Hello again: I tried to send this messge below last night but for some reason or other I couldn't upload..so here it is today for your reading pleasure (!?). Debbie

Christmas greetings one and all.....what a day it was as we enjoyed Christmas festivities at the school today. The celebration was down scaled a bit due to the fact school was closed for nearly a week due to the hoopla after the election results, but never the less the kids did a fine job of their poetry recitals and songs they sang. I just wish there could have been more of an audience beside myself, Clovis and the teachers. But alas, such was the case, but I don't think it made us enjoy it any less.















As per tradition the kids were served chicken with their rice and beans and a glass of juice and then each recieved a Christmas package with
various goodies inside.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I got through each class and not missing anyone..that was my worse fear...especially since I was organizing all of this on my own.....instead of dreaming of sugar plums, I was dreaming of Christmas packages.

I smiled to myself when I heard several of the teachers telling the kids not to open their packages in the chapel and also when I saw the older kids quickly checking out what was in their package as soon as they got outside the chapel...just like kids anywhere else in the world!












I am just so thankful that the week was quiet which permitted me to get all of the supplies we needed for the party and just as important getting the banking done so Christmas bonuses and Dec pay could also be distributed today as per tradition. Tomorrow morning, I play Mrs Claus to some of the neighbourhood kids and families then I will be ready to enjoy the weekend with Wilner.

Monday is the day that the final election results will be announced. There is a lot of speculation and question about exactly what will follow as none of the issues from the Nov 28 vote have really been resolved. All I know is there are lots of various sundry groups of people...politicians, religious leaders, International supporters and others meeting trying to come up with a solution that the majority will find acceptable. Everyone is just hoping and praying that we will not see the same sort of violent reaction as we did after the 28th. I heard a report on the radio yesterday of a British journal article stating that after Somalia, Haiti was the most politically unstable country in the world. I don't know on what they based their point of view but it was an interesting revelation to me.

In the meantime folks, enjoy the peace and calm to go about their daily business. However as if all of the other goings on were not enough, today news is going around that the gas stations do not have any gasoline! Finally there is calm to go out and about and now no gas for the tap-taps..you can imagine everyone's frustrations! Hopefully the news of a tanker arriving in a day or two is true.

So that is the state of affiairs this side of the ocean. Wishing you a joyful 4th Advent weekend.

Greetings.one and all:
Sunday Dec 11 finds things pretty calm and a bit of normal life on the streets as people went to church or went out and about doing other chores. Yesterday the streets were busy and line ups formed in the grocery stores and gas stations as people took advantage of the calm to stock shelves, Christmas shop and fill up the vehicles. I had no real reason to go out so stayed at Hope House although I do have a little bit of "house fever" having been holed up here all week. No one knows what to expect tomorrow, but I won't be surprised if we have more demonstrations although I pray that the calm we have had over the past several days continues. Everyone seems to be taking a break from the to do of last week...even the radio stations ...as I have been hearing more music than news throughout the day.

Unfortunately the Christmas elves will be not be to make their planned trip to Haiti to help with the Christmas gifts, so I took advantage of the quiet to get all of them organized and to make sure there were enough for each group of students. It worked out just right and now again I pray for calm so that we can hand them out at the end of the week as scheduled. Joel has been a good right hand man lugging the big boxes here and there for me.

I called Marie to check in with her and all was going well with her. While chatting we arranged for her to come with her driver to pick up the Christmas gifts for her kids and a few other items assigned to her .....one of them was some cans of span and Vienna sausage. She was so amazed and was remarking how the Lord provides at just the right time. She gave her last can of meet to a neighbour this AM, whom she invited to her house for an egg as he was feeling weak from hunger and Marie offered to feed him. She gave that last can of meet to him to take home and he was so grateful that he would have something to be able to feed his whole family....to him it was like a feast she was providing him. It once again just gives one pause to say THANKS for the bounty in our lives and I say thanks to those of you who continue to suppor the Lazarus Project through gifts of funds, gifts in kind and your gifts of time....we would not be able to help those we do withour your continued support.

Hope you are enjoying this Advent Sunday.....Debbie

Hello all: Here I am holed up at Hope House due to the "hot climate" in town today (and elsewhere in Haiti) as a result of the announcements made regarding the election results. Tires are burning, roads blocked and in some towns buildings ransacked and burned. Other areas where partisans are more or less satisfied with the results in there neck of the woods, remain relatively calm.

Below is a note I recieved from a friend for those who are interested in a bit more detail regarding the elections.


....................As if an earthquake, a hurricane, and Cholera were not enough, now we're in the throes of major upheaval over the preliminary results of the 28 November presidential elections that were announced last evening. I can't say we haven't been anticipating this, but when it comes it is always uncomfortable. Most people are remaining in their homes while the turmoil boils.
Below is an article that gives a good overview of what the protests are about. I'm sure there was a large dose of disorganization and inadequate planning in the electoral process, but they do not account for all of these irregularities.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/04/v-fullstory/1958005/count-every-ballot-or-else-haiti.html
One of the main objections is that the results announced last night do not match what the National Election Observation Council had reported a couple days ago. Their observers polled voters at 15% of the voting centers on election day; and when asked who they voted for, 30% cited Mme Mannigat, 25% Mr Martelly (aka, Sweet Micky), and 20% Jude Célestin (the 'dauphin', heir apparent of Président Préval). Last night's preliminary official results gave Mme Mannigat 31.37%, Jude Célestin at 22.48%, and Michel Martelly at 21.84%---a mere 6,845 of the over 1million votes separate Martelly from Célestin. The next closest candidate, Jean-Henry Céant, received 8.18% of the vote.
The question is how much of the vote for Jude Célestin is real vs rigged? The 18 candidates (one declined to run for election the week before) have the right to protest the results within the next 3 days. Final results are due 20 December. Only two of the multitude of legislative seats were decided, so the rest will again be up for vote in the 2nd phase 16 January 2011.
Among the likely decisions the CEP (Haitian Electoral Council overseeing the elections) could make at this point, which one will it make:
Activate its option and place a third candidate on the ballot (Martelly)?Hold its line and keep only Mme Mannigat and M Célestin on the docket for January 2011? Boy, will Haïti be hot for a long time if they choose this one!
Suddenly find during the final verification process that Martelly did indeed receive more legitimate votes than Célestin and the revote becomes Mannigat vs Martelly instead? That, too, will cause a political furor.
Scrap the whole election and start over (not likely!)
I've lived through many of the elections the last 23 years here, but this, of all of them, may be the most crucial. Much of what will happen in rebuilding, which in itself will create a forward motion we've not seen for a long time, hinges on the election of a good and true leader for Haïti. All the previous elections have been troubled and many patently corrupt; but the 2005 election stood out as the best run and most representative and fair. If somehow the CEP could return to the 2005 process in the second round, it would have a much better chance for success.
Prayer requests...
Personal safety for the Haitian people. A few will spark a great deal of turmoil and innocent bystanders can get caught in the middle.That calm will restore quickly. Haitian people cannot afford this disruption, it causes enormous economic upheaval for persons who already have extremely marginal resources.
Our staff that are on the road and caught in the midst of the manifestations. Our SCMS staff and our sister work, LMS, are out delivering the US Government's donated Cholera supplies that we just received and have been caught amidst the demonstrations in different outlying towns. Most areas of the country already do have supplies, however, these are more for backup.Wise choices by the CEP.
That the candidates truly favored by the Haitian people will have an opportunity to be fairly voted upon and the most favored fairly selected. It is critical for the future of Haïti. And one more...
Continued decrease and eventual containment of the Cholera outbreak. Thankfully, although all areas of the country are affected, the number of persons falling sick seems to be stable and the number of deaths is decreasing.


Hope you found it to be interesting and informative reading.....until next time......
Debbie

Good Sunday afternoon: Another week has gone by..it is hard to believe that only four remain before we close out 2010 and welcome 2011. Many in Haiti are more than happy to say goodbye to this year, with hope that next year has only got to be better! ....let's pray that it may be so!!! My bank tellar was one of the ones expressing such sentiments.

We saw off the three team members of the "Braveheart team" from Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon. They enjoyed a morning of "life in Haiti" as we attended the Christmas Bazaar at Quisqueya School ( a private Christian school at Delmas 75), visited a local grocery store for purchases of last minute items for their suitcases, lunch at Epi Dor a fast food restaurant and just enjoying the street life as we rolled along to the airport. We all managed to drop a few gourdes at the Bazaar, which was really getting lively when we left.

Nativity Scene at Quisqueya School for the Christmas Bazaar

Fran,Nany Joy and Phillipa...the "Braveheart team"

The day before, Friday, was another outstanding day for them (their words) as we visited the school and Little Children of Jesus. After the general assembly the kindegarten children has a special probram of singing and dancing and what an enjoyable time it was watching their antics.

From there we joined Gladys and her staff for their annual Christmas party and "fete" day to honour International Day of the Handicapped. We go to help Gladys set up the buffet table...(and what a spread it was of Haitian treats) and before we ate, we were able to help the staff to feed some of the children needing assistance with their meal. The staff put on a skit about Cholera, a men's group sang several songs and other activities took place to liven up the day. It was so touching/heartwarming to see how much the staff and especially the residents enjoyed all that was going on..it was simple and basic but oh what fun they had! One of the members of the team pointed out to me again the specialness of Haiti...that a people so burdened with hardships and tragedy one after the other, still take time to celebrate the affirmative things in their lives.

Gladys (in purple pants) and staff singing a song..."down with Cholera"

The daughter of one of Glady's staff enjoys her "crown" and the Christmas festivities.

Today was supposed to be the preliminary announcements of the election results but I have been told it has now been put off to Tuesday. Friday and today there were announced demonstrations but I have not had any word as to what occurred. One good sign was that the university students arrived without problem for their monthly meeting with me this afternoon.

Public opinion is high for Mme Manigat or Michelle Martelly, a singer otherwise known as Sweet Micky for president. Some others are still calling for the election to be annulled but that cry seems to be waning a bit....we will just have to wait and see what the next days hold.

This morning Roberta, who is staying til Tues, and I attended church service at Marie's new church. We sat behind a lot of the girls and I was thinking how nice they all looked and what care that Oxane, their house mother and the older girls take with the little ones....each and everyone of them had ribbons in their hair colour coordinated with their dresses. The attendance was not as numerous as I have seen on other Sundays but the singing was no less exuberant...it surely does lift you up!

The girls have moved from their temporary lodgings into their new room..which is gaily painted with a variety of pastel colours. ....pictures of that next time as I had left my camera back at the house.

..and that my friends brings you a bit up to day...more or less.

Have a good week ...Debbie

The election is over but things are very far from clear as to what will happen next. About 3% of the polling stations were compromised in one way or another and many people are complaining they did not find their names on the electoral lists.....not surprising after so many homes etc lost after the earthquake. Since the election a group of the presidential candidates supposedly got together and agreed to ask collectively for the election to be annulled due to the irregularities. The next day several of the group held press conferences and denied they were in the "group of 12" . This has caused a great consersternation among them which stirs up the pot some more.

The coming days are going to be "interesting" to say the least. Thus far things are pretty calm in PAP but several other towns have experienced demonstrations over the last two days.

I have heard that the Cholera has reached the Ganthier area but haven't heard that any of our students have been affected. The health center in Ganthier has been set up as a treatment center so the folks do have some quick access to care if needed...... that is if the promised materials are delivered to the Center.

Today, I will be greeting a small team from Pennsylvania who will be acting as Christmas Elfs, helping me to start to prepare for the gift distribution which another team will conduct in the middle of the month.

Please keep Haiti and the Village of Hope school in your prayers as we continue to meet the variety of challenges that Haiti presents.

Debbie

Hello and good Sunday afternoon: There is never a dull moment around here as was witnessed this afternoon when Joel came in and told me the hydro pole outside our gate with some of our electrical attachments for Hope House electricity connected to it. You could actually see flames coming out of the top of it. There were gray skies overhead and I was praying that the rain would come and help us out. But no luck!

Not long after a wire burned through and one of the elements detached from its place but we still had electricity. I will not tell you what happened over the next hour but before EDH who was supposedly called by a neighbour, could do anything, the whole wire fell, there was a loud exploding sound and now for sure we had no electricity.

We finally got the fire out as "fireman" Joel went up the extension ladder with your hose and hallelujah.....the water pressure and the stretch of his arm was enough to just get the water to the top of the pole. Then one of the neighbours who was helping out came with a long pole which we tied the hose to and that really did the trick. Joel was able to direct the nozzle of the hose right into the middle of the pole. That was a relief!

Now I know that a trip to the EDH office's is added to my list of chores for tomorrow. Luckily it is quite nearby. I just hope it won't take too long to get things back in order. I have heard we have an employee of EDH (in the upper levels) who lives further down our road so maybe that will help. We have been very fortunate to have a lot of electricity lately so we are getting "spoiled".

...and I wondered what I would write about to you today.

Other than that life goes on. Probably most of you are more up to date than I on the Cholera situation as you watch the nightly news. My mom called today and told me the airport was closed....I didn't even get that news here. I was out and about on Saturday and everything was business as usual...or at least in the area I travelled through.

The elections are Sunday and not surprisingly things are getting a little stirred up as the different parties and their supporters make their last ditch efforts for support and to make their points known. Of course the Cholera epidemic for sure has been added to the mix and needless to say the UN is dealing with what I think would be a public relations nightmare, since a group of their troops is being blamed for the outbreak in the Artibonite Valley.

Wilner tells me it is waning a bit in his neck of the woods but I know it will be sometime before it finishes making its rounds in the country and things are "back to normal".

I leave you with a picture or two of Joel putting out the fire.

Good Morning all: A beautiful tropical morning greeted us this AM...much different than last weekend. I have had a team of construction crew here since Wed and they have worked like beavers completing renovations on the small apt. and doing some odd repair chores for me. One of the fellows was even brave enough to go and "attack" cleaning up the "hardware" section of the depot. Everything looks great.

The visit with my brother and sister in law sped by but it was nice to be together if even for the brief time we were. We managed a quick visit to Deschapelles to see Wilner and then spent a few hours by the ocean, even if it was a bit overcast. The one beach that we usually go to was flooded so we went a little further down the road to another one.

Other areas of the country did not fare as well and are now dealing with the results of the flooding and winds destroying farm areas and fishing villages.

Of course the cholera is still a great preoccupation for many. It is now spreading to several different areas of the country including PAP as we are not getting reports of sporadic cases being reported from various sites. The information campaign continues as the MSPP and NGO's try to organize observation and treatment centers for those too ill to be taken care of at home.

People are very afraid and I heard on the radio yesterday that some folks in a provincial town could not get to the clinic for treatment as the motorcycle and tap tap drivers were too afraid to carry anyone sick on/in their vehicles. Education and prevention is certainly the key to keeping the epidemic under control.

Now, I wish you a good weekend and please continue to pray for VOH and the people of Haiti.

Debbie

Sat 1:00 PM: Hi all....welll Tomas has come and gone and now everyone works to dry out. At Hope House we did not fair too badly. The winds and rain were not too too strong and we did not suffer any damage. I just got back from errands over on Delmas. We went through a few big "lakes" of water at several intersections this AM but by time we headed back there were pretty much dried up. All of the tent camps seems to be intact but now folks look forward to the sunshine to start drying out their clothes and the muddy ground.

I have only heard of 7 deaths as a result of the storms and they occurred in the southern region which was hit worse off than PAP. You will probably have seen more on the news than I.

Its a short note I know but I figured some folks would be anxious to hear how we faired.

Family is visiting so I am off to enjoy a few hours with them.

Debbie

Hello folks: What next for Haiti? That is a question many are asking as we all prepare and hunker down as best we can for the arrival of Hurricane Tomas. We awoke to grey and cloudy skies today and a lot of wind. The Ministry of Education closed schools for today and tomorrow. As I type it is just starting to rain a bit.


However it did not stop me from doing some errands and taking my brother and sister-in-law who are visiting, to the Metal workers area to do some shopping. The civic protection has done a great job of keeping the people informed and sending out warnings and instructions over the radio. In different areas around the city there are a number of sites being prepared with temporary housing. The picture below isn't the best but it will give you and idea of the type of temporary housing that is being put up. Hopefully some of them will be habitable for folks to take refuge from the storm.

The public health dept and civic protection at the same time preparing for the hurricane are also still working hard on public awareness to prevent the spread of the cholera. They have been handing out soap, potable water and other such necessities.

So keep up your prayers for Haiti and its people.

Debbbie

Finally I am able to get a few photos to you from the last several weeks. Sadly I missed some opportunities due to the fact I kept forgetting new batteries for my camera.

Jim: checking out the weights at the School clinics. The reception and screening area was held in the "little green house" at the entranceway.

Barb and her interpretor Elvid, getting the intake info from the mother

"Pharmacists" Nancy and Lois setting up their shop at Little Children of Jesus for the staff clinic.

More patient screeing with Diane, Barb and Hilda at LCJ

The "SLICK" team

Back Row L-R: Barb, Betty, Barry, Diane, Dr Randy (team leader) , Sandy, Nancy, Lin (co-team leader) , Hilda

Front Row L-R: Jim, Richard, Susan, Lois

The " Hometown Flirts" team

Back Row: Barb, Hilda, Jim, Donna (team leader)

Front Row: Sarah, Chrisitna, Annette, Jordyn

In case you recognize three of the faces, Barb, Hilda and Jim all stayed on a second week in order to be with the Hometown crew. Hilda, Barb and I worked together at a Burlington Hospital ICU, many moons ago. Donna and the four girls are all students studying social work and for Jordyn, psychology.

Good Evening all: The team is all tucked away in their rooms, reading and relaxing so I am taking this opportunity to send out a quick note.

Cholera is on everyone's minds and the topic of conversation for all. The "blame" for the infection is being pointed at a troop of Nepalese UN troops who supposedly were emptying their latrines into the Artibonite River in the area of Mirebelais. This is totally unsubstantiated at this point, but it is the story go around. Wilner tells me that new cases continue to show up at the hospital but that the rate of their arrival is decreasing a bit. The newcomers equal the amount being discharged. He continues to be out and about delivering health and prevention messages to various communities the hospital serves. So far he is staying well...I keep telling him to make sure he is following the advice he is giving everyone else. As for our area there are a few reported cases, but I don't have very accurate information about the real situation in PAP area. The health meeting on Monday focused on prevention messages to be spread about and setting up observation and treatment centers. The various NGO's in our area are organizing oral rehydration salts, clean water and other treatment modalities, in the case we get a lot of cases like the Artibonite. We continue to hope that it will be contained as much as possible. I was at Food for the Poor today and one of the staff told me that all of their hand sanitizer has been handed out left, right and center as so many folks have requested it.

I posted the health messages at the school and we have distributed a quantity of soap for each of the classrooms. On Friday we will give goodie bags to all of the students and one of the items in the bag is a bar of soap.

The Hamilton team, now nicknamed the "Hometown Flirts" have been hard at it as we moved a lot of boxes from the depot to the school and then from the little apt to the new depot at Hope House. I had to get it cleared out for the team coming to finish renovations in the apt.

We have delivered medicines to a private clinic nearby and to Food for the Poor Clinic today. The team thoroughly enjoyed the time to serve up food to the families arriving at the FFTP kitchen for their daily rations. All of the them were remarking, as many others do, how tiring it was to scoop out the portions of rice. They were all wishing for a bit of Ben-Gay this evening.

From there we went to Little Children of Jesus, arriving in time to help the staff feed lunch to the children. It was quite a meaningful visit for all of the gals (and one guy). Hilda's husband Jim is lapping in the luxury of being on a team with 7 women.

The rain came pouring down just as the desks that had been painted were starting to dry out a bit. Hopefully we got the tarps over them to prevent any ill effect.

I finally remembered to change the batteries in my camera, but now the satellite does not wish to upload my pictures so they will come at another time.

Thats it for this evening......all the best, Debbie

Hi folks: I am sure everyone is anxious about the situation in Haiti as news of the Cholera outbreak spreads. Of course it is of great concern for all of us, and we are all praying that the major thrust of it can be contained in the Artibonite. I read on one of the sites today that there are two suspected cases in Croix des Bouquets that are being investigated. We are taking precautions as necessary and I have given some health lessons to the staff as well as a some chlorox for them to have at home and I also told them how to make the homemade oral rehydrations salts.

Wilner has been a very busy fellow as Hopital Albert Schweitzer is right in the middle of the Valley and it as well as all of the other hospitals in the area have been inundated with patients arriving for care. Wilner has been out and about in the small communities delivering health messages and treatment care etc. He and his colleague were even on the local radio station to help spread the word. I just got off the phone with him and he says although folks are still coming to the hospital the numbers of folks coming seems to be declining somewhat.

The Health Dept in our area is having an information and planning meeting on Monday. I will be othewise occupied but I am sending someone to represent me at the meeting and to take notes.

So please keep your prayers coming Haiti's way......oh so many are saying "what next can happen"?!

Today I saw the "Slick" team off (Dr Randy's medical team from Statesboro Georgia and Hamilton, Ontario). They were so named for the well oiled fashion in which they conducted the medical clinis. We did three days at the School for students and community members and then we worked in one of the smaller tent site areas. The last day we saw staff at Little Children of Jesus and several of the girls at Marie's. ...all added up we saw about 675 people. Several of the highlights were seeing the overnight improvement of a little girl who came in with a fever of 104+. She was given a shot of antibiotics and then other treatment to take at home. The next day she returned for follow up and to Maria's delight, she was a different little girl. Dr Randy saw a young student from the school who has yet to return to school due to a huge abscess he had under his jaw. After a 24 hour period of antibiotic treatment with little change, Dr Randy, ended up draining the abscess and he went home with a variety of medications. I will be seeing him on Tuesday to see how he is coming along.

We were fortunate to have great Haitian staff working with us to help the clinics go so well. They included a health agent, interpretors and 2 different Haitian physicians. The community at the camp site had a health committee and they did a great job of keeping the folks in order and they waited very patiently to be seen.

One day coming home we had quite the experience as we were traveling through Croix des Bouquets just as the political rally for the inauguration of Jude Celestin's campaign for president was coming to an end. The traffic was HORRENDOUS. It was so bad that many folks gave up on the tap taps and just started walking to their destination. Odney and I had the pleasure of going through it twice as the bus carrying half the team broke down and after dropping the one set of folks off at Hope House we turned right around to go and get the others who were still at the Metal workers area. By time we got there a young very talented kid had the vehicle fixed and then we headed back together. If anything the traffic had gotten worse, so we ended up taking a very convoluted route throught the back streets of CdB to get ahead of the traffic. One of the fellows from the metal workers neighbourhood acted as our guide. It was a bumpy road but it was much better than sitting in the traffic for over an hour.

I will continue this story at another time..it is time to go and get dinner together for the team that arrived this afternoon....yes the beds hardly got cooled down before they were being filled up again. I am pretty proud of this team as they are all from my hometown of Hamilton...the first full team of Canadians to be at Village of Hope.

Have a good evening and I'll be back in the not too distant future.

Debbie

Good Morning all:
I have a few minutes to spare before heading out to the school to join the kids for the church service, so thought I would spend it adding a few lines to this blog. There is not really a whole lot to tell as we have been just carrying out the daily chores of running the school. This week my big accomplishment was getting the housekeeping staff equiped and an inventory prepared of the materials each of them have. Next week, it will be the gardeners and following that the kitchen staff. Each of the groups has a list a mile long of what they "need". Finding out why the item is "needed" has been an interesting process.

Yesterday I visited a new store like Eko Depot. It is called MSC trading. I wanted to check it out and I also had a list of items that Christophe needed for some repairs at the school. Who ever thought I would be excited about being in a hardware store. It was a bit like Home Depot and the prices were a bit better than at Eko Depot. I don't know if it will be one stop shopping but they do have a big selection on hand.

From there I went to pick up the mail and then to the grocery store....the traffic was bumper to bumper going both ways, so it was not a speedy trip. On the way home I stopped at a Haitian Arts Festival. I wish you could have had the opportunity to attend to see some of the fine crafts produced here. Naturally there were a number of the metal workers there. As well there were folks selling jewellry, purses, embroidery, paintings, shoes, home made jellies, stone carvings and on and on. It may not be surprising to some to know that I managed to leave a few gourdes behind.

This afternoon I will be picking up the medical team coming from Statesboro Georgia. They are being joined by 3 folks from Canada....the first time we have had Canadians on a Mission trip. It is pretty exciting for me to be introducing them to the Lazarus Projects in Haiti. It will be a busy week, I know that for sure, but a very satisfying one too.

Time has marched on, so I must leave you now to head out to church. Sunday blessings to one and all.

Debbie

Good afternoon:
It's been awhile I know since I have posted any news. It has been busy for sure but most of it has been the routine day to day work. After the Prince of Peace team left we had one more push to get the rest of the school furniture moved. I kept a crew of 5 guys going most of the day. I know I was pooped at the end of it so I am sure they were exhausted. The classrooms looked great though and I know some will be happy with the results....even if no else is, I sure am and that made it all worthwhile no matter what! Speaking of results we learned that all of the grade 13 (Philo) students passed, 36 out of 38 grade 6 passed, 8 grade 12 passed and 7 had the chance to rewrite and we await their results. Twenty nine passed the grade 9 exam. Three had marks high enough to rewrite but due to lack of time the Mof Ed did not give them that option this year, thus they are considered as having failed. We are pretty pleased with the results, although Clovis does aim for perfection.

School started off well on Monday. As usual the full complement of students have yet to appear and they will slowly trickle in this week. Some of the parents are most likely still trying to get uniforms and other paraphenalia ready for them to return to class. I really give credit to the K1 teachers.....at one point I was thinking I should be giving each of them a bottle of tylenol. They had the music blaring away to keep a light mood for the new children but amongst all of that music, I heard a lot of crying. I think it is the usual routine for them and they seem to take it all in their stride.

Election campaigning has begun and there are banners, flyers, posters everywhere with various candidates pictures, slogans etc printed on them. Thus far it seems to be staying pretty calm....we hope it will continue as such.

Pictures will not be forth coming for awhile..I am having computer challenges since I lost part of the power cord to my own computer. Luckily I have a caring brother who is working to try and help me resolve that problem.

until next time....here is a little Shaker saying for you to ponder: Begin today! No matter how feeble the light, let it shine as best it may. The world may need just that quality of light which you have.

Debbie

Good Morning to all:

Its a cloudy overcast day that greets the team as they get ready to head to the airport. I think they are all praying that the rain drops will hold off until they are at least at the airport. They have had enough experiences getting wet in the back of the truck. It seems the rain in Haiti is getting some press in the US as I have had a number of emails with prayers for our safety. I haven't heard the news of what's going on in the rest of Haiti, but accept for the big storm end of last week, the rains are more or less what comes with the rainy season. But normal or not it still is not ideal conditions for all of those living in temporary shelters. The prayers and concerns are appreciated. Not all is negative though as some of the team members took advantage of the rain off of the roof to "soften" their hair with rain water.

Attendance at church was quite limited on Sunday but the few kids that were there thoroughly enjoyed the singing of our group and readily joined in for a second rendition..hand movements and all. The team repeated their performance at Little Children of Jesus yesterday and it was heartwarming to see some of those kids attempting to do the hand motions. The big smiles on their faces seen as the team sang away, though were more than enough. This was the team's reward for all of the choir practices they had before going to church

Many chores were got attended to this week as the team split up into various groups. A new carpet was put down on the stage in the chapel, two classrooms painted and touched up after repairs were completed and another one refreshed and best of all (for me at least) was getting all of the classrooms organized. We got new tables and chairs in place and were able to dispose of a number of broken/warn our desks. All of the senior grades are pretty much set and next step will be to take care of the junior grads (grade 7 and down).

As the "Moving Drip Dry Team," thus named for all of the furniture shuffling they did and their several baptisms of rain, heads back home, I will be heading to the school to deliver the staff pay and continue with my contract work.

Brooke, Brenda, Nelson, Melinda, Mike, Judy, Liz

Pana, Elizabeth, Tom, Joe, Kim, Rose Marie, Jessica

tira for now...time to cook up some breakfast.

Debbie

Hi everyone: howdy from VERY wet Haiti.....we had a rain storm, dare I say a bit of cyclone this afternoon as we were driving home from the school. I think maybe I have seen it rain that hard once or twice before...but I have never had to drive in it myself. Odney was in the big truck with 3/4 of the Prince of Peace team.....they got drenched to say the least. We in the pick up truck behind them were okay until we had to face that music once we arrived at Hope House.
The road was like a river and our yard a lovely wading pool. I can only imagine how the folks in the tent camps were faring.

The team arrived yesterday and as usual jumped right in with work. Today we were busy organizing furniture (new tables and chairs) in the classrooms and trying to make the classes a bit more organized. We got 4 of them done and tomorrow will continue on. I think they look pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

Previous to their arrival, I spent several days with two visitors from Boca Raton who came to meet with the contractors for the Health Center Project. All is moving along fine..we are set to sign the contract in 2 weeks and then will be full steam ahead by mid Oct. All in all very encouraging for us.

We have results from two other classes and we are quite pleased. All of the kids in the philo (grade 13) class passed their national exams. Eight out of 15 in the rheto (grade 12) passed and the other 7 are able to write make up exams...which is a good thing for them. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin to prepare for round 2. We still await the results for the grade 9 class.

On that positive note I will say tira for now...time to go and tend to dinner for the hard working crew.....pumpkin soup....a perfect thing for this rainy evening.

a pita...Debbie

Hello all: Back safe and sound at Hope House, mind you a day late. Due to airplane mechanical problems and rain storms in Miami we missed our connecting flight by 10 minutes.....that was disappointing. But such are the vagaries of travel. AA gave us a hotel room and food vouchers so we headed off to the hotel to settle in for the night. It turned out I was traveling on the same flight as Patty Meyer and friend Jeanine who were headed to Marie's. So at least I had company along the way.

The event in Fond du Lac was a big success as Perry managed to keep that bike going for the 24 hours...he did 401 laps or approx 269 miles in the 24 hours. He now awaits confirmation that he dotted the i's and crossed the t's correctly for the Guiness World Record Book and to await the final tally for the funds donated to the cause. The turnout was a bit disappointing probably due in part to the rain and clouds that plagued us Saturday. Luckily the rain stopped just as Perry was to begin but it did not enhance the track conditions AT ALL....what a mess. The dirt was like clay and stuck like crazy. I managed to loose my shoes, lost my balance and fell in it, as I was heading up to the starting point to wish Perry well....that sure made a site!

But away he went at any rate. He had a great support staff and after each hour they would get out the power washer and hose off all of the mud. Perry said it felt like it added an extra 100 lbs or so to the weight of the bike (photos below).

While Perry was riding there were various other activities going on...DJ played for several hours, then a band..there was a silent auction and stunt performances by some fellows on their bikes. Everyone worked hard helping to ensure the success of the event.

I was pleased to be able to attend the church service at Ascension Lutheran Church and to bring greetings to the congregation from Haiti.

As soon as the event ended on Sunday I was on the road again to Naperville to attend a meeting with Pastor Scott and other church members at Wheatland Salem Church. My google map directions did not let me down and I arrived just in time to a warm welcome from the group.

Monday I enjoyed the sites and delights of downtown Chicago and Oak Park with good friends.

All seems to be well back here in Haiti.....nothing outstanding to report thus far. Will head out to the school tomorrow to catch up with Clovis and continue our planning for the school opening on the 4th of Oct.

Pictures for your enjoyment (hopefully)

Perry at the starting point...within seconds of taking off

The bike before and after a pit stop

Not the best of pictures, but at least is shows Perry in action on one of his 401 laps on Saturday morning...the sun finally came out around 4 which brightened everyone's spirits

The folks (at least some of them) who cheered him on and were there with him through thick and thin...wife Melissa stands beside him in the blue jacket

Perry and I at the finish line...a much nicer end than beginning with the sunshine brightly and no muck to clog him down.

so there you have it.....24 Hours for Haiti......if you wish to see the Fox news blurb about the event check out their website: 24hoursforhaiti.com

until next time...take care....Debbie

Hi all: Another short note for you. The office work has continued on the past couple of days with a few excursion here and there to meet with the teachers, fill the vehicles with gas, visit the Labor Board etc. Tomorrow I head off to the Fund Raising event in Fond du Lacs - http://www.24hoursforhaiti.com/. I will also be visiting Wheatland Salem Church and friends in Chicago..an extra bonus to the trip.

I did drop by to visit Marie today...she is traveling about so I missed her but I did stop by the school/church/orphanage to check out the progress on the new building. I understand from Fedner that even though it is still in a very rustic condition that they have already had several services in the Chapel area of the new building.

The first picture shows the windows to the girl's side of the building. Picture 2 looking at the front with the entrance to the Chapel on the left. Last photo inside the Chapel...fellows putting the finishing touches on the walls and ceiling.

That's it for now......

Greetings from Hope House:

It is a quiet Saturday, early evening. I was out for most of the day, getting my mail, grocery shopping, purchasing some Haitian articles for a silent auction and then stopped to visit some friends....just a normal Saturday like y'all have at back home. The week was also fillled with other routine business...payroll, paper work and the like. My ear was buring after the two hour teleconference I joined in with the Board members. I think it is such a miracle everytime I can do that....when I think back to my first days in Haiti, we would have to drive sometimes 1-2 hours to get to a phone if we needed to make a call and we only had HAM radio contact once a day with our PAP office......it seems like it was the "dark ages"...amazing what can change in only a few short years!

We got the exam results for the kids at the school and I am happy to report that we had a 95% pass rate overall. We still await the results for the Grade 6,9, Philo and Rheto (grades 12&13) classes all of whom wrote their state exams in mid August. Hopefully they will prove to do as well as the rest of the classes.

The kids in the Grade 6,9,Philo and Rheto classes were rewarded with a day at the beach and by all reports from Clovis it was a day most enjoyed and appreciated by all. Unfortunately I was home on vacation when they went so I have no pictures to share of the kids frolicking about.

In a few short days I will be heading to the US for a brief trip to attend a fund raising event in Fond du Lac Wisconsin. Perry Prichard a Mission trip alumni is going to try to set a Guiness Book of World Record for the most times around a motor cross raceway in 24 hours. All proceeds will come to the Lazarus Project. If you are interested in learning more check out http://www.24hoursforhaiti.com/. I am going to "cheer him on".

It's short I know but that about sums up the week. I tried to post the picture below last time around but it was a no go then. This is just a glimpse at the tropical paradise Wilner and I 'suffered" with during our free days in the Dominican Republic....it was a taste of heaven!

Until next time, peace be with you.....Debbie

Hello one and all: A quick entry to let you know that I am "back in the saddle" once again having enjoyed my two weeks vacation to the utmost. I was spoiled by family and friends in Hamilton for a week and then came back to join Wilner for your trip to the DR for a week. I am thrilled to report he had his Cdn Visa renewed for 5 years (yahoo), all of which occurred on Monday so we had the rest of the week to just rest and relax..and that we did!

I have just been going through my email messages, doing laundry and the usual end of vacation activities...tomorrow I will head out to the school and check on things there. Otherwise, I gather all is the status quo in Haiti...still lots of talk about the election and the selection of the candidates. ..many disgruntled because Wycliffe was disqualified while others who did not meet all of the requirements either, were allowed to let their names stand.

Hope this finds everyone doing okay as well. More news to come as the week progresses.

Cheerio,
Debbie

Hello all: My oh my..hasn't the time just flown by, since my last time with you.

Let me back track a bit. Friday I bade farewell to the Iowa team...AKA "the Prestige-ous" team. It was an earlier start than usual as "they"...whoever "they" are of political persuasion were calling for a national transport strike and threatening damage to banks,, gas stations and other publice services that would remain open. Not knowing how the streets would be we left earlier than necessary and had extra eyes in the back of the truck with us.....Populaire with his trusty baton......Luckily all was calm, no road blocks, no burning tires, banks and gas stations functioning as usual so the team got to the airport in plenty of time. I don't think they minded too much being glad to have everyone checked in and settled before it got really busy.

Here is a picture of that Prestigous group and please note the handywork of Buzz who worked all day Thursday getting that little canopy ready....it is a perfect deterent to that hot sun.....at least for those who don't with to do their tannying time while sitting in the back of the truck.

Front row: Abby, Liza, Bob, Darryl, Dave, Dave aka Buzz

Back Row: Judy, Mary Anne, Katie and Pastor Keith

Once back at Hope House, I got busy straightening up my room or at least a part of it and hauled out the suitcases to see if all of my iron work will fit...it won't so I will now be wrapping a few pieces in cardboard....sound familiar to anyone?!

Saturday Wilner came with Bob and Thia and Mimim came from across town...it was family weekend at Hope House. Bob is home for vacation from his medical studies in Santiago and it was my only chance to see him as well as Mimim too. We enjoyed the afternoon by the pool at the Visa Lodge as well as the buffet lunch. It was a real treat for all. In the evening with "pizza buns" made we squished into our room (Joel included) and watched the muscial Mama Mia. I never tire of that music and enjoyed it as ever. The "kids" liked it too. Sunday mid morning saw everyone heading home. I admit to having a little siesta once everyone was gone, before I sat down at the computer. Below is a picture to introduce you to Thia, Bob and Mimim

The last couple of days have been taking care of various and sundry bits of business. I won't bore you with those details. One story though that may interest you. My last chore before heading home yesterday was to pick up some cheque books at the bank. I was about the 20th or so in line outside, just standing there watching the sites while I waited to get in. There was lots of traffic and one of the vehicles that passed by was a huge steam roller rumbling along. It has just passed by the bank when the next thing you know, everyone came fleeing out of the bank. In my mind, I was thinking there must be a bank hold up and I was waiting to start hearing gun fire or some such thing related to a hold up. Within a very short period of time, we realized that in actuality it was everyone panicking at the trembling inside the bank ,caused by the steam roller as it passed by. Earthquakes and its impact are still very much in the psyche of a lot of people. Many of the folks outside who saw the steam roller were laughing and joking at the reaction of the othes and yet they were very understanding of them as well.

The school is pretty quiet these days, now that most of the kids and staff are on vacation. The kids in rheto and philo finish their state exams this week. The admin staff will take a few days vacation at the end of the month and then all to soon we will be preparing for the new school year...set to begin Oct 4.

I too will take a little time away so please do not be surprised not to find anything on this site over the next two weeks.

Until next time...enjoy the summer, stay safe and Peace be with you!

Debbie

Greetings from Hope House! The gang is still hard at work trying to get in their last bit of work before "calling it a day". We have finished with the depot...it is in such good shape now...I am THRILLED!!! see the picture below...isnt' that a grand site!!

Now they are whipping together some more school desks. Carpenter Bob has a lot of pieces cut, so they have quite a little assembly line going. What a Blessing they are.....as are all of the teams that visit Hope House! There are now words to truly convey my appreciation for all of the work that is done and the spirit in which they work together.

Katie (with the drill) and Mary Anne even get their hand in at the desks.

Before donning our sweat rags, we did take time out this AM to absorb a little Haiti culture as we drove to downt0wn and visited a cooperative Haitian craft store. The streets were humming with life...people everywhere attending to various and sundry tasks.

Yesterday was also a full day. The morning was spent at the school, painting the bathrooms. What an improvement! It has been a chore I have been wanting to see done for a long time. Bob got the termite eaten door jamb fixed in the kitchen..another plus! On the way back to Santo 3 we passed by the Metal workers and most of the gang came away with at least one article in hand..me included (as usual).

Judy and Darryl..putting on the finishing touches...the team got 7 out of 10....I kidded them that they lost marks due to the amt of paint droppings on the floors!...they said that was the style in Bettendorf...I found that a little hard to believe so the score did not change!

I will say tira for now so that I can attend to dinner and to make a final "inspection" of all of the work done.

Cheerio,
Debbie

Hello all: I last left you as the team arrived in the pouring rain. Since then it has rained another couple of nights but the days have been sunny and warm...to say the least. Many things have been accomplished since Friday evening, one of which has been eradicating tarantula spiders and other creepy crawlers. Some folks don't appreciate the gifts of Mother Nature quite like some others.

The team has enjoyed the Sunday church service with the kids but the real highlight was attending the closing recital presented by the three kindergarden classes. What a delight it was.....I can honestly say that attending these events always brings a tear to my eye. It brings home to me how important our Mission is, in providing these kids the opportunity of an education. Monday was definately "kids" day. We proceeded from the school to Little Children of Jesus, arriving in time to help feed some of the children. Gladys was preparing for a staff meeting (before she heads out on holidays next week) so we didn't stay too long after meal time was over. We did take advantage of the visit to deliver more of the donated goods we had for her. The day ended with our visit to Marie's kids....also taking advantage of the visit there to delivery yet more donated goods....this time it was school binders to be given to the kids when school opens. Marie "escaped" for several days of R&R, so we didn't get to see her. However Gina and Fresnel took good care of the visitors.

Today was our visit to Food for the Poor. The traffic getting there was unbelievable!! We got in a traffic jam like I have never seen before. Finally some police officers with support of UN security took charge of straightening out the mess. After about 20 minutes we were finally able to make our turn up the road where we were headed. It sure was an eye opener for my guests.

In between time we have been organizing and moving boxes around in the various depots. Bob and his helper got cutting wood for desks and even better, shelving for the depot! What a blessing that is going to be. We opened up space for the shelves with our shuffling of boxes, plus another delivery of chairs, desks etc to Gladys helped out a lot.

Its time to go and join the other folks for their devotional period. I will leave you with a couple of pictures to enjoy.

Choir Practice -preparing to sing at the Sunday church service



Opening the Kindergarden recital. The K3 graduates led the way....they will move up to Primary school when school opens in Oct.
Chief carpenter Bob (with the hat), and his asst. Darryl measuring up wood to be cut for shelves and desks.

Darryl and Pastor Keith, putting the finishing touches on the depot shelves....aren't they great! (the shelves that is...and yes the two guys are great too)

Good Morning: another fine day has commenced. The gang from Bettendorf are still snoozing away....a bit "jet lagged" from their 2:45 AM departure from their church yesterday. There "adventure" began as soon as they arrived. As I awaited them the skies got blacker blacker. I had hoped we would make it back to HH in time but it was not to be. As soon as the truck was loaded and pulling out of the parking lot, the skies opened up, bolts of lightening lit up the clouds and claps of thunder rattled overhead. Those of us in the car behind felt fortunate to be inside. Some put on their rain capes but others just soaked up the rain. We were just around the corner from the house when I saw Odney pulling over, only to look and see that there was a flat tire on the truck. Not a pleasant thing at the best of times but when it is dark and in the pouring rain that is a whole other matter. We squished another person in the car with a few more bags and we headed to the house. Those guys worked fast as once we arrived at the house, I called Odney to see if I should come back for any reason and he was already heading down our road to the gate. It just goes to prove the Haiti proverb...anpil men, chay pa lou......(many hands make light work).

Soon everyone was dried off and we then enjoyed dinner and good fellowship time together before everyone turned in.

a la prochaine......Debbie

Hi folks: This will be a quick report as it is payroll time and I have to go and sign a few more cheques before I call it a day. It has been a full one. I started by doing paper work, then a quick trip to the school to drop off ice for the juice the kids were having today (along with chicken). Tomorrow is the last official day of school for them. I have a staff meeting so we decided to have the treat for lunch today. Only the kids writing their official exams will come to school over the next week or so until they write the exams. The teachers are there to coach them and give them practice questions.

After that I headed to Food for the Poor for the distribution that I was told to get this week, only to learn when I got there that they decided to do an inventory of the depot and everything was closed up. .....rats! But not to waste the entire trip I dropped in at Eko Depot to look for a small metal plate to shore up some desk legs. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did manage to get paint, varnish and paint thinner so I am all set for the team coming tomorrow.

Then it was back to Hope House and more computer and paper work. Late in the afternoon I went and did some work in the depots.....had to get outside to see the light of day for a bit. Then it was into the kitchen to bake a couple of cakes, lemon square and heat up dinner for Joel and myself......and Jean as he worked late getting the big truck tuned up. After dinner I was doing several other chores in the kitchen when all of a sudden it started to rain....a nice tropical down pour. I just couldn't resist the call of the that wonderful cool water, so I quickly got my beach wrapper on, grabbed a towel and headed outside to the big water spout and ducked my head in...............ah..ah...ah what a heavenly treat....so cool and invigorating. I am sure some will think I am crazy when I have a nice shower inside.....but never the less it was a wonderful little break.

Once dried off I finished the items in the kitchen, got the cakes in the freezer and now here I am.

The news of the day in town is that Wycliffe Jean is supposed to be jumping into the political arean in Haiti by running for President. Jean told me there was a talk show today on the subject and people from all over the country were giving him their support. Whether it is true or not is another thing time will tell.

there I will leave you for the day.....cheerio
Debbie

Good morning one and all: A new week begins. It will be filled with routine paper / computer work, bank affairs, payroll etc until I go to the airport Friday to pick up the group coming from Bettendorf, Iowa. Before all of that though I must put last week to a close.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to get the Enrichment team off to the airport at 6:00 AM....or just shortly thereafter. It was rather an overcast morning and I had a few goose bumps as we breezed along to the airport. I could have used a jacket that is for sure. Everyone else found it to be quite refreshing after the heat they had been experiencing.

As Marni said they came as two groups but left as one. It was such a pleasure seeing how the gang all melded together. There was never a lack of conversation and that is how they got their nickname of the "Mme Sarah Magpies plus two". The plus two is for Tom and Patrick who were the "bookends" to all of the gals on the trip. The ladies who sell goods at the local markets are nicknamed Mme Sarah's, after a bird in Haiti called Mme Sarah ( a yellow and black weaver type bird). The characteristic of these birds is that they are always chittering and chatting away. I had just told them I was nicknaming them the Magpies plus two, when I went to help Joel with something in the kitchen. He quietly asked me if I knew what Mme Sarah's were. Immediately I knew what he was intimating and said "yes, I do, why.....do you think this group are like the Mme Sarah's". He chuckled and said yes. I definately got a big kick out of this and knew for sure they had been nicknamed appropriately but I did adjust the name to the "Mme Sarah" Magpies......thanks to Joel's astute observation as well. They too got a chuckle out of the story when I shared his comments with them. Mind you Tom and Patrick were not wallflowers and kept up their bit to add to the conversations.

The kids were very proud to take their crafts home on Friday. Many of them were already wearing the various pieces of jewellry they had made. Several of the girls had their paper mache bowls pinned to their heads, acting as a little cap.

Marie, Patty and Renee (accompanying Patty) dropped by Thursday evening for a little visit. It is a small world indeed as several of the team members from Bollingbrook/Naperville area, realized they only live several blocks away from Renee and Patty.

Although tiring, I have to say that the last two weeks with VBS and Enrichment week have been very rewarding. The kids really enjoy having the opportunity to experience both events, which do enrich their lives in many different ways. They are already talking about what they will do next year.!

..and now folks, I will leave to get and get my first cup of coffee for the day and enjoy a few sips in peace and solitude.

Have a good week
Debbie

PS. Hopie is recuperating very well from her operation. Her little girl Peanut (the Felon) kept tugging at the strings to get the protective hood Hopie had to wear off of her. Yesterday I gave up the "fight" of keeping it on as long as I didn't see Hopie irritating her operative sites. Luckily she seems to be healed up well enough and she didn't do anything against the doctors advice. I know I sure would't have wanted to be walking around with a big plastic bottle tied to my neck either. As much as the energetic Peanut has tested my patience this past week, I will be a little sorry to see her go to Fleury's home today, as she was promised to him. I know he wants her to have puppies for him, so maybe we'll have one of them in the future.

Hi Everyone: What a week it has been....lots of activity that is for sure. I saw the "Energizer" team off last Friday evening and then quickly got ready for the arrival of the Enrichment team on Saturday afternoon. The group arrived on two different flights but the first arrivees agreed to wait for the second group which gave us a little more "breathing" space.

The team has jumped right in there and beside getting their craft and first aid classess ready, they have been helping sort clothes, and all the items from the container that arrived. Today we got more boxes from FFTP and they ended up counting school report card booklets before they got placed on the truck for school delivery tomorrow.

Yesterday was shopping day at the Metal workers and today they enjoyed a mini tour of Delmas road and a "tourist" visit to the grocery store to pick up some Haitian coffee, peanut butter and the likes.

Other "excitement" yesterday was helping the Vets who were operating on Hopie. They had set up outside and lo and behold before the procedure was done it started raining. I quickly got three umbrellas and we held them over the docs and Hopie while they completed the operation. Hopie had a growth that had to be removed..neither Vet had seen anything like it. Now she is on a powerful antibiotic and has this huge collor hood type of get up on her neck to prevent her from getting at the stitches on her belly. I am happy to report that she is thus far recovery nicely and ate her food right up tonight.

Kelly and Kevin operating while Lori and Lennie hold the flashlights and others hold the umbrellas. Hopie out like a light did not realize a thing that was going on around her.

The Enrichment week goes well and the kids are enjoying their lessons in jewellry making, music, painting, weaving and various others. Unfortunately the paper mache group has had unexpected challenges...seems the hot humid weather is not condusive to drying glue too quickly.

The boys show off the broaches they have made while another group learns how to braid bracelets from Cynde.

I talked to Wilner last night and got good news in that he got his passport renewed and it is in his hands..or at least in Mimi's (his daughter's hands). It was quite a process and a few dollars exchanged hand in order for him to get it. He knows some poor fellow who has been waiting over 4 months for an "urgent" passport and he too coughed over the gourdes for the "valet" service to speed things up Man, I am saying many thanks for our good fortune. Now we can apply to get his Cdn visa renewed. I actualkly believe we may get away for our holidays as planned.

He also told me that they had had LOTS of rain and as a result the LesForges ravine flooded and caused a lot of damage to houses, gardens etc not too far from HAS. This happened several years ago. It is amazing to see how fast that water can flow and how high up it gets in a short period of time. Fortunately no one lost their life. ...the challenges just never seem to end. ....but the folks "just keep on truckin".........!!

On that note, I will bid you fond farwell until next time,

Debbie