It seems the cars are on a rotation. As soon as one is fixed another breaks. A couple of weeks ago Linda called me from across town because her car would not start. I packed up some tools and a tow strap to come to the rescue. After checking for a spark and gas I realized the fuel pump was not working! I checked the fuses and relays (which all worked). It was now almost dark out, so I connected the tow strap and towed her home in the dark. The car is now sitting here waiting on me to pull out the gas tank and check the fuel pump. Hopefully it will be running again soon.
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| Linda's Suzuki Jimny |
On to bigger things, the covid situation in Haiti is rapidly deteriorating. This, however, is difficult to accurately determine. The number of cases has risen to almost 18,500 from just 12,722 in April and deaths have risen by 169. These are only the official numbers and may not reflect reality, since most people here are not even tested. The public concern over the virus has certainly gone up in the last few weeks. There has been a lot of talk about covid ever since a few wealthy and prominent people have died of it. The government mandated schools to close early and banned end-of-the-year gatherings (ie graduations). We were likewise forced to close down our gymnastics in the end of May. We wanted to stay open through June, but the covid restrictions hadn't allowed it.
I thought we had a handle on the rat problem, but I guess not. I hadn't seen any rats for about 2 months, but the rats I am seeing now are much larger then before! Either they did a good job of avoiding me, or a larger breed has moved in (yikes!). We have the opposite issue with mice. They are so small that they don't set off the traps. Naomi tells me that the mice are so cute.
Please pray for Haiti as there is a lot going on with the political unrest and insecurity. Kidnappings continue on a daily basis, robberies are now common, and the gangs have spread the violence to all areas around Port-Au-Prince. Leanne(our cook) was on a bus last week during a holdup where two armed men stole everyone's belongings. She lost her cell phone, purse, and everything in it. She was also pretty shaken up when she arrived at our house, but thank God was not harmed.
We are currently staying home as much as possible. The gangs are preventing tankers from delivering gas and diesel to the gas stations and it has now been this way for about 2 weeks. Last week I heard a local gas station was receiving a delivery under cover of darkness, so I went to get in line at 6:30 the next morning. There were about 20 cars when I arrived, most of the people looked like they slept in their cars. I got in line and waited. The station finally started pumping gas at 8:45. When my turn came, they said I could buy 5 gallons of gasoline only, no diesel (they did not receive any diesel). The attendant took my phone number and said they would call me when they are receiving diesel. That was more than a week ago and no call yet. The station is close enough that I would hear if they received diesel, but it is good to know ahead of time to get near the front of the line.
There are some sporadic posts online in the expat group chats of stations that have gas or diesel. Maybe 4 stations a day in a city with millions of people, and this surprisingly creates chaos! We are down to our last couple of gallons of diesel and about 4 gallons of gas. We use the diesel to run the generator and pump water for the house. If we are careful, this might last us 4 days, then we will need to carry water in buckets.
I have been involved in a couple of "planification" meetings regarding Sonis recently. I have also been talking with another Haitian who is trying to get the government to provide some support for the local schools up in the mountains. We're tentatively hopeful, but I am not sure how far this might get since the government doesn't have any real money (but God can do all things). These are some pictures of the school and students.
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| Sonis students outside of the school |
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| Bibles in Sonis |
On the 1st of May, Linda was in a NPC (National Physique Committee) body building competition. I am very excited to report that she did very well. She placed 1st in Masters for her age group, 1st in Masters overall, and 2nd in the open. And the kids were very excited to see her trophies (3 Katanas). Now, I just need to keep the kids from trying to play Fruit Ninja in real life! This is a tremendous accomplishment to rank 2nd in the open competing against women less than half her age. This has earned her an invitation to compete in Bermuda and other opportunities.
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| Linda's trophies |
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| Linda and Django |
Linda is currently in South Carolina for another competition (NPC Nationals). If she places well in this competition she would receive a pro card (an official qualification to turn pro). This has been a goal of hers for a while. She is very close and I believe she will do very well this week. Linda celebrated a birthday this last week of June. When she finishes her competition, she will be off to visit our son David who also had a birthday this week. After a visit with David, she is heading to Guatemala with a small team to do some clinic ministry. Please join me is wishing her success in her competition and God's protection for her, David, and the team.
If you would like to support us in this great adventure that God has us on, please prayerfully consider supporting us in prayer or financially. We feel so blessed and encouraged by the support we receive.
God Bless
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