Friends of Haiti,

We have a saying in Missouri (and more than likely you do, as well) that if you don’t like the weather just wait, its about to change. Unfortunately for our friends in Haiti, other than the relentless unchanging poverty, it seems something is always waiting to happen to change their world.

The cholera epidemic that swept through the country following the earthquake has died down, but it took several thousand people with it and sickened even more. Today’s problem is an African one called chikungunya — Chik-ah-gun-ya. It is a virus spread by mosquitos. Although not known to cause death, it causes painful joints, pounding headaches and spiking fevers as high as 104. There is no vaccine to prevent the virus. The common treatment, acetaminophen, has quadrupled in price over the counter, putting it well out of reach for the average person.

According to Reuters, the Haitian Ministry of Health has ordered 400,000 doses to be distributed around the country. This comes at the same time a known problem, dengue fever, also spread by mosquito, comes into season. The two diseases have a lot of the same symptoms and problems, but dengue can be deadly. There is no vaccine for it either.

Some good news: the school year is about over, except for Joe’s school which will run about two weeks longer. This has been one of the few years that they have gone from start to finish with little interruption, and everyone is thankful for that.

We are also thankful those who sponsor a child or help a school to make this possible. Your sacrifice over the past year has made it possible for a child to have one more year of education.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry

Jacky and Myrlande Gilles

This month we would like to introduce you to Jacky and Myrlande Gilles. Jacky (left) is the Haitian National Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship and Myrlande (right) works with the Ministry of Education in Haiti. This picture was taken after his graduation from CEF’s 12 week course and she had finished taking leadership courses before returning home to Port Au Prince the 18th of April.

Terry and I were able to spend several days with them, showing them St. Louis, the Arch, and of course Ted Drewes ice cream. For those of you who don’t know Ted Drewes ice cream, it IS St. Louis.

We also spent several hours talking and planning what we could do teaching the children in “our” villages. The experience and passion they both have for this program will be invaluable in our plans and her experience in the Ministry of Education will play a role in bettering our schools and the education our kids receive. All of our schools are licensed to operate but her insight will insure that they are being taught what the government requires, and that the teaching methods are what they should be. The fact they will see this from a Christian’s view makes it even better.

Since our friend Joe is no longer with us, Terry and I feel our meeting them is directed by God. We knew we would need someone with Jacky’s experience, love for the Haitian children, and his ability communicate clearly for our ministry to continue as it has. This is not to say the others who work with us don’t have those abilities, but Joe had leadership qualities, and that is what Jacky and Myrlande bring to this partnership. We can’t wait for them to get started. We hope you will pray for them, their safety, and their ministry in Haiti, along with ours.

As always, thank you for your prayers and for helping our friends in Haiti.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry