Greetings,
I have a feeling this may be a long chatty letter so just a warning! :0) We have a team here from Florida working on the house we told you about in a previous email – Sam’s house. A crew of Haitian workmen, STEP teachers and students did the initial work of clearing the shack Sam had put together (previous photo), clearing the rubble around it from the destruction of his original house, building a strong foundation and putting up the walls. The team will be putting on the roof of Sam’s house and hopefully do the roof on another house so a family of 6 can move in.
This family of 6 is living in a windowless, dark, very small room down a dangerous set of steps. It is a family with 4 younger children and it is all they can afford. The husband is trained in welding and does really good work when he can get it. Now he is also heading up a bloc making business which was begun recently. So he is fixing up a little house in our neighborhood and if the team can help with the roof he will be able to move his family to a small home but larger and much better than what they have lived in for years now. Now I just recently saw the place this family is living in and I could not sleep that night thinking of and praying for this family. The husband is such a nice man, never complaining and always with a smile on his face. I was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.
Starting February 12 we have people from Indiana coming to build a structure for STEP faculty offices and student study area on the campus. Duane Brown, a former co-worker, who helped put up the classroom building last summer is coming to supervise this construction. His coming is a tremendous help to Bruce and David as he knows the language and his way around working in Haiti.
Teams are so helpful in getting things done that we just don’t have the time and resources to do ourselves. It takes a lot of preparation to host teams because we no longer have a fulltime construction/maintenance person so we take on teams along with regular activities. BUT we receive such a blessing from the men and women who come with hearts open to what God wants to show them and how He wants to use them. This current team came to our home for dinner last night and it was great to interact with them. McMartins and Schmids will spend time with them Sunday evening on our patio overlooking the Caribbean (:0}) getting to know them better and sharing how God is at work in their lives and ours.
There are so many as you will see that are living on the hillsides in tents in our neighborhoods. Much still needs to be done. Someone recently said “we aren’t a crisis organization like some NGO’s but we do what we can to respond to needs.”
You’ve maybe heard about the arrival of the former “President for Life” (Duvallier) and the possible return of Aristide. The government just announced the two candidates for the runoff election to be held sometime in the coming months. If I could get David to sit down and type a few lines about this he’d be much more knowledgeable about it all. What do I think? All I can say is I continue to pray because God is the only answer to the situation in our “Haiti Cherie” (dear Haiti).
Without specifically giving prayer requests in this letter, I think you can see and understand what to pray for. Continue to pray for Sam’s salvation and the testimony to one unsaved team member from Florida. Add to that the continued gang activity in our area. It is so senseless and just causes so much fear and anxiety in people’s lives that already experience enough difficulties in life. It directly affects STEP as when the shooting is intense classes are canceled. Some weeks ago a window in our guest unit was broken by a passing bullet. It isn’t the first time and will probably not be the last time. I know cities in the states have this kind of violence all the time so we can pray for each other.
Cindy and I were sitting on her swing the other day for a break and the breeze was delightful. I commented on receiving pictures that morning from Karen showing her car iced over and the trees and bushes coated with ice. It is interesting that as you all look forward to spring and the end of winter, I love winter here and DO NOT look forward to spring and the return of the high temps and humidity. Oh well, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.
David and Bruce are going to Florida along with some of the STEP administration for a leadership conference later this month. David will stay on a few days after it ends to help his sister, Joanne, with some of the details for her care and business matters. During that time Lois Beadle will come from La Pointe to spend time with me and she, Cindy and I can have some fun “girl time”!
I know I’ve referred to Rosita who works in our kitchen 3 days a week. Her husband, Lamour, is the mission chauffeur. Well, he is also a tailor and is always interested in any sewing – craft type – that I do. I made the girls bags with lots of pockets in for Christmas and showed him how to do it. He loved it. Now I’m showing him the “log cabin quilt pattern” and different ways he can use it. We helped him get a nice sewing machine when Missionary Flights was given some to distribute.
Well, enough for this epistle. I hope you all stay warm and have a blessed day in God’s house tomorrow.
Love,
Phyllis
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