September 15, 2006

Dear family & friends,

With great pleasure we write today. First, we want to thank you for your many years of prayers and support for us during our years of working with the Presbyterian Church. During the nearly 20 years of service in Haiti, we have been sustained, protected, and even graced by participation in some awesome work. This past year spent in North Carolina has been equally awesome. Again your prayers and support helped us reenter American culture. This time here has been incredibly helpful, and through the nurturing of friends and church community, we have been mightily refreshed.

Since being evacuated from Haiti over a year ago due to the political violence and criminal activity, Sharyn and I have both been doing additional coursework at North Carolina A&T. We’ve kept true to the University’s name — ‘A’ for ‘agriculture’ with Rodney studying agriculture education; and the ‘T’ or ‘technology’ with Sharyn focusing on computer technology for school kids. Both programs were preparation for our return to Haiti. Most of Rodney’s courses have focused on extension methods to teach Haitian national leadership. Sharyn’s focus was on teaching technology to children with the hope someday the Internet would expand the world for the children of Haiti.

Tomorrow we begin our short trip — but long anticipated return — to Haiti. We have acquired very few additional belongings during our stay but they still seem to be more than can fit into the car. We leave North Carolina to repack suitcases at Rodney’s sister’s house near Dulles Airport. We need to buy a few items — depending on space still available when we finish packing. Very early Saturday morning, September 16, we fly from Dulles to Port-au-Prince.

During our absence from Haiti, the national leaders of the CODEP program, who we spent a dozen years helping to train, have so successfully managed the project that the PC (USA) and the Episcopal Bishop of Haiti have asked us to change our assignment. We will now be doing essentially the same work but with a radically different, much larger group. We have been asked to teach sustainable agriculture and teacher training courses at the Episcopal University. Food security and education have long been primary goals in Haiti of both denominations. The hope is that we can train the future leaders of the country using techniques and experiences gathered in the field. This is quite an honor, an incredible opportunity to expand our ministry, and a huge change for us. The real down side of it is we will now live in Port-au-Prince. This Third World city is not only the capital and location of the University; it also is the center of the political and criminal violence for the nation. Fortunately, we know our God is able to do whatever is asked. We especially covet your prayers during this period of change.

Please continue to write. We do not yet have a mailing address. We do not yet know anything about housing or Internet connections. We do know it won’t be like living in North Carolina. We lived in Port-au-Prince many years ago during a very different political era. At that time, there was electricity only a couple hours most days. We’ve heard things are 200% better now …let’s see, 200% x 2 hours = 4 hours/day?

On our family side, Sharyn’s brother Tom (and Jane) is moving from New York going to Texas hoping to be near enough to baby-sit their first grandchild. Her brother Bob (and Sherry) is collecting antique charcoal irons (perhaps preparing to open a Laundromat in Haiti?). Rodney’s sister Nancy has moved from Silver Springs to near Dulles Airport. Jane has retired from many years of elementary school teaching but continues to live in Deleware. Rodney’s brother Bob (and Christy) still farm near Tyrone. Rodney’s father continues to live in Tyrone and remains mobile enough to restaurant hop when anyone who visits will drive. Our oldest daughter Shelly (and Chad) still live and work near Trenton. Debbee (and Jason) recently took our two grandsons to Luxembourg for a two-year assignment with the Foreign Service.

We anticipate continuing to work on the Moringa fish feed project for tilapia as well as the edible oil production. The University setting will allow for much more networking and diffusion of this work. Both these projects have incredible potential to address the hunger and malnutrition so rampant throughout this land. More importantly, our new assignments will allow us to share Bible based leadership and development principles with the future leaders, policy makers, and teachers of Haiti. Lessons of God’s restoration learned in the fields and on the mountainsides will be recycled again and again.

Thank you for your integral part in this ever widening ministry. We look forward to your continued prayers, support, and participation.

In Christ,

Rodney and Sharyn

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 50