“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” Psalm 47:7
It is a busy time here at Coram Deo. For the first time in the 18 years that I have been living here in Haiti it looks like the school year will be opening on time, and the government has set the first day of school as September 8. The last 18 years there were always things going on in the country which caused delays in the education system. We have been busy making preparations the last couple of weeks for the upcoming school year, purchasing school books and allocating books from our school book inventory for this year’s batch of students. Here at Coram Deo we have classes from Kindergarten to 6eme AF (which is the last year of elementary school). We have 110 students this year who will be filling the spaces in our 4 school shelters located along the walls of our compound. 11 students wrote the 6eme AF state exams in June and 9 passed. These students completed both 5eme and 6eme AF in one year. We are proud of their efforts and for the teachers who work hard at teaching the children. The teachers are students themselves and we help them further their education as they strive to improve themselves and the lives of their families. Two of our teachers, Jn. Eddy Alexandre and Josue Marcelin are completing their last (4th year) of university studying accounting. We sponsor another 45 students to attend secondary school and professional programs. Five of the students we sponsor wrote their Philo state exams which mark their last year of secondary school. 4 of the 5 students who wrote the Philo state exams passed. We give the Lord thanks for good results at the state exams. These 4 students now are looking forward to furthering their post-secondary education. We partner with a Haitian Christian School in our neighbourhood for sending our elementary graduates to secondary school. This year we have 9 students who are sponsored in 7eme AF, 11 students in 8eme AF, and 8 students in 9eme AF attending Ecole Mixte Apostolique. As part of our school program we encourage handicapped children to attend here at Coram Deo, as well as sponsoring a couple of handicapped children to attend outside schools. Sterline Bonhomme, a hydrocephalus child is going to attend kindergarten and Dieuniferson, a young boy with cerebral palsy will be attending a handicapped school in the Tabarre area. For the last few years we have been sending Dieuniferson twice a week to a physiotherapy program and he has progressed from learning how to sit to now standing by holding onto something for support. He is a happy boy and is looking forward to starting school.
Several of the young adults here at Coram Deo have formed a ministry called Haiti Hope Partners and they have been holding children’s outreach programs out in Canaan each week. Teams visiting Haiti have helped them with VBS, medical clinics and support. They are now seeking to establish a school in that area for children who aren’t able to attend school. Thanks to donations they will soon have a building where they can meet with the children in Canaan. Canaan is a new city that developed after the earthquake. Around 100,000 people are now living there as people left Port-au-Prince in search of another home. Tent/tarp homes are now progressing to cement block homes as people rebuild their lives after the earthquake. We have built a home for one of the children’s family who lives here at Coram Deo and will be starting to build another home soon.
Ken and Andrea Taylor run the clinic here at Coram Deo. We are thankful that they are here to continue the work that Ed Amos did after he retired and moved back to the United States at the end of April. Plaseas pray for their efforts. There is extreme poverty here in Haiti and it is sad to see malnourished children being brought to the clinic. Babies whose mothers die in childbirth or illness especially suffer, as families can’t afford to buy formula to nourish them until they can eat solid foods. We are helping 5 families with formula on a weekly basis. Grandmothers, fathers and aunts can now raise these babies without having to place them in an orphanage or seeing them die of malnutrition. Cases that can’t be handled at the clinic are referred on to hospitals in the community or to Mirebalais. Ken also holds dental clinics where tooth extractions, fillings and teeth cleaning are done. Ken is also a pastor and he preaches Sundays in Haitian churches in Port-au-Prince and area. This last week he was on the island of La Gonave for five days. Each Wednesday afternoon Ken, Andrea and the young interns who they have staying with them lead bible study for the people here at Coram Deo and in the community. We are thankful for their servant heart, enthusiasm and support.
We regularly have 25-35 people staying overnight on a regular basis. Here at Coram Deo, we have a dormitory where people can sleep and the shelters and roof of our house double at night as a place to sleep. Mothers and their babies come from throughout Haiti to Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince seeking surgeries and help for their hydrocephalus (water-head) babies. Due to blockages in the ventricles of these babies brains the brain swells and their heads abnormally grow in size. The end result is fatal. Neurosurgery teams from childrens’ hospitals in Miami, Dallas, and St. Louis, co-ordinated and organized by Project Medishare come to Haiti several times a year to perform life-saving neurosurgeries. Maguy Rochelin is the project co-ordinator for Project Medishare, and when an out-of town family comes to the hospital who doesn’t have a place to stay here in Port-au-Prince she will give us a call and we will pick them up from the hospital. Their length of stay here will vary between 1 night to a couple of months, depending on the family situation. Currently we have an 18-year-old mother with her hydrocephalus baby staying here for the last few months. When the neurosurgery teams come to Haiti we visit the hospital in the morning and evening bringing food for the mothers and their children. We enjoy being a helping hand to the families while they are in hospital and in Port-au-Prince. Please keep the hydrocephalus families in prayer.
We are supporting a group of pastors and their churches in their efforts to receive pastor training. Currently we support 20-25 people to attend Timothy Leadership Training Seminars at the Christian Reformed Ministry Centre twice a year. A group from Flamborough Canadian Reformed Church has started doing seminars here as well and are working through the Heidelberg Catechism Study Guide developed by the Eglise Reformee du Quebec. The areas where the pastors and their churches are range from Cite Soleil, Belladere, Leogane and Kenscoff. Many of these churches are located away from roads and the only way to get to them is hiking on foot. The dedication and enthusiasm of these pastors and church workers is amazing. Please keep these programs in prayer.
We are thankful for the teams who come here for VBS, pastor training, medical clinics, construction, interaction and encouragement for the people here at Coram Deo. Our house is not a house in a regular sense The living room is the clinic, front bedroom is the pharmacy, and the middle bedroom is a depot. My bedroom serves not only as a place to sleep, but as an office, depot, and living room. I want Coram Deo to be a refuge for the people who come here. Coram Deo in latin means “before the face of God”. Everything that goes on here is by His grace and we are thankful for the help of everyone who comes here to help in outreach to the Haitian people.
Thank you for your prayers and support. I have been here in Haiti now for 18 years. There is never a dull moment and sometimes lots of challenges but I thank God to be here. Thank you for helping and encouraging us in prayerful support. There is so much going on here that I want to write about but instead of a newsletter this would turn into a book I have a blog and facebook account where I post photos and information on Haiti.
The blog is www.haiticoramdeo.blogspot.com. Have a blessed week-end
Karen Bultje,
Coram Deo
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