Greetings folks.
I am endeavoring to fill you in a little on the very difficult and dangerous situation in Haiti which has been affecting our area far too long. Not yet being able to return to Haiti makes it more difficult for me to write blogs about our mission.
Our HATS-Haiti school, IMKH, (and other schools in our area) experienced a very difficult year last year, due to the bandits/gang members causing the school to close with everyone going in hiding several times, and sometimes for longer periods. School, however, always reopened and our students continued to be taught. Exams were written later than in other years. This included the Haitian government exams for grade 9 and Secondary 4 (grade 13), which is their final year of high school. The results of our student’s difficult government exams happily surprised me as we did much better than I expected after such a rocky, roller coaster, school year, with students and teachers living in fear of when the gang would hit our area once more. Actually, our school had the best results of our whole area. The thanks for this goes to Luckner Estimable who is our school director and is presently the only director on site at HATS-Haiti. I, like many other people, am still unable to return due to the danger in Haiti from many gangs endeavoring to take over the country.
HATS students
I mentioned on the last blog about the deaths of two of our secondary students late August. There was sadness in our students about this when school opened in September. On October 3rd one of Luckner’s school employees, who for years helped him oversee the secondary students and assisted him in many other ways, died. This was another sad and painful thing for Luckner and the students. (photo attached of our school students in uniform walking with the funeral).
Funeral Met Rubiel
IMKH students at funeral for Met Rubiel
Within a day of school opening the bandits returned to our area to try to do more kidnapping and killing. Three men were shot, when trying to protect our area, but were taken to hospital where they received surgery. Some of the bandits were killed by people standing up to protect our area and police who stood with them. Despite the bandits continuing to return at will to make trouble our school is open and running. Our students are receiving an education and a badly needed hot meal daily.
October saw some heavy rain in our area of the Latibonit which caused flooding and a lot of mud. Schools, including ours, had to close for a couple of days, but quickly reopened as soon as possible.
Despite the horrible situation of life in our area of Haiti these days, our HATS kids are all well for which we thank God daily. They are all glad to be back in school again. I will attach a few photos I have received.
Karena
Sandra
Markenson
Josie
Flo
Anne
Jofky
Those of you who pray please continue to pray protection over Luckner and his now large family, his kids and our HATS kids; please pray too for our school’s teachers and students; and all other HATS employees. Luckner is continuing to do a good job of keeping our family safe, moving them here and there for safety when needed, seeing that their needs are taken care of as best he can in the unsafe and difficult situation they are living in. Luckner expresses his thanks and gratitude for all prayer support. He says your prayers are keeping them protected and safe and he is very thankful.
May God bless each and every one of you.
With love, Karen
