This past Friday we had parent-teacher conferences. About 90 % of the parents came during the during the morning hours for the conferencefrom 7AM to 1 PM. The Elementary School had a scheduled 15 mnute time period for the parents to come while the Middle School/High School was first come, first served schedule in the chapel. This picture is taken in Quisqueya School chapel.

Some of the Sous Espwa (CRM, CRWRC, and other partners) team went to the beach on Saturday - a two hour drive from our apartment. We left at 7am and returned around 6pm. The drive itself is an adventure. As we were driven to the beach I took various snapshots from the back window. Pictured here are some of the many vendors perched along the roadway selling their wares. You can see miles and miles or kilometres of these vendors in and around Port Au Prince.

This was the first time we were at a beach (Wahoo Bay, north of PAP) during our stay in Haiti at a non-conference time. It was a good breakaway and a great time to relax and just get caught up with the latest developments in the lives of the other members of the Sous Espwa team. We praise God for the daily traveling mercies and for days such as this to encourage one another. One anothering:-)

This is a long weekend and no school on Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. And so on Saturday, I did what I like best, painting. Not! I painted the entry way to our apartment with the left over paints. It is yellow, since we enjoy God's Sonshine in our lives every day. Since all the rooms have now been painted, I may be out of any more painting jobs for a few years.

It is still the dry season and the banana plants I planted last year needed a little help to stand tall. The school needs to buy water each week to supply the needs of the students and the school apartments. Next month we can look forward to the rains, for our God has always supplied the rains in season. It will also relieve us of the dust that is in the air. Yet this goodness of rains does a lot of damage to the roads which we travel each day. The deep ruts and holes get deeper and lareger which makes us weave as we drive to miss these ever present pot holes.

Last week as we were doing a favor for in transporting someone back to an orphange, a tap-tap pulled out suddenly and hit our vehicle. The tap-tap and our car were hooked together that a hack saw was used to unlock the tap-tap from our car. We thank God daily for His traveling mercies and for the work and favours we can do in His name.

This past Friday night was an all night camp out for some of the students in the grades 7 - 12. A few had a tent, but most of the students slept under the stars. It did not rain since it is still the dry season. The basketball court was a great attraction especially after EDH went on after 10 PM since the court has floodlights. The students also enjoyed the zip line from the second story on the elementary building. A great way to develop friendships and school spirit.

This is my chair and I am doing my favourite activity. Whenever I sit here, it doesn't take very long before I am sleeping. It could be right after school just before supper that Mary needs to awaken me, or after supper drinking my coffee or when I sit here after completing my school work at night. With no snow to shovel, no garage to clean out, no leaves to rake, no maintenance on a house, no anything requiring upper muscle work, the only work I get here is holding up my head!!!!

Girls lunch out! Natasha Taylor, volunteers at Dorothy Pearce's Faith Hope and Love Infant Rescue Center. She had a birthday last week and we celebrated by going out for lunch at the Montana Hotel. From left to right, Dene, Natasha, Mary, Ruth and Dorothy. We had salad and dessert before the two young girls went for a swim in the pool.

Last week I wrote that Katie and Blake Burchfield were staying here until their visas for their adopted children, Micah and Rose came through. Well after a week here and a few snags at the US Embassy they decided to go to Children of the Promise in Cap Haitien for a visit. Katie volunteered there for three years and Blake for the last two.

Our weekly trip to the ravine had a work team along this time. Sherrie Fausey who runs the Christian Light Ministries in PAP had a team here for a week. One of them was a medical doctor, Dr. Michael Hamm who examined all the sick children and prescribed treatment or medicines for them. It was really good to go along and observe, I learned a lot.

This photo was taken across the water. Here you can see a family watching us check over some children. We will eventually get to that side to do her side after crossing a bridge. She may have a sick child for us to see. After the doctor has seen the children and prescribes medicine, a CLM worker goes through the ravine twice a day giving the medicine directly to the children. The medicine is not given to a parent for them to give. The child may never receive it. It may be sold for food!

Introducing Rose and Micah, adopted children of Katie and Blake Burchfield who used to work at the Children of the Promise. They are waiting for the visas for their children before they are able to go back to the USA. Katie and Mary had a lot to catch up on about the orphanage. Katie comes from Minnesota and Blake is from Texas. They are living with us at the present time, hoping that all will be ready this week so they may serve God in the US wherever He plants them.

Mary went scrap booking this past Friday and Saturday with a few ladies at the Baptist Mission up the mountain about 40 minutes from our apartment. It was a great getaway and yes, the air is cooler up the mountain, especially during the night. No need for air conditioners there:-)

Last Sonday the staff had their fellowship afternoon in the school chapel. The fellowshipping included singing, a devotional by the Director of the school and good food - pot luck. It is good always to come together to sing and praise the Lord. This time is also a great time for one-anothering those who feel lonely or isolated.