Our last week in Haiti (we hope!)

Dear all,

Just a short email about our ups and downs in Haiti! This week is already the last week of the course we have given here. The students have one test to do tomorrow afternoon and then they are ready! Well congratulations to all of our 38 students! They have worked terribly hard and had lectures during the last few weeks from half past five in the morning until noon and then from half past two sometimes up to 9 o´clock at night!

Johan just let them choose whether tomorrow they want free time or some last lectures from him, and they chose the classes! Saturday, Christmas day, is the graduation we are all looking forward to. The students hope their parents and families will come, and also all their pastors from the thirty different churches that we are networking with. Everyone tells us how special it is now here in Haiti for a university course to do training in the area of "education and community development”. For the graduation all the students have been outfitted with a very elegant dark blue suit.

One of our happiest and youngest students (19 years) is Esther Pricilla. But last Sunday we had to bring the terrible message that her father, who was the pastor of one of the 30 net work churches, had died in a fatal motorcycle accident. She has seven sisters and one younger brother. As the oldest, it is now expected of her that she will maintain her family financially. In a country where 80% of the population is unemployed and survive on less than $ 2 per day, this is a difficult task. Fortunately with the diploma of the school that we will give her, she has an almost 100% chance to get started with a new job in January. Will you also pray for her and her family?

The political situation here is very unstable. There were elections on November 28, but many people believe it was not a fair election, as lots of fraud happened. The country has had already one week of many revolts, when no one could be on the street, no one could go to work, not even the doctors and nurses in the hospitals, no clean drinking water was being brought to the tent camps, shops were closed, planes did not fly anymore, it was chaos. Then they promised again to count the votes..., that has happened and they will announce the outcome probably after Christmas, December 26th. It is expected that there will once again be major uprisings, or even a civil war. Our flight back to Brazil is scheduled Dec. 28, so we may well be in big trouble. Will you also pray for this situation?

We give thanks for the fact that our health is very good: Johan’s knee is almost healed and I have no problems with my back anymore.

We wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas Season! Our Savior is born!

Love, Johan and Jeannette