Blessing Back

Pastor Lex and the team from Bless Back Worldwide

We had an awesome week with the team from Bless Back Worldwide. It’s so exciting to see the team members living out the purpose of this organization – realizing that you have been blessed, now bless back. This team was able to teach and perform well checks on around 800 MOHI students at both of our school campuses. Each student also received their bi-annual worm medicine, which doesn’t taste the least bit appealing. No problem! Each student was given a granola bar to “wash down” the medicine.

Student Well Checks in Thozin

Student Well Checks in St Etienne

Each student also received a gift of a water bottle that says “Drink More Water” in Haitian Creole. (Leah is forever telling people to drink more water, as dehydration is a very common cause of illness in this climate.) The collapsible bottles have a nice clip on them, so students were feeling pretty “cool” with their new bright red water bottles clipped to their waists. Our amazing preschool teachers immediately wrote their students names on the bottles, so everyone could identify which one is for which child.

“Bwè Plis Dlo” (drink more water)

Dr. Daniela Diebel from Germany joined the Bless Back team to serve in the clinic for a week.

An underlying stress all week was the knowledge that this would be Leah’s last week of 2014 with us. I’ve personally enjoyed having a friend/daughter to talk with everyday and have not been looking forward to her departure. However, I know that time away recharges us and I am excited for her to have time with her family and friends over the next two months. – And we’ll see how the preschoolers manage without their favorite nurse and greatest fan.

Leah in the midst of MOHI preschool students

One of our goals in hiring Haitian medical professionals was so that the clinic would be able to function while Leah is away. This week Leah was busy observing them (often from a distance) and assuring herself that they will do a good job while she is gone. Things are looking good.

Medical clinic in Thozin continued uninterrupted while the student well checks were taking place next door.

St Etienne in the mobile medical clinic

The Bless Back team worked so hard this week, that by noon on Thursday they had already seen all of the students. This meant that there would be time for an outing on Friday. They left early in the morning to make the two hour drive into the mountains of Jacmel to Basin Bleu – an area with water falls and 70’+ deep, fresh water pools. The team had a great time and still made it back in time to end their week here visiting people in their homes, listening to their concerns, offering prayer on their behalf and leaving the home with a gift of rice and beans.

Basin Bleu (Blue Basin) in Jacmel

Bless Back Worldwide blessing people in their homes with friendship, prayer and food.

Work continues in St Etienne on the water tower. It’s a little slow going, as it requires a lot of reinforcing to be able to handle supporting all that water, but it will bring life to the whole area. A generator will be used to pump water up to the holding tank. This will then provide water (with gravity pressure) for the community all day long without needing to run the generator further.

Great progress in St Etienne on the water tower

In the midst of a very busy week, the Red Cross showed up at the Thozin campus, requesting that students give blood. I was pleased that there were several brave souls from the high school that gave blood. Usually when someone needs to have surgery or is in need of blood, family and friends are called upon to donate, because there is not usually blood available.

A MOHI high school student chooses to donate blood

Thursday we were blessed to receive a team from our friends at White Stone Church in Knoxville, TN and our new friends from the Hope Alliance – Haiti. We have been communicating for about a year now about a shared vision to reach out even further to the youth of Grand-Goâve. This week we were able to meet several times, as we forge a partnership between us. We have some pretty exciting ideas on the burner. Would you pray with us that we are led of the Spirit of God moving forward, that we would design everything and operate together to further His purposes for this community? Thank you.

Making plans for expanding the Thozin campus with our friends from White Stone Church and the Hope Alliance.

Our friends from White Stone Church and the Hope Alliance

I shared with you some time ago about a local voudou priest who made a decision to follow Christ while listening to Pastor Lex teaching on the mission’s radio station. This was such a special weekend for Mr. Costlin and his family, as he was married to the mother of his children Saturday evening at the missionary compound. His wife was doubly blessed, as both their son Kelly (a popular singer/musician) and Mr. Costlin sang songs for her. (She was just beaming!)

Beautiful wedding at the missionary compound last night

This afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Costlin, along with two more of the boys from the Hands and Feet Project, were baptized in water. It was an awesome site and a weekend of great rejoicing!

More baptisms today at the ocean in front of the missionary compound.

This morning in Thozin we had a sweet time of worship together. As seems to be our new custom, Pastor Laramie offered a blessing in English before Pastor Lex preached a message. It was wonderful to be reminded of the healing ministry of Jesus and the importance of not just carrying the name “Christian,” but actually doing the works of Christ.

Worship Service this morning in Thozin

How handsome is this little man?!!!

A favorite snack from Sunday School each week – “Pèpèt” – nickname for “Mayi pete” or “exploded corn” aka POPCORN

I hope I have been able to relay some of my excitement over this week’s happenings. Thank you for taking the time to stay up to date on all that’s going on. As always, thank you so much for your partnership, friendship and all your support for MOHI in prayer and financial gifts. May God continue to bless you!