The Next Step

We were contacted a couple of weeks ago by the Christianville Board, asking us to attend their semi-annual meeting in Jacksonville, FL March 27. Just getting there was quite an adventure. Our flight from Harrisburg PA to Charlotte NC was delayed so we missed our connection to FL. There weren't any other flights till the next morning, so we rented a car and drove from Charlotte to Jacksonville, about a five hour trip! We got to the hotel at 5 AM, had 2 hours sleep and headed for the meeting.
It was good to meet the Board members and see what great leadership Christianville has working in the US. Hearing reports on all the various departments was really helpful in allowing us to understand some of the challenges we would face as directors.
After lunch, the Board asked us questions about our qualifications and we asked questions about their expectations. They asked us to leave the room and 10 minutes later, we learned we had been approved unanimously. It's a real honor and their confidence in us is very humbling.
Now the work really begins. We will need to find a tenant to rent our home, sell most of our furnishings and our cars and get things set up for our arrival in Haiti, hopefully in June. We are going down in April for 2 weeks and hope to accomplish much on that visit.
We continue to study the Haitian Creole language. The progress is slow, but we are learning.
One of our main focuses at this point will be fund raising, a task neither of us is very comfortable with, but it is necessary. We will need to trust the Lord to provide generous donors and opportunities to speak at local churches to raise support.
The adventure continues...

The Journey Begins

In July 2008, Ed & I made our first visit to the Christianville mission in Gressier Haiti and now we have been offered the opportunity for long term service!

This mission was built on a donated 30-acre tract of land and has been in operation for over 30 years. Christianville now consists of a church, medical clinic, dental clinic, eye clinic, a 850 pupil school (grades 1-12) and an accredited university. A program is in operation raising fish, chickens for eggs, goats and pigs to provide meals for the students in the grade school and to be distributed to the needy. Outreach programs in the surrounding villages include three additional schools (with approx 400 students), six churches, food and housing for the elderly and a health education program. The mission also provides employment for about 200 Haitian workers in fields such as teaching, healthcare, farming, maintenance and construction.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. It’s a third-world country with a corrupt government that does nothing to help its people. There are no public schools, no health coverage, no mail delivery, and no Medicare or Social Security to take care of citizens who cannot care for themselves.

Here are some of the sobering facts:

The average Haitian earns $500 (US) per year
54% of the population does not have access to clean water
49% of the population is undernourished
The average life expectancy is under 60
Less than 50% of the children are enrolled in school.

While these statistics may seem overwhelming, there is hope. There are many Americans working in Haiti and making great sacrifices to help these people. We met some of these people, including a doctor who gave up a successful practice to work in the medical clinic and a number of young couples who have put their careers and ambitions on hold to help those less fortunate.

We went back to Haiti in February and will return for 2 weeks in April. Upon our return, we will decide if we are ready to commit two years to the mission. Ed would serve as Director of Operations, working with department heads to assure things run smoothly, goals are accomplished and budgets are adhered to. Pat would be the Administrator at the English Academy, a small school within the grade school where students are taught in English. She will be working with the children, overseeing the budget and sending out reports to Americans who sponsor children in the school.

Please keep us in your prayers as we consider this whole adventure.