Testing!

I spoke to Pastor Willio this morning to see how everyone is doing. This is not a question I expect to hear a very positive response to. I guess "how are you" is a strange question to ask a man living in a desperate situation, caring for 32 orphans, and running a non-funded school. Still, I always ask, and he always responds with how happy they are to hear from me. He was positive today as he had just returned from 2 separate trips to Cap-Haitian (one hour from Quanaminthe) taking 23 students for their official government exams. This exam is extremely important to the future of the school. As long as the children are testing at an appropriate level, the school will prove it's ability to keep up to speed and in turn will be approved to remain open. I can imagine how stressful this must be for them.

We spoke of plans to bring college students to Quanaminthe next year to run a two week long summer camp for the children. This is something I need to get a move on, and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has done such a thing. If this is something that interests you, by all means, let me know. :-)

At the end of our conversation, Willio thanked me for my support and love for the children and reminded me of how difficult things are. He spoke of how little they had to offer the children in the way of food, and asked me to keep praying for an organization to step in to help. Let's keep praying for this to happen. I will begin support raising for another return trip to Haiti in August. The cost of this trip is approximately $1100.00 and the hope is to establish a system of "payroll" for the teachers once they are fully sponsored by families here in the US. Again, I am determined to implement the highest standards of accountability to be a good steward of donated monies, as well as protect Pastor Willio.

Thanks for following along!