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 23^rd 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 7^th 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 26^th. 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