Sunday May 30th was Haitian Mother's Day. We took the team to a small, lively church on the other side of the Bohoc River from HAFF. The children of the church had a special song and procession to honor their mothers. During the song, each child carried a small package of crackers or cookies in a little dance to meet her mother, gave her the package and kissed her, before dancing back to join the rest of the girls singing.

I translated for Pastor David as he encouraged the people to look to Jesus when they are helpless. He taught from Luke 9:37 – 42. From this passage he showed how Jesus came for the helpless and how we are all helpless, like the disciples, the father and the demon possessed boy, because we try to solve our problems on our own and don't look to Jesus.

June 3rd, the Van Schoycks and I had the great joy of traveling to Limbe in the north of Haiti to attend the graduation of HAFF's first University scholarship student, Georges Cadet (shown here with his god-daughter). We traveled with other friends of Georges for 5 hours Thursday and spent the night in Cap Haitien. The graduation the next day was a wonderful celebration of hope for the future as the first class since the earthquake was able to complete their studies on time despite the horrendous toll that day in January took on all their lives. Even the 7 hour trip home, having to backtrack due to a high river blocking the shorter way home didn't dampen our joy from the day.

Rejoice with us in all these wonderful accomplishments and join us in keeping all the graduates in your prayers. Pray for Georges as he works now toward ordination and recognition by the government as a pastor with the legal right to marry, bury and register the birth of children. Pray for him also as he has already been functioning as the young pastor of a new church in the area. Pray for the Young Leaders and Godly Women who have just been graduated that the Lord would show them the ministries He has planned for them and their new training. And pray especially for the Trauma Counseling Seminar participants as they use that training in the mercy ministries they already have. Pray that God would bring people to them who are in need of their new understanding of how to listen to and help traumatized people.