“We are hard pressed on every side,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.”
2 Corinthians 4:8
but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.”
2 Corinthians 4:8
All our lives, and the world in general, have been turned upside down.
Presently, in Haiti, we have over 4,000 people who have tested positive for the Corona virus and there are over 70 recorded deaths. This doesn’t seem extremely bad compared to reports from other countries. But the reality is that only 9,000 people out of 12 million have been tested since March 15th when Haiti recorded its first case. Actually, the number of those infected and who have died from Corona virus is much higher. Out of fear, many are not willing to be tested or admit to the fact that they may have it. Communities have attacked those known to be sick with Corona virus. Also, there is a fear that they will be taken away and never seen again.
We are doing well here at home. We go out only when necessary and limit our contact with others as much as possible. Haiti’s international airport, churches and schools remain closed.
We had originally hoped we would be able to hold summer school classes in June and July to finish up the school year. When we realized this wasn’t going to happen we chose to finish this year’s courses online. This is something we have never done before. So, with the wonderful help of my daughter, I launched into Google Classroom to use as our teaching tool. There were so many challenges. Neither the teachers nor I knew anything about this program. Being the administrator for 12 courses is a lot of extra work for me. There are still 8 more courses to put online.
In many ways this is a greater challenge for the students. They have very little electricity, and poor internet connections. Also, most of them are doing it all on their smart phones using 'data', which is costly for them. On top of this, they have no experience with handing in assignments online. And so, I must try to explain this to them online. You get the picture, distance learning is a learning experience in itself! We are still hoping to hold the "May" Bible College graduation in August.
Our 3 elementary schools remain closed, but we are keeping our contract commitments to the teaching staff. Online learning is not an option for these remote schools with few resources. Considering the unrest we had last fall and now the Corona virus, the children have really only been in school for 4-5 months, depending on their location. This will greatly affect the teaching for next fall.
Our churches are still unable to meet, but our pastors are doing their best to remain in contact with their people. Most of our pastors are doing their preaching and teaching through audio messages on their phones. Yet, these are only heard by about 50% of their congregations since many don’t have smart phones.
Pray with us for the following things:
1) Protection from the Corona virus, for all of us.2) For greater political stability in Haiti.
3) For the Haitian government to gain control of the gangs. About 1/3 of Haiti is controlled by gangs.
4) For many in Haiti food insecurity is on the rise. (4.7 million of 12 million are in need of urgent food assistance)
5) For peace in our hearts as we face so many uncertain days.
