Their partnership with HAFF involves several aspects. ECHO's interns spend a year at ECHO and then 3 months at HAFF where they see some of the plants and techniques they have learned at ECHO being implemented in a third world situation. 

ECHO also uses some of HAFF's 40 acres of land for a Small Farm Resource Development Project. The focus of the SFRDP is variety trials -- identifying crop species, varieties and production techniques that have the potential for improving the livelihood of Haitian farmers. The SFRDP also gives the interns experience participating in an on going agricultural development endeavor. 

Some of the seeds and plant material produced at HAFF through ECHO's SFRDP have been made available to other groups working in Haiti and around the world. And other groups working in agriculture can come to HAFF and visit the SFRDP to glean some ideas for their own efforts in their home areas. 

HAFF benefits from the varing skills and talents of the interns who come to HAFF. ECHO interns have painted signs, 

taught botany labs, 

trained BTI teachers to use the internet 

and gathered material for the HAFF web site and brochure, to name a few. 

Dr Tim Motis (right) is the Director of Research at ECHO and the ECHO intern mentor. He is seconded full time to develop the SFRDP and to guide the interns at HAFF. 

This is Paige Motis (left). She works with her husband Tim to mentor the interns. With her are 2 of last summer/fall's interns Jenny Mason and Carolyn Langley. Carolyn is now back at HAFF with 2 new interns. She is filling in for Tim and Paige while they are in the States for an extended time waiting the arrival of their first child. 

Prayers -- Answered and Continuing

This is Jim Scheller at our Thanksgiving gathering 2 years ago. Thanks to all who prayed for his release from prison. Monday our prayers were answered and Jim is back home in the Pignon area. Pray now that the Lord would work in Jim's heart to bring him to faith in Christ.

My market and laundry lady's daughter Neltha is fine. She still carries a mark from being struck by lightening. The places that were burned are healed, but paler than the rest of her skin. But she has no other lingering effects except for some periodic headaches. Please pray for even those to be removed.

It looks like elections will really happen this coming Tuesday, February 7. Please keep the whole process in prayer. Voting will not be easy. The people of Bohoc and LaJeune must go to Savanne Tabac to vote -- at least a 2 hour walk one way across the Bouyaha River -- even though there is a polling place in Pignon. And there will be no vehicles on the road, so no buses to take people there and back. The people of LaVictoire (east of Pignon) must go to Savannette (north of Pignon) to vote, even though LaVictoire is much more heavily populated. Many people say they will not be voting. Not only do they have a long way to go, they will have to stand in line once they get there. And no one wants to be on the road home after dark.

There are also rumors flying all around. Some are saying that the election is already decided. Others that Jean Claude Duvalier (baby Doc), who was ousted 20 years ago, is in the country and will be taking power! He is the one who was removed from power 10 days after I first got to Haiti -- February 7, 1986! But my cook was just telling me today at lunch that with all the people praying, as she knows they are praying, she is confident that the person God has chosen will be the one to be placed in office. Please pray with us between now and Tuesday and in the days following. Pray for a peaceful and safe election, a clean election and that the votes would be counted in a way that is above reproach. And pray that indeed, the people of God's choise will be elected to be president of Haiti and the senators and deputies for the different parts of Haiti.