Gauvreau en Haiti

Tuesday January 18

The year 2010 is behind us with its good and bad experiences and its joyful and painful episodes. We must learn to draw lessons for life useful for this New Year. The year 2011 will be filled with opportunities and possibilities that we must grasp. Hope is in front of us and not behind us! Go... great courage and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

This translated quotation is from Pastor Denis Morissette of New Life Church in Longueuil, Quebec. This wish is very wise and full of promises for the future. It is our wishes to you also.

We wish you a wonderful year 2011. May this year be filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus! May He give you health, joy and grace to cope with the challenges of each day!

We are already at mid January, the time past so quickly. January 1^st, we had a good time with the girls. Yannick did prepare the Joumou soup. She arrived at 4:00 am to prepare it, because you must eat the soup for breakfast and then if you visit someone you must eat the Joumou soup. Normally you cook a big pot of the soup, but we did just half of it because I did not have a cooking pot big enough for the full quantity. The girls went to church for a time of fasting and prayer during the morning and then they visited their family and friends and ate Joumou soup.

During the evening, we went at André and Sylvie's house to wish them Happy New Year.

Since January 6, Georges and I are responsible for the warehouse at the orphanage at Fort-Jacques. Dave, the one who was responsible before, did return to Australia. We are continuing the inventory program that he had set up. There is a lot of work to do to complete the inventory. Fortunately, we will not have another container for many months. Faster it will be done, better we will be able to control all the material that is going in and out and some disappearing from the warehouse and the workshop.

Concerning the anniversary date of the earthquake, January 12, Georges and I were not able to go to Port-au-Prince at Champ-de-Mars because we were both sick with gastro-enteritis. We watch "Célébrez la vie" (Celebrate life) on national television. It was so wonderful and touching celebration, even on TV we could sense God's presence especially in the songs. There was over 100 000 persons on the site. We took some videos from our TV, but this does not give all the fascination and the power that you feel when you are on the site itself. (Sorry, we are not able to download the videos, our Internet is too slow.)  All the persons who were helping, in organizing and securing this event, were volunteers. After this celebration in the morning, the team went to Leogane (earthquake epicentre) for another celebration and around 20 000 persons were present. It was a celebration of joy and the peoples were so touched and happy that someone came to encourage them. There were also other celebrations throughout the country of Haiti.

On a less glorious note, we have so many problems with the car. We have no money to buy a new one and we need a car to go around. We do not know what to do, so we need God's wisdom. Many times Georges has been able to fix it himself but it is not the same for every problem. For the pieces sometimes we order them from the States and someone who comes to GLA brings it with him. It is a lot cheaper and faster.

Friday, January 21

The home coming of Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc), on January 16, was a surprise. Why he came back, there are many rumours but the real one we still do not know. We are in a political stand still. The Election office should (??) give us the results for the second tour on January 31 and have the second tour at mid February. So we are trying to follow up this irregular situation. 

Last Wednesday, Georges did the Bible Study for the GLA staff and volunteers, because Joel and Yvonne are in the States. Last Sunday, he was very surprise when they asked him to do the study for them. I can assure you that I really enjoy his teaching as he was talking about being a light in the world. He gave us many good examples and no matter what we are doing (good or bad), we always have an impact on other people, no matter if we want it or not.

Saturday January 22

Two of the girls who stay with us have changed University at the beginning of January. At Unasmoh, the professors were seldom there and the course that Locita should have been taken was in Port-au-Prince downtown. The head of the university told her that last December. Finally, they refund her the whole tuition fees. Thank you Lord! For Yannick they did not give her back the money because she had followed the courses that had the professors. At the new University, Ruben Leconte, the costs are more expansive, but they have professors all the time and they have remedial classes for the first semester that they did not do. Three of the professors, who were at Unasmoh are working at Ruben Lecomte because the pay cheque is better. Yannick and Locita are both in University and follow the same courses. They like it better at this University. They also have seminar that they must follow at $25 US each one. Is there someone to help with these extra fees?

To find there school books, it is impossible to find them in the book store, we must go to the book market at Port-au-Prince, near Champ-de-Mars. The girls bargain their books and most of these books are photocopied, but very well done. Georges drives them down and now he knows a lot of small roads to go to P-A-P and it is shorter and has less traffic. 

Friday, January 28

We have worked a lot at Fort-Jacques. Slowly but surely, with the volunteers' help, we are starting to see where we are going in the warehouse. We still have for about six months to clear it and to inventory all the items that we will entry in "Inventoria" program in the computer. It will be easier to find all the items we need and which ones we need to buy for medical for the babies and the children, also for hygiene products and necessary food. We already using a request system that they used at the three houses of the orphanage, and we deliver directly to them at Thomassin. That is to avoid that each one comes and look all over trying to find what they need and undoing the work that we are doing to fix the warehouse.

This week we have learned that the next construction on the future orphanage land is the house we will stay in. As soon as the well is dug, they will start the construction of the house. (See photo January 2011) We are looking forward to live in the mountain it will be more practical for us. Right now I am working only 2 to 3 days a week, I must stay home in Delmas for the cleaning lady who comes and I do my laundry.

The three girls will stay in Delmas. We negotiate with Pastor Brandon, who has a house at five minute walk from the house we are in now, for the girls to stay at his place. Normally his house is used for teams of volunteers who are coming in Haiti. We would like for them to stay near the University for their studies. Also, we do not want them to stay in tents cities where it is not very secure to leave them. There are so many things happening in these camps to women who are alone. 

I believe that Georges is very good at teaching or preaching. Pastor Joel asked him again to preach next Wednesday evening for the GLA staff and volunteers Bible Study.

Saturday, January 29

Car problems again! It is true that we are driving on roads that are full of pot holes and sometimes they look almost like a cavern. With the dry season there is dust all over. This time again, Georges did arrange our problem with the car; the wires from the battery were loose. My husband is an ace in the manual work. J In Haiti, sometimes it takes months before someone can get the right parts, especially when the part is ordered from outside the country. So, we need a good Samaritan who will lend you a car or who will carry you where needed.

This afternoon, Kathiana's parents finally entered their newly built house. It is situated in one of the ravines. They still have to build the second room and put a roof over the toilet, someone interested to help! Since the earthquake they were living in a tent and the owners of the land were causing them problems in order for her parents to leave. Now they have a roof to sleep and eat and a toilet with no roof. Her father used to be a butcher, but he has been sick for two years now and her mother works as a merchant on the street.

We have included two pictures of the asphalt work being done on Kenscoff Road, which we use almost every day. It is not a luxury this road really needs it.

I have found this citation on Facebook; it is from my friend Camille. It is such a beautiful one and this one goes very well with the work we do at GLA.

"A man is never as great as when he is kneeling to help a child."

The end words:

There are many uncertainties in our world but what matters most will never change." Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". Hebrews 13:8

Have a wonderful week!

Jocelyne and Georges