I know it has been a long time since you heard from us. About a month ago the internet went out on the Plateau. It was at that point that we found out the company we got internet through had sold to another company... but we have no idea who. Fun times!
Every now and then we can get signal through the cellphone towers but it is difficult to find signal and not very reliable when you do. I am in the US right now but will be heading back next week. Once I return I have no idea how long it will be before we can get internet. If you do not hear from us please know that it is not out of negligence but simply that we have no internet.
Since we may not be able to communicate with you for a while and since it has been quite some time since we were able to update the blog this will be a pretty long post... bear with me.
The end of June was the close of the school year and of different activities. I left before Kindergarten graduation so I don't have any pictures of that but I hear that it was very well done.
One of our teachers, Wiltha Belizaire, has been teaching embroidery to a group of young girls. To close out the class for the year they had a little party. They enjoyed Haitian cola, cupcakes that Krischelle made for the occasion, and a few other treats.
Wiltha and her class with one of the projects they worked on this year.
A bird done by one of the girls
To close the year out and as a way of saying thank you to our staff we threw our first ever all staff end-of-the-year party. It was a fun and unifying time.
Our entire 2012-2013 staff. They will all be returning next school year except
Thony who will be going on to Seminary.
Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of all four tables but this gives some idea. The balloons that were found in Gonaives were the most random mix I had ever seen but they gave us a good laugh... can you see the tiger print one?
Some of the highlights from the evening were the staff sharing things they have learned throughout the year, a game where they would imitate each other and the rest had to guess who it was, and when we gave out awards for the year. There was also a hilarious dance...
Sam gallantly pulling out Mme Tiferne's chair so she could dance with him
At the end we had a special send-off for Thony. Some of his fellow teachers did an improv song and staff members shared things they appreciated about him.
Our great school staff.
The camera battery died after their picture so I didn't get one of the other departments.
Since I don't know when we'll have internet again, I will give you a sneak peak into some of the things that will be going on in the next few months.
Currently work has begun on preparations for putting on the school roof! Workers started this week to pour the pillars and bond beams so that within the next few months the roof can go on. We will be sending materials from the US which will take some time and are currently working on putting together a team to help our guys "Raise the Roof" sometime in the fall or early winter.
On Monday a team will be arriving from The Village church in Canada to do a children's English camp and some leadership training for NOVA (the youth group referred to here and here) as well as a few other things.
Also within the next month we will be starting work on two Teachers' Houses!!! We recently received funding to be able to construct these homes before the start of the new school year. This will enable us to more easily receive qualified teachers for our school by giving them their own space. We are so excited to get started!
Please pray for us as the next few months will be very full with preparing for the upcoming school year and also completing these construction projects. Our staff was supposed to have a vacation this month but many of them have been working almost as hard, if not harder, than they do normally! We are so blessed to have the staff we do, but please pray for them for strength, health and stamina as well as the ability and willingness to recharge as (or before) needed. Please pray also for the situation with the internet. If we cannot get it repaired it will greatly inhibit our ability to communicate with you all and to do some of our most basic work. God is in control though and we trust that until we get the internet back, there are other things He wants us to be focused on.
If you do need to get a hold of us while our internet is out please feel free to call us at 011-509-2258-4977.
May God bless you all and may we be back in touch soon!
Judy
