Greetings,Once again I stand in awe of the power of prayer. Last week I appealed to all of you to pray that Hurricane Tomas would not bring much damage to Haiti when it hit. I asked this last Wednesday. We had been following the path of Tomas all week and as of Wednesday night he was projected to hit Haiti full on with major winds and rains beginning Thursday night and continuing through Saturday morning. On Thursday morning we awoke, checked the net and found that Tomas had made a strange hook like turn during the night. This turn scaled down the impact on Haiti drastically. Tomas hit on Friday, it was a glancing blow with flooding in Leogane and high winds, but that was it! I believe as we all prayed on Wednesday night God responded! I received so many replies with prayers, I am once again humbled. Mesi!!! I posted pictures on our website and Facebook of some of the flooding but you will be happy to know that all has dried out now.
David returned to Port au Prince yesterday and picked me up to return to Petit Goave. I had returned to meet a team that was due to arrive the end of October but could not come due to Tomas. On the ride back I saw a beautiful site! There is a huge river basin that runs through downtown that has been filled with plastic bottles and trash since we arrived. Yesterday morning there were workers in the basin with large bags picking up all the bottles. It brought tears to my eyes. Everywhere you look you see progress, people cleaning, building and working. It’s been 10 months ago today that the earthquake struck and considering the economy and disadvantages the people here face daily, the progress is huge!!!
The ants have taken over the shed in my absence. Within two minutes of arriving, I received my first bite, declared war and the shed looked like a battlefield by midafternoon. I had brought reinforcements (sprays, coils and bombs) from PaP and I used every weapon at my disposal. Today I continue to sweep up the “remains”…. Mama has removed the puppies from under the shed, only two but they are so cute. Both girls and the one is a bruiser! She’s huge. Had fun playing with them last night.
The school David has been working on is almost complete. The roof is on the main building and going up on the teachers’ building and storage facility. He’s hoping it will be finished before we come back to the states on the 22nd of November. They are pouring a concrete basketball court today and it looks great! I have posted pictures on Facebook and our website of the school. I really enjoy going to the site with David and watching him interact with all the workers and the kids. This morning when we got to the site it seems every child in school knows David and they all come running. To see his face light up, what a delight for me. The workers all stop to greet “the boss of David” which they all laugh heartily about as they know it’s a compliment to me but far from the truth There is a small boy on site that has been so sick, he’s been struggling with strange sores all over his body. David has been providing over the counter remedies and things for him, today I saw him and he looks great. The big strong foreman is a puddle of jello in the hands of children. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such a tender hearted man.
While in Port-au-Prince I would get up early and walk in the mornings. There is so much to see that I found it hard to look and keep my feet planted on even terrain at the same time. One never knows what the day holds… one day I had a pig as a walking partner, the next hen and chicks and my favorite, a young boy who lives on my walking route that has decided we will race each time we meet. We speed walk, running is not fair, and he loves figuring out ways to outsmart me. He will walk ahead, hide somewhere and when I think he’s gone… he’ll speed by laughing! I practice my Creole on him and he grins… just when I thought I was getting better.
The election campaigns have been heating up, lots of parades, demonstrations and cars driving around, with a speaker as big as the car mounted on the roof, proclaiming the virtues of their candidate. I was reading the local paper and it appears the one woman who is running for president is actually ahead in the polls. She has a good honest reputation and many like her. Please continue to pray that the people elect a president that will make a positive impact on the country. The election is November 28th.
Since the church has been holding all their services on the campground we have been able to observe and participate in many services. A funeral in Haiti is quite the event. The church service starts about two hours before the hearse arrives with the deceased. People come dressed in their best and they are beautiful, women with wide brimmed hats and high heels and men in nice suits. I can’t believe the women can navigate the roads here with heels, I’m lucky to remain upright with my Keen (all terrain) sandals. The singing is beautiful, when the hearse arrives all the flowers are placed on the roof of the hearse and the procession begins. First comes a 6-8 man band playing great music (sounds like New Orleans jazz) followed by the hearse which is followed by hundreds of people walking behind. They then proceed to the final resting place of the deceased. What a celebration of life!
We return to the US in 10 days and are looking forward to seeing everyone! Can’t wait to get our hands on our granddaughter… If you would like to contact us while we are home, our cell phone numbers are 517-918-7473 (Beth) or 517-918-7630 (David). We would love to hear from you. If you would like us to visit your church, small group or bible study and share what God is doing in Haiti don’t hesitate to call. There are a few dates still available. We will be in the states and hope to raise our support goal by the end of January. World Hope has a busy packed schedule of teams and jobs for 2011. David and I are excited. If you wish to partner with us through prayer or financially, please check out our website http://www.thewattersfamily.blogspot.com/or to contribute on line visit https://giving.wesupport.org/gift2/designation.php?GUID=0A797C5B-2B8A-4686-AB22-A52383315A6B&id=7327. We believe that if God wants us to be part of this work, he will provide for all our needs. He has provided for every need the last three years in addition to bringing so many great people into our lives. To acknowledge a few, Scott and Dawn (the hammer) from SD who shared their beautiful (soon to increase)family with us, Kim from SD (are we still in Haiti?) whose song remains here, Dennis and Wylene from GA, (focus /\ )beautiful people willing to go wherever and supply what is needed, Harv (alias Walt) who tries to hide what a big heart he has, the man/boys from VA (purple shirt included) who poured their hearts and love all over the kids, Kelly from Australia who dazzled everyone she met, Ruth from NY who has a huge heart for kids and Kyla from MI my “daughter” who God has HUGE plans for and her beautiful family. I could go on and on.. the blessings we have received. Thank you for being one of them!
Blessings,
David and Beth
P.S A good friend and fellow church member went home this week. Stacy, a beautiful woman with a heart for missions, spent a year ministering in Russia and worked faithfully with Hospice centers after her return. The last few years she has struggled with diabetes. Her passing was unexpected and she leaves her sister, brother and her husband Adam and many many friends. Please keep her family in your prayers, as we know when God calls his children home they are happy, joyous and free, it is we who are left behind that battle sadness and loss.
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