Jamie Rhoades, one of the four
interns who began working with CODEP last year, has returned for
three months more. With the added difficulties of moving people
and supplies thru the flooded road, he has spent his first week
at L’Acul. He has been a tremendous help working with and
directing the visiting group from Annapolis and with construction.
We began building a small house in Tchawa for one of our participants.
This lady (Wisline) has been a worker and leader in the project
for many years. With thousands of trees planted and miles of soil
saving hedgerows to her credit, she works daily with us as we
build forms for her soon-to-be concrete home. Although we do not
have a timeline, we hope her home will be completed this summer.
Leadership meetings and especially preliminary meetings for the
summer school (DVBS) have begun in earnest. Last year we had 185
students with 21 teachers for a three-month program. Our national
leaders are suggesting a slightly reduced program this year. They
have already begun recruiting teachers.
CODEP has a storage shed near Siloe School. In it is stored a
lot of wood used as forms for the various concrete pours. Getting
hundreds of boards from the mountaintop storage shed to the road
where a truck can haul them to the jobsite is an intimidating
chore. But this week drudgery became joy. Several of the Siloe
teachers, along with their classes, jumped in and made short work
of moving materials. Two, four, six kids would grab a plank and
race their classmates down the mountainside. Working, running,
laughing and having fun; these young children mirrored the joy
of God.
Having fun carrying a few boards or doing a few other mundane
tasks, I wonder how many of God’s children can imagine what
a great part they play when helping others.
We thank you for continuing to lift up in prayer the disruption
created by the river’s closing down the road. Tens of thousands
of people are affected daily. We also ask you to pray for security
in Haiti as the country transitions from a primary American occupation
force to one staffed by U.N. forces. This is to occur on June
1. We have also been trying to get a shipping container out of
Haitian customs for many months now. Few people even seem to know
why there is a holdup. After months of waiting, your prayers will
speed up and help it arrive safely. Thank you.
For those who might be interested in visiting CODEP in the future,
please contact Jim Pease at http://www.haitifundinc.org.
If you need information from the field, please write us directly.
And please, please, print hard copies of this note to share with
your friends and church families. Missions is one of the best-kept
secrets in many churches—share the good news of what God
is doing.
Rodney and Sharyn
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
136 |
