Hello,
Hope most of you are enjoying your below freezing weather. Here in Haiti we are experiencing a warmer winter then normal. We have been having temperatures around 100 degrees. Today it is only 92, but last week we had one day at 108 degrees and a couple at 100 degrees. At any rate I have enjoyed seeing some of your photos of snow.
We wanted to let you know about the achievements that 14 of our children in the children's village have made. After mid term exams, eight of our children are ranked first in their class. Another six are ranked second in their class. There are almost 400 children in the Marose school. So this is quite an accomplishment. We are so proud of them. In Haiti it takes quite a bit of work to be in the top of a class. As a society Haiti does not value education. The children need to be self motivated to succeed in school. The children that are first in their class from our children's village are DJensly, Wolvens, Belano, David, Jean Miller, Sunday, Wisdarline and Sandy Love. The children who achieved second in their class are TPeter, Clavinson, Jim, Makenson, Dieka and Rachel.
So for the story.......
We asked a parent to come in and sign a form for one of the children's files. In broken Creole, Mike explained to the father what the form was for and showed him where to sign. The father replied in Creole "no sign". Mike assumed because of his poor Creole that the father did not understand him and explained again. The father replied "no sign". Then Mike saw one of the older boys coming in the gate from high school. Knowing that this boy understood a bit of English he asked him to explain to the father what the form was for. So the boy did, and the reply was the same "no sign". The boy looked at Mike and said he did not understand, but the father would not sign. So Mike thought for a minute. It then dawned on Mike that it was very probable that the Man was illiterate and could not sign. So he asked the man if "he would not sign or if he was not able to sign"? The father replied that he was "not able to sign". So Mike told him he could make a mark and that Mike could sign as a witness. The man asked "what kind of mark"? Mike not knowing if the father knew what an X was, told him any kind of mark. The father smiled and meticulously drew a little cross on the line where his signature was supposed to go. He might not of known how to write his own name, but he knew what was important to him in this life :) That little cross represented much. It was a picture of so many lives in Haiti. It showed one of the major reasons why they struggle as a nation. It showed why as a people so many of them are taken advantage of. It shows a picture of what oppression looks like, oppression is not a word most of us are familiar with anymore in North America. It spoke to us about why we are here. Why we are trying to help. I hope it speaks to you and causes you to say not on my watch, I want to help the people of Haiti move forward. I want to see the yoke of oppression broken. I want them as a people group to be set free.
Please pray for our family, our ministry and what we feel God has called us too. Please also lift up the other small ministries in Haiti. We have many very dedicated friends here in Haiti, trying to walk out what they have been called to. And in all honesty, sometimes it is extremely hard to be in the midst of so much oppression and keep our eyes focused on HIM. Thank you sooooooo very much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
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