Dear
Friends,
Happy Springtime from Christian Light School, Petit Goave!
The rains are falling and the mangos are ripening! As always, it’s a beautiful
time of year in Haiti.
2017 began with Madame Beverly’s absence. She was in Texas with
her ailing husband Wally for the entire month of January. She returned to the
family in Petit Goave the evening of February 8 to much rejoicing. Her arrival
at school was delayed by a day due to the presidential inauguration. On Feb. 9
she surprised the teachers in the school kitchen where she’d been hiding. There
was initial silence, a shock followed by shrieking and hugging and crying.
The teachers then concealed Beverly down the hallway. At the
doorway Beverly jumped out from behind the clump to surprise the children.
Again, the same reaction! There was silence: everyone was frozen, unmoving and
unspeaking. Then one student, then another, then another and then a stream fell
upon her. There was shrieking and hugging.
The Family was complete again.
School continues. There is laughter and love. There is
singing and dancing and cuddling; there is praying and learning! The children
are growing in mind and body! The first and second graders are eating more and
more; the same crew of boys returns to the kitchen for second or third helpings
every day. They scrape the bottom of the pot for every bit of rice and beans.
On the last trip to collect our allotment from Feed My
Starving Children we were blessed with not only the usual 80 boxes of rice, but
45 gallon cans of assorted vegetables and two large sacks of dried beans. The children
have been spooning vegetables onto their rice served with generous portions of
beans. And they are always drinking water! Water is prescribed for every
malady.
There is always illness. In February and March there was an
epidemic of conjunctivitis. Then there were fevers and diarrhea (Madame
Rachelle had this!) Our security guard/Recreation assistant Michelet has joint
swelling and pain. Mesdames Missoule (our cook), Rose (our Haitian Director),
and Angenose have their blood pressure checked daily; high blod pressure and
diabetes are problematic in Haiti due to poor diet and stress.
We see these maladies as signs of Satan’s displeasure. The
students are growing and learning in all ways, including confidence and joy. Every
Friday there is church assembly. Last week Madame Patricia put on the
[cardboard] Armor of God and taught on Ephesians 6.
We have been blessed with several visitors this spring to
help at school and share their love and gifts of teaching, maintenance, and
medical treatment. Denise and Danny from Virginia; Rebecca (Rachelle’s mother)
from New Hampshire; Leonard, Laura, Sam, Sarah, and Abby from Alabama. And on
April 23 we welcomed Madame Nicole from Texas who will be staying through June.
She’s here inspired to explore business ventures to make the school
self-sustaining and provide jobs for parents. Nicole has a gentle heart
especially fueled for women and young girls.
While Madame Rebecca was visiting, we took a trip to
Christianville eye clinic in Gressier with Madame Angenose. She is our
four-year old teacher and had been complaining of eye trouble. The doctor
declared her far-sighted and fitted her a basic pair of reading glasses and
some eye drops and sunglasses for protection against the inescapable dust. What a wonderfully simple solution! We also
enjoyed being out with Angenose: on the way back from the clinic we stopped at
Haiti Made Café and got freshly made fruit smoothies. They were deliciously
refreshing.
Madame Angenose is mother to three children: eight-year old Chaun,
six-year old Nosie, and one-year old baby Sarah. The two older ones are polite
and gentle, always eager for hugs and kisses and smiling shyly. Nosie is also
highly intelligent; she is one of the top first grade students at school. Baby
Sarah is petite, beautiful, and serious as can be. She stares but rarely
smiles. Angenose’s husband is perpetually unemployed. She is the breadwinner of
the family, able to provide because of her school salary and the partnership of
an American friend for baby Sarah. At school she singlehandedly manages a
classroom of 29 four-year olds, working from 8 to 1 before returning to their
one-room home they rent. The family attends church on Sunday morning and
Tuesday evening, always cheerful and ready with smiles and kisses.
We are so thankful for Madame Angenose, her iron-strength
and dependability. Please pray for her and her family: that God would continue
to provide for them: including the funds and land to build their own house,
that opportunity would arise for her husband, her children would grow and
prosper, and Angenose would be in good health with no further eye-trouble and
regulated blood-pressure.
Unbelievably, this school year is almost finished! We have a
mere five weeks left of classes. Through the lottery, God has chosen 25 new
three-year old students for September. Booklists are compiled. We need a
third-grade teacher and a new space for a new classroom! Our current rented
building is at capacity—and in poor shape. Part of the ceiling fell in the
kitchen; praise God no one was injured! Beverly and Rachelle are still awaiting
their Permis de Sejour: permanent residency status. Nicole is settling in to
life in Ti Goave. May 8-21 Rachelle will spend some time with family in NH and
attend her brother’s wedding. In June students will take exams and the team
from Beverly’s home church River of Life in San Antonio should arrive. They
will stay for two weeks doing VBS at school and community outreach in town. On
June 10 we expect a small group from Rachelle’s home church in NH to do a
one-day VBS program. We are delighted!
Beverly, Rachelle, and Nicole are scheduled to depart June 27 for summer
in the States.
Thank you so much for your support in prayer, in donations
of supplies, time and money. Thank you especially to Kim and her family who
gave us beautiful new teal teacher uniform shirts!
Please persist in praying for us. We have many needs, many
people dependent on us; by God’s grace we have so far been channelers of
education, food, medical care, and God’s Word. We pray that we would continue
to be so able.
Remember that your help makes our work here possible. Madame
Eunide and Pierre, our friend from the copy shop, both recently commented that
Americans give Haiti a lot of help. “I pray that God will bless the United
States,” Eunide said.
We responded that no matter how much blessing we may give to
Haitian people, we Americans are inexpressibly blessed in return.
We send you warm breezes, the scent of the sea and the taste
of mango, along with our love and appreciation.
Mesi e Bondye beni nou! Thank you and God bless
you!
Beverly Burton “Madame
Beverly”
Rachel Collins “Madame
Rachelle”
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