| God's Work in Haiti |
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August 23, 2008
It was swimming time at the pool today. However, I kinda went all Dianna on everybody and took 40+ pictures, way too
many for this page. In fact, I think I exceeded my size limit. Therefore, I put them all on flickr.com. Go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_valerius/ to see them all!
It was swimming time at the pool today. However, I kinda went all Dianna on everybody and took 40+ pictures, way too
many for this page. In fact, I think I exceeded my size limit. Therefore, I put them all on flickr.com. Go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_valerius/ to see them all!
September 2, 2008
Hurricane Hanna passed us by yesterday and last night. We probably had about 18 inches of rain in 24 hours. In fact,
it's still raining. I haven't looked at the maps, so this might be Ike, not real sure, and the name doesn't matter all that
much. The orphanage and kids are OK, although we have a lot of water. The community of Petit Anse, where we live in
Cap Haitien, is flooded. By my trash can estimate, we had over 18 inches of rain. We lost internet for most of the time.
All the kids are OK, but the community is flooded out. Taking a walking tour this morning (September 2), I was up to my
knees in water in some areas. Because we are about 7 inches above sea level, this will literally take weeks to fully
drain. There will be mosquitoes and sewage in the water for a very long time. Until I can figure out why Yahoo is not
accepting any more pics, all new pics are going to be posted on flickr.com. See
www.flickr.com/photos/bob_valerius for 18 new flood pics.
School is finally starting. At 4PM today I start our adult English class. Tomorrow I start the Spiritual Disciplines class at
the adult Bible school, the Center for Biblical Training, 3 miles away in Galmaan. I am very much looking forward to that.
Our kids start on Monday, September 8. I will be teaching English and Bible at the 2 grade schools here. I am happy to
start that too.
We have been working on a couple of books for the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday devotions and the Wednesday
night Bible Study. The one for the nightly devotions is called Ethix, by Sean McDowell, son of Josh McDowell. Anthony
actually picked it out. It is geared to teens and I really like it. It covers things such as making the right choices,
standing up for what is right, what is truth, sex, drugs and alcohol, and marriage among others. The kids seem to like it
too. Wednesday's study is using Denver Sizemore's Thirteen Lessons in Christian Doctrine. Both books are for the
older kids, but I hope that the younger ones are getting some stuff out of it. With Sizemore's book, there is a lot of
Scripture reading as we talk about the various subjects, such as God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, their attributes, etc. My
home church in Maryland, the Chesapeake Church of Christ, is studying this book and I felt it fit in very well with what I
want to teach our kids.
Hurricane Hanna passed us by yesterday and last night. We probably had about 18 inches of rain in 24 hours. In fact,
it's still raining. I haven't looked at the maps, so this might be Ike, not real sure, and the name doesn't matter all that
much. The orphanage and kids are OK, although we have a lot of water. The community of Petit Anse, where we live in
Cap Haitien, is flooded. By my trash can estimate, we had over 18 inches of rain. We lost internet for most of the time.
All the kids are OK, but the community is flooded out. Taking a walking tour this morning (September 2), I was up to my
knees in water in some areas. Because we are about 7 inches above sea level, this will literally take weeks to fully
drain. There will be mosquitoes and sewage in the water for a very long time. Until I can figure out why Yahoo is not
accepting any more pics, all new pics are going to be posted on flickr.com. See
www.flickr.com/photos/bob_valerius for 18 new flood pics.
School is finally starting. At 4PM today I start our adult English class. Tomorrow I start the Spiritual Disciplines class at
the adult Bible school, the Center for Biblical Training, 3 miles away in Galmaan. I am very much looking forward to that.
Our kids start on Monday, September 8. I will be teaching English and Bible at the 2 grade schools here. I am happy to
start that too.
We have been working on a couple of books for the Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday devotions and the Wednesday
night Bible Study. The one for the nightly devotions is called Ethix, by Sean McDowell, son of Josh McDowell. Anthony
actually picked it out. It is geared to teens and I really like it. It covers things such as making the right choices,
standing up for what is right, what is truth, sex, drugs and alcohol, and marriage among others. The kids seem to like it
too. Wednesday's study is using Denver Sizemore's Thirteen Lessons in Christian Doctrine. Both books are for the
older kids, but I hope that the younger ones are getting some stuff out of it. With Sizemore's book, there is a lot of
Scripture reading as we talk about the various subjects, such as God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, their attributes, etc. My
home church in Maryland, the Chesapeake Church of Christ, is studying this book and I felt it fit in very well with what I
want to teach our kids.
September 8, 2008
Welcome from the wetlands! We're still drying out. Keep us in prayer please!
I wanted to take some time here to talk about my extended family. As some of you know,
Anthony has moved out and now bunks with Rodely. He works for our mechanic Gerome. He is
growing up and really loving his life here. In fact, tonight he is leading the Devotional on Drugs
and Alcohol. I am very proud of how he is doing. Pic below.
In his place, we now have Jetro, Alex, Fefe, and Kendy. Waiting in the wings we have Brij,
Smakem-Yackem and his brother Junior, another Junior and his sister Dotie, Rodlin and his
sister Silves, and last but not least, our very own (or at least somebody's very own) Jeffly
George Cowboy. Most of these kids go to our school or are members of the church. They have
each come to me for help from time to time. As you help them, they come more often. That's
expected. Often times, they and their families just have no where else to turn.
I am so grateful to God that He has put them all in my life. It is definitely a challenge though,
because they all have different needs. I appreciate all those that help me help them. If anyone
else wants to help, feel free to e me.
Welcome from the wetlands! We're still drying out. Keep us in prayer please!
I wanted to take some time here to talk about my extended family. As some of you know,
Anthony has moved out and now bunks with Rodely. He works for our mechanic Gerome. He is
growing up and really loving his life here. In fact, tonight he is leading the Devotional on Drugs
and Alcohol. I am very proud of how he is doing. Pic below.
In his place, we now have Jetro, Alex, Fefe, and Kendy. Waiting in the wings we have Brij,
Smakem-Yackem and his brother Junior, another Junior and his sister Dotie, Rodlin and his
sister Silves, and last but not least, our very own (or at least somebody's very own) Jeffly
George Cowboy. Most of these kids go to our school or are members of the church. They have
each come to me for help from time to time. As you help them, they come more often. That's
expected. Often times, they and their families just have no where else to turn.
I am so grateful to God that He has put them all in my life. It is definitely a challenge though,
because they all have different needs. I appreciate all those that help me help them. If anyone
else wants to help, feel free to e me.
| Rodlin and his sister Silvest. |
Back left to right:
Kendy, Brij (I cut his
head off, but it's his
fault for being so tall),
Fefe, Alex, Jetro. In
front: Smakem,
Cowboy, and Junior
Kendy, Brij (I cut his
head off, but it's his
fault for being so tall),
Fefe, Alex, Jetro. In
front: Smakem,
Cowboy, and Junior
| Anthony leading the Devotional |
| |||||||||||||||
| Dotie and her brother Junior |
September 20, 2008
I've been a little under the weather for a few days. That's why no blog for almost 2 weeks. But
God pulled me through and I'm happy to be back and better.
Some of the brothers from the Hertz Church of Christ here in Cap Haitien went yesterday to meet
with the UN about getting in a convoy to go down to Gonaives. Churches in Tennessee, Missouri,
and Maryland have raise over $7500 in relief. Now it is just a matter of getting into a UN convoy
and getting down there. The man we met with told us that the guy that could help us was not
there, so we have to write him a letter explaining what we want to do. Hopefully we'll know
something more substantial this coming Monday. We will be taking 2 of our boys, Peterson and
Luckson. I want to take more but there would be no room for the relief supplies.
Because of the 2 hurricanes resulting in fuel shortages, we have postponed our trip to Asile at
Gran Riviere. We were given $500 by a generous couple in Ada. We are going to send down $100
to relieve immediate needs, and then take the kids and the remaining $400 when we can in
October. I will post a story and pics when we return.
We were blessed to meet with Nancy Pharr and her friend Donna. I've known Nancy and her
hubbie Brett for about 7 or 8 years. Brett is an elder at the Gold Hill Church of Christ in Fort Mill,
SC and Vice-Chairman of the Haitian Christian Foundation. Fort Mill is in Northern South Carolina,
which is not to be confused with Southern North Carolina. Or something like that. Anyway, Nancy
is a very quiet and reserved woman, very prim and proper, but does extremely well here in Haiti.
Her and Donna came this time with literally tons of relief stuff for the hungry in Haiti. Before they
gave them all away, I saw 8 foot stacks of 110 pound bags of beans and rice at the Bible school.
They visited us at the orphanage for a few hours and I took a couple of pics of them. They are to
your right.
Finally, I realized that when I talked about the extended family, I forgot to mention Junior. Yes,
we have 3. We have Junior Senior, pictured below the September 8 entry with his sister Dotie.
We have this Junior, whom I call Junior Middle, and then we have Smakem's brother, who is only
7 and of course is called Junior Junior.
Junior Middle (midi in Creole), is one of those mysterious enigmas. I first met him early in
August. The UN had delivered some food and we fed the school kids until it ran out. That's when
Junior first appeared. I just assumed he was part of the school. He isn't. His mom is a Baptist
and he goes to the National School. I guess he just came here cause he heard about the food
and we let a lot of kids in. They were supposed to have little tickets given to them by Murelle,
Fonrose's wife and the school principal, but you know how that goes. He just hung around me
and kinda latched on. I found out later when his mom visited us that he has 2 younger sisters and
his dad is in the Dominican for good (i.e., he deserted his wife). He doesn't relate too well with
the other kids, being kinda aloof. It really just seems he needs a dad. Like the others below, he
likewise needs a sponsor. I help where I can, giving him food and stuff, but when it comes time
for clothes and shoes and school books, this really stretches the support I get from the generous
Christians in the States. Anyone who wants to help is more than welcome.
I've been a little under the weather for a few days. That's why no blog for almost 2 weeks. But
God pulled me through and I'm happy to be back and better.
Some of the brothers from the Hertz Church of Christ here in Cap Haitien went yesterday to meet
with the UN about getting in a convoy to go down to Gonaives. Churches in Tennessee, Missouri,
and Maryland have raise over $7500 in relief. Now it is just a matter of getting into a UN convoy
and getting down there. The man we met with told us that the guy that could help us was not
there, so we have to write him a letter explaining what we want to do. Hopefully we'll know
something more substantial this coming Monday. We will be taking 2 of our boys, Peterson and
Luckson. I want to take more but there would be no room for the relief supplies.
Because of the 2 hurricanes resulting in fuel shortages, we have postponed our trip to Asile at
Gran Riviere. We were given $500 by a generous couple in Ada. We are going to send down $100
to relieve immediate needs, and then take the kids and the remaining $400 when we can in
October. I will post a story and pics when we return.
We were blessed to meet with Nancy Pharr and her friend Donna. I've known Nancy and her
hubbie Brett for about 7 or 8 years. Brett is an elder at the Gold Hill Church of Christ in Fort Mill,
SC and Vice-Chairman of the Haitian Christian Foundation. Fort Mill is in Northern South Carolina,
which is not to be confused with Southern North Carolina. Or something like that. Anyway, Nancy
is a very quiet and reserved woman, very prim and proper, but does extremely well here in Haiti.
Her and Donna came this time with literally tons of relief stuff for the hungry in Haiti. Before they
gave them all away, I saw 8 foot stacks of 110 pound bags of beans and rice at the Bible school.
They visited us at the orphanage for a few hours and I took a couple of pics of them. They are to
your right.
Finally, I realized that when I talked about the extended family, I forgot to mention Junior. Yes,
we have 3. We have Junior Senior, pictured below the September 8 entry with his sister Dotie.
We have this Junior, whom I call Junior Middle, and then we have Smakem's brother, who is only
7 and of course is called Junior Junior.
Junior Middle (midi in Creole), is one of those mysterious enigmas. I first met him early in
August. The UN had delivered some food and we fed the school kids until it ran out. That's when
Junior first appeared. I just assumed he was part of the school. He isn't. His mom is a Baptist
and he goes to the National School. I guess he just came here cause he heard about the food
and we let a lot of kids in. They were supposed to have little tickets given to them by Murelle,
Fonrose's wife and the school principal, but you know how that goes. He just hung around me
and kinda latched on. I found out later when his mom visited us that he has 2 younger sisters and
his dad is in the Dominican for good (i.e., he deserted his wife). He doesn't relate too well with
the other kids, being kinda aloof. It really just seems he needs a dad. Like the others below, he
likewise needs a sponsor. I help where I can, giving him food and stuff, but when it comes time
for clothes and shoes and school books, this really stretches the support I get from the generous
Christians in the States. Anyone who wants to help is more than welcome.
September 24, 2008
God is So Cool Department, Item # 39871: Today at the Bible School in Galmaan in the Spiritual
Disciplines class I was talking about studying, studying God's creation as a matter of fact. In my notes, I had
written: What about our bodies or God’s other creatures? Do we study them? Do we understand the
intricacies of life? Do we know how a butterfly flies or how a snake crawls or how a frog jumps? These are
all creatures that God has created. They are not in his image and likeness, but they do show an incredible
level of complexity. While I was talking about this, what do I notice inside the classroom but a butterfly? A
great example provided by God for the students (and me!). I just thought that was sooooo cool.
I told you on the September 20 entry that we had postponed going to Asile where all the terminally ill
and elderly are at. I had asked Tabitha, a member of our church here, to go up there with $100 of the $500
donation we have received so that they could have some immediate relief. She did that yesterday and also
set a date for all of us to go up on Sunday, October 12. I told everybody tonight in Bible Study and about 25
or so of the older kids want to go. I'm very pleased with that and hope we can get a great event out of it
and teach the kids the meaning of service.
I also want to talk a bit about Tabitha and the servant mentality I see here in Haiti. We've had a lot of
rain here the last few days and the roads are muddy and the weather is not pleasant. But yet Tabitha took
the $100 to Asile on the first day available to her. She didn't mention the weather or the mud or the
inconvenience. She just went. I see that so much here with some church members and church leaders.
They don't get paid, most depend on Americans for support because their congregations are so poor. But
they continue to work hard to preach the gospel and grow their churches. Every time I watch a preacher
like Joseph Joel, or Richard Rodney, or Fonrose Teogene, or Jackie Pierrot, or Jeaunace Ceid I come away
amazed at how dedicated they are to their people and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Could you
imagine the response to an ad in an American paper for a typical Haitian Preacher:
I just wonder how far that would go in the US. Somehow, I don't think there would be a flood of
preaching resumes for that job. But yet that's just what these Haitian preachers do. Just watching them is
a blessing and a life long lesson.
In a few weeks from now in the Spiritual Disciplines class at the Bible School we will cover being a
servant. I'm wondering if I should just throw away my notes and ask the 12 students to teach me
everything they know and how they do it.
God is So Cool Department, Item # 39871: Today at the Bible School in Galmaan in the Spiritual
Disciplines class I was talking about studying, studying God's creation as a matter of fact. In my notes, I had
written: What about our bodies or God’s other creatures? Do we study them? Do we understand the
intricacies of life? Do we know how a butterfly flies or how a snake crawls or how a frog jumps? These are
all creatures that God has created. They are not in his image and likeness, but they do show an incredible
level of complexity. While I was talking about this, what do I notice inside the classroom but a butterfly? A
great example provided by God for the students (and me!). I just thought that was sooooo cool.
I told you on the September 20 entry that we had postponed going to Asile where all the terminally ill
and elderly are at. I had asked Tabitha, a member of our church here, to go up there with $100 of the $500
donation we have received so that they could have some immediate relief. She did that yesterday and also
set a date for all of us to go up on Sunday, October 12. I told everybody tonight in Bible Study and about 25
or so of the older kids want to go. I'm very pleased with that and hope we can get a great event out of it
and teach the kids the meaning of service.
I also want to talk a bit about Tabitha and the servant mentality I see here in Haiti. We've had a lot of
rain here the last few days and the roads are muddy and the weather is not pleasant. But yet Tabitha took
the $100 to Asile on the first day available to her. She didn't mention the weather or the mud or the
inconvenience. She just went. I see that so much here with some church members and church leaders.
They don't get paid, most depend on Americans for support because their congregations are so poor. But
they continue to work hard to preach the gospel and grow their churches. Every time I watch a preacher
like Joseph Joel, or Richard Rodney, or Fonrose Teogene, or Jackie Pierrot, or Jeaunace Ceid I come away
amazed at how dedicated they are to their people and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Could you
imagine the response to an ad in an American paper for a typical Haitian Preacher:
- HELP WANTED: Preacher needed for young church. Our congregation is poor so we can't pay
you anything. Also, because everybody is so poor, you have to help them out with food and
medical bills from time to time. With sermon prep and teaching time, expect to spend about 60
hours a week on job. You will need to find external support if you expect to eat. You may also
have to get a part time job.
I just wonder how far that would go in the US. Somehow, I don't think there would be a flood of
preaching resumes for that job. But yet that's just what these Haitian preachers do. Just watching them is
a blessing and a life long lesson.
In a few weeks from now in the Spiritual Disciplines class at the Bible School we will cover being a
servant. I'm wondering if I should just throw away my notes and ask the 12 students to teach me
everything they know and how they do it.
September 30, 2008
Just got back from Gonaives. Lots of stuff and pics, so click on the Gonaives tab above. Thanks!
Just got back from Gonaives. Lots of stuff and pics, so click on the Gonaives tab above. Thanks!