Thank you for all the prayer support and the encouragement in your blog comments and emails when my children were sick.  Moise is the only one who did not get sick with high fever, headache, pain, sore stomach (some of them vomiting).  Their sick days ranged from 3 days to 12 days.   Both of Mama Karen’s clinics are now closed – the last one closed on Friday.  Now it is Outpatients only as some of the the children need meds three times a day for awhile.  Some of the employees were sick and now my friend, Rose Lore, who is one of our teachers, has it.  I thank God daily that I did not get it and that he gave me the strength to keep on taking care of the sick children.  I was extremely thankful I had people praying for me. Otherwise I would not have been able to do all that I was able to.

Thanks to God and to the Canadian people an important project at the HATS-Haiti Mission is about to get underway.  The first steps have started for the construction on a church building.  Rebar and rocks were delivered yesterday. Sand and gravel will be delivered tomorrow.  This building will also be used every week – Monday to Friday – for our school morning devotions and for all meetings with students and parents.  This has been a need for years.  It is more than exciting to see it get started.  When the construction is completed we will be able to use our present room for three permanent classrooms.  No more lifting heavy benches/desks, moving them around, arranging the space for classrooms, rearranging again for morning devotions, then rearranging/lifting/moving again for
classrooms.  I did this moving and lifting for too many years.  This year due to a very painful right arm from the lifting I can no longer help with that.

A huge thank you goes out to Brentview Baptist Church in Calgary, Alberta.  The missions pastor with three others from the church came down in June.  They saw the need of this building and decided to help.  They committed a sum of money for the project with the request that HATS raise funds for the project that would match their donation.  HATS raised their amount and we are now moving forward. Thank you to all individuals and groups who helped HATS come up with the matching funds.   May all of you and those at Brentview Baptist be blessed by your giving and hard work towards this project.

Rocks for the construction of the foundation and rebar for the whole project was delivered yesterday.  Sand and gravel will be delivered tomorrow.  All of us here at HATS are excited about this project being started.  I mentioned it in church this morning with a response of clapping and thanking God.

Rocks delivered for construction of foundation

Two loads of rocks on site

Unloading the rebar for our church construction

rebar being unloaded on the main compound where it is safer to store it

We continue our Sunday morning services with mostly school students but we have adults attending regularly as well.  We are presently preparing for Sunday, December 22nd when we will have special Christmas music.  That will be a very important Sunday at our church as we will have both my daughters, Dana and Liette, and all seven of my grandchildren, worshiping with us.  O happy day!!!!   Excitement is riding high around here about the arrival of these special people.   While they are here the blogging will be done by them. Stay tuned to be  entertained.

I told you that Dickie MacDonald has two females in his life who both have the name Sandra. Our cute little Sandra (Ti Sandra) continues to ask for Dickie.  Not a day passes without Sandra asking me when Dickie is coming back or for me to make him come back.  She sure loves that man Dickie MacDonald.  She always looks up at me and tells me she wants or needs Dickie.  Sandra and Dickie left two new outfits here for her.  She wore one to church last Sunday and another to church this morning.  When I gave her the first one I told her Big Sandra left it for her as I wanted to see her reaction.  She looked at me and said “Dickie too, Mama.  Dickie too.”   On Friday morning when all school kids came for us to pray together before school Sandra and Jonathan were with us.  We often
take turns praying.  On Friday Sandra asked to pray.  She prayed “God, send Dickie back please.”  “God, make Dickie come please.  Amen”   Needless to say the other kids were smiling as much as I was over that sweet prayer.

Ti Sandra loves the new outfit Dickie & Sandra left for her

Ti Sandra posing for a photo for Dickie in another new outfit Sandra and Dickie left for her

About to head to school compound for church

Everybody helps carry things to the church

Jonathan helping JJ carry the songbooks

Leica carrying more than her share

JJ had a new little helper on the drums today

Thank you again for all your support – financial, encouragement and prayers.  Absolutely can’t do it without you.  What you do is just as important as what I do.   We are a team working together to help and bless children in this area of Haiti.   Let’s keep on moving forward together.

Love and God bless you all,

~Karen and kids