Hit the ground running

It's been 4 days since we got here and we are feeling very comfortable at the guest house where we are living now. The woman running the guest house since October, Linda Flear, is an absolute delight to get to know. She has great experience running places just like this in Haiti, and she has great wisdom as well. It is quite remarkable how similarly we approach and view things. I feel very fortunate to have her here showing us the ropes. Each day we have gone over to the orphanage and simply hung out with the girls to get to know them a bit better, and have them get used to us being there. My guess is it will take 2 or 3 weeks for it to really sink in with them that we are around for the long haul and not just another team on a short term mission.

I now have the privilege of sharing our first specific prayer request. The second day we were here, the director of the orphanage Saint Therese Del Homme came to see us at the guest house and she was quite upset. She showed us a government letter demanding to see her and representatives from Haiti Under God at a hearing on January 19. It seems one of the staff has filed a workplace grievance with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Work. We are trying to take in all sides to the story to see what is going on, and it will sure be interesting to see how this plays out. Please pray for wisdom, clarity, and specifically for me that I keep my mouth closed and my ears open. Staff management will be one of our big challenges both at the guest house and the orphanage as we try to do things better, and provide more accountability and fiscal controls.