February

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8

Dear Friends in Christ,

We praise God for His care and provision through many of you. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial help to pro-vide for the needs God brings our way. The Lord even provided through an anonymous donor for some of the projects we placed before you last month. As is often true, we stand in awe of our Savior, He works in ways we never see coming. We are grateful for His provision.

Last month we shared that the school building project was once again under way. Before Hudson and his crew arrived, Kaloulou went to Mirebalais to repair the truck so Hudson could use it to haul loads of materials to the school. Thankfully the truck repairs went well. The three projects Hudson completed were the second school building, the Caretaker’s home and a small horse stable. As you can see in the pictures all of these were accomplished and with minimal problems or changes needed. We are grateful to now have a full-time Caretaker, Roland, living at the school! This will be a huge blessing for security purposes for the schoolteachers and children, the buildings and property.

The new building is already in use and a huge help to the teachers and children. They had been using a plastic tarp building for the overflow until this project was completed. The school buildings are very simple, yet practical, and multifunctional as well.

We were also very pleased with the overall look of the buildings. These were designed and submitted to us by Hudson, who has turned out to be a wonderful designer, builder, and foreman for OSM, praise the Lord!

After waiting on hold for some time, hoping the airport in Port-au-Prince (PAP) would surely open soon, we decided to try sending in some long overdue freight through Pignon, which included the children’s Christmas gift bags. We were probably as excited to see the bags arrive in Haiti as the children were to receive them! Customs going into Pignon can be higher than customs into PAP, but Pastor Bertho and Hudson were there when our cargo arrived, praise the Lord they were able to negotiate the fees!

Our students were overjoyed receiving their gift bags. It was like Christmas in February! Most children in Haiti do not receive gifts at all for holidays as is our tradition. Not only were the children excited, but the parents were also grateful for practical items which help their families. It was a day for celebrating for the children. These gift bags are a labor of love that involve months of planning for Debbi and I, hours of help from church friends and sweet grandchildren assembling each bag, and financial gifts and prayers from each of you. God is so good! We are blessed and grateful to see this fun project completed again this year.

Our teachers also received gift bags for their children. The staff received new shirts, the cooks new aprons and Dalencia received her gift box which was long overdue. She is now in school in Mirebalais and OSM has covered that cost for her and several other students to continue in school beyond the grades our school covers. Thank you for your prayers and financial support for all these wonderful gifts.

Ken and I took an unexpected trip to Florida this month. It seems we are always on I-10, heading east and then west. This time was a sad event. Some of you may remember Ken’s sister Sharon who used to help edit all our newsletters. She was a retired schoolteacher and OSM supporter in many ways. This month, Sharon went Home to be with Jesus and worship Him face to face. She and our daughter Shelby were very close, so it brings us comfort knowing they are together again. Only Jesus can give us the peace that passes all understanding in these times of temporary separation. We know one day we too will be together with our loved ones who have stepped into glory ahead of us. Hallelujah!

Many of you are a great encouragement to us. Yet at our age, we are beginning to lose more of our friends and family who make up our mailing list as they are going on ahead of us to be with Jesus. If you would like to share some of our newsletters at your church, with your Bible study groups, or friends, please let us know and we will be happy to send you extra newsletters. This would give others an opportunity to partner with OSM and the work we are doing in Haiti and Mexico and would be a great blessing for us.

You have been a huge part of making this month a blessing and exciting for us and the schoolchildren. We appreciate your love, prayers, notes, and financial gifts. Without you, we could not do what we do in Haiti and Mexico, sharing the love of Jesus Christ with people in need. Our eyes remain fixed on our Savior; looking to Him to direct hearts and provide for the needs He wants met each month. We pray seeing how He provides and meets these needs is an encouragement to each of you. May His love and blessings be poured out over you and your family.

Serving our Savior with you,
Ken and Debbi