As I wing my way from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitian on the CaribIntair commuter airplane, I am able to see an aerial view of the town of Gonaives and its surroundings. Although it is too cloudy to see details, the main feature I see is a lake nearby that was not there before the flood, apparently a leftover from the great devastation generated by hurricane Jeanne that totally leveled the city last fall. It is almost incomprehensible to me to look and see nothing where a large city used to flourish. I think back to times when my husband Ken and I would drive through this dusty city on our way to Port-au-Prince and stop there to get refreshment. I remember that the city was filled with old two-story French colonial houses with upper balconies and gingerbread woodwork. And now as I think about the devastation I also think about those two-story houses and how many peoples' lives were saved because of them. In the midst of devastation, God is good! As I look back on the last Haiti Hope Fund newsletter I read about Jules Casséus' sister and her family and how they were saved as they ran to safety in a multi-storied home near their own one-story home, and I marvel at God's provision!
One of the students currently enrolled in UCNH’s business program, whose family lives in Gonaives, came back to school after the disaster and quietly went back to her work and studies. Her arrangement with the University was to have only housing, as her family provided money for her to buy and fix her own meals (a less expensive alternative to taking her meals at school). However as the weeks went on Laurie Casséus noticed that something was not quite right with this student. After a brief visit with her, Laurie discovered that she was not eating because her family had lost everything in the Gonaives flood disaster and were not able to send her money for food. She had told no one about her dilemma but survived by sharing little bites of food here and there from her roommate and fellow students. Laurie quickly remedied the situation!
As Gonaives’ citizens are slowly rebuilding let us thank God for his mercy on these two families, and pray for those who are slowly recovering their lives. Let us thank God that we have been able to help in our prayers and in our giving. And let us ask God to continue to show us ways in which we can minister to those currently enrolled in UCNH. In the last HHF newsletter Laurie Casséus writes, “There are fifty students at the University from Gonaives whose families have lost both homes and businesses. Most have only the clothes they were wearing when they escaped. Since their families now have no livelihood, they will be unable to pay tuition for them. Their futures are at stake right when their families most need them to finish college…. We need your help. And our students from Gonaives need you. They have no way to pay for the rest of this semester or the next one.”
As you read these words please prayerfully consider what you can do to continue to help during this especially needful time for these students and their families. Haiti Hope Fund is committed to helping Christian young people get the education they need to make a difference in their community and their country. We play a vital and crucial role in making a timely contribution to their efforts. I say timely because this disaster has interrupted their education right in the middle of their studies; without us further education will be next to impossible. It will be our contributions at this particular time that will make the difference for many of these young students.
Please consider making a gift to the Haiti Hope Fund today. Your financial support will help us to continue to provide educational resources to needy students in Haiti.
Debbie Heneise,
Haiti Hope Fund Correspondent