Beach Weekend

This weekend we had a Staff retreat at the beach. It doesnt get much better than spending a few days in February at the beach in the sun.

Here are some pictures! 

                                                            

 No weekend can be perfect... I am literally covered in jellyfish bites. They itch like crazy. Be praying they go away soon! 

Joann starts school Monday!

Joann is going to school! Miquette spoke with Madame Joseph today and told her that money would be provided for Joann to go to school. It will cost about $150 dollars for the remaining of the year.

Kellyanne and I are honored to fund her schooling. I am so incredibly thankful that God has answered Joann's prayers for her to attend school. I am also thankful that the Lord answered our prayer of providing a way to make this possible through a Haitian organization! 

God is faithful and moving in wonderful ways! 

On Tuesday Amber and I went to visit Madame Joseph's family. The girls were so excited to see us. Cassandra and Fideria were so smiley as they told us how their day at school went. The girls showed us their backpacks, uniforms, and new books. I love to see their excitement and eagerness to learn! 

The whole crew! 

 Still praying for God to provide an opportunity for Joann to go to school! He is at work :) 

The girls youngest sister. She is 10 months old and super adorable! 

Our friends!

Today Cassandra and Fideria (the two youngest sisters) started school through TeacHaiti! I pray that the Lord would use this blessing to draw them closer to Himself. I also hope and pray these girls would become women who would bring about Christ centered change in Haiti as they grow.

Joann (the oldest sister) is 12 and is far below grade level. She is not able to go to TeacHaiti because of her academic level. It would be extremely hard to have a 12 year old in a 2nd grade class.  That being said, Joann really does want to go to school and seems extremely motivated. It breaks my heart that she sees her sisters going to school while she stays at home. 

Kellyanne and I were walking yesterday and saw Madame Joseph (the three girls mother). She spoke about how excited her younger girls were about starting school and how thankful she was for the opportunity. She further explained that to send Joann to a French school it would cost 2500 gourdes for the year. That is about $60 US dollars. 

I walked away praying and asking God how we could help. $60 is nothing in comparison to a life that can be forever changed by an education. How can we give without having it be "white people" coming to save the day? How can we help without hurting Madame Joseph's self worth? How can we help without doing more harm? 

We are praying and trusting God to provide a way for us to serve wisely. God is faithful and loves these girls even more than we do :) 

Joann is standing in the back. Cassandra is to the left. Fideria is to the right. 

Leaving one home for another!

Perfect picture to summarize the awesome community the Lord has provided here in Haiti! 

Quick Update!

Today Cassandra, Joann, their younger sister, and mother met with Miquette. They showed up in typical Haitian fashion almost 2 hours late. Miquette and the family agreed to have all three children tested for placement in the TeacHaiti school.

Miquette explained that a majority of Haitian families really value education. On average, Haitian families would rather not have enough food to eat in order to save money to send their children to school.

I am really wrestling though the idea of "white people" coming in and saving the day. The last thing I want to do is harm (physically or emotionally) this family and the other families in this village. 

Continue praying that the Lord would be at the center of this whole situation, and he would restore areas in all of our lives that are in need of healing.  

Power of an Education

Most of my Saturday nights are spent at the Mattenleys. A bunch of us eat pizza, spend time together, and worship. It is always a great time.

Last Saturday after some much needed worship my roommate and I walked back to our house. It was about 9pm so it was dark and few people were out on the streets. We were walking and met up with 2 girls who were dragging a huge bag of plastic bottles. We began speaking to them in Creole, and they told us they were walking to the end of the road to dump the bottles in the trash pile. We exchanged a few more words and then wished them a goodnight. 

Kellyanne and I continued our conversation about what God was teaching us but were soon interrupted by the 2 girls coming over to grab our hands. They walked us back to our house and we invited them in. They sat on our front porch and talked to us for 45 minutes. This was quite impressive considering my Creole speaking ability. I couldnt have done it without Kellyanne :) 

Cassandra and Joann were the names of the 2 girls. Cassandra is 10 and Joann is 12. They were so sweet and very polite. During our conversation we found out the 2 girls were not in school because their mom did not have enough money. My heart broke immediately thinking the future for these girls would be very limited. 

The girls went back home and came to visit us again on Sunday. I continued praying about what God would have my role be in this situation. I wanted to be compassionate yet wise with my actions. 

On Monday Miquette, the founder for TeacHaiti, approached us saying she heard the 2 girls we had met were not in school. Miquette immediately said she would like to meet with them and their mother to see about getting them into the TeacHaiti school. What an answer to prayer!! I am still amazed with how God orchestrated that :) 

Today we went to Cassandra and Joann's home to talk with their mother. Tomorrow at 1:00pm they will be meeting with Miquette about going to school. Please be praying that details work out and the girls would be able to attend school. My ultimate prayer is that God would be glorified and his love would shine stronger than anything else. 

I will keep you updated! :)