School's Out For Summer!

We’re excited to have another team from Bless Back Worldwide here with us for a week. This team will be focusing on soccer camp (and celebrating the World Cup!) and medical clinic.

Bless Back Worldwide team getting ready for tomorrow’s clinic

World Cup Soccer

Bless Back Worldwide team at church in Thozin

Final exams are done and school is official closed for summer. It was a really awesome year. We are especially thrilled with our preschool staff – the best team of teacher’s we’ve ever had for these little ones! 6th grade national exams were this week, 9th, 12th and 13th graders are still preparing for theirs.

Teachers saying goodbye to Renord for the Summer

Final exams and school’s out for summer!

I have to admit that I will miss the LOUD noise from the students as school lets out, listening to them read the sign on my door in both English and Creole, seeing the little ones congregate outside the bathrooms (seemingly their very favorite place in the school!), the “Hey You!” calls to me (not realizing they are being rude), the hugs and the requests for lollipops. It usually takes a little while for the generator to get started when I arrive in the morning. It’s so hot and humid in my office that I leave the door open for a bit. I turn on my laptop and some music and enjoy the scene that always ensues. Eventually everyone returns to class, the electricity comes on and I settle into a day of work.

Dancing in the doorway of my office

I will probably be seeing a lot more of these boys during vacation. We met Kendy around 2007 at an orphanage in Leogane. Eventually, he was returned to his family and then the entire family moved here to Grand-Goâve. The kids go to school at MOHI and mom works at the mission. Stanley knocks on my office door every day when he gets out of school. I usually share some food with him and send him on his way with treats for him and his siblings.

Kendy, Stanley and Asson – full tummies, a plate of watermelon seeds and a ring pop stuck in Stanley’s mouth.

This was a very busy week, with lots of friends stopping in and many helping out.

Karen Page and Dave Duca work with the computer club

Emily Peterson and her team from Hope Arise United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas

Ed Locket stops in with a team

I had an extra special time in church this morning. When we have foreign visitors in church, I will often translate for Lex until he gets to the preaching. This morning, however, Pastor Edon came up and encouraged us to keep going, so I got to translate the whole message for him. While I’ve translated for many over the years, there’s always something extra special about translating for my husband. We always have fun with it. He starts in one language and switches to another and back again. I’ve been known to repeat his English in English without realizing it should have been in Creole.

I often am distracted in church, whether it’s with making sure our guests are all set, searching for a bathroom key, getting water or just being taken with one of the adorable little ones. This morning, the only distraction was when I would say something in Creole that really asked for a response and I didn’t get one. Lex told the church that if they don’t respond to me, I was going to have a hard time translating. We did manage to get them going.

It’s usually a bit intimidating and a lot of hard work to translate for a preacher that I don’t know, but Lex and I are very comfortable together and I always enjoy the opportunity to be his translator!

Church activities this morning in Thozin

Visitors from Be Like Brit, the Hands and Feet Project and MOHI this morning in Thozin

Leah continues to do a fantastic job caring for all her Chikungunya patients. She even has a few that have other issues. Sometimes we forget that there are illnesses other than Chikungunya around.

Doctors from the UN have been helping out at MOHI two days a week.

I don’t often share anything about Pastor Hakine. He plays such an important role at MOHI here in Haiti and is so loved by children and adults alike. He is always thinking about the people at the church and school in St Etienne. He keeps all of our vehicles running and drives all over the place, taking care of mission business and transporting our visitors. We sure do appreciate this man and we thank God for bringing us together!

Pastor Hakine

Would you please continue to pray with us about the property next door to the Thozin campus? We are asking the Lord for wisdom in how to move forward, as well as the funds needed to make the purchase. Thank you!