Our family’s first town of residence in New England was Winchendon, so it was extra special to meet them.
Robin, Rod and Trinity Akin
Rod Akin, who was working with Samaritan’s Purse when we started constructing the new school, arrived yesterday with his wife Robin and their daughter, Trinity. They are from Idaho and have been anticipating coming for a visit for quite some time now. Rod searched for and found the “Passion of the Christ” in French and shared it with a church full of folks last night. This morning he shared a Bible message with the church.
Kim Conrad
Kim Conrad is back. Kim was our first contact in Akron, OH and has been here several times. The last time was for three months. She is working full time in Cleveland now as an airplane mechanic, so her time is more limited than it was back then. Kim was very involved in the foundation construction on the school. She hauled more buckets of dirt and concrete than you could imagine. She has been a great encouragement to us and a very hard worker over the years. We’re so excited to have her back for a few days.
Anne Hergt
Anne Hergt, from Beyern, Germany is a nurse by profession. She has been “holding down the fort” while Angela is away. What a blessing to have someone on site to care for the sick and injured. I love seeing Anne enjoying just sitting with the children, like I saw her this morning.
Jordan Alexander has been with us for almost two months now. He’s become one of the family. I love this picture of him and Kristy this morning…
Jordan and Kristie
We are looking forward to Will Coley, our fellow earthquake survivor, returning next month with a team from Massachusetts. They will be constructing a house for a family in need of a home. I’m really excited about this project. I’ll be sure to get you some pictures of it!
Easter Sunday
In America it’s common for people who hardly ever go to church to make sure they attend on Easter Sunday. In Haiti, it’s often a time of the lowest attendance. Doesn’t that seem bizarre? Big holidays in Haiti, such as Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, are times for being social. These are the times that people go visiting. Some of these holidays the streets are busy all night long. Many times people in the city hike out to the mountains to visit family, god-parents and childhood friends. Sometimes the mountain folks hike to the cities for the same reason.
Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time at church this morning. As I said previously, Rod Akin brought the message. Our youth choir sang a couple of songs. Kelly, the Digicel Star (Haiti version of American Idol) from Grand-Goâve shared a beautiful song that he wrote about wanting God to take the lead in his life. Let me share more about this morning via photos…
Some of my babies
Worship Team
Mackenson on sound
Percussion
Musicians
Youth Choir
End of message
Great Service! Time to go home.
Construction
It was a short work week because of the holiday, but we still managed to make some more progress. More finish plaster in the ground level rooms, painting and touch-ups and some hand-hauled gravel in front of the building are some of what happened this week.
Jordan and Samuel touching up the paint
Together
Lex & Renée Edmé
Lex and I are so grateful for so many wonderful friends and partners that are working together with us, making things happen in Haïti. Thank you one and all. None of this would be happening without you. Each and every one of you are critical to this mission. Thank you for your faithfulness in praying, sharing the vision and good reports, and making donations.
If you are standing on the sidelines, watching the action, I encourage you to take a leap of faith with us. Pray for the people we come in contact each day, for our staff, students and missionaries. For as little as $10/month you can become a class sponsor in our school. Come to Haiti and see for yourself the incredible work that is being done and put your hand to the plow with us. Share what you’ve learned about MOHI with your friends, family and business associates. Post this blog on your facebook page…
James 2:17 (KJV) reads “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” Don’t wait to do something grandiose. Do something little. God grows amazing, huge trees from the tiniest of seeds. You never know what doing your little part, faithfully, will cause to happen.
If you’re feeling inspired to help, please contact us or make a donation. Big or small, material or spiritual – don’t stand on the sidelines any longer. Be a part of Mission of Hope International in a real and tangible way!
“He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” ~Luke 6:48
I used to work in construction, MANY years ago; roofing, siding, decks, additions… Although I’m certainly not a seasoned professional, I always felt like I knew a bit about construction. That is, until we started building the school in Thozin. This has been a whole new ball of wax! It seemed to take forever to get the foundation in place. Once that was done, the walls just flew up. That was enjoyable. Now the finish work is like returning to the foundation again. There are just so many details to take care of!
The team from One Laptop Per Child arrived today. We looked at the room that will be the library/computer lab and I got excited. Once Lex is back, we’ll sit down and talk about the electrical installation in that room and furniture that will make the best use of the room and computer storage.
If you follow up on Facebook (mission of hope international) you know that I’m all excited about the flower beds we built in front of the school. Yesterday we planted some plants, as you can see below.
Flower beds are planted
School Happenings
This past week our students were taking their exams for this period. Next week will be vacation for all but twenty of our students. Those twenty, ages seven to seventeen, will spend four days in a training seminar with One Laptop Per Child, learning how to use the new XO laptops. I spent some time with the training team today and I’m confident the kids are going to have a blast! We’re excited to have children from the Hands and Feet Project and Be Like Brit represented in the mix. Our hope is to find leaders among these children who will in turn help to teach others how to navigate this new tool.
A Haitian Story
Jon Brennan, “How Great is Our God!”
We had a wonderful time in church this morning. We’re grateful to the Hands and Feet Project for sharing Jon Brennan and Daryl Brown (BridgePoint Chruch, St. Petersburg, FL) with us this morning. Jon ministered to us in music. It was so wonderful to look around the church and see the people really engaged in the song “How Great is Our God.” Most of them knew the chorus in English and joined in singing with him.
Daryl is an American who spent years living in Haiti, so he is very fluent in Haitian Creole. His message to the church was significant and I believe we will be referring to it regularly as the years go by.
Daryl Brown tells the story of TiMalice and Bouki
Daryl read from Ephesians 4:17-32 and told us a Haitian story. Some of the people knew the story, but many (myself included) did not.
Ti Malice built a beautiful, strong house to live in. His friend Bouki came by to visit and was so impressed with the house that he felt he must have it. He offered to buy it on several occasions, but Ti Malice never wanted to sell it. Finally Bouki offered Ti Malice $40,000 for his house. Ti Malice calculated that he could build a new house for about a quarter of that price.
Ti Malice finally told Bouki that he would sell him the house, but with one condition. Ti Malice would have one nail in the house that would remain for him. The whole rest of the house would be fore Bouki, except for that nail. Bouki agreed, gave him the money and Ti Malice went and built another house.
After quite some time in his new house, Ti Malice became dissatisfied. He missed his old house. He wanted it back, but didn’t see how he could get it. Then an idea came to him. He found a dead dog in the street and put it in a sack. He tied the sack up and that night snuck into Bouki’s house and hung the sack on his nail. The next morning, Bouki awoke to a horrible scent. He searched until he found the dead dog hanging from the nail. Bouki couldn’t do anything about the dog, because that was Ti Malice’s nail and he had no right to touch it. Eventually, Bouki couldn’t handle the smell any longer and he moved out of the house. After he moved, Ti Malice went back to his old house. He took disposed of the dog, cleaned the house and moved back in.
Daryl used this story as a great example of what Ephesians 4:27 says, “Neither give place to the devil.” All it takes is one little nail to open the door for your life to be subject to unbearable stench. I imagine we will be exhorting each other all the time: “Don’t give the devil a nail!”
One of the things I love about going to church, is seeing all my babies!
Here are a few more pictures from this morning:
music and worship
UN Dinner
UN Peacekeepers in our area are mostly from the country of Sri Lanka. Over the years we have made many friends among their commanders and officers. The are usually stationed here for about 6 months. The current contingent will be leaving later this week. One of the majors came by to invite Pastor Lex to their a small dinner party they were throwing to say good bye to the friends they’d made here. Lex, of course is not here, so he invited me. I, of course, don’t travel alone – especially at night and all the way into Leogane. The major was happy to have us all come, so Alexis, A. Jay, Gama, Jordan, Anne and I all headed to Leogane for a very multicultural evening.
Just for the record, that’s apple juice that A. Jay’s drinking!
Lex heads back to Haiti this week. PHEW!!! Please remember him in prayer. Thank you!
Lex headed to Massachusetts on Friday. Saturday a friend asked me if I missed him. I suddenly became bi-polar. Part of me thought, “he JUST left yesterday!” and the other part said, “OHHHHH do I miss him.” Now, our kids have said recently that we’re “lovey dovey,” but that is NOT the reason I was missing him. The REAL reason had nothing to do with feelings and everything to do with responsibilities. When Lex is here I can make decisions, but I can always just give my opinion and let Lex make the decision – which is often my preference.
The kids and I dropped Lex off Friday morning. Immediately I had the responsibility to get one of the vehicles repaired, which meant doing what I needed to do quickly, because Pastor Hakine was waiting for me to bring him money for the repair. Part of what I was doing was picking up some items at a grocery store in the mountains overlooking the capitol. I hardly ever go to the city, so when I do, I usually will go to the grocery store – it’s like being in America for an hour every few months! This particular time, however, we managed to get stuck in the store’s elevator!!! I was glad it was only Jordan, Alexis, A. Jay and I, so we could tell jokes until someone opened the door for us.
The boat was getting swamped
The traffic was terrible, so we didn’t get back to Grand-Goâve until about 5pm. Around six I get a phone call from Alexis, down at the guest house. ”Mom, the boat is full of water and the ocean is too wild for anyone to get to it. There’s nothing we can do…” In my mind, I see the boat full of water with just the railing sticking over the top of the ocean. The reality was that the ocean was throwing it around like a ping pong ball, so the back of it was full of water a lot of the time. Now I have to decide what to do about the boat. I make some phone calls and gather some men together to go get the boat. I think to myself, “I’ll stay here and let them handle it, so we can fit an extra guy in the car, since I won’t be much help pull the boat out.” But then it occurs to me that someone has to make decisions – decisions that Lex would normally make. If I don’t go and something goes wrong, it’s totally MY fault. YIKES! I go down to the ocean. We had a about 20 guys there and were able to get the boat to safety. It was good that I went, because I was able to make more decisions. I got to enforce my decisions, too… ”Yes, I know you think it’ll be alright here, but it’s much easier to push it up another 25 yards right now than it will be in the middle of the night when someone realizes the ocean flooded this area and the boat is in the water again!” ”I know it’s not really necessary to tie it to the trees, but it’s not really that difficult and if there WERE to be unusual circumstances, it would keep the boat from floating away.”
I miss Lex a lot when he’s gone, because the decisions I have to make are a lot different from “which email am I going to respond to first?”
Computers
Today I had the privilege of meeting with our friends from Child in Hand and One Laptop per Child. In just over a week, a team from OLPC will be coming to train twenty of our students on laptops. I’m so excited – you have NO idea!!! One of the things that they may be learning about is investigative reporting – using the laptop to take pictures and make a cartoon of a story they witnessed. Perhaps the children at MOHI will one day be publishing a newspaper for the school or maybe even for the city. How cool is that? I really appreciated the conversations I had with Adam Holt, the country director for Haïti. It was obvious to me that he wasn’t a novice in international affairs and working within the Haitian culture. I am looking forward to the training and working with OLPC long-term.
Friends
Tim, Renée, Ginger and Emery
We met Emery and Jeannita Gaudet when our kids were little. Whenever we were Stateside during “yard sale weather” we would go to yard sales. I was a major book-aholic. I would read to my children daily and as they began learning to read I wanted to have books available for them. Lex, of course would always look for things like used tools. Emery and Jeannita hold an annual yard sale to benefit an organization they work with here in Aquin and so when we came upon their place in Leominster, MA we had a lot to talk about. Last year Emery helped on the school construction and the Be Like Brit orphanage. It was great to see him today and to make a couple of new friends – Ginger and Tim.
Children and Music
Church in Thozin this morning was full of all sorts of praise and worship. I put some video clips together so that you could enjoy a glimpse of the diversity.
We have so many beautiful children in the church. I just have to share pictures of some of them with you…
Music was already playing when Kristy arrived. She was really entering into His temple with thanksgiving and praise this morning!
Woud is safe in the arms of her cousin, Figenia.
Lovena likes the camera
Stanley, Kendy’s baby brother, is feeling all grown up these days. He actually sat on my lap during the service this morning!
They are precious in His sight!
School Construction
The school is transforming before my eyes! As the painting progresses, we are starting to see just how beautiful this school will be. This week we started building flower beds in front of the building. They are being built out of the local green rocks we see here in Grand-Goâve. Do you like them?
Our family came to Haiti with a vision to begin Mission of Hope in March of 2000. Thirteen years later, here we are still, but the vision has expanded into more than we could ever have imagined! The impact of this ministry has grown, as have the challenges. Hopefully, over the years we have been able to convey the positive impact more than the challenges.
Do you ever look back on the circumstances of life that were so difficult to go through and rejoice that God brought you through? I do so often. Sometimes, like when dealing with the death of a loved one, I remember the intense pain I felt and I can thank God for having dulled that pain and strengthening me to keep on going. Other times I outright LAUGH at how immense a problem seemed at the time and realize how I would be so fortunate to have such little issues come up against me now.
First year teaching staff at MOHI in Thozin – some of them are still with us, thirteen years later!
That first year of school we had so much difficulty navigating the expectations of our staff and community. We came from America, so everyone knew we were extremely wealthy. The reality was that we shipped our pick up truck with a few belongings in it and gave most everything else we owned away. We took our income tax refund and flew to Haiti. We had enough money to rent a house for the year and build a thatch building in which to start the school and church. After that we learned, through experience, just what walking in faith (sometimes barely crawling!) would feel like.
One time, we had gone back to the States to raise money and a few of our staff decided it was time to overthrow us and take over the mission. Those poor souls. They had NO idea what they were trying to do. We never knew where their next paycheck was coming from. I remember thinking, “Well, Lord. If they have the means to pay everyone, I don’t mind if they take over! Can they???” Of course, that wasn’t God’s plan, but it did help to establish the attitude that I still have today: ”If it’s not God building the mission, if it’s not HIS will for us to be here, I am not interested in being here!” Seriously, I can’t imagine trying to do this in our own strength. Talk about impossible!!!
That’s just one of the challenges that I can laugh about today. At the time it seemed like my world was falling apart. We lost staff and people left the church. What’s really fascinating though, is how our church in Thozin just exploded after that incident. And the general feeling in the church was one of freedom. God brought such transformation into our midst. Things have never been the same since.
Many of us have gone through great challenges in our lives. The difficult ones are NEVER enjoyable. Making it through and overcoming those challenges changes our lives forever. One of my lifetime favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We face so many opportunities in life to throw in the towel and quit. When our circumstances are out of control and any redemption seems totally impossible – when bad things happen to good people – that’s when we need to perk up our ears and open our eyes, expecting to see the remarkable creation God brings forth out of that desolate place. Some circumstances will not change, but just maybe God has a plan for ME to change – to become so much more than I ever thought possible. After all, it’s you and me that really interest HIM, not the current circumstances.
Miraculous Testimony
MOHI church in St. Etienne
This morning at the church in St. Etienne, a man from Jeremy (tip of the southern peninsula of Haiti) who was unknown to anyone present, shared with the church what God had done for him this weekend. I apologize if this sounds choppy, I’m having to translate from Kreyol…
Five years ago Daniel had consumed a drink that someone had poisoned. Just minutes after he drank it, he could no longer speak. He visited every hospital and doctor recommended to him by anyone and everyone, but after five years was still unable to speak with his wife, children or anyone else.
Recently, a neighbor encouraged him to visit a particular ministry in Port-au-Prince that has a reputation as a healing center. He and his wife worked hard to come up with the $250HT required to register and get to Port-au-Prince. Finally, he and a neighbor who lives in Jeremy, but is from St. Etienne, left on the long journey to Port-au-Prince. They decided to sleep at the friend’s house in St. Etienne Thursday night, leaving again Friday evening to head to Port-au-Prince (-apparently this particular ministry is open 24/7 and they were planning to arrive at night time). They got on a taptap (Haitian public transportation) and headed out. The vehicle broke down unexpectedly, right in front of the MOHI church in St. Etienne. The driver refunded everyone’s fare and told them to try to find another ride.
At this time, Daniel’s friend realized that he had left his phone at home. He sat Daniel down on the side of the road in front of the church and headed back home to get his phone. It so happened that as is their custom, the church had gathered for their Friday night prayer service. Daniel sat listening to the church praying and thought to himself, “I’m on my way to be prayed for and healed all the way in Port-au-Prince, and here these people are already praying. Why do I need to go to Port-au-Prince? I can receive the same healing here that I am looking for in Port-au-Prince.” As soon as he finished his thought he fell asleep. He thought he’d slept for about ten minutes, when he suddenly awoke and discovered that he was able to speak again.
Daniel was obviously overwhelmed with his discovery. The people were still praying fervently inside the church. He thought he should go inside and tell everyone what had happened to him, but then he realized he wasn’t dressed appropriately to go inside. (Haitian culture frowns on going to church in shorts, which is what he was wearing.) He was eager to surprise his wife, so he decided to head back home to Jeremy.
When Daniel arrived in Grand-Goâve, it was very late and difficult to find a vehicle to take him home, so he slept in Grand-Goâve. Once asleep, he saw a man calling to him to come talk with him. In the dream, he went to him and the man said to him, “How is it that you are going all the way home without even thanking the church or testifying to what God has done for you? Go back and tell the church their prayers arrived in front of me and their names are written in the book of life. The only thing is, they are not tithing. Tell them for me, they have to pay 10% on everything they bring in and I will bless them.”
Pastor Hakine and our new friend, Daniel
In the morning, Daniel returned to St. Etienne and stayed at his friend’s house for the night. This morning he came to the church early and shared with Pastor Hakine what had happened. Pastor Hakine asked him to tell the church about it. He told Pastor Hakine that he would testify, but he was so eager to get home to surprise his wife that he would not be staying for the service. Pastor Hakine agreed and Daniel told the church what I’ve told you. He finished his testimony by saying that he didn’t have any money, but that he was going home and next month he would return with his own tithe to give the church. He said he didn’t have any money left, at all, but that he was trusting God that each vehicle that stopped to pick him up would allow him free passage. He thanked Pastor Hakine, turned and walked quickly out of the church. A couple of the working men in the church literally ran after him to give him money to pay his way home.
The way he left the church further convinced the people that his testimony was true. Churches in Haiti, as I imagine is the case many countries, are accustomed to people trying to “shake them down” – going from church to church telling a fictitious story of woe to play on people’s emotions in order to get money. Daniel was only interested in high tailing it out of there so he could show his wife what the Lord had done for him.
Whether we all agree with his doctrine or not, I think we can all rejoice with him that he was dumb and now he speaks! Praise God!
St. Etienne School
Donated food from Food for the Poor
I talk a lot about our main school in Thozin, because that’s where I live, but there are plenty of good things happening at our St. Etienne School, too. Jordan spent a day with our school kids there this week and brought back some great pictures to share with you. Just like in Thozin, the kids are so precious. The teachers and students work hard in somewhat less than desirable conditions. We thank God for providing a roof over their heads, benches to sit on and food to eat. This week MOHI was blessed with a food donation from Food for the Poor, that will help ensure the kids are nutritionally prepared to learn at school each day.
MOHI students in St. Etienne
School Construction Update
New paint on the school and smashing the concrete trough, as we come to the end of pouring concrete
We continue to make progress on the new school building at MOHI in Thozin, Grand-Goâve, Haïti. The finish work is much more tedious than putting up walls and yet my excitement is growing day by day, as I imagine the students and staff moving into the school in just a couple more months. My spirit soared as I watched the men take turns smashing the concrete trough they made all those months ago in which to dump the concrete from the mixer. Knowing that we’re coming to the end of the concrete work is just exhilarating. I’ve noticed an excitement growing among the students this week, as the outside of the building is being painted. I hope you are excited to see the progress, too. Please do keep supporting this project with your prayers and financial donations. Thank you!
Burn Baby
Totou’s healing arm
Totou’s arm is almost back to normal now. He has one little spot on his wrist where he was burned the worst that is still healing, but as you can see in this picture, the rest of his arm is returning to normal. I can’t thank all the medical staff who worked on him enough for impacting this young boy’s life so dramatically. Thank you!
Thozin
Pastor Edon preached a lively message about love this morning. It was broadcast live on Hope FM 106.3, MOHI’s radio station. Yesterday, since there was no school, they put a speaker out into the yard, so everyone could hear the radio station. As we arrived in the yard, and at different points throughout the day, I witnessed construction workers and little children alike swaying to the beat. Funny thing is, there wasn’t much shouting going on during the day. *Happy!*
After two intense medical teams, back to back, I think all of us were looking forward to a little breather – not that it happened, mind you. It was a great week of catching up on some communications and perhaps even expanding the vision a bit. We work with some really great folks, both Haitian and foreign, who don’t like to rest on their laurels. It’s good to be with people who encourage you to keep pressing forward.
There were two extraordinarily exciting announcements that came our way this week…
Maike and Stuart love the children!!!
Stuart Rankin and Maike Kraft, our friends from Sturbridge, MA and Flensburg, Germany, have announced their engagement. We are thrilled for them! They were here with us at MOHI in Haiti during the tragic earthquake in 2010. They both have been such a blessing to this mission over the years. I asked one of our workers if she remembered them and she said, “Yes, I remember Maike and Stubacha.” (Our term of endearment for Stuart.) I feel like all of Grand-Goâve is rejoicing over this news. We wish them a life full of happiness and all manner of blessings!
Kevin & Tammy Groder in Haiti February 2013
Our good friends Pastor Kevin and Tammy Groder made it official this week. They are moving to Haiti to pursue full time ministry here. They will be partnering with MOHI, while pursuing their goals in the area of business, evangelism, Bible school and church planting. We are excited for them as they takes the necessary steps to transition into their new home at the missionary compound. What a blessing it will be to work full time with our brother and sister who know us so well.
(left to right) Gama (BLB), Renée & Lex (MOHI), Faith, Angie, Glory (HAFP), Bobby (LCM), Michelle and Andrew (HAFP).
We enjoyed a special dinner (thanks to Len Gengel!) with our friends from Be Like Brit, the Hands and Feet Project and Lifeline Christian Mission. We are so blessed to have special friends here in Haiti that can truly relate to each other. We each understand “some” of the nuances of our simple (yet very complicated) lives, here on foreign soil. Some things just can’t be explained fully enough for our family and friends back home to understand and yet the people we minister to may consider these things as normal and not understand why we react the way we do. We really do appreciate Len opening his doors to all of us.
Emery (far right) stops in for a visit with a group heading to Aquin, south of GG
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We met Emery and Jeannette Gaudet many years ago, now. They were having a yard sale to benefit an outreach in Aquin, Haiti and we were missionaries going to yard sales looking for used books and cheap deals to bring back to Haiti with us. Since then Emery has been stopping by at MOHI on his way to Aquin each year. Last year he spent some time helping with the foundation for the school. He was happy today to see the building in person, after following the progress all year long.
HOPE FM 106.3 returned on the air this weekend. Sometimes things that should be so simple are so difficult to get done here. With a new antenna and some other minor repairs, I was listening to great music yesterday. It’s always “pumped” into the yard for everyone to enjoy and it reaches into my office without any difficulty. (If you know anything about Haïti, you know we LOVE music and the louder the better!)
Back on the Air!
Bye Bye Marcy
Renord, Marcy and Toto
Marcy has been with us in Haïti for the past two months and will be heading home to Pennsylvania this week. She has been involved in gardening, medical clinic, teaching English and has been a willing set of hands to pitch in. We pray she has a great harvest this summer back home. Hopefully the worst of the cold is over already. Thanks, Marcy!
Angela and Nathan have gone back to the States for 5 weeks. We’ve known since October that it was coming, but it’s never fun to say goodbye for such a long time. We’ll stay in touch, though, as Angela continues to look out for our burn baby (see updates below).
Construction Continues
This week we had a good size crew working on the new school, pouring floors, applying finish plaster and painting. For some reason, I am just thrilled every time I look out my office window and see the concrete floor in the entryway of the school. There’s still a ways to go, so if you’d like to impact Haitian kids with a quality education, please consider donating to complete phase 1 of this project. Thank you!
PB & PB
More peanut butter for the preschoolers (ages 3-5)
You’d think the preschoolers would be getting tired of peanut butter, but that is definitely not the case. It’s such a treat for them.
Each time we give the peanut butter out, we think about all the support we received from our friends in America, who brought barrels and barrels of peanut butter to us. Some of the people on Emery’s team were from Douglas, MA. It was the Douglas Fire Department that won the Peanut Butter Competition between area fire departments. It was pretty neat to make that connection and for them to see the area that folks from Douglas are impacting.
The little cups of peanut butter you see Lex giving out in the pictures were given to us by Bless Back Worldwide, out of Charlotte, NC. Yummy! Thank you!
Burn Baby
Totou’s arm is healing up beautifully!
Totou has been heavy on the hearts of many of us over the past few weeks. We are so happy to continue to share good reports about his recovery from severe burns on his entire right forearm.
In this picture you can clearly see the pigmentation is returning to his skin. He no longer cries when his dressing is changed or during the physical therapy, so pain is no longer a problem.
Cindy Bennett, who is a PA specializing in burns, was here when Totou first came to us. She has been on top of his treatments, all the way in Ohio, giving Angela lots of advice. Recently she shared the following with me: “What a blessing this is…you have done so well with him. Many people have been praying and it is always amazing to see the Lord working through his servants! Knowing about burns, this is a miracle healing…should have taken at least one more week and maybe a skin graft for as deep as it was! Thank you all for what you do, May God continue to shine on you and your work in Haiti!”
A Few Random Pics from this week…
Chacha seems to enjoy jumping over the stream of water/mud on his way to school.
Praise & worship at this morning’s service in Thozin
The women’s ministry dressed in uniforms this morning because they were going to be sharing a song with the congregation.
Praise & Worship team at the MOHI English service
Daniella and some of our other kids from the Hands and Feet Project at church this evening
You might find Paul Fallon’s latest blog entry interesting. I know I did. It’s about his recent visit to the village of Aux Parques in La Gonâve. It’s titled “Island within Island.” Enjoy.
We had an extremely busy week with a team from Bless Back Worldwide (Charlotte, NC). This team of twenty-two included medical doctors, dentists, PAs and RNs, as well as non-medical folks. Everyone worked together so well and truly blessed the people of Haïti. While medical clinics were the main thrust of their time here, the teens and some of the others were involved in teaching sanitation lessons and playing with the students in our schools. Thursday evening was “movie night” for the kids in the neighborhood near the Thozin campus. The place was FULL of little ones, bubbles, dancing, snuggles and laughing.
We had several challenging medical situations that presented this week. Our 4 year old friend, Totou, continued coming to clinic for burn care. his entire forearm was badly burned in a pot of boiling rice over a week ago. His mom brought him to the clinic every day. Angela, Dr. Prasit and Liz Cambo cared for him daily. I’m happy to say that his skin pigmentation has begun to return on his arm. Praise God! His battle is not over, but he’s on a good path to full recovery.
The team from Bless Back Worldwide treated, counseled, taught and trained here at MOHI.
removing a matchstick
A young girl had a piece of a matchstick stuck in her ear for over a year! The team’s doctors were able to remove it.
The team shared the following praise report: “On Tuesday night we got an emergency call that a baby needed our doctors help. The 2 month old baby girl was brought to the beach property where we are staying and our doctors saw her immediately. They diagnosed her with Spina Bifida and said she needed surgery ASAP. They wrapped her back in gauze so she could make the long drive to the hospital to hopefully get in to see someone. Before she left, all 23+ of us prayed for her and for a miracle. We found out last night she got into a hospital and it just so happens that an American neurosurgeon will be in Haiti in a couple days and our sweet baby girl will have the surgery she needs this Friday! God is SO good!”
Ledan, a man from les Cayes who used to serve on the police force here in Grand-Goâve called Pastor Lex Wednesday. He had broken his leg a while back, was treated, but was now experiencing a lot of pain. He asked Lex’s advice where he should go to resolve the problem, as he felt he had not received proper care. Lex told him where to go to get a free xray done and invited him to come to see the Bless Back Worldwide doctors with his xray.
Ledan’s poorly set, broken leg was reset. He’s resting comfortably now.
The doctors looked at the xray and realized that not only was his leg not set, but the plate the previous doctor had implanted had literally broken in 2. The “cast” on his leg was very flimsy (they were able to cut it off with scissors!) and only reached above the break by an inch or so, so the pressure on the break was certainly too much for it to bear. The team was able to reset the leg, using HUMAN traction (see the picture above!), and recast the entire leg. Ledan called when he returned home and told us how much better his leg feels and he knows it’s a different ball of wax now. Lex told him to make sure he stays off of it.
Friday the team had the opportunity to bless the people in the village of Ti Paradi with a mobile clinic and fun activities for the kids.
A productive and fun time of ministry in the “Galèt” of Petit Paradis.
In five days this team saw 136 dental patients (which included 233 extractions) and 873 medical patients!!! What did they have to say about it? ”We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to Bless Back the people of Haiti!”
Here are some more pictures of the many special moments experienced while they were here…
Teaching and Loving on Kids
Special moments at church
Washing away the stress of the day
Self defense lessons are an added bonus when Pastor Kevin is in town!
Simply irresistible!
Movie Night!
An incredible team from Bless Back Worldwide
LOTS of dentistry and training
Management
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Church
The Inter-Youth Choir from Port-au-Prince
The Inter-Youth Choir from the Missionary Church of Port-au-Prince visited our church in Thozin this mornning. The church really appreciated their ministry and they enjoyed a great message and time of worship with us.
After church, we invited the church down to the mission compound to witness Marcy’s baptism. It was a special time. It reminded me so much of the “family picnic and baptism” our home church always held in the summertime.
Bob Heier seems deep in reflection during the medical clinic in St. Etienne. The views at this campus are breathtaking.
Mission USA in Haiti
Fred and Sandy Muffet from Mission USA, led a team of 27 to Mission of Hope International this past week. Fred knew that he had a crew of hard workers coming with him and he was concerned that they all find enough to do. Do you think they found enough to do? …
medical clinics in St. Etienne, Thozin and Petit Paradis
consulted over 300 people
distributed needed medicines to these same people, free of charge
Eye clinic and distribution of glasses
Equipped handicapped people with wheelchairs, crutches, canes and walkers
Gave out Bibles
Distributed food
plumbing
electrical work
retrofitted the generator exhaust
set up the new oven and stove
made and installed shelving
made and installed screen doors
vehicle repairs
boat repairs
played with lots of kids
served a fresh, hot meal to about 300
sanded and painted some of the new classrooms with primer
special times of ministry to
MOHI women’s ministry
Handicapped Association of Grand-Goâve
MOHI churches in Thozin and St. Etienne
couples
patients and family members in the hospital
crafts with younger students
English class in the high school
That’s at least some of what this team was up to.
Medical Clinics
This little guy was close to death when we happened upon him. Praying that he makes it.
There were a few difficult situations in the clinics this week. We were holding a mobile clinic in Petit Paradis, when we came across a baby who was most likely only a day or two from death. His situation was beyond anything we could do, so we prayed and paid for his mother to take him to a hospital. As of this morning he was still alive. I pray that God would bring him through this situation and that God would be glorified throughout the rest of his life.
Margaret, Prasit and Liz caring for Totou.
A little boy, Totou, was burned on his arm by a pot of rice that flipped over and spilled on him. Cindy Bennett, who works in the burn ward at her job, went to work on him and left very detailed instructions for his care. She stressed that he was at risk of losing his hand, as she cleaned his wounds and bandaged him up. She instructed Totou’s mother how to prop his arm up and care for him during this time of healing. Each morning Totou returns to have his wounds cared for. We are pleased to see no signs of infection and pray for a full recovery for this little man.
Our friends at Child in Hand, Dr. Margaret Lin and Dr. Prasit both worked quite a bit this week, right along side the medical team. What a blessing to have such well informed and trained doctors right close by to assist when more urgent matters arise. They were also called upon this week when a child overdosed on an antimalarial drug. I’m glad to report the child recovered well.
Disability Clinics
Dozens and dozens of handicapped adults came to our Thozin campus this week to be equipped with walkers, wheelchairs, canes and crutches. It was such an amazing time as Linda, Tim, Shanda and others took time with each person individually. First off they would determine what equipment would be most beneficial to the patient. Then they would go to work making sure it was adjusted and fit to that person’s specific needs. They trained them and their family members in proper uses, as well as teaching them to do different exercises to help them with their individual problem areas. In addition to the physical help, often times Shanda would spend time counseling and praying with them. She always gave them a Bible to take home with them, too. I think one of the greatest things about the clinic this week, was the love and respect that was experienced to each of the patients. So often they are the forgotten in society – considered not quite human, but this week they were the most important people in the world to a group of Americans who traveled thousands of miles and spent lots of money in order to love on them.
So many smiles were brought forth as the team ministered to the needs of handicapped individuals in Thozin this week.
Here are some pictures of various activities this week:
waiting to be seen at the clinic in St. Etienne
Waiting for her turn in clinic
Waiting for his turn in clinic
Kathie gets a little snuggle during craft time
First grade teachers observe their students with their new pinwheels
Traveling by the busload, the team arrives in Petit Paradis to do medical clinic, food distributions, play with kids and love on everyone
This woman holds the bag of food we gave her in front of her home
Tim & Shanda with their guest pastors who came for dinner and a time of encouragement from them.
Cooking dinner for about 300
Ready to serve dinner to about 300 people
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Bless Back Worldwide
BBW has sent another team to work with us. They will continue doing medical clinics, adding some dentistry to the mix this time, as well as lots of activities with our school students and communities. This morning they joined us for our worship service in Thozin followed by a tour of our Grand-Goâve community. This afternoon they began organizing for tomorrow’s medical clinic. We are eager to see how the Lord will use them to be His hands and feet this week.
We enjoyed having the Bless Back Worldwide team with us at church this morning.
Jordan and Lex in the eaves at the missionary compound
We’re excited to have Jordan Alexander join us for three months at MOHI in Grand-Goâve, Haïti. Although it’s Jordan’s first time in the country, hundreds of women are in love with him. Why? Jordan’s dad, Shawn, ran a micro-finance program for women at MOHI. It touched the lives of 500 women. To this day, these women are praying for Shawn. Whenever one of these women is introduced to Jordan, they do a double take and a big smile forms on their lips.
Jordan is here to serve. He came with no expectation to make a specific impact. As such, he is ready to jump in and help at every moment. This, of course, is a God send for Lex and I!!! Jordan has already been a great help with photography, computer skills and general labor. Like his father, Jordan immediately fell in love with St. Etienne. He will be assisting a medical team there tomorrow and Tuesday.
Please remember Jordan when you pray for MOHI and all the people involved in the work here. Change is not usually easy, but very often it causes amazing life to spring forth. We are trusting that the Lord has great things in store for all of us here, and that Jordan’s presence plays a role in those blessings.
PKG
Gama translating for Pastor Kevin
Our friend Pastor Kevin Groder arrived yesterday. He will be hosting two back to back teams for us. The church in Thozin was blessed to hear from him in both the morning and evening services today. I love the practical words that he shares that can be applied to our lives right away.
Mission USA
Mission USA, an outreach of The Chapel (Akron, OH) arrived today with a team of 27. They were scheduled to be here yesterday, but Nemo had other plans. Four more people will arrive tomorrow to complete the team. It was really cool to be able to pick them up at the airport in the bus they sent to us. It was a smooth trip and we enjoyed several hours this evening unpacking and preparing for tomorrows tasks. They have a big day ahead of them with medical clinic in St. Etienne, giving out wheelchairs, walkers and crutches to people suffering with handicaps, painting, pouring concrete, building shelves and mechanical work on some of our vehicles. Here are some pictures from their arrival today:
Gifts continue to be given. Let’s see if we can make this a never-ending Christmas!
Has the Christmas season passed at your house? Here, it lingers on and on, as we continue giving gifts to orphans and children being raised in poverty. We have been giving out fruit trees, clothing, shoes, animals, toiletries and food. This is one aspect of my “job” that can go on and on and never end and I will be thrilled about it! Lex and I just LOVE it when the Lord uses us to bless someone else – especially when that someone else is obviously excited and grateful for what they receive. Many of you are the reason these gifts are being given. This is a TRIPLE blessing – the receiver, the giver in Haiti and you who have given from your homes. It’s it wonderful?!!!
La Gonâve
It’s where Lex was born and raised. La Gonâve is an island across the bay from Grand-Goâve, which is seen from the Be Like Brit orphanage, as well as the MOHI mission compound. MOHI has a church in the main city of Anse-a-Galet, but we also like to visit a school and church in the village of Aux Parques. This little fishing village is surrounded by mountains and the ocean, so it is pretty cut off from everywhere, except by boat. Our missionary friend, Ed Locket, built a gathering place for them years ago. From time to time (when the boat is running well) we visit them, bearing gifts. My first trip there we had ice cold plastic bags of water. I think those interested them even more than the Kids Against Hunger food we’d brought to them. There is no electricity in the village, so it’s a major feat to get a sip of cold water.
This week Lex, A. Jay, Paul Fallon, Paul Beaulieu and our inventory controller, Renord brought school supplies, clothing, energy biscuits and lots of love to the school kids. They were so grateful.
Construction Continues
This past week Paul Fallon started laying out the electrical system in the new school. We also continued with finish plaster on the ground floor interior. This is a very slow going process. Wooden staging has to be constructed in each room for the masons to stand on so they can reach the ceiling and tops of the walls. They “throw” the plaster on the wall, leaving a rough finish and then “throw” on another layer and smooth it over, with water. Lines are run and sharp, straight lines are formed. Then the staging is broken down and the lower sections are done. (That’s an observer’s description – I have no real knowledge of what they are doing!) Here’s what it’s looking like though:
Electrical conduit and boxes being installed and finish plastering taking shape
Friends from Home
Nan, Ted, Renée, Lex, Sue, Rick and John at the MOHI missionary compound
What a joy to see Rick & Sue Scott and Ted & Nan Bronson in Haiti after a decade of asking them to come! They arrived just last night and we enjoyed a dinner by the ocean catching up on each others’ lives. Today they joined us for church, toured the school construction in Thozin and visited various sites that the mission is involved in. After lunch they got to see Grand-Goâve from the ocean and enjoy some of the natural beauty that remains in this country that has been tormented by poverty for centuries. Now they are enjoying the English church service.
John Armour, who also arrived yesterday will be preaching tonight. You remember John? He set up the foundation for the new school building last year. He also invented the water filtration system we were given after the earthquake. It utilizes nanotechnology and is just amazing. We drink better water here than you do!!! John is here to install another system at the missionary compound, thanks to the generosity of the faithful at the Chapel (Akron, OH). We have been transporting drinking water to the missionary since the earthquake. This will be a HUGE relief for our vehicles and staff and a blessing to our guests. Needless to say, we are thrilled to have John back here, too.
This week, our volunteers will be continuing the electrical installation in the school, working with our preschoolers, visiting people in villages and assisting Marcy in the gardens…at least for starters!
Medical Care
There are several organizations and individual medical personnel who bring medical care to the children and families at Mission of Hope International. Angela Parayson, the medical missionary serving our schools and communities, helps about 60-80 people every week with advice and dispensing medicines that we often take for granted in well developed countries. I’m always amazed at how the medicines are dispensed and yet the shelves in the pharmacy are constantly being restocked. Churches, like the Evangelical Church (Fall River, MA) and House of Love Ministries (Orange, MA) have collected over the counter medicines (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough and cold medicine, antifungal cream, pepto bismol…) and shipped them to Haiti from Boston. Each time a shipment arrives, it’s like Christmas in the pharmacy and Angela gets ALL excited! She is making a difference in so many lives, utilizing her education, the wisdom God gives her and the tools He continues to provide.
The Difference a Shake Makes…
Nutrition shakes make a huge treatment when treating malnourished individuals.
The Evangelical church sent us cases of nutrition shakes (Ensure and others). I remember Pastor Carlos mentioning to me that they were coming and not knowing whether we would find them useful or not. Well, yes, they have been VERY useful.
Just this morning, a young woman in our church passed out while singing. Angela and Angie Sutton (from the Hands and Feet Project) were able to bring her into the clinic, assess her and begin treating her. They discovered that she was suffering from an anorexic condition and hadn’t been eating or drinking. Just one nutrition shake later, they could see her face return to life and they were able to spend some time with her and her family in counseling.
Recently we were holding a mobile medical clinic at our school in St. Etienne. A young mother of a healthy 4 month old baby appeared to be at death’s door. Although the baby was thriving, the mother was badly malnourished. Again, the nutrition shakes gave the young woman the jump start she needed and the medical personnel were able to counsel the entire family.
A middle aged man recently suffered from food poisoning. After receiving several liters of IV fluids, Angela gave him a nutrition shake to put some nutrients back into his body. Yes, Pastor Carlos, the nutrition shakes were very useful. We are down to about a half dozen of them now. Would you be interested in running a “Nutrition Shake Drive” for the MOHI medical clinic? Please contact us and we can give you a contact for shipping.
Let Everything that hath Breath Praise the Lord!
When I’m feeling healthy, I haven’t always remembered to be thankful for that health. When I’ve been in pain or uncomfortable, I have often tried to remember what it was like before the problem arose. Things like a stiff neck, a broken toe or a hang-nail on my little finger immediately remind me that I should have been thankful all along.
Here in Haiti I see so many people suffering from asthma and other breathing issues. It is a very dusty place. I’m not talking about dust that you wipe of your bedroom dresser every week when you clean house. I’m talking about dirt from the dirt roads and the dirt yards that gets kicked up and breathed into our bodies. Many people have a hard time breathing because of this dust (dirt) and the abundance of pollen from the trees and plants that grow year round. I had never witnessed an asthma attack until just a couple of months ago. I’ll tell you, it gives me a great appreciation for the breaths that I can breath. The MOHI clinic has a couple nebulizers that we are able to use to give breathing treatments to people who are suffering from chronic asthma or sudden asthmatic attacks. What a difference these machines are making in people’s lives!
The Orphans
This morning I was in my office before church started. Alexis came running in, “The orphans are here! The orphans are here!” She didn’t stick around long enough to see the look on my face, but she must have been expecting it. ”The orphans” have been here for almost 5 years – 3 of them living at MOHI! Why in the world would she be bouncing off the walls over their presence?!!! ”The Be Like Brit orphans!” Ahhhhhh, now I get excited, too! Last time I wrote, BLB had their first orphan, Kervins or Chacha, as he now known. Chacha joined our first year preschool class this past week. I’m happy to say that Friday he went to his classroom an sat down with a smile on his face and no screaming.
Chacha’s first day of school at MOHI’s preschool
Now Chacha has an additional six “brothers and sisters” living in his home, often referred to as Brit’s orphanage. Jonathan, the program director for BLB here in Haiti, took a picture of the whole “family” this morning before church. How beautiful are these kids? Alexis spent some time with them last night and totally enjoyed them all. THAT’s why she was so excited that they had arrived at church. Each one of these children is so precious. I was adopted at the age of four. I still remember the day I arrived at my new home and some of the terror I felt. No matter how good the move may be for these kids, it’s never easy. Please support each of them and the BLB staff in prayer this week as the adjustments to change continue. As you can see in Jonathan’s picture, they’re off to a great start!
A Full Tummy
Have you ever left church with a full tummy – spiritually, that is? Today was one of those days that was as satisfying as a Thanksgiving feast. Here are a few pictures I want to share with you:
Faith, Michelle, Glory and Angie
Cousins enjoy being together at church
All decked out for church
Sue Scott greets the church
The married women of the church share a song
communion service
Pastor Lex sharing God’s Word
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English Service
This evening’s English service was full, too. John Armour preached about the Holy Spirit and being led by Him.
Our friend Janina, from Germany, with Jephte, Fablandie and Benjamin at Bassin Bleu
When I look at the many people we’ve met here in Haiti over the years, it just amazes me. We have made friends from all over the globe. There is one common thread that unites us and that is a love for the people of Haiti. This month we’ve heard from friends in the UK, Canada, Germany, Sri Lanka, Africa and, of course, America. We received many greetings of love and well wishes for the new year, not only for ourselves, but for our brothers and sisters here in Haiti. What a blessing! Thank you all for your generosity and the overflow of love.
School
MOHI elementary school students gather to sing the Haitian National Anthem while the flag is being raised.
When I was a kid, school was the door to a social life. I just loved school – at least until later in high school. For my children, Alexis and A. Jay’s social life happens outside of school, so they’ve never been overly fond of having to go to school. They both are plenty intelligent, but somehow interpreting for a visiting group holding a medical clinic or visiting homes in a village, leading a hike or joining a team for a swim has always seemed a bit more inviting.
In Haiti, it is a privilege for a child to go to school and by the time they are in first grade, every single one of them understands this. They take great pride in having a uniform and a well bathed body. Parents work hard to clean and press those uniforms, to braid their daughter’s hair and give their son’s short, well defined haircuts. Early in the morning even the men are seen proudly accompanying their preschoolers to their classrooms.
Lex, Paul Fallon and Paul Beaulieu meet in one of the new classrooms
All of us can share in this sense of pride, as we work together to complete their new school building. Tomorrow we start installing the electrical system. Thank you so much to those who helped with purchasing the materials. We are grateful to Paul Fallon and Paul Beaulieu for carrying some of these supplies into the country with them this week. More will be coming down next week, when our long time friends Rick & Sue Scott and Ted & Nan Bronson join us here. We will be ready to start painting classrooms soon, too. If you are looking for a particular project to get behind, please consider making a donation so that we can purchase the primer and paint right here in Haiti.
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Memorable Moments
A grill and other kitchen supplies are ferried to the island in boats
We had several fun moments this week. We celebrated A. Jay’s 15th birthday on Wednesday. It’s hard to imagine now that he was all of two years old when we came to Grand-Goâve! Now he towers over me – and thoroughly enjoys it, of course. We were blessed to have family (Gama, Angela, Nathan, Tony, Edna, Ben, Caleb, Claudeson), foreign friends (Michelle, Andrew, Angie, Faith, Glory, Jonathan, Kervins), and local friends (too numerous to mention!) join us for a few hours together. As you can see in the picture to the left, we used boats to move the kitchen out to the little island (Lilette) just off the coast of Grand-Goave. Lilette is inhabited mostly by goats and songbirds. We enjoyed BBQ chicken, French fries and some local seafood cooked over an open flame. Leave it to us to be totally untraditional: Angela baked a chocolate cake for A. Jay (his favorite), but we never sang “Happy Birthday” to A. Jay or cut the cake. (Oops!) He did enjoy it that evening, however! Below are some pictures from the day.
A. Jay’s 15th birthday outing at Lilette
This week, Be Like Brit received their first orphan at the newly completed orphanage. Three year old Kervins is a curious little fellow. Program director, Jonathan LaMare, looks like a new parent each time I see him. We enjoyed having them both join us at A. Jay’s birthday outing, as well as at church this morning. He will be joining his peers in first-year preschool class soon. We commend all of the staff at BLB for making this a good transition for Kervins.
You may recall Pastor Kalinsky and a team from the Full Gospel Interdenominational Church (Manchester, CT) visited us last year. We also spent almost a week with them Stateside, this past October. This week we received a large shipment from World Wide Lighthouse Missions, an outreach of this church. This shipment included much needed school supplies, peanut butter and other items. We are so grateful to the church, as well as the community, which donates to WWLM regularly, for providing these items for our students here in Haiti. Gloria Harvell, one of MOHI’s directors, will be coming to Haiti next month and utilizing many of these supplies while working with our teachers. I love the timing!
As always, church service this morning was a highlight of my week. Pastor Josue from Port-au-Prince shared with us about the importance of reading the Bible (night and day – based on Josh 1:1-8) and giving (especially the tithe – Malachi 3:10). The church was very responsive. Besides the preaching and the wonderful time of praise and worship, I thoroughly enjoying seeing so many friends.
Mireille learned how to make my favorite dessert this week – makes me happy, for sure!
The Bus
The MOHI bus (from the Chapel, Akron, OH) parked in Port-a-Piment
I really want to give you a report on the bus that came to us from The Chapel in Akron, OH. It has been so helpful!
The mother of a local policeman died a couple of weeks ago. There were many people who wanted to attend the funeral, but it was being held in Port-a-Piment, way in the south of the country. We were able to make the bus available so that many of the policeman’s relatives and co-workers, as well as some of the mission staff were able to attend the funeral. The bus was used to bring 31 children to a museum in Port-au-Prince for a day and to pick up the items shipped to us from Manchester, CT.
We are so grateful for all who gave and sacrificed to get this bus (and all it was packed with!) to us here in Haiti. Thank you!
