Excitement at Coram Deo

It has been great to have my parents here. Due to a lack of a vehicle we haven't done too much yet. They come to Coram Deo in the morning and of course I put them right to work:) In the afternoon we've been relaxing at the hotel, going for a swim and eating some good food. The hotel isn't amazing but it's just nice to get away from all the noise and activity that is a constant at Coram Deo. I never realized how loud it always is until I was trying to have a conversation with my mom in my room after school, if I didn't raise my voice she couldn't hear what I was saying. It's amazing what you get used to in a short time. This weekend we hope to rent a car to go to the mountain and a few touristy spots along the way. Today Ysmaille is taking them to a museum in the morning and this afternoon we hope to go downtown and check out the presidential house and museum. Sunday we will go to Ysmaille's church so they can see a Haitian church. The rest of their visit is still to be determined. It's too bad that we can't show them more of the beautiful country that is Haiti but safety is always the most important.
Speaking of safety, we had quite the scare this week. Every morning Karen drives three of the Coram Deo kids to other schools and picks up one of the teachers who is unable to walk. On Thurs. morning Karen left at her usual time but didn't return on time. Twenty minutes after her usual return time I was getting nervous. Then I heard from one of the teachers that Karen was hiding at the school where Manu and Jacob go because there was an attempted kidnapping. I freaked out inwardly but remained calm outwardly. No one knew anymore than that Karen was hiding, it was quite a nerve wracking time. About 15 mintues later Karen returned and explained the story to us. She forgot to stop at Manise's school and drove right by, she stopped further down the road to drop off Manise. She heard someone yell "hey", but she ignored it and kept driving. When she arrived at Manu and Jacob's school she stopped outside and as Manu was getting out a guy jumped into the passenger seat and yelled "GO!" and began to reach into his pocket for a gun. Karen quickly pulled the key from the ignition and at the same time pushed open the driver's door. Another man with a gun was standing at the passenger door trying to push Karen back inside. Karen managed to push the door with all her might and push him out of the way. She ran inside the school with Manu and Jacob right behind her. They waited inside the school until they saw the men leave. Three of the male teachers from the school came back to Coram Deo with Karen to keep her safe. Since this incident we've discovered that these men are not from the area but have been hanging around for a few days. When they attempted the kidnapping, several people from the neighbourhood followed them and found out where they live. They live in one of the worst slums. Karen has already notified the Canadian Embassy in Haiti and they notified Ottawa. The Director of the school where it happened is American and she has notified the American Embassy. The Haitian police are aware and have already stopped by Coram Deo to speak with Karen. When Karen first arrived home she was very calm but as the day wore on and she had time to think about it she appeared more shook up. Needless to say we are being very careful. I'm surprised at how calmly my mom took the whole experience. I thought she'd want to leave immediately. Of course we were cautious before, and we'll be even more cautious now. This incident hit a little too close to home.
Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for our safety but also for the country as a whole. There's a lot of fear and sadness in Haiti that only our Lord Jesus can heal.