Of the three men that I worked with, only Saint-Victor remains and is doing all he can to continue the vision for the ministry. He has kept me posted on the happenings of the church, the school and especially the children. Since the American sponsors were no longer able to continue supporting the ministry, the name has been officially changed from Modene Murphy Ministries (MMM) to Mont Sinai Ministries of Bayonnais in Haiti (MSMBH). Saint-Victor took the steps to complete his courses and in May was officially ordained as a Pastor. He is still leading worship services and more people have come to accept Christ.
The school continued to operate for the full year and for the first time ever, the students were able to take their National Exams in Bayonnais at the campus of OFCB, rather than having to travel to Gonaives. For many years, the students had to endure the additional stress of finding a way to get to Gonaives, had to find lodging, and also be separated from their home and family for several days. This was a huge blessing for everyone!
Saint-Victor said that out of 50 students in the ninth grade who took the exams, ALL of them passed! Out of 12 students in the 6th grade, 9 of them passed. We have been praising God for their success. It was a joyful day for many. The school will open their doors again in September and the students are eager to start again.
As for the children...my dear children...they are living hard lives, as are most Haitians. Saint-Victor said he recently saw Angeline and her hair was red (which is a sign of malnutrition) and she had lost a lot of weight. He also saw Jeemy-Ska but said he seemed to be happy. He always was a happy soul. :)
Of the eleven children that were living in the orphanage, all will be returning to school this year. I will be sending the funds tomorrow to cover the costs of the new uniforms, their school supplies, their tuition, and other necessities like socks and underwear. A dear friend added $100.00 to the funds. (God Bless you, Rene!) I wish I could be there again for their first day back to school and take another picture of their beautiful smiles. This is how they looked last year. Angeline had a doctor's appt. that day which is why she was not in uniform.
For nearly eight months now I have continued to pray and ask God to please give me some direction and clarity as to what to do and how to do it. I wonder if it it is His will for me to continue working with this ministry or is it my own desire to make a difference? Can one woman in America and one Pastor in Haiti really do this? Prayer is my biggest strength and God has all the answers. I have been waiting for Him to reveal what I need to know.
Today I went to church asking all the questions. Today, I believe He spoke to my heart. The songs of praise and worship were awesome. The sermon was perfect. It was on the topic of WORRY! Just what all of us need to hear and be reminded of. So many wonderful things were said. We watched an incredible video of a family's struggle to deal with the critical illness of their son. Their courage to share their struggles and pain truly humbled me. The strength they showed when talking about their faith moved me to tears. The most amazing message I received from the entire experience was something I have heard all my life but today it really hit me like it was the first time. The message was that God really is a loving and powerful God. "Do not worry, I am here. With me, all things are possible." I want to hold on to what I experienced at that very moment. Thank you, God, for this day! Amen.
