I Made it!

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

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.

 

Over the next couple of days the students worked on several projects.  I’ve included pictures of some of the work below.

 

 

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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

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.

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 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, 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…

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…

 

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.

Together

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!