Dear friends of VOH:
Greetings from dusty and windy PAP. It is quite a contrast to the Artibonite Valley from where I just returned after an overnight visit with Wilner. They have had rain practically everyday for the last two weeks...needless to say there is not dust flying around there. Our backyard looks like a garden of Eden as the plants are thriving with all of the rain. It shows off all of Wilner's hard work keeping it going the rest of the year.

We are having a bit of "down time" as we are having a bit of a break between teams....the Enrichment team is due the 17th of July. Mind you this does not mean we are sitting twiddling our thumbs. Bert and our yard man are at the moment cleaning up the work area at the end of the guest rooms......sorting through a myriad of bits and pieces of electrical/plumbing/carpentry materials. Roberta is out checking for our mail at Agape and I am doing office work.

School as you are aware closed on June 30. The Grade 6's and 9's have finished their National Exams and the Rheto (grade 12) students go for their exams on Monday to Wed this coming week. We/they will get their results sometime near the end of August.

The Health Center continues to rise. It is so heartwarming to see that the blocks are now going in and the walls for the various rooms are beginning to appear. Everyone is pleased with the quality of work and thus far it looks rock solid! That was particularly on everyone's minds as we had a tremor that was easily felt last a week ago Friday. I was sitting in the same spot as I was during the earthquake and I have to say my heart was beating a little faster and harder during those few seconds. No damage occurred from the tremor,but some people were hurt as they rushed out of buildings. It was not felt as far away as the school, so there were no incidences there.


Our down note of the week was getting a call from the School Director informing us that the newly installed water pump was not working. Jean and Bert dropped what they were doing and headed to the school to investigate. The saga continues as we now figure out what went wrong and await a well driller to come and clean out the well. The positive side of it is that at least school is out so the need for having camions of water delivered every couple of days is not a worry. However the men at the work site are back to hauling water up by bucket full from the canal to make their cement.


On the political front, the negotiations and manoeuverings for the Prime Ministerial position still go on. Martelly has formed a special commission to meet with the two house leaders and has put forward three other candidates as well as resubmitting that of Daniel Rouzier. Many figure that after all of the back door negotiations are completed that Rouzier will in the long run been named Prime Minister. Time will tell!


As I close this message to you, I will also bid you adieu for a period of time. As many of you are aware I will begin an extended leave of absence from my duties here in Haiti, in order to return to Canada to attend to my mother, who has end stage cancer. As of Monday July 4 Bert and Roberta Anderson will be responsible for the Haiti Operations and they will begin to provide you with the updates from Haiti. I know that you will show them the same support and concern that you have provided me over the past months and that you will join me in prayers for their work as they continue to guide and advance the work here in Haiti.

I leave with both feelings of joy and sadness....happy to be returning to family and friends in Canada, sad at leaving leaving family, friends and my work here in Haiti. The sadness is lightened somewhat knowing that I will continue on a part time basis for the Village of Hope Lazarus Project helping with some administrative work and also assisting with the fund raising effort. Thus I look forward to continued contact with many of you. I will be maintaining my same email address: dlberquist@gmail.com (note the "l" between the d and b) and would love to hear from you. Thank you SO MUCH for all of the support, care, concern and many prayers that you have extended to me and to my family (especially my mom) over the past months. I have indeed been Blessed!

May God be with each and everyone of you and may he keep you in his loving care each and every day.

A bientot,
Debbie