Christmas Program

The Special Education class had the best performance as usual!

Most of the students' parents were able to attend!

Exam Week

Even Kindergarten has exams in Haiti, here they are busy with their "colouring" exam



The Grade 2 class busy writing exams



Evenz hard at work as always!

Opinions anyone??

I have been told (and I must agree) that I can be somewhat opinionated.  During the political unrest and various riots, I have tried unsuccessfully to refrain from forming an opinion.  However, as you can see I have not publically voiced my opinion.  In the three days I was house bond due to burning tires and blocked roads, I had plenty of time to read many thoughts and opinions on how Haitians chose to respond to an election that was clearly fraudulent.  Due to my lack of French most of what I read was written in English and therefore mostly by foreigners trying to understand Haiti and make a judgement on the situation.  It's human nature to see a situation and compare it to what we know.  Too often as foreigners we try to compare situations in Haiti to "similar" situations in our 'home' country, but situations that appear to be similar often are not, due to many layers of culture that are not easily apparent. This is my long winded explanation on why I have written nothing about the elections or the ensuing reactions.  In my opinion, there are enough opinions out there, I don't need to add my own:)
Regardless, this week has been calm and the weather has been very unusual for this time of year (there may be a link between the two:)  It's been rainy, cloudy and cool.  The school has been open all week, and the students are busy writing exams.  Next week we'll have our Christmas program and parent/teacher meeting. 
After that.... Christmas break!  I am tired and very ready for a break.  My parents hope to fly in next week and stay for two weeks.  I am very excited that they are coming.  Although it's not their first time in Haiti, it will be their first time they will stay with me, and we will travel a little bit. 
I've been really bad about taking pictures lately. I do however have a picture of Cadeau and Jenny making me a delicious meal!!  It's a rough life:)

2010 Haiti Elections

I know that many people who are emotionallly invested in Haiti have been following the news of the elections quite closelly.  I wish I could say that I have an insiders view of the goings on here in Haiti, but really I've been searching the internet and international news just like the rest of you.  I do have the slight advantage of listening to the radio here and hearing the "word on the street" reports.  However, this is often more frustrating than anything else.  Yesterday one radio station announced that there was going to be a big manifestation (riot) at noon.  We waited, as there's really nothing else to do, and noon came and went with no problems, at least in our area.  The 'word on the street' is often exaggerated and often causes unnecessary panic.
Yesterday the school was open and about 30-40 students came.  Today there are more.  As a staff we decided to keep the school open every day, we've instructed all staff and students that if there are problems in their area or on their route to school, stay home.  If everything is clear, come to school.  We hate to close school only to discover that there are no problems, we've lost too much time as it is.
If you are interested in reading an 'on the ground' account that is not terribly biased or overinflated, check out this blog.  I find it very interesting and it resonnates with what I've been seeing and hearing.  As well, the author is willing to go where things are happening, whereas I tent to avoid any place where things are happening.
http://goatpath.wordpress.com/
We are waiting for the election results to be announced.  It sounds like regardless of the results, this announcement will cause some more unrest.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Back Home

I think I may be moving to the Dominican Republic... I love it there.  Except for the small problem of not speaking Spanish, and not being able to communicate at all...   It has all the good things about Haiti, great temperature, palm trees, ocean and beaches with the added bonus of lots if great stores with even better prices!  It was worth the 13 hour drive (we had a 4 hour delay at the border - it was market day)
To put it mildly, I had a great time away this past weekend.  I don't want to bore you with lots of pictures of the amazing resort, partly because I didn't reallly take any pictures.  I was so busy relaxing that I forgot to take pictures...
Our speaker was Rev. Paul Mpindi, the French Team Leader of the Back to God Hour. He spoke about Spiritual Power, he really challenged us and gave us lots to think about and work on. 
The resort was great, I ate too much, lazed around the pool and walked along the beach.  Some more adventerous people went to visit a cave in the area (I choose to relax by the pool some more).  It was neat to meet some people who live and work in the DR and get to know some poeple from Haiti a bit better.
We didn't check the internet all weekend so when we arrived at the Ministry Centre in Santo Domingo, we all whipped out our computers and plugged into the "world" once again.  We heard about the elections and decided it was safe enough to return to PAP.  The trip home went well with almost no wait at the border.  We saw the residue of left over burning tires on the road but didn't see any riots, although we took a longer route home as we heard some areas were still having problems.
It's Tuesday morning, the school is open and about 30 students are present.  Many other schools are still closed, the government hasn't officially closed anything today but poeple are still afraid and many stayed home. Many taptap drivers also stayed home creating difficulties for people to find transportation.  We'll take each day as it comes and decide whether to keep the school open or close it.

We're still alive and well....

Met Asselhomme and the Grade One class playing a game outside

The Special Education Class doing streches on their new mats (Thanks Gwen and Andre!)

Add caption

I figured it was time to write a quick note to let everyone know that we are alive and well here in PaP.  If you've been following the Haiti news, you'll know two things already.  Cholera is quickly spreading through the city, leaving quite a few dead.  As well, there have been riots in the north (Cap Haitian) and downtown PaP, and they will possibly get increasingly worse as the election day approaches.  If you are worried about me please don't be.  I'm right where the Lord wants me to be, and that's the best place to be.
It's been an exceptionally busy time lately and I've been working some long hours, but overall I'm doing well.  I complain a lot but I shouldn't, I work with an amazing staff that despite very difficult circumstances work very hard and continue to impress me time and time again. I keep reminding myself to praise and encourage them more and thank them for the work they do.
Despite the many troubles around us, our school community is relatively doing well.  Many of the teachers have been ill lately, and one has been in the hospital for several days.  Cholera has not yet hit our community, but we continue to educate about prevention and treatment of the desease.  We count our blessings as well as mourn with the communities around us who are struggling and suffering from this desease.
There have indeed been riots downtown PAP but they have not yet affected us here.  We will close the school at the first sign of trouble, especially if the government instructs us to do so.
On a very positive note, the CRC staff in Haiti have a spiritual retreat each year and they are always kind enough to invite me. This year it is in the Dominican Republic and it takes place this weekend.  If the borders are still open and they let us through we are going to enjoy a long weekend at an all inclusive resort studying scripture and relaxing!!!  I've been looking forward to it for quite a while.  We hope and pray that the elections go well this weekend, if there are any major problems we may decide to extend our stay in the DR until they pass.  This way, we don't have to be evacuated there, we'll already be there!!
To any Americans who may read my blog, happy thanksgiving! 

Presbyterian Church of Delmas, PAP

Pastor Octavius praying with the congregation

Leading Worship

During the transition to the new building, our church wasn't able to meet for a period of time due to a lack of location.  Thankfully we still have our big tent and were able to set up a portion of it on the lower half of the school yard.  Sunday was my first time being able to attend the service since it reopened.  (I signed up to teach Sunday School at Quisqueya Chapel and they were at the same time).
It was a great time of worship and studying God's word, with the added bonus of patè and really sweet juice.  The Hopp family (Ben and Heather) have a team visiting this week and they were able to join us on Sunday, we even had the benefit of a guest preacher!  This same team has been working at our school, setting up some pre-fab homes on the roof of the school.  Pictures to follow I promise!

Introducing Alix Jean Pierre



As I mentioned in an earlier entry, this is a year of transition for myself and the school.  Alix, our former grade three teacher, is working alongside me this year with the purpose of taking over the role of school director.   Alix has worked in education for a long time and has a good understanding of the Haitian education system.  So far it's been great working together and we are learning a lot from each other.  I asked him if he'd be willing to do a short interview so I could introduce him to my 'readers'.  Below are my questions and his answers:

Can you tell me a little bit about your family?
I have a big family, I have a wife, and five children, two girls, and three boys. I love my wife with all my heart. God had blessed our family with beautiful children. We are Christians and members of the church. We share the same faith, and know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour.

How long have you been in education?
I started working in Education in 1993. Before this, I tutoured several students but officially starting working in the classroom in 1993. During my career, I’ve worked in variety of schools.

What do you like the most about education?
I see that our country has a lot of needs in Education. There are many children and adults who need assistance in learning how to read, it’s important for them to read in order to function in society and change their lives.

What is the most difficult part about working in education?
Education in Haiti has a lot of difficulties. There are people who have jobs in schools that aren’t aware of their responsibilities. Many teachers don’t get paid regularly, and therefore some of them don’t work with all their hearts. This hurts the students. For Administration, there are many schools were administrators don’t take their responsibilities seriously. They run their school any way they like, they don’t follow curriculum, and the government doesn’t do a great job of supervising schools.

How long have you been with Adoration Christian School (ACS)?
For two years.

What are your future hopes and dreams for ACS?
I have big plans for ACS, I would like for all the teachers to work in a professional way, and to work together as a team. I would like the school to expand to include a secondary school; when our students graduate they will be able to stay at our school and not be sponsored elsewhere. I would like to there to be a professional school here as well. I would like ACS to have another sister school in another part of Haiti, to help even more people in Haiti. I would like if we could organize teacher seminars once or twice a year to help teachers improve their teaching.

What are your hopes and dreams for Haiti?
My dream for Haiti is for Haiti to change, in all areas. To develop further and for all students to be able to go to school, for adults who haven’t had a chance to go to school, to have education programs for them, so they can live better each day. If everyone can read and write, the country will develop better and faster. I would like for myself personally to help a lot of people in education.



Klinik Medikal ak Dans

Dr. Ed explaining a medication to a teacher

Dr. Ed. consulting with a patient

The two lovely nurses who assist Ed

Cleaning some teeth

For the last several years, we've had the pleasure of working with Dr. Ed and his two lovely assistants, Esther and Martine  Every time we move he's been gracious enough to follow us wherever we go.  When we were blessed with our new building, he got busy setting up two rooms to use for his clinic.  He's been open for a few weeks now and continues to provide both medical and dental services to the Delmas 31 and surrounding communties.  He is also kind enough to see our students and teachers and even myself from time to time!  We are certainly blessed to have him work alongside us.

This is Haiti...

I have two stories to share that took place the last two days that made me stop and think, "this is Haiti!".
(this first story is gross so skip it if you love animals or get grossed out easily)
Yesterday, someone came running over to talk to me with a very concerned look on his face. With much animation he told me that a street dog in our neighbourhood had died and someone had dumped it on top of a large pile of garbage right outside of our gates.  He told me that the smell of the dead body was really unpleasant and then proceeded to ask if I would please burn it to get rid of the smell.  I told him that this was beyond my area of expertise and that I didn't feel comfortable doing that! I haven't ventured outside of the front gate since, in fear of catching a glimpse of the dog in the pile of garbage.  (it's not our garbage for the record, there are MANY piles of garbage all over PAP)
Today, as I was leaving a grocery store with my car full of groceries for the school, I realized that one of the tires of my car was a bit on the low side.  Because my car was loaded quite full I decided I should get some air for my tire on my way back to the school.  I stopped at a "shop" at the side of the road that offered this service.  I got out of the car and a young boy came up to me and asked how he could help me. I  explained what I needed and he proceeded to start the generator for the air pump. I was quite surpised that a kid so young knew how to do this.  He then proceeded to release all the air from my tire, leaving it completely flat.  When he realized that he had flattened my tire completely he politely told me that the machine was not working and therefore he could not refill the tire with air for me.  He then left me on the side of the road with a completely flat tire.  At this point I started to get animated, I yelled that he had to get the machine working and fix my tire NOW!  Of course, a white woman, flailing her arms yelling in Creole quickly gathers a small crowd.  Some of the other shop owners came over to defend the boy, saying that he didn't know the machine wasn't working and that I shouldn't be concerned because the owner of the shop had left earlier to buy a peice to fix the machine and would be back shortly.  They mentioned that perhaps I should just replace the flat tire with my spare tire.  I gave them a dirty look and explained that would require me to take ALL the food out of the back of my car in order to get to my spare.  They all nodded their heads and agreed that it would be better for me to wait for the owner instead.  After I finished ranting and raving about how unacceptable this was, I decided to try and relax and enjoy the moment of quiet, think of it as a short break from the usual business of the school.  I sat down on a cement brick and proceeded to get to know another 'shop' owner who was trying to calm me down.  He was an artist, he showed me some of his work and told me about his business.  We enjoyed a moment of friendly convernsation and shortly after the shop owner returned.  He fixed the machine, filled my tire and I was on my way once again.  (he still charged me for the air, after all that!)
All in a day....here in Haiti!

TOMAS

We've been laying low the last few days, waiting for Tomas to hit us here in Haiti.  Late Wednesday afternoon one of the teachers mentioned that he heard on the radio that schools should close for Thursday and Friday.  Of couse all the students and the rest of the staff had already gone home for the day, so it would be difficult for us to inform them all about this change of plans.  When I got home I called my co-director and we discussed the pros and cons and another friend called to say that the government was now strongly recommending that all schools remain closed for the next two days.  So we got on the phone and started calling all the staff to inform them.  The gatekeeper agreed to go to school early to inform students and their parents when they arrived that they needed to return back home.  I went down to the school as well to help out.  When we arrived there were no students and the gatekeeper said that most students didn't bother coming because they had already heard that schools were closed.  We spent the morning, cleaning up loose pieces of tin that could easily be snagged by the wind.  Several staff members worked on the big tent that was set up in the back yard, making sure it was tightly secured.  The government then announced that all businesses should close at noon.  We went home and took it easy for the rest of the day.  It rained on and off the remainder of the day with some strong winds coming through from time to time.

Today (Friday) it has been raining gently all morning with the occasional wind but nothin severe.  We've recieved word that areas in the south were hit bad and low areas surrounding PAP have experienced flooding.  It appears that we may be alright for the most part here, but time will tell.

I'm staying home again today and taking it easy.  The internet is actually working so maybe I'll get caught up on some work and write some e-mails.  It feels like a snow day, it's even actually a bit cold (26 degrees), I'm swearing my warmest clothes and huddled under a blanket!

Mountains beyond Mountains




Mountains beyond Mountains

 


Cadeau trying to "help" Jenny up the moutain:)





How GREAT is our God!!



Almost at the top....

Monday and Tuesday of this week are holidays here in Haiti, and although I had a mountain (pun intended) of work waiting for me, I decided I needed to get out of PAP for at least a day and enjoy some nature.  I convinced Jenny and Cadeau to accompany me on a hike in the mountains.  We packed a picnic lunch and started off with no real plan in mind.  We drove for a while and then parked the car and started hiking.  It was wonderful.  The cool breeze, the warm sun, the flowers, the view, the fresh air, the silence, the smell of pine trees mingled with smoke from a wood stove... a little slice of heaven right here in Haiti.  Jenny and I stopped and smelled every flower and admired every view.  Cadeau was slightly less enthusiastic and more focussed on getting to the top:)  It was a lovely day and I'm glad I didn't spend it sitting in my office

Cholera...

Well, we're trying to stay calm about the cholera epidemic around here.  I've read a lot of literature about the disease and passed along information to our staff and students, about prevention and treatment.  The difficulty is that so many people can't afford to buy soap and bleach and treated drinking water, which is why it is spreading so quickly.  I don't worry about myself, first of all I am able to take precautions and secondly, if I do get sick I have access to medical care and rehydration solutions.  What I do worry about is one of our students or one of their family members getting sick. 
Please pray for those in the medical fields, that they will be able to treat those who are sick, and that needed supplies will get into the hands of those who need them.  We'll try our best to stay upbeat and work in our school community to educate and provide for their needs.

First Day of School

Morning program

Breakfast time!

Molina and Manman Manise distributing breakfast



Getting new books

Here's a few pictures to keep my readers happy.
Also I special thank you to all our sponsors.  We really truly couldn't do all that we do without you!

And we're back!!

Due to a maintenance issue on Blogspot I'm not able to upload any pictures tonight but I'll try again tomorrow.

But the good news, is that we've finished our first three days of the 2010-2011 school year! So far it's been a success. The building we found to rent is a huge blessing, we do not yet have electricity, running water, or keys to the doors but we're thriving nonetheless. We hired two new teachers this year and they are fitting in well with our team. Randy and his many assistants are still working hard on getting the building set up and functioning. Benches are being built, dividers made and invertors and batteries hooked up.
There is a slight change in my job this year. I will be working alongside Alix, one of the teachers, this year as he learns the role of School Director in order to take on this role by himself next year. It's been wonderful collaborating with him and working together as a team. As the year progresses, I will step back more and more as he steps forward and takes on more responsibilty. Alix is a great fit for this job and has already taken a leadership role in many areas.
As for our Adoration team, we will be seperated for a time. Randy and Karen are expecting another child and have decided to return to Canada for his/her birth. Karen has already returned with Maia and Randy will be leaving next week. Therefore I'm flying solo again for a bit.... please pray that all goes well in their absence as it is quite overwhelming keeping everything running on my own and there is potential for unrest in the near future due to the upcoming election.

Back in Business (almost)

We have some good news to share!  We have a school building.  It is actually an office building, but for the next two years it will be converted into a school, clinic, church and community centre.  The teachers and students are relieved that we will be opening our doors soon and I couldn't be happier.  The teachers, Randy, Karen and myself have been busy all week organizing books, setting up classrooms and making plans.  The classrooms won't be painted and we don't have electricity but we have tables, benches, blackboards (once the paint dries), a few books, some GREAT teachers and some really enthusiastic students, so we're all set! 

Our first staff meeting of the year

One of the classrooms almost ready for the first day of School

The front of the building, lots of space for morning program and recess time!

The back of the building, Grades 4 -6 are downstairs

Happy Thanksgiving!

Unbeknown by most Americans, we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving the first weekend in October, and this year my first item of thanks is that I am in Canada celebrating with my family, breathing in the sweet crisp air and watching the trees change to red, orange and yellow.


The reason I'm back in the great north is not actually to celebrate Thanksgiving but to witness my baby sister get married. It was a beautiful location, gorgeous weather and a wonderful time of celebration. Welcome to the family Andre!!

As per tradition, this weekend I reflect on all the blessing in my life. This year I realized that what I am most thankful for is the adversity and hardship of this past year. It has been a difficult year for our organization; the earthquake, being evacuated, losing loved ones, starting over, losing our temporary location... I also had some really low times personally. However, God has used these hard times and turned them into blessings. When we re-opened the school after the earthquake, I saw that our staff was more dedicated and we were a stronger team, working together, encouraging each other and united in purpose. Every morning after devotions we had a time of sharing, laughter and simply enjoying each others company. I was not personally in Haiti in July when we were refused entry into our temporary location, but the teachers told me about the experience. What stood out for me, was the respect and admiration our staff expressed towards our organization's response to the situation. We never pray for adversity or hardship in our lives, in fact we usually pray for the opposite. We pray for good health, safety, and success and I'm not saying we shouldn't pray for these things. But this thanksgiving, it really struck me that we often grow the most and reap the most rewards from the difficult times in our lives; when we and our faith are tested and we have a chance to see first hand ,God working things out for His good.

Inscription



Visiting a one room house with thirteen children

This woman lost her leg in the earthquake and yet agreed to take care of a child who is not her own

For the first time ever I was involved in the process of “inscription”.   In Canada I guess we’d call it “registration” but here it's just not that simple.  Every year we have a few spaces for new students to attend our school program.   Because our school is free, and many parents are not able to pay the monthly school  fees due to financial restrictions, you can imagine how difficult a task it is to choose new students for our school.   Every year, the process changes and every year it is just as difficult to say “no” to the many families we must turn away.  This year we formed a committee (sounds impressive but really I was just hoping to share the work with othersJ ) Each person had to visit ten homes and several days later we reconvened to make some difficult decisions.  I took along some of our visitors on my visits so they would be able to see a typical home/tent/tarp that our families live in.  I don’t visit students’ homes all that often and so this is interesting for me as well.  It’s also very hard, emotional and amazing.  It’s hard to see the dire situations that so many people in Haiti are living in (pre and post earthquake).  It’s emotional to see mothers and fathers with so little proudly showing you their home and inviting you to sit and chat.  It’s amazing that families with so little have agreed to take in children of friends and/or family and agree to care for them although they have no little of their own.  It is a truly humbling experience.  Today I met with the rest of the committee.  We managed to whittle one list of 21 down to 6!  But of course, now we have the task of calling parents and telling them that their child/children did not find a place in our school.  We would love to help every family in Haiti, but we have to recognize and respect our limits.  

Some pics

Taking it all back down....

Met Evans hard at work!

Me and Baby Carl (he says hello to Al, Ruth and Keith)

Prayer meeting with staff and several students

We're thankful to have a few visitors here right now (Nicole and Steve)

Long overdue...

Sorry for the silence... our situation changes daily and I didn't want to broadcast any news only to have it change the very next day.  What I can tell you is that last week we retrieved all our textbooks from the previous property which made me very happy as I and the teachers could start to prepare for the upcoming year. As of Friday we received permission to remove our stuff from the temporary property, in fact work started today.  Of course it is bitter sweet, we are happy to be able to remove our stuff finally, but it's sad to see all the hard work of our staff, students and many Canadian volunteers be taken down so shortly after it was put up.  The whole situation is difficult and has caused us much grieve.  We continue to pray for the situation; that hearts would be softened, and broken relationships mended.
But, moving forward... what's our next step?  Well we have found two potential places to relocate.  Both have pros and cons and today we explained the possibilities to the teachers to receive their input.  In the interest of time, we need to make a decision soon.  School is officially supposed to start on October 4th, we realize that we won't be opening on this day but hope to lose as little time as possible.  We are going forward with plans, buying textbooks, meeting with staff, registering new students and visiting students' homes. 
On a more personal note, I had a scary experience on Friday afternoon.  I was driving to my colleague's house when out of nowhere a crazy wind started whipping dust around on the street.  Next some heavy rain started to fall.  I really thought nothing of it, but as I neared my house and the rain came harder and the wind picked up, I decided to stop by my house quickly to close the windows.  As I was standing on my front porch I saw my neighbour's large water container fly off their roof into my yard.  My patio furniture was blown up against the wall of my house.  Once inside I could barely close the front door behind me.  I struggled to close all the windows, but one section of my house doesn't close, it is only iron bars so the wind continued to whip through the house.  Things were falling off the wall and being blown around, it brought back a lot of memories from the earthquake and even once I was out of the house it took a long time for my heart to start beating normally once again! Many trees fell during the storm and many tents were destroyed... it's so difficult for those in Haiti.  They deal with one disaster after another!
Not much else to report at this point.  Our team is doing well for the most part and staying positive through it all.  The Lord is great and greatly to be praised.  We praise Him for all that He is doing and we are honoured to carry out His work here in Haiti.

Working Out

Sorry no more news about our current situation.  Keep praying... and I'll let you know as soon as I know anything!
In other news... I taken a keen interest in working out these days.  Before the earthquake I had joined a gym in the neighbourhood, however I was mostly interested in the large track they had behind the building.  It was wonderful to be able to walk to my heart's content, not having to worry about chickens, goats, large stinky puddles of water, large vehicles whizzing past and people trying to get my attention.  After the earthquake the track become a "displaced persons camp" and it was no longer pleasant to walk on it.  This year I decided I was going to join the gym again and try the weight lifting thing.  That lasted about two days, it's just so boring, even with my i pod. So now I'm trying out the aerobic classes.  At first I was really intimidated because the classes take place in the center of the room and many of the men working out like to take breaks from working out to check out the aerobics class (the class is mostly made up of women:)  After the first class I quickly lost my nervousness, I was so busy sweating away and trying to keep up with the rest of the class that I didn't have time to notice who was watching.  Due to the heat here, halfway through the day most people start to feel tired and lethargic and I'm no exception.  I do, however, find that working out at the end of the day gives me an extra energy boost and I feel much more energetic the next day.  I'm hoping I'll keep up the routine for the rest of the year, only time will tell.

Encouragement

Unfortunately, there's no news yet on the school building situation.  We still don't have our stuff, and we still don't have a new building.  We remain in good spirits all things considered...
Due to lack of an office I've been taking it on the road:)  On Thursday I drove around and met up with the teachers in various places.  I visited several  homes and met teachers on the side of the road!  Later, several of the teachers came to my house to discuss several ideas for next year and begin making plans.  As always, the teachers are a huge source of encouragement to me.  Although they are upset about the situation that we are in, they keep reminding me that the Lord will provide for all our needs.  We prayed together and looked to One who is the source of all hope.  We continue to move forward, and hope to open the school in October as originally planned.  We're doing what we can for now and leaving the rest in the Lord's hands.  Thank you for your prayers!  We feel surrounded by support both here and overseas.

Situation

As per my previous post, we are in sort of a difficult situation these days.  We are not yet able to access the previous property which is frustrating on several levels.  First of all I don't have an office (once again!) and although I'm thankful that Randy and Karen have provided me with a corner of their living room for the time being, it's just not the same as having my own space to work in.  Thankfully, the most important school materials were removed from the property immediately (student files etc.) and a lot of my work is stored on my computer so I have enough to work on but there there are still a lot of materials I'd love to be able to access.  Hopefully sometime this week we will be allowed back on the property to retrieve our stuff.  We are making the best of the situation and working away on what we can in the mean time.  The teachers are eager to help in any way so once I get myself organized I will get in touch with them and put them to work.  As well, we have started to register the school and organization here in Haiti which we have wanted to do for a long time and now we have a chance to work on this.
Despite the difficulties, it's still good to be back.  I'm loving the heat and it was great to see all the teachers and staff so shortly after I arrived back and pray with them.  Please pray for much wisdom and patience at this time.

Request for Prayer

A Request for Prayer Dear Friends of Adoration Christian Centre: Due to a situation that is outside of our control, it appears that Adoration is going to have to find a different location for the upcoming school year which begins in October. The temporary site that we were using was owned by Pastor Charles of the Presbyterian Missino to Haiti. Because of a falling out with the church, Pastor Charles has withdrawn his permission to use the property. At this point Randy is hopeful that all the buildings and materials will be recovered. The news of this development is a great disappointment, as many relationships have been severed, and for those who worked so hard to erect the offices, residences, classrooms, playground, bathrooms, kitchen and the tent. However, the teachers and staff have been a source of encouragement for Randy and Karen and Kim! They are confident in the Lord's goodness, and that even in this, the LORD has a plan. He has always come through for us, and He will again. We ask for your prayers in resolving this situation, either through a change of heart for Pastor Charles, or that God may lead us to another property where everything can be re-installed. We stand with the decision the Prsbyterian Mission to Haiti board had to make regarding Pastor Charles Amicy, and with the decision of the overseeing Presbytery of the PCA. To read their statement on the situation please visit their website at www.presbyterianmissioninhaiti.org. We continue to work with Pastor Ben Hopp, OPC missionary, and Pastor Octavius Delfis, PCA Pastor. The work of the church will continue, as we prayerfully and humbly move forward. Sometimes it seems like life in Haiti is one crisis after another, and it is true, the Devil is hard at work! On the other hand, our work has been so greatly blessed, and many people have been able to witness the love and power of our God, that we stand in awe of His works. As much as possible we will try to keep our supports up to date on the developments. Thank you for your continued concern, support and prayer. Yours in Christ, CDIA Board and Adoration Team

Back in Haiti

It's good to be back.  I flew into PAP, Haiti on Tuesday afternoon and except for arriving without my suitcases the flight went smoothly.  Yesterday, Randy, Karen and myself sat down and they filled me in on all the happenings while I was away, we also started to plan the month of September.  This morning we had the opportunity to meet with the teachers and pray for the upcoming school year.  We have been blessed with such an amazing staff, we are so thankful for all the gifts and talents they bring to our organization.  The previous week was the final week of school for this school year and the teachers have officially started their vacation time!!  I'll be keeping busy during September getting ready for next year, getting new uniforms, buying new textbooks, hiring new teachers making schedules and all the other fun stuff that needs to be done before school opens for another year.  Sorry no pictures quite yet...  when something exciting happens I'll be sure to post pictures.

Teacher Workshops Part II

I'm sitting in the Ft. Lauderdale airport, very thankful for the free internet they provide.  The eight hour stop-over may not be so bad after all!
I want to go back in time just slightly, back to the week of Teacher workshops, I really didn't do the week justice with the short entry I made.  The week was amazing, everyone involved was challenged and enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship.  The Haitian Teachers eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Canadian teachers, as they had already had the privilege of working together the summer before.   Despite a much changed Port-au-Prince,  the Canadian teachers were quickly put at ease as they saw familiar faces and smiles and received familiar hugs.  Friendships begun 12 months ago were deepened and many more memories were accumulated.   Ruth, Al and Keith (the Canadian teachers) came with some great resources and some even greater ideas to share with the teachers.  Al challenged the teachers to make Math fun and shared a variety of ways to do so.  The last day of the workshops he encouraged them to demonstrate what they had learned and the result was encouraging to us all.  Ruth, came with boxes of fun art treats and the teachers showed off their creative sides with paintings, shapes made with clay and beautiful decorations for their classrooms.  Keith made us sweat, literally.  He had us running, jumping, and having a lot of fun.  It was really neat to see the teachers getting involved in the games and showing their oh so competitive sides.  My favourite moment from the entire week was when the teachers finally understood how to play kickball (aka soccer baseball) and the team in outfield stopped trying to get a homerun:) 
The last day was filled with laughter, a goodbye solo, tearful thank you speeches and lots of words of blessing and love.  It truly is amazing that after only two short weeks together a very strong bond was established between the teachers.
Friday we were quite the subdued group as we reminised about the good times we had and we looked at all the pictures that were taken over the week.
The few short days after the team left were a whirlwind of activity as I tried to tie up loose ends before heading out myself.  And now... I'm really looking forward to a rest, and time with family and friends.

More Teacher Workshop Pictures

Teacher Workshops

As always, when there is a lot to write about, there is no time to write! 

The Canadian Teachers arrived Friday and we spent a nice weekend together.  Saturday we drove out to the metal smith village to check out the iron-work and then up to Petionville to buy a few souvenirs.  Sunday we worshipped at First Presbyterian Church and drove around downtown.  Having been to Haiti before the earthquake, they are able to discern the difference between pre- and post-quake sights. Despite a heavy rainfall all afternoon, there was a group of guys who were very eager to play some basketball with the teachers and therefore played for two hours in the rain.  It was a bit more like water polo than basketball but they had fun. 

The workshops are going very well.  The teachers came with more ideas than could possibly fit into four days so they are whittling down their ideas and cramming as much as possible into each lesson.  The teachers have learned a lot about math manipulatives , played a lot of great fitness games and even got a chance to work with clay.  The time has flown by so far and it’s hard to believe there is only one day left!