The Latest from Haiti, August 1
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. We praise God for His faithfulness towards us over the past month.
We celebrated Jan's birthday first and then Mark's 10th this past July. It was fun to do some "extras" since you are "only 10 once." Mark had a lot of fun playing games and whacking the homemade pin nota that his friends had made for him. We ended the party playing a game of whiffle ball and then a trip to the river to cool off! A few Saturdays before the party we had a chance to go to the ocean. We went to a different beach that had nice size waves and a gentle breeze. We took our grill and some of our "treats" and enjoyed some time away.

Sea Container Excitement
On July 10th we received word that our Bluffton sea container was going to need inspected at Port. About 10 of us went for the inspection. We were told that everything was going to be unloaded off the container and reloaded on to another container. Thanks to the prayers and the good relationship we have with our custom's official, we only had to unload about 15% of it to satisfy the new Custom's Director. With 500 sheets of tin and 3 skids of brick on the container we were very THANKFUL that we did not have to unload it all.

Mark excited to see his new bike arrive in Haiti!!

A "BRAID" HAIR DAY
Tess, Alisha and several of the compound girls, sat for 6 or so hours while Haitian girls braided their hair. They were ALL exhausted by the time it was over. Both girls complained of a headache later. Overall it was a fun experience, something you don't do very often. The last time our girls had their hair braided this way was in 2003!!

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT THE SIMONE ORPHANAGE
Jan and kids have been perfecting kettle popcorn and we decided it was time to try it out down at the Orphanage. The children ate and ate!! We did several batches while the children played, jump roped, and messed with our "soft" hair. Several of the girls took turns holding Brett and Michaelle rocked Joel. We stayed several hours until everyone was full and Joel had had enough!

FRW/CHANTEL GRADUATION
We attended the first Chantel Professional School Graduation on July 29 with the FRW crew. It was the first graduation since the school began 2 years ago. The school teaches trade skills, including things like masonry, sewing and computer technology. Graduations in Haiti are a big celebration. The local Haitian TV was even there. It was a privilege for them to have Rick Wuethrich and Brian Putt in attendance. Both of these men are on the FRW Trade School Board. Joel, Brian's son was also able to make the trip. We all felt honored to be a part of such a memorable moment for all those who worked so hard to make the school "happen". We trust God to bring to fruition all the efforts made by the students. Pray that each one will find work to help their families. We see evidence of God's blessing since already the school building is expanding and more students will soon be able to attend. It was wonderful for us to have the FRW men living in the apartment next door to us during their stay. We shared a lot of laughs, meals, and sweet fellowship during their short visit.

Rick shares thoughts from the FRW Board

The existing school and expansion

Tess and Joel posing in front of 1 of the 2 palm trees they painted on our porch

Rick working on installing a fan /light down at the orphanage

Mme Lulu stayed Sat evening to help cook supper. There were a lot of laughs in the kitchen as the kids helped with the dishes.

Brian, Rick and Derek get the light/fans ready for installation

We praise God for His faithfulness to us every morning and for the prayers of those we love. May we all keep looking up, for Jesus is coming soon. Let's all remain fervent in prayer for one another, and for the lost who need the Savior. May God be glorified in ALL we do!

In Christian Love, Jan, Val and family