Author Archives: wendy

About wendy

A stay-at-home wife & homeschooling mom, God has given our family an unexpected passion for the children in a little village in Haiti.

Investing in Our Teachers

Posted on April 19, 2023 by wendy

From the beginning of the Bridge Sponsorship Program, God has been faithful in showing me each next step I should take in the development of this ministry. As I continue to pray for God’s guidance, He has recently opened the door to invest in our teachers in a greater way.

About 6 months ago, I came across a news report about a Haitian organization that won a world-wide award: the 2022 UNESCO-Hamden prize for Excellence in Teacher Development. We decided to reach out for more information and within a couple of months, Claudel & I were scheduled for a zoom meeting with the Education Director of P4H Global.

As we discussed whether to pursue this opportunity, I learned that there is no national certification program to become a teacher in Haiti. In fact, it’s not uncommon for teachers to have no more than a primary school education. Without training, often teachers will simply read a lesson out of the government-mandated curriculum and hope that the students understand enough to do the assignment.

P4H’s School Quality Assurance program equips Haitian educators with research-based, student-centered strategies that give them the tools they need to teach well and to transform the culture or their classrooms. The full program is three years long and includes yearly training seminars, follow up evaluations, online support, and ongoing coaching.

With that in mind, I’m excited to report that just last week three of P4H’s Education Specialists traveled to Carrefour Poy to hold the first training seminar for our teachers! Over three days our school staff learned about educational theories, a variety of learning models, classroom organization and management, collaborative learning strategies, lesson planning, and more.

Our teachers learning and practicing new strategies with P4H’s Education Specialists

All this information was presented in a fun and culturally relevant way that has ignited their excitement for teaching. I’m told it was a fun week of learning and practice. The teachers are already implementing the new methods and strategies they learned!

Teachers play a vital role in this ministry. After all, without them there would be no school! This investment is a way to show our teachers honor and to dignify the work they do. It will help them become more effective at their jobs, more confident in their abilities, and better equipped to address the needs of their students.

I thank the organizers of this wonderful seminar. This training represents a great thing for me as a teacher- it opens my eyes to many wonderful things I did not understand. I commit to using these new methods to share my experience with my class so they also benefit from them.
~Alcine Cadet Chériel, 3rd grade teacher

Our stated mission is “to help provide meals, education, and most importantly the Gospel of Christ to the children of Carrefour Poy, Haiti”. By investing in our teachers, we are better able to meet those goals and our students will be given the tools they need to rise above their circumstances and impact Haiti’s future for the better.

The three day seminar included lots of education and lots of fun!

I believe in the power of both the gospel and education to transform Haiti. The gospel is our driving force and highest priority, and education is a practical way to help both students and teachers rise above poverty and make a positive impact on the broken systems in Haiti.

God continues to surprise me with how He uses this little ministry to support the school in Carrefour Poy, and I am humbled by the trust and faithful support of our sponsors. This training was made possible because of generous donations from people who believe in the work we do in Carrefour Poy. It is impossible to convey my gratitude.

I thank all the sponsors who agreed to invest in us through this wonderful seminar that took place from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 April, 2023. I learned many wonderful strategies and skills that will help me manage my classes better. Thank you very much and may God bless you for this wonderful work.
~ Thelot Daccueil, 7th, 8th, & 9th grade Social Studies teacher

Collaborative learning activities in practice!

“…Allow me to bring you back to 1804, when Haiti became the first free black republic in the world. Against all odds, our ancestors won the Haitian Revolution abolishing slavery forever. Today, we are taking part in another Haitian Revolution. This time we are not fighting to break shackles that bind our hands and feet, but rather the shackles that bind our minds, and prohibit us from developing. At the end of our battle, like our ancestors we will be victorious, not with guns and machetes in our hands, but rather with books and pens.”
Dr. Bertrhude Albert, Co-Founder of P4H Global

Categories: Education, Haiti, Missions, Teachers | Leave a comment

Honoring Debby

Posted on April 7, 2023 by wendy

In early 2021, Debby was diagnosed with early onset dementia. Within months she had lost her ability to communicate, to recall all the memorized scripture that had sustained her throughout her life, and to craft her beloved artwork. She went home to our Lord on December 18, 2022. It was an honor to get to speak at her memorial service along with Claudel, who shared about the impact she made on his own family as well as the school in Carrefour Poy. Here is the eulogy I shared:

Debby & I had been church acquaintances for several years before we finally got to know each other during a book study in 2011. It was during that study that God put it on my heart to begin a child sponsorship program in Haiti. At the same time, God had put it on Debby’s heart to get more personally involved in child sponsorship. So after I shared my idea one evening, Debby approached me after class and volunteered to work with me on it! Through our ministry work together, Debby became a very important person in my life at a pivotal time in my life.

Honestly, I’m not sure the sponsorship program ever would have happened without her. I was so unsure of my abilities and full of anxiety. If I was sure about anything, it was that I had no idea what I was doing. So I thank God that He brought us together as “partners in the gospel”. She was a wise and supportive advisor, she encouraged me (or made me laugh) through my anxieties and fears. We saw each other at our best and our worst, we grew together and through it all she became a dear friend.

I could share so many things about Debby. You probably already know how incredibly talented she was in so many areas: a caring nurse, an inspired artist, a creative chef, blogger, missionary, book-lover, and so much more. Instead, I hope to honor Debby’s memory today by sharing with you some stories that demonstrate the core of who she was…

One Sunday while sitting next to her at church, I noticed that she was writing in a notebook. I assumed she was taking notes, but she was actually drawing out the ideas from the sermon so she could turn them into a quilt! Of course I was blown away by her talent, but more than that it shows how she genuinely saw God’s word as a thing of beauty.

Pastor Gilbert & Dr. Legette with a piece of Debby’s artwork

Not only did Debby’s love for scripture inspire her art, but it moved her to live it out. During our work, she spent a lot of time dwelling on Isaiah 58 and its admonition against performative acts for God instead of actually feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and giving clothes to those who need them. And doesn’t that just encapsulate who she was? Debby had a compassion that compelled her to act. This compassion led her to help me start The Bridge, to minister in Kenya and Haiti, to collect clothes and shoes to give to people in need, and to financially support many people and ministries around the world.

As Isaiah 58 teaches, her compassion wasn’t just about doing things, it was about seeing people. When we went to Haiti together, Debby had packed a selection of nail polish that she wanted to give to the female teachers. Honestly, I thought it was a little silly. Here were people who didn’t necessarily know where their next meal was coming from. What would they care about nail polish? But when she brought those colorful little bottles out… those ladies came alive! These women who had been serious and stoic the whole time we had been there were suddenly smiling and laughing with us! Debby saw those women for more than their needs. She saw them as whole people who deserved to enjoy fun and beauty. Debby’s love of others and her love of beauty came together in that moment to create a sacred space of communion.

The last time I saw Debby, she shared with me that she had “lost her words”, as she put it. Nonetheless, she made sure to give me a box of beads for the jewelry the Haitian students make and some money for the girls she sponsored. I love how that demonstrates Debby’s true essence. Even when disease had stolen her ability to create art or to recall the scriptures she had once memorized, she was still thinking about and giving to others.

In closing, I want to read a few verses that will always make me think of Debby. On the last day of our trip to Haiti, she shared Colossians 1:9-13 with the church in Carrefour Poy. From verse 9, We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will, spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Pastor Gilbert translating as Debby shares from Colossians

Disease may have stolen from Debby the ability to call up the words of scripture that she loved, yet those words lived deep inside of her. She lived a life that honored the Lord and she produced good fruit because she had made it a priority to know God better and better through His Word.

Skipping to verse 12 Paul wrote, The Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

Debby’s life -her legacy- shines brightly with the Kingdom light of her Savior. I admired her greatly and miss her friendship. And I’m thankful for the assurance that God has rescued her from the darkness of dementia and transferred her into the eternal kingdom of His Son.

“As always, I turn to my God for answers. I’m afraid there are many things that won’t be answered clearly in this lifetime. I don’t pretend to understand why these things happen. I won’t try to give you trite answers or to tie everything up in a neat theological package with a pretty little bow on top. But I was comforted by the words I found in the Psalms. For me, this is the only way I can live. I hope in my God. He is my Rock and my Fortress. I run to him in uncertain times. And I find hope.”
~Debby Schnabel

Categories: Haiti, Missions, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

10 Year Anniversary (plus one)

Posted on January 9, 2023 by wendy

I had meant to post this last January, but it has sat forgotten in my draft folder for a year. Since I do want it to have a permanent place on this blog, I thought I’d go ahead and post it a year late!

Ten years ago, in January of 2012 we began supporting the school in Carrefour Poy through sponsorship. As I look back on the past decade, I am in awe of all God has done in myself and at the school through this ministry, so I want to take a few moments to remember all He has done and to give Him praise!

Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.

1 Chronicles 16:8

He connected two people from different countries and cultures with the same idea of supporting a school with a sponsorship program.
He filled me with the passion and determination I needed to pursue this idea and overcome obstacles, in spite of my inexperience.
He surrounded me with people who had more experience and knowledge than myself to guide, encourage, and help me along the way.
He brought beloved friends into my life through this ministry who I never would have connected with or even met otherwise.
He has inspired many people to generously entrust us with their financial blessings to support and improve the school in Carrefour Poy.
He has filled me with a love for a different country and culture and her people.
He saved a little village Christian school from shutting down thereby allowing the teachers to get paid, the children to receive an education, and the gospel to go forth in the village.
He has provided the means to build more classrooms, add more grade levels, make improvements to the school, and add vocational training.
He has given us the means to provide daily school meals.
He has used the school as an outreach to the village community, helping with people’s temporal needs and sharing the love of Christ with the children and their families.
He has grown this sponsorship program from a few sponsors supporting less than 20 students in January of 2012 to about 50 sponsors supporting 85 students today!
He has strengthened and grown my faith as I have watched what He has done these last 10 years through this ministry.

This is just an overview and I could probably go on for 10 pages if I wanted to recount every little specific way I have seen God move during these years! What a kind, generous God He has shown himself to be. What a privilege to get to partner with Him in His work and to bring Him glory. What a joy it is to partner with each of our sponsors and to witness their love and care for these children.

To our sponsors I say thank you. God has used your generosity to work these miracles. Whether you began sponsoring in January 2012 or are one of the many who have joined us through the years, your support is very much appreciated. From my heart, “I thank God upon every remembrance of you.”

Pastor Gilbert wanted to add his thanks and share the important role the school plays in the community of Carrefour Poy: “I have seen many teenagers in Haiti initiate into gangs’ club while many of our school children are eager to continue their schooling. Parents and children testifies how much they benefit from our school: low and free scholarship, Bible instructions, etc. Remember our school is located in a very low class in our society; without our school, 95% would not attend school.” Thanks to your donations, these kids are given an alternative to joining a gang, the hope of Christ, and a foundation of education which can start them on a path out of poverty.

A year after writing this, I remain in awe of God and all He has done through this little ministry over the past 11 years. And I am so excited to share a new way we will be investing in the school in the near future!

Categories: Child sponsorship, Education, Haiti, Missions, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Because He Cares

Posted on February 19, 2021 by wendy

Cast your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

The principal of the school, Pastor Samuel, has done so much to improve the school in Carrefour Poy. Since he’s been in this position, he has implemented improved record keeping practices and added three grade levels plus several vocational and extracurricular options for the students to participate in. Every time I talk with him, I’m impressed by his heart for these kids and his desire to offer them a well rounded education.

Pastor Samuel has a passion for education.

Of course, all of these wonderful additions add to the needs of the school. In all honesty, there were several moments during this trip when I felt overwhelmed by the burden of the incredible amount of need & feeling like I have to figure out how to provide for these things:

The sewing class is in need of sewing machines.

The computer class needs 30 laptops in order to eliminate the ongoing expense of renting computers.

The computer class uses rented computers powered by a generator.

The music class currently consists of music theory and learning to play the recorder; but Pastor Samuel eventually wants to have a full band so they are in need of band instruments.

The music teacher plays a clapping game with the students to teach rhythm.

Honey bees got into the jewelry supplies. They were eventually able to get rid of the bees by burning everything, so now all those supplies need to be replaced.

The addition of the upper grade levels has meant many more teachers, since each teacher typically only teaches one subject at that level. That means that the school’s payroll has increased to the point that it exceeds the amount we are currently able to send each month. Combine that reality with the fact of out of control inflation in Haiti, and we have some underpaid and somewhat disgruntled teachers.

On average, the teachers are paid about $50 a month.

It felt like I was confronted with a new need each day of our visit, progressively adding to my feeling of stress and overwhelm. Even typing all that out, my heart begins to feel that burden.

Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 that we can give all of our worries to God because He cares about us. Jesus told us that we can rest in Him because His burden is light. Clearly, I struggle to take a hold of these promises!

Thankfully, my husband continually pointed me back to God throughout the week, reminding me that this ministry originated from Him and that He will provide for the school’s needs as He sees fit. During one conversation with someone who asked me to meet another need, Jeremy said, “Instead of asking Wendy for this, you need to ask God!”

Truly it is God alone who has the ability to meet all these needs. He cares. Even more than me or Pastor Samuel or anyone… God cares about this school, the teachers, and these children. We get to partner with Him to do His work here on earth, but He is the One who provides what is needed, when it is needed. What a relief it is to rest in that truth!

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Categories: Child sponsorship, Children, Education, Haiti, Missions, Teachers | Leave a comment

Haiti: January 2021

Posted on February 5, 2021 by wendy

Many of our sponsored kids in front of the school

After months of canceled plans and stay at home orders, I’m still processing the fact that my husband and I spent a week in Haiti! I had been trying to plan a trip for over a year and the timing just wasn’t working out. When Pastor Gilbert unexpectedly visited our church on a Sunday in October, the plans just came together as we talked after church. We bought tickets on faith, but in the back of my mind, I knew that the trip was likely to be canceled. We were sitting on the plane between Miami and Port-au-Prince when it finally hit me that the trip wasn’t going to be canceled! We were really doing this!!

This was my fourth time in Haiti and the first time without at least one of my children. My husband had been to Haiti 5 times previously, but it was our first time to get to go together! That was just one of many blessings about this trip. Although it was in many ways a difficult trip and there were several moments of discouragement, God was abundantly gracious to us… He was our strength in exhaustion and weakness, our peace in confusing and unfamiliar circumstances, and our joy in discouragement and overwhelm.

It was wonderful to see the school again and realize how much it has changed since the first time I visited 8 years ago! Over the years, the Bridge program has enabled them to add 7th, 8th, and 9th grade classes. More recently, they’ve been able to add plaster and paint to the entrance and courtyard, as well as adding a sewing class, computer class, music class, and the art clubs which make paper bead jewelry and macramé!

As always, the main goal was to meet with each of the sponsored students to get updates and current photos and to give them notes from their sponsor, if one was sent. We also got to observe the extracurricular educational classes and I got to participate in several of the classrooms. It was our privilege to get to bring bonuses to the school staff, thanks to some generous extra donations. Plus, my husband got to lead morning devotions on three of the days.

One thing I was really looking forward to was working in the classrooms to do a craft with the younger children and a writing activity with the upper grades. My reason for wanting to do this was to obtain something from each sponsored child that we could use as a gift for their sponsor. And why not do it with all the kids so everyone could join in the fun? While it didn’t work out quite like I had pictured, it was mostly successful and a lot of fun! I’m excited to give our sponsors their students craft or letter, although unfortunately I don’t have one for everyone since some of our sponsored students were absent when we were in their class.

Overall I feel incredibly full and blessed at the memories of the week we spent in Haiti! Both my husband and I felt God’s presence with us carrying us through every moment of our trip. We got to see and experience the fruit of the last 9 years of ministry and prayer, and enjoy the smiles and laughter of so many children whose education we are honored to help support. We planted seeds of the gospel and witnessed several people accept Christ as their Savior. We were blessed to get to work with and be encouraged by some amazing people whose purpose in life is to glorify God and do what they can to help their country. We even got to spend a wonderful day of rest at the beach!

We look forward to sharing more details about a few specific aspects of the trip over the next few weeks. Until then, “Orevwa!”

Categories: Child sponsorship, Children, Education, Haiti, Missions, Salvation | 8 Comments

Beautiful Haiti

Posted on January 14, 2018 by wendy

Because we are a ministry which aims to alleviate some of the needs of children in Haiti, it is easy to focus on the negative aspects that are part of a third world country… the poverty, hunger, government corruption, and lack of infrastructure.

Although these are very real issues, there are many beautiful things to be found in Haiti. Lush banana and mango orchards growing in spite of the infamously depleted soil. Sandy beaches and blue-green waters. Brightly painted tap-taps. The voices of Haitian woman praising their Savior. The laughter of children full of hope for the future. The dignity and perseverence of people who have been through so much and continue to smile and work toward a better future.

Here are just a few pictures so you can get a glimpse of some of the beauty I have seen in Haiti.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted, to announce liberty to captives, and to open the eyes of the blind. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath to their enemies. To all who mourn he will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.

~the Prophet Isaiah (61:1-3)

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Ninth Grade

Posted on October 13, 2017 by wendy

This is just a quick little post to share with you that over the summer 2 more classrooms were added to the school in Carrefour Poy, thereby creating room for ninth grade students to meet!

View of the new classrooms

One of the most heart-rending conversations we had during our trip in April was when the eighth grade students were expressing concern about what they were going to do after they finished the school year… how were they going to continue their education? Despite the language barrier, we could see the desperation in their faces.

Hallway to ninth grade

So it was a definite answer to prayer to have these classrooms completed before the school year began in September.

Happy 9th grade students

Thank you so much to everyone who supported this project with your prayers and your finances, helping make Samuel’s vision a reality!

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Samuel’s Vision

Posted on July 21, 2017 by wendy

Principal Samuel

As I mentioned a couple blog posts ago, I got to meet the new school principal, Samuel, when I visited the school in April & was very impressed by him! I was especially excited to hear about all the plans and dreams he has for improving the school and therefore the children’s education.

Samuel presided over the building of the upstairs classrooms the summer before last so there would be space for the seventh grade class, which he added for the 2015-2016 school year. He was then able to add eighth grade at the beginning of this past school year, and plans to add 9^th grade next year! This is great news and means that your sponsored child will now be able to receive a higher level of education than the majority of Haitians, who complete an average of only 5 years of school. In order to accomodate the extra students and classes, Samuel hopes to build 3 more classrooms before the beginning of the next school year.

Samuel is also lining the little room next to the nurse’s station with bookshelves to house a school library.

: Stacks of books await the building of bookshelves

: A book about the Pony Express is one of many English books donated to the school

: Caleb giving Samuel the books he purchased

Quite a few English childrens’ books were donated to the school recently, and they hope to obtain a variety of books in Creole and French to add to the library when they can. Caleb used some of the money he earned for the school to begin their collection of Haitian Creole and French books.

My Mom held an impromptu class showing the teachers how to use the English books for reading readiness activities.

Besides that, Samuel hopes to add a computer class for the upper grade levels, which of course would require having several laptop computers that the kids could use. He also hopes to add a science lab in the near future. Both of these additions will afford the children who are privileged to attend the school in Carrefour Poy a more well rounded education and better prepare them for the possibility of reaching their life goals!

Math lessons

I just love Samuel’s passion for education and his heart to give these kids a great education in spite of the disadvantages of living in a third world country. If you would like to help make Samuel’s vision for the school a reality, please let me know.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9

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Gifts for Haiti

Posted on June 6, 2017 by wendy

The following is a personal narrative my son, Caleb, wrote for school after our trip to Haiti.

Recently, I went to Haiti with my mom and grandma to visit a school in the village of Carrefour Poy. As we were planning for the trip, I thought it would be nice to bring gifts for the children at the school to enjoy. I worked hard doing various jobs and raised $700! Some of the jobs I did were shoveling gravel, pulling weeds, digging holes, hauling brush, leaf blowing, and painting a horse arena.

Soon, we were on our way to Haiti. I brought a variety of gifts for the kids such as coloring books, jump ropes, a foam ball for playing dodgeball, soccer balls and a pump, which were donated by a ministry in Stockton, and soccer goals. I also brought some dolls and doll furniture for the girls and plans to build a dollhouse, since it would be too hard to bring one on a plane.

When we first got to the village I gave the kids their jump ropes and the soccer equipment. I could tell they were very excited by the looks on their faces! They immediately started helping me set things up to play soccer. Meanwhile, the girls were making a racket playing with the jump ropes. Before I knew it, the kids excitedly began playing soccer. It gave me joy to see all their happy and smiling faces.

jumprope

The next day we hired a Haitian man to build the dollhouse. This man lives near the village and is a skilled woodworker. It surprised me how easily he was able to build the dollhouse even though the instructions were in English. I was amazed to see how fast he built it, especially since he did all of the work by hand; he didn’t even have any electric tools.

SAM_1214 100_3071 (2)

The last day, we stopped at a local store on our way to the school to buy some books in French and Creole for the library the school principal plans to build.

Outside the gate to the school, we were greeted by a crowd of children with bright and happy faces. When we went inside, we saw that the dollhouse was finished and looked like a professional contractor had built it. With excited children crowding all around us, I helped some other kids carefully set up the doll furniture. The girls were extremely happy with their new toy and enjoyed playing with it.

All that hard work raising money was definitely worth it. Seeing all those happy faces was like seeing the world lit up in bright gold. Despite the heat and even though I was exhausted by the end of the trip, I knew I was going to miss Haiti. It was an experience I will never forget.

After paying for all the things listed in this post Caleb still had money left over, which he gave to the school for school meals and to help pay for the new classrooms Principal Samuel wants to build before the next school year. Thank you to everyone who help Caleb with this project by hiring him to do jobs!

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April 2017 Trip Overview

Posted on April 21, 2017 by wendy

What a great trip to Haiti! I’ve had a couple weeks now to reflect on it and begin to sort through our pictures and all the information we gathered and I’m really pleased with what was accomplished.

5th grade

6th grade

3rd grade

1st Kindergarten

It was such a joy to share this time with my mom and my youngest son Caleb. Both of them were a huge help.

I would not have been able to get all the children interviewed without my mom’s help, plus she took some great pictures around the school.

Mom & Wesley interveiwing Esther

She also became the primary person working with Ariol on the jewelry project which allowed me time to work on other tasks. I’m really excited about everything they accomplished and the commitment and quality I saw from the kids. You’ll be hearing more details in another post.

Caleb & I on our way to check out the new upstairs classrooms!

Caleb was so helpful! On his own, he took responsibility for getting pictures of the sponsored children after their interviews and making sure they did their progress reports. Not to mention all the money he earned before the trip to purchase toys and supplies for the school!

All the kids were fascinated with Caleb’s hair!

It was wonderful to see all the school children, to meet with every sponsored child and to see how much they’ve grown since I last saw them almost 3 years ago. It is so satisfying to know that you and I have had a hand in these children’s education, their knowledge of God, and even their improved health through the meals we have been able to help provide!

The kitchen staff working hard in the heat to feed the children

There were also a few difficult things about meeting with the kids. Hearing about the headaches and stomach aches many of them have before the school meal is served. Trying to straighten out names… in several cases we learned that the last name we have for a child is incorrect. This confusion is often because the child is living with step- or half-siblings, cousins, or even friends: a reality of poverty. A few of our sponsored children have recently stopped coming to school. When the school staff went to check on them, they learned that the family had moved away without telling anyone where they were going- probably to try to make a better living somewhere new.

Talking to Wismerline while she works on her progress report

Several of the older kids expressed concern for their future. While the younger children share dreams of becoming a pilot or doctor, the older children mostly tell us more practical goals for their future: “I want to learn to sew.” “I want a job loading containers.” “I want to finish high school.” Many eighth graders asked if there would be ninth grade next year. We learned of one child who is not able to learn or progress beyond where he is now academically and that there are no resources for him in the village. All of these instances remind us of the harsh realities of poverty and why we do what we do.

I was able to finally meet the “new” school principal who took over shortly after my last trip to Haiti.

Pastor Samuel, the school principal

Samuel, who is also a pastor at a nearby village church, is a quiet, warm gentleman who desires to impact the children’s futures through teaching them the gospel and improving their educational opportunities. His care was evident throughout the week as I observed how much better organized the school is than it’s been in the past, the expansion of the school to eighth grade, and in the educational growth I saw in the children. He has some great ideas for future improvements to the school, which I will share with you in a future post.

One of my favorite things from this trip was getting to give bonuses to the school staff! These men and women work so hard to educate and take care of these kid – and they do it all in hot, stuffy, concrete-block rooms with no air conditioning!

Handing out bonuses

The teachers are getting paid between $50 and $80 per month, depending on what grade level they teach. The support staff, including janitor, nurse, administrators and cooks receive anywhere from $7 per month to about $60. The bonuses I was able to give were small – from $10 to $20- but so appreciated.

This teacher spoke for everyone in expressing thanks for the bonuses and support

Thank you so much to everyone who donated money toward this trip allowing me to bless these hardworking men and women in this way. They asked me to express to you their appreciation for the bonuses as well as your continued support of the school through sponsorships.

Another exciting thing that happened on this trip was an answered prayer! In preparation for our visit, Gilbert hired a young man named Wesley to be one of our translators. Wesley lives in Port-au-Prince and speaks English very well. He was a great interpreter and translator of written information. As you may remember, Claudel, who used to be my Haitian contact for The Bridge, has moved to the States. Since he left, I have not had a regular contact besides Pastor Gilbert, who is busy with the many ministries he is involved with. Well, we asked Wesley if he would be willing to be my “communication liaison” and he said yes!

Wesley, our new “Communication Liaison”

He has agreed to visit Carrefour Poy about twice a month to check the attendance of the sponsored children and get other updates about the kids and the school. I’m very excited to have this difficulty solved!

One thing I really I missed was the opportunity to interact with the school kids in a more relaxed way. This trip was packed with many things needing to be accomplished. Next time, I’ll have to plan a little extra time into the trip for that. But overall, this trip was a wonderful blessing in so many ways.

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