Gauvreau en Haiti

Tuesday, April 5

We now have a new President, Michel Martelly, who won the elections with 67.57% of the votes. He will be officially in office on May 14, 2011. You should have been here to hear the shout of joy that rose up at the same time everywhere when they made the announcement on television. There was an air of celebration as if the heaviness on the country was released, if only for a while. In Delmas, we heard cries of joy and firecrackers late into the night.

We must now pray that God will give Mr. Martelly wisdom, honesty, integrity and a servant heart for his country. May God surround him with excellent advisers who will help him govern and rebuild the country of Haiti!

Every Tuesday, across the street from our home, there is a worship service with songs and prayer. When the ladies sing I have the impression of hearing the Africans sing. It is very odd and I cannot say that I like it or not. Surely God is very happy that they sing praises to Him. When the Haitians sing in their heart language the singing is very melodious to hear.

Saturday, April 16 (A word from Georges )

We are already April 16th and we have written almost nothing on the blog. We were very busy since the beginning of the month. Everything has gone well since the election and there has been no trouble compared to last November during the first round. We went to work at Fort-Jacques as usual. John, the director of the orphanage, lent us his car for three weeks so we can go to Fort-Jacques. Our car has had more problems with the motor but we have received a donation and we were able to change the motor last weekend.  Now the car is running well and should be good for a long time.  John and I (Georges) finished the laundry house with only the inside trimming left to do, which we will complete on a rainy day.

The construction of our home at Fort-Jacques has started. (See photos April 2011). The foundation has been completed and is built of rocks. The workers built a cistern into the foundation to recuperate rain water. It is big enough to contain five big trucks of water and the rain should keep it full at all times.

We are getting ready for our “vacation” in Quebec.  We will arrive on April 27th and stay till May 11th. We will have many things to do then including empting our rented storage locker of all the things we left there before our departure for Haiti. The cost of the locker is too expensive for us, especially since we will be staying in Haiti for many years.  On the topic of expensive, the price of the gasoline has risen and the Haitian government no longer subsidizes it anymore, and with it the prices for all goods has risen. Consequently, we must call on people who have Haiti at heart to support us financially so we can continue with our ministry.

Sunday, April 17

Today I (Jocelyne) will talk about my encounters with insects. The first one occurred when I was in our bathroom drying myself when I felt something touching my back. I was puzzled (all sorts of things quickly passed through my head), and when I look at the floor I saw a cockroach two inches long. I screamed a cry of terror so loud that I surprised myself. Georges who was at more than 100 feet from me on the front balcony (our private bathroom is at the back and the door was closed) came in and killed the cockroach for me. It took me a few days to get over that incident.

Two days later, I had my second encounter when I went to a large bin, which has no lid, to get something.  What a surprise I had when I spotted a 3 inch spider, including its legs!  I did not know what to do and I was trembling.  I finally phoned Georges who told me to pull the bin out on the balcony. That night, when Georges and Tara were there, we went to see if the spider was still there. I moved the container a bit, but the spider was already out and was running away. Tara saw it and killed it. We then took some pictures of it. (See photos April 2011). Yannick told me that they see them quite often in the ravines. That same morning she had seen it on the ceiling of her room, but has not mentioned anything about it because it was normal for her.

Tuesday, April 26

Today we did not go to Fort-Jaques to work as we are getting ready to leave for Quebec tomorrow. There is a lot to do so that the girls will not need anything during the two weeks we will be away.

Monique Lépine (mother of Marc Lépine who killed 13 women before killing himself at the Polytechnique in Montreal) came last Sunday and spoke at Quisqueya Chapel. Her testimony was powerful and described how God can take someone and bring them back to life. She also visited the orphanage at Thomassin and gave her testimony there also. (See photos April 2011). 

The house that we will be living in at Fort-Jacques is under construction. It will probably be completed at the beginning of July. (See photos April 2011).

Saturday, April 30

We heard that the director of the GLA orphanage, John, has skin cancer on one of his feet. Pray for his restoration and that the surgeon will be able to remove all the tissue that is cancerous.

The end words:

Last Sunday, the pastor of my church said something that made me think: “Indifference looks for excuses, love looks for a way.”

Much love!

Jocelyne and Georges