Looking Back

This afternoon I took some time to look back at the blog posts from this past year.  I was amazed to remember where the school building was at in January!  Only by God's grace have we been able to make so much progress in just one year.

Sometimes the going is so slow and gradual that you don't really see the change.  It is interesting how many things God established in the Bible to help us look back and remember His faithfulness.  The rainbow, the rocks by the Jordan, and Communion are a few that come to mind immediately.  God wants us to not only be looking ahead, but to look back too and remember how faithful he has already been to us. When we do, we do we have more strength to face whatever may come.

Tonight we will be having a program in the church to thank God for His protection, provision and work in us over this past year, and to commit 2013 to Him.

Deborah Dennis, who is visiting from Emmanuel Church in Exeter, has kindly agreed to write a blog post about the program tomorrow... so you can read all about it then :)

On another note, please be in prayer for Bonita Sparling, our new team member (I will be posting a bio on her in the next week or two).  Over a week ago she began having pain in her tooth that has developed into an infection.  She is now in a lot of pain, has been having fevers ad swelling and is just generally not feeling well.  She is on antibiotics now and we are all praying that they can clear out the infection.  If she does not start feeling better soon we will have to look at getting her into PauP or she may possibly have to fly home.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers for healing for Bonita and wisdom for us.

Thank you and may God bless you as you close out this year!

Christmas Eve Program

On Monday the school, church and youth group presented the long-awaited and hard-worked for Christmas Eve Program.  It took from 8:00 in the morning till 5 in the afternoon to finish all the decorations and final preparations, but their work paid off.  They did a beautiful job.

  Blowing up balloons...

 

...balloons...

 ...and MORE balloons!

 Still blowing up balloons... and doing other prep work.

 

 Mezou, president of the youth group, has been planning this program for months.

 

 That's what all those balloons were for!

 

 They draped red material over the whole wall behind the podium.

 Things starting to come together...

The cooks preparing a LOT of chicken.  500 people were invited!

 ...and all their hard work paid off!

 

 The program we beautiful and fun.  

Manis gave a brief message on the meaning of Christmas.

 Looking through the star bedecked window

Singing "The First Noel" Haitian style...trust me, it is very different from the one you know :)

Each class from the school presented something.  

This is the first grade class and their teacher, Andiose, performing a song.

  MCs, Almais and Wiltha did a great job keeping things fun and moving along.

There was also a singing competition which I unfortunately don't have pictures of :(

At the end of the program (about 11:00pm) each person got a plate of food to take home.

Thank you to all of you who participated in making the Christmas Program happen this year.  A special thanks to third grader, Julia Nause, who sold bracelets to family, friends, teachers and peers to raise money for the Christmas program.

 Julia, we hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Thanks for helping to make it special for the kids here too.

In Loving Memory of Anna Elgby

Tonight we received news that our dear friend, Anna Elgby, was killed today in a car accident.  Anna, along with Jon Stitt, was part of an internship program here on the Plateau in 2010.  She had such a sweet spirit and kind heart but at the same time had a great sense of humor and was quite a prankster!  What a joy she was to have here!  She brought so much life and laughter.  Anna befriended people that most of us had given up on.  She saw the good in people that nobody else saw.  Over two years after leaving Haiti, Anna still regularly kept in touch with friends she had made here. 

One of Anna's closest friends while she was here was a girl named Enide, a brilliant young woman who had had to drop out of school after having a child at a young age.  Anna promised her that she would do whatever she could to help her finish her schooling and she kept her promise.  Not only did she sacrificially help Enide, she would talk to Enide on the phone almost every week and encouraged her in her walk with God.  Just this week Anna had spent time praying with Enide over the phone that God would provide for her.  She always told Enide that she wanted her to know a "BIG GOD."

Anna had written to me on Monday, but I did not see the email until tonight.  My heart broke as I read how excited she was to spend Christmas with her family.  Our hearts go out to her family at this time and to those she was closest to and our prayers are with them.  Particularly I want to thank Anna's parents for allowing her to come down to Haiti and to be a part of our lives for those seven months.  You raised a wonderful daughter and she was a great blessing to us.  I cannot imagine the pain you must feel right now and I know there is nothing I can say that could alleviate that.  Please simply know that your brothers and sisters here on the Plateau are and will be upholding you and your family before the Father in whose arms Anna now rests, her Beloved Father. 

Wisconsin Team (Plus one from Minnesota :)

We have a team here right now from four different churches in Wisconsin/Minnesota.  For pictures and updates from there trip please visit their blog at http://hearts2haiti.wordpress.com/

Guest Blogger: Russ Finkbeiner

The time went so quickly that Russ and Josh actually escaped before they wrote a post on the blog.  Not to be deterred, however, I made them promise to send me their posts when they got home :)  Here is Russ'...

Wow! Where do I start with this most recent visit to Lemuel?  Each time I visit, it is hard to believe how much has changed in so little time.  God’s hand is very visible in the development that is occurring on the Plateau.

I would like to say thanks to Manis, Judy and Krischelle and also to the  Lemuel house staff for making me feel at home and comfortable.  I heard that the phrase “If you want it, we don’t have it” might be more prevalent in the near future. That may be the case, but they do have everything you may need. 

With the progress on the school moving forward, it was good to get some ground work put together  so that when the material arrives, the guys there can use their skills to finish the roof.  I just hope Sam can figure out my Canadian construction methods.  Sorry Sam, everything is in feet and inches.

Also, a heartfelt thanks to Thony, Lucson, Obed and Tiga for proving the point that I can’t play basketball.  Even though I think my team only won 1 game out of who knows how many, I don’t think it was the score that really counted.  It is those type of memories that make these visits memorable.  Also again to Thony, the daily Kreole lessons paid off in Miami when we were able to let our server know that her flirting comments with Josh did not go unnoticed.  Who knew the ladies could turn so red?

I would also recommend that if you are ever in the area, to make it to the Samdi Speciale over at the shop.  The food and entertainment is awesome.  Way to go Wiliamso and friends!!

I can hardly wait for the next visit.  Again, merci beaucoup.  Na we pi ta!

Russ

Visitors from Canada and a Latrine Update

 I never thought I'd be writing so much about latrines :)  
 

 "Interdit aux Eleves" means Off-limits for Children

As the whole building slides into the hole it is now falling apart.  We are grateful to have been able to get everything salvageable off while we still could. 

 The temporary latrine is almost done.  There is a "stall" for teachers, one for the older children and one for the younger.  

 They even put a little shelf in the teachers' stall for toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  How cute :)

In other news, we have Russ and Josh from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Exeter, Ontario.  They were delayed one day in getting up here because of the storm but got here Saturday safe and sound.  

 Laying out the truss pattern for the school roof. 

Yesterday they put the gutters on Manis' office (green building in the background) and fixed some issues with the church doors.  They also had a basketball game with some of the guys and Russ gave little karate lesson :)  This morning they are laying out a truss pattern for the school roof.  When we are able to continue with that project, all the guys here will have to do is copy the pattern.  

I have conscripted Russ and Josh to be guest bloggers this week so you will be hearing from them soon. 

Sandy

While Haiti was very much on high alert and ready for Isaac, Sandy was much more unexpected.  I have heard of terrible damage and loss of life in the south and center of Haiti and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost so much.  Up here we were pretty fortunate.  We got a lot of rain which was wonderful, and although it did some damage to some of the mud houses, overall our area was pretty fortunate.  There were many people who slept sitting up in corners of their homes because their thatch roofs leaked so badly, but in church yesterday everyone was praising God for all the rain.  There is great hope that they might actually have a harvest this year.  The wind did some damage to some of the plantain plants but overall I have not heard yet of too much damage to the gardens.  

There was one pretty big loss that we suffered from Sandy here at Lemuel: the school latrine.  As water rushed around it, it actually dug out the soil around the footers and the latrine building began sliding into the hole under it.  On Friday the guys were able to salvage the doors and metal roofing and got busy digging out a new hole for a temporary latrine.  School started back up today and with over 100 children you have to have a bathroom of some sort for them to use!  The damage done was estimated at about $2500.  As we look at building another permanent latrine we are considering the options of somehow demolishing the current building and reusing the same hole or digging a new one closer to where the new school is being built.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom as we decide what to do. 

Thank you so much to all of you who upheld us in your thoughts and prayers over this past week.  

Stripping off anything that can be salvaged as the latrine sinks into the hole.

The side that is sinking.

 

 

School in Session

For the first two weeks of school there were still quite a few parents who weren't yet able to send there children.  Most of them were there today, though, so without further ado...

The new temporary school building.  

The palm frond building that was being used for the school was moved off the basketball court (so the children can play on it) and over next to the permanent school building that is under construction.

First, Second and Fifth Grade on the left side of the building. 

I will be so happy when each class has their own room!

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

 Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

The three Kindergarten classes all meet in the church building

Kinder 1

 Kinder 2

 Kinder 3

A New Year Has Begun!

Thank you all again for your prayers during the Seminar last week.  Pastor Marcus did a great job and there were some good discussions.  On Friday, guest speaker Gela Cupidon, spoke about seeing education as a job and a career, not as a pastime.  She also encouraged the teachers to become true professionals, not just a group of young men and women who happen to have a job.

All of the teachers signed their contracts at the end of the week and on Monday the school year officially began.  I will be posting more pictures of the school in session soon, but until then, I would like to introduce you to our school staff...

 

 Osselet Lilite

School Director

Patricia Fatal

 Administrator & Secretary

 Wiltha Belizaire

Kindergarten 3 Teacher

Kindergarten Supervisor

 Lovelie JnFrancois

Kindergarten 2 Teacher

Kattia Amazan

 Kindergarten 1 Teacher
 

Andiose Saint-Ange

First Grade Teacher

 

David Calixte 

Second Grade Teacher

Bergeline Joseph

Third Grade Teacher

 

Thony Amady 

Fourth Grade Teacher

 

 Guillaume Oltin

Fifth Grade Teacher

 Wilnique Metayer 

Sixth Grade Teacher