After Sandy

Even here in Haiti, I’ve had opportunity to see pictures and videos of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  My heart goes out to so many who were caught in the storm’s wrath.  Here in Haiti we know that there will be loss of life and income associated with such a large storm, but to see this happen in the US is really quite devastating.  I pray that all is well where ever you are and that you put your trust in the One who is able to calm the storm on the sea, on the land and in your life.

Progress on Construction

Finish Plaster continues to be smoothed onto the first floor of the new school.  Here are some pictures of the progress:

Frè Ed Returns

Our friend and fellow missionary, Ed Locket, has returned to Haiti after spending time in the US and Honduras.  This morning he shared a little with the church in Thozin about his time in Honduras.  He shared about hardships the children face there that most children here in Haiti don’t have to deal with.  In Haiti few children are involved in gang activity, but he found it rampant in all the areas he visited in Honduras.  There have been many more young teen (11-13 year olds) pregnancies in Haiti, since the earthquake.  He saw the same situations in Honduras, but more often than not, the girls were having babies for their fathers.  So many of the children asked him to be there father, because the fathers are absent or not playing the proper role in their lives.  He related that to the need that each one of us has for a Good Father.  Even when we’re old, we need to know that our Father God is still looking out for us.

Here in Haiti, Ed runs the “Happy House,” a ministry that focuses mostly on children (and young adults, as these children grow up!)  He has helped children through all sorts of difficulties from hospitalizations to a place to stay when their parents have disappeared.  He has built schools, medical clinics and fed thousands.  I think his favorite activity, however, is to take his guitar out into a village and start singing a happy tune.  In a matter of moments he is in the midst of a crowd.  He has so much fun with the children and then returns time after time to tell them the Gospel story and to help them in their times of need.

It was wonderful to have Frè Ed back in our midst this morning and we look forward to many more testimonies of what God’s love flowing through him is accomplishing throughout the villages of Haiti.

The Cost of Education

Whether we’re talking about nursery school, elementary, secondary, pre-graduate or post-graduate, education costs Americans a whole lot of money.  Paul Fallon, the architect who designed the new MOHI school, told me last week that it costs about $20,000 per child to educate children in his hometown of Cambridge, MA.  Certainly that is on the high end, but $10,000 per student is pretty normal.  My point is that education costs a lot of money, but how often do we think about the cost of education aside from the cash?

I was recently thinking back to what it was like for me when I went to school.  Being raised in a Jewish home, I always got out of school for Rosh Hoshanna and Yom Kippur.  I would also take a day off each Fall to go to the Big E (aka Eastern States Exposition, in Springfield, MA) with my parents.  Other than that I would only stay home from school if I was REALLY sick.

I look at the 800+ students we have a Mission of Hope International and I realize how difficult it is for them to even attend school, never mind to do well.  I consider, first of all, that the government decided to start school in October rather than September, shortening the school year by twenty days, right off the bat.  There are quite an abundance of holidays that most schools take off.  (At MOHI we reserve a day off for what we consider very significant holidays such as Flag Day, Independence Day, Christmas, New Year’s…)

Now, from this starting point, I consider life’s circumstances for our communities.  Gas prices increase and there is a country-wide strike.  The mayoral election didn’t happen two years ago and the community is tired of having the same mayor in office (perhaps they perceive caring for them is not his passion?) and there is a demonstration that manages to destabilize schools and open market areas.  Word reaches the students that someone dear to them has died and the whole school immediately begins mourning their loss.  A hurricane hits, destroying students’ homes or their family’s livelihood.  An injustice is committed and the authorities ignore it – the people take to the streets, effectively closing schools for the day – or longer.  Each of these circumstances have happened in recent history here.  Many of them happen repeatedly.

Having considered the impact from the communities on our schools, I now consider personal family circumstances and the impact from that.  Judas and his wife are both very fortunate to have found jobs.  They have 5 children, ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years.  Even the three year old has been left home alone at times, but an 8 month old just cannot be home alone.  For whatever reason, Judas and his wife do not have friends or family that are willing to help watch the children, so the older children must take turns staying home from school.  Nanoune has three young children to feed.  Every Wednesday she goes to the open market to try to sell some vegetables that she has grown.  Her oldest daughter must do all the chores by herself and cook for the family – she cannot go to school today.

Finally I consider health issues.  I don’t even want to go into detail on this one.  Suffice it to say that children who have poor nutrition get sick very easily here and even the healthier ones are exposed to malaria, dengue fever and now cholera in the less than sanitary conditions usually associated with extreme poverty.

My conclusions?   We have absolutely AMAZING students!  They LOVE to come to school and they work HARD to get here.  I know we draw a hard line with the parents, but they’ve learned to respect that.  If their children are to have the hope of escaping the poverty in which they’ve lived their own lives, then they have to make even more sacrifices.  Many parents whose children would hardly ever come to school have made the hard choices to make their children’s education their priority.  Getting a good education really is a team effort between educators, parents and children.  One weak link can easily destroy the opportunity.  I pray for our teaching staff, our students and our students’ families, that they would all be led by Godly wisdom.

Class Sponsorship

Just as we have seen parents, students and educators make sacrifices for the sake of the children in our schools, we are seeing you, our friends and partners making sacrifices, as well.  This past week we sent out an email to many of you, asking for your help to get the necessary materials to do the electrical installation in the new school building.  Several of you have already responded with promises of cash donations.  The materials alone will cost just over $20,000.  The cost of educating one child for one year in Cambridge.  This amount seems rather overwhelming to me, personally, but God has already provided over $500,000 to pay for materials and labor for this new building.  $20,000 is not too difficult for Him.

Now, $20,000 may very well be too difficult for you, personally – even a quarter of that may make your world start to swim.  But did you may not have realized that with a monthly gift of one hundred, fifty, twenty-five or even as little as $10, you can impact a whole classroom full of children?  You can!  As more and more people make monthly commitments to sponsoring our school classes, we can do more and more to bring the best education possible to these young people.  They, their families and their teachers are all making sacrifices for the sake of these children.  Would you like to join them?

Contact me now, to help one of these classes to have the best education possible.  Or contact our class sponsorship director, Gloria Harvell, by phone at (603) 801-0530 to find out how you too can make a difference in the future of these kids.

The Bus

I shared with you previously about The Chapel and Mission USA (Akron, OH) purchasing a bus to ship to us in Haiti.  I recently received a photo of the bus, from Fred and Sandy Muffet, and just couldn’t wait to share it with you all.  They have made all the necessary repairs, put a rack on it and given it an incredible paint job – as you can see in the picture!  Among many other things, they will be sending us a new transmission for our big box truck (which has been parked for WAY too long, with a blown transmission).  They will also be including wheel chairs and other items for people with disabilities, and there will be trained personnel on their team coming in February to fit those in need with the correct piece of equipment.  We are so grateful to Fred and Sandy for spearheading this and for all of you who have been right there working so hard to get this bus ready for Haiti.

Thankfulness

When my kids were young, we had several video cassettes of “Psalty, the Singing Songbook.” I was already known for having a song for every occasion and that’s exactly how Psalty was, too. You know, apparently it’s really good to watch videos with your kids, because what was being instilled in them was also being reinforced in me.

The chorus of one of the songs I remember so well went like this:

“Be thankful, for all He has done
Be thankful from the bottom of your heart
Be thankful, come on everyone
‘Cause Jesus is good to me”

The song continued on with different children singing about the things they were thankful for, like “good things to eat” and “the braces on my teeth.”

Sometimes it’s so easy to take things for granted, but just about everything is better when we are thankful.  No one likes to be around a complainer (and most of us have had this poor reputation at one time or another), but a thankful person attracts friends.  Thankful people are more likely to be blessed by both God and people, because they recognize the good that someone has done.

I am thankful for big things, like the new school building and the new bus, as well as the small things like amazing salads and a child smiling at me.  I am thankful, too, for the most important thing in my life – relationships with others.

Now that Sandy has finished with us, perhaps it’s a bit easier to be thankful for our lives and the lives of our loved ones.  No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, let’s determine up front that we will always look for the things to be thankful for and focus our energies on being thankful.