Something other than Hurricane News

We've had a break from hurricanes and rain and trucks getting stuck in the mud. So what have I been doing in that time? Here's a taste.
September 30 I flew to Port-au-Prince and met Barb and Greg who were just flying in from the United States. We spent two days visiting former BTI students who are now attending University in Port. We visited some of them at home and we saw the schools they attend.


At one school we saw a very impressive Virtual Lab -- amazing for this country!

The next day we had some meetings with government officials and did some shopping for school supplies, gifts and groceries. October second, we flew back to Pignon with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and had the pleasure of flying over the HAFF campus and getting some photos. We approached from the west and circled around. This first photo was taken looking west south west and the others follow as we circled the area. The loop of white roofed school buildings with the octagonal gazebo is the school. The white roofed buildings south of the school are the houses and the visitors' dorm.

After returning from Port-au-Prince, Friday October 3, Madame Gesson, Barb and I tested about 34 women for the 2008-2009 Godly Woman class.

The following Monday we spent the afternoon grading the tests and choosing the women. We chose 14 women from about 10 communities to be in the class.

At school, classes finally started Monday October 6. There was a pretty good turn out of students for the first day.

Former BTI Student and long time BTI Teacher Maccene Limpreux shared from Scripture (Psalm 1) for devotions, BTI school Principal Phanes Charles welcomed the students and BTI school Vice Principal Gabriel Mompremier discussed the student handbook. Classes started right away.



As I mentioned the last time I posted, September 18 and 19 I spent most of both days in meetings with community representatives and representatives from World Vision. This past Thursday, October 9, I spent most of another day in a seminar led by Pastor Claude Aneas from World Vision. The seminar was about leadership and what it is to be a leader. There was some wonderful information shared.




Friday afternoon, 10 October, the BTI soccer team played a match with the MINUSTA UN soldiers from Chile stationed for 2 weeks in Pignon. The BTI team won 7 to 1. It was either their 11th or 12th win in 12 or 13 matches with MINUSTA, or something like that! The BTI team had a bit of help from a friend visiting HAFF with Dr Jerry Pennington. Jacob scored the first and third goals for the BTI team and won everyone's respect for his abilities! Here are some photos and a video of the, sometimes intense, play. The BTI team is in the lighter blue shirts, MINUSTA in the dark blue. Jacob is the only white guy with a light blue shirt!

This 15 second video (without sound) is of play just before Jacob made his second goal! Panel (number 9 with black socks) was just ready to pass to Jacob when the recording stopped!

Thursday 16 October, agents of the Haitian national campaign against Lymphatic Filariasis (a mosquito borne disease which causes Elephantitis) came to BTI.
All the students and teachers and any other of the HAFF employees (including me) who wished were given Ivermectin and Albendazole to remove any microfilaria there might be in our blood. A yearly dose for 5 years should eradicate the microfilaria from the local population, if everyone in the area gets the dose each time.