March

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:40

Dear Friends in Christ,

This month brings warmer temperatures and spring is finally here. For Texas that means the bluebonnets and other wildflowers will be here soon. It is such a beautiful time of the year, all these awesome colors along our roads and in fields, makes it hard to deny a Creator who gives us these gifts for our enjoyment. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The school is doing very well, praise the Lord. The children had a few days off from school this month, which was a special time of spring break for them. The school offered a celebration and activities they all enjoyed!

Our teachers shared with us some rather amusing information. OSM’s horse, “Caspian”, is actually a female rather than a male, as we had been informed. And now we learned that she is pregnant! So, Cas-pian’s name has been changed to Gras (Creole for Grace). In the end we will have 2 horses for the price of 1. However, we will not currently be able to use her for the job we purchased her for as the workload will be too much for her while pregnant. There is a vet/farrier that Nady knows about and we are still trying to arrange for him to check up on Gras. This will be an exciting experience for the children to watch her throughout her pregnancy.

OSM helped Paster Bertho’s daughter, Dr. Berthe Eugene, with a medical clinic at their church this month. She asked us to help with the cost of meds in exchange for her going out to check on our school students when it is safe for her and a team to go there. She is a sweet Christian woman who has helped us with checking our students in the past. Her clinic saw many needy people from Pastor Bertho’s church and the surrounding community. We were grateful to be able to participate!

Nady and one of our teachers, Amadeau, helped us begin interviewing some of our students again. For this newsletter, we were able to hear from our 6th graders. This is what they had to say:

1. Woosnyder Vileus is a 6th grader and is 14 years old. His favorite classes are French and math. He professes Jesus as his Savior and hopes one day to be a doctor. He lives at home with his Mom and Dad, 1 sister, and 3 brothers. He would really like to see our school continue into 7th grade and beyond. This made us happy to hear him say.

2. Relide Joseph is in the 6th grade and is 18 years old. She lives with her Dad and Mom, who are gardeners. She has 1 brother and 1 sister who are both older than her. She would like to go into psychology, and her favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 5:7.

3. Dieunel Cadet is 16 years old and in the 6th grade. He also wants to be a doctor one day. He lives at home with his Mom and dad, who are gardeners. He has 3 sisters and 1 brother, one of his sisters attends our school. Dieunel enjoys reading Psalms.

4. Daniella Nelson is 18 years old and in the 6th grade. Daniela lives with her Dad and a brother, her Mom and other siblings live in another location. She hopes to one day be a nurse. Her favorite Bible verse is Isaiah 41:13.

5. Wendy Geffrard is in the 6th grade and is 13 years old. He lives with his parents and 2 sisters, he is the oldest. One day he would like to be a musician. His favorite Bible passage is Psalm 3, which he has memorized. He said he recites it when he feels the devil attacking him.

Lord willing, we hope to help these students continue on to 7th grade in Mirebalais this fall. OSM is already helping 6 of our graduates from last year with school in Mirebalais. Pictured on the previous page is one of those students, Pelinda, who is attending sewing classes besides going to school. She is learning to operate a serger. It has been modified so it can be used by a foot pedal, because electricity is not reliable. Also, it looks like they used twisted fabric for the machine belt. Haitians can be very creative when they don’t have access to extra parts. We were excited to see this update from one of our ambitious graduates!

As the newsletter was about to go to print, we learned we have a serious medical issue with one of our kinder students, Woodson Joseph, who is 5 years old. He came to school with a very extended belly, after being out sick. We took him to a clinic in Mirebalais and were given a diagnosis that he has one kidney not working and his liver has shrunk. We decided to take him to a hospital in Pignon for a second opinion, which we hope to hear from them soon. Please keep Woodson in your prayers for healing and direction if further medical attention is needed.

The boys soccer team, consisting of 22 boys ages 8-14, is still doing very well. Their 2 coaches occasionally arrange for them to play other teams in the area. This is great fun for the boys, going to new areas to play their games is a privilege. Besides being a healthy activity, this teaches them discipline and good sportsmanship as they interact with others on the soccer field.

Lety continues to minister the love of Jesus with these girls who work in the Dorcas House in Nava. This gives the girls an opportunity to learn to sew, while keeping them busy after school and sharing with them about our Savior, all very important for their lives. Please keep Lety, the girls and this sweet ministry in your prayers.

We praise God for His patience with us and His love towards us. We pray He covers each of you with His love as well. Thank you for all you do to make this ministry in Haiti and Mexico possible.

Serving our Savior with you,
Ken and Debbi