Friends of Haiti,

This month we thought we would change direction some, and show you a picture of someone you may know, with some of her friends. For those who haven’t met Terry, here she is in one of our classrooms. It has been some time since we have mentioned the schools, and since things have changed some since the earthquake, we thought we would mention them this month.

A good figure to show you the importance of these schools is the fact that private schools run by Canada, France or the United States, along with church-run schools, educate 90% of students. The first Constitution of Haiti stated that “education shall be free. Primary education shall be compulsory…State education shall be free at every level.” Nevertheless, education costs remain high and access to school is difficult, especially in rural areas, where all of ours, except one, are located. Additionally, it’s estimated that over 500,000 children are not in school because parents can’t afford the cost of buying necessary things for them to attend.

Approximately 1.3 million children and youth under the age of 18 were directly or indirectly affected by the earthquake, and nearly 4,200 schools were destroyed. It has also been estimated that thousands of students and teachers were killed. Thankfully, none of ours were.

For those of you who give monthly to sponsor a school or child, or those who supply vitamins or school supplies and feeding programs, you are helping provide a gift that no one can ever take from them and giving them an opportunity to make a difference in the world around them. And for that, we and they are very grateful. Thank you for all you do to help.

Serving HIM together,

 

Friends of Haiti,

This is Beaubrun and his family. There are two other children but this is such a good picture of him and his wife, we decided to use it anyway.

Beaubrun has been working with us longer than anyone, starting in the summer of 1996. At first, like Joe, he acted as translator for us and those who came with us or on their own. He was also enrolled in Port Au Prince Christian Bible School, then a four year school. HIM helped him with costs, books and whatever we could provide to help. At one point, we bought him reference books that caused his grades to go up so much and so quickly that one of the teachers thought he was cheating. That’s something we still laugh about.

Because of his knowledge of the Bible, Beaubrun is the person we place with those who come to work with the churches or those doing Vacation Bible school in the villages. He also oversees the school in Bayelle, helps with the feeding programs, and preaches in different churches.

Like Joe, Beaubrun has become much more than just someone who works with us; he is a very good and faithful friend. To say he is protective would be an understatement. He is always watching out for us and those who come to work.

Beaubrun, like Joe and others, have no other means to earn a living or support their families besides working in missions. And HIM, like so many ministries, depends on men and women like this, who are as involved as they are and who want to help those in need.

We don’t know what we would do without friends like this helping us, and we surely couldn’t even begin to do anything without your help and prayers. We and they appreciate all you do to help.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry