December 29, 2013
Jwaye nwel tout moun e bon ane!! (Merry
Christmas everyone and happy new year !)
WOW, What a
week! So much has happened in
the last few days. We have had so much fun and very much enjoyed seeing all the
ways two visiting families wanted to be a blessing to us, to the HUG girls, and
to other orphanages in Haiti. But at the end of it we are pooped! So of course
we needed to prepare for a 23 person team that arrived at the guesthouse
Saturday night. (For those of you with good math skills and better memories you
might remember we are set up with 22 beds at the guesthouse!) We are using
every bed, every plate, every chair, and every square inch of space. But first
some of the many awesome things that happened this week. The 23rd
was spent reviewing report cards for the first trimester where as expected,
there were results to celebrate and results that needed a strong admonishment
not to settle for mediocre. While all the girls passed, some did not pass by
much and didn’t seem to think that scraping by was a big deal. There was a
pretty big speech covering how all the advantages these girls have with a staff
to cook and clean, and an awesome tutor coming daily to help requires them to
do better than just passing. We also negotiated the terms of returning the TV
for vacation time. The TV went back on Friday morning and will be taken away
again the 7th of January when classes resume and will be gone the
ENTIRE second trimester. To get the TV back for the third trimester, EVERY girl
in the house needs to get a 6 or better on their report card. (In a nutshell,
on a scale of 10, a 5 is passing, a 6 is adequate, a 6.5 is good, a 7 is very
good and a 7.5 or higher is outstanding – 8.5s or 9s are unheard of)
Tuesday was
Christmas Eve and involved painting chairs and prepping the girls home for the
big upcoming party on the 26th. Christmas day, Julie and I had the
fun of delivering the many cards and gifts that had been sent by friends and
HUG folks. Many thanks to those who sent pretty headbands, personalized cards,
games, toys, books, and DVDs. It was all AWESOME!
Thursday was
the big event where the girls’ home hosts a big party for the girls, the staff,
visitors, and the family members of any girl who still has someone involved in
their life. Over 50 people were there! The girls sang and danced, the meal was
great, and Pastor Maxeau and one visitor each gave the girls a great speech
encouraging them to strive for excellence.
It is a really special time and everyone who has a role in caring for
the girls in any way was there, from their staff to their tutor, to their
social worker to all of us!
Interwoven
with all this was the Jackson Family – Jamie and Nathan and their three kids
(Yes, I started referring to them as the Jackson 5) chose to spend their family
Christmas in Haiti to be a blessing to kids down here. They helped out at three
orphanages. The HUG-A-Child home, the Faith, Hope, and Love Infant Rescue home
just down the street, and the Lifesaver Orphanage which is another ministry
under Pastor Maxeau. Nathan made our girls some awesome study desks, Jamie
taught a dance class including elements of ballet and HipHop, and Lifesavers
got a brand new diesel generator!! You can see a short video of Jamie and the
girls here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYDFYtrNgWo&feature=youtu.be
and here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p93OMQxKUDc
Finally,
Julie and I want to be sure to be thankful for all our gifts. Every person
receiving this update is a gift to us we truly appreciate. Each of you in your
own way supports and fills us so we can do what we are called to do down here.
Thanks just seems inadequate. Then there is the gift of Christmas itself, a
small helpless looking baby over 2000 years ago who changed the course of human
history with his life (and death) and changed the course of Julie’s and my life
when His perfect love intersected with our imperfect selves.
Blessings from Haiti, Gerritt and Julie
