Monday, July 06, 2009

Hot, Hot, Hot!!!!

It is definitely summer around here. We're back to working up a sweat by just sitting in a chair and doing nothing! The afternoon rain showers that occasionally come our way are a much appreciated break to the heat and humidity of the summer. But I don't really mind it that much, summer is my favorite season. For us the sun is coming up at between 4:30 and 5 am (we didn't change to daylight savings time this year), and this morning it gave off a glorious orange glow that was just beautiful. Not that I make it a habit of being up with the sun, those of you who know me well know I am a night owl, but at precisely 5am this morning a very large bang occurred right outside my window. At first, it really annoyed me off that someone would be making such a large noise at such an hour, but then I had the blessing of seeing an awesome sunrise, so I quickly adjusted my attitude!
With summer around here comes fruit! Something we don't get for much of the rest of the year (I know strange for living in a tropical climate). The latest crop has been mangoes, and once again the favorite pastime at the HOH is sitting beneath the mango tree, wooing one to fall right in front of you. I've heard kids sing to the mangoes, scold them, and even offer up a short prayer hoping for it to fall at that moment! This picture of Nani enjoying one, shows you exactly how a mango is meant to be eaten, it's not for the timid, or for anyone wanting to remain clean for that matter. Digging in and getting your whole face into it is the only way to go!
We've been occupied with many things these past couple of weeks. Most of them have to do with school ending. All but a few of the kids are done with their final exams. Most of our students passed the year, but a few didn't, making us have to think and make decisions about what we are going to do with them in the coming school year. The few who are still writing exams are those in grades 12 & 13. They will continue to write their government exams today, tomorrow and Thursday. If you think of it pray for them, these are very difficult exams, and determine whether or not they can continue with their studies and finish school, or if they have to wait a year and re-write the exams.

With the end of school came several graduation ceremonies. The two that we celebrated were for Esther, who graduated from Kindergarten, and Dieujuste, who graduated from elementary school. They looked great in their new outfits, and we had great time celebrating with them.






Here is Esther at the party we had for her at the HOH afterwards...








This is Dieujuste at his graduation with his sisters. Desimene is on the left, she also lives here at the HOH. The other sister lives in our local community.


It is exciting to see our kids work hard and get through these milestones of their lives.


This week is the big conference week here in our village. Over 5,000 people from all over Haiti will show up for a week of Bible studies, times of worship and fellowship. Our kids are really excited about the childrens program which will have several thousand children in attendance. To get prepared they've been braiding the girl's hair with beads, pulling out the best clothes we have, and asking us several times a day if the conference is starting today. It's almost as exciting as Christmas!

I am spending most of my days getting ready for teaching the young boys the Peacemaker studies. We almost have 60 boys signed up to take the course, which is very exicting. Thank you for your prayers as we prepare to share God's truth about living at peace with each other, and resolving conflict in a way that pleases Him. In two weeks we'll also be holding our Staff Camp. This is something we do every 2 years as a way to thank our staff for their hard work taking care of the kids here at the HOH. Many of these ladies would never be able to take a vacation, so we can at least offer them a week where they are taken care of instead of them taking care of others. We have all kids of plans to pamper and care for them, so please keep that in your prayers as well.
We appreciate every one of you who supports us in this ministry. Thanks for your prayers for God's provision over the past few weeks. Our faith has been stretched, and God has been faithful. God bless...

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