The Old Year and the New Year

As we reflect on the year past, even with challenges that we each may have experienced in this past year, God is faithful and STILL on His Throne. My prayer for each of you is that you will  take time to get to know Him more in the coming year, as He yearns for this from each one He has created. He LOVES You with an everlasting, overflowing love…an incomprehensible love!

Here is a photo essay from 2013:

Institution Univers lunch program:

 Clarel and his mom signing the Graduate Placement Contract:

 End of the school year student luncheon:

 2013 Kindergarten Graduates:

 Starson Audate, 2013 Philo class president, passing the "torch" to the next Philo class:

 2013 Philo Graduates:

 ESL and College bound students arrive in the U.S.A.:

 ESL students and one of their host families in Ohio:

 Met Pas accompanying Evelyne Cherenfant at a church in Kentucky:

 Climbing Citadelle with I.U. students:

 ESL students playing "U.S. dominoes" in Ohio:

 Met Pas speaking at a fundraising evening in Ohio:

 The Univers apartments:

 The Micah 6:8 Bakery:

 Linda Keslar (a dedicated servant to Univers) and I enjoy some Christmas celebration together:

 The children being served their lunch:

 The Univers guest house (for short term missionaries to stay):

Happy, beautiful, blessed New Year to you!

A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to You!

We have so much to be thankful for; I thank God for each and every one of you who are reading this blog; for all those who God has uniquely placed in my life.

I just arrived back late last night from a week in California. It was a week filled with experiencing God's leading, allowing for meetings and meeting people that He uniquely orchestrated.

The week included meetings with The Master's College and Seminary, Biola University and Westmont College. We will be submitting applications to The Master's College and Westmont as the meetings were very favorable for scholarship for our Philo students. Also we were introduced to other colleges to contact in the future through those I met on the trip.

Hugues met up with me in Los Angeles following his conference in New York with Digicel, and we were able to meet with supportive friends, and a foundation who supports Coalition of Children in Need Association (COCINA) to provide an update on the ministry and further COCINA's relationship with each one of them. This past Sunday, we received such a blessing through worshipping with Shadow Mountain Community Church and then having the opportunity to meet with Dr. David Jeremiah. It was Hugues first time hearing Dr. Jeremiah preach. What a man of God! And he preached on…Thankfulness and Thanksgiving! Go figure!!

Not only is it very exciting to meet new people in this journey, but also happen to see people who I haven't seen in a long time, too. Please keep Rob Provost and his wife in your prayers, who serve the Lord in Albania. I've known Rob since high school. They just happened to be at The Master's College the same day we were visiting! And what a huge blessing to spend a lot of time with my long time friend and Godmother of my son, Paula. I loved how we picked up on conversation as if it was just yesterday we had seen each other, when actually it had been years since we last saw each other. No time lapses with our friendship, Paula!

Thank you again to those who welcomed us in their homes, provided meals both at restaurants and in their homes, and encouraged us in the ministry. 

I am so grateful today for all He has done, all He is doing and all He has yet to do. And, I  am grateful for you!

Recent Graduates of Faculty of Nursing Science of the Episcopal University of Haiti in Léogâne

Graduated from Institution Univers first graduating class in 2009

Congratulations, Ladies! 

The nursing director asked Met Pas if she could hire two of the four of "our" students for her own staff. Although we are all very honored at the request, he replied, 'No, they are needed at Univers Medical Centre.' Welcome back to Ouanaminthe, Ladies, as you begin your nursing career.

Will you consider financially supporting a nursing student through the "COCINA College Scholarship Fund"? The cost is $7,000 per year per student for four years - of course, we welcome a partial or full scholarship! 

COCINA, P.O. Box 12695, Columbus, OH 43212

www.haiticocina.org

 UPdates from Univers

The Univers bakery is up and running!  The whole wheat bread, white bread, rolls and pizza are selling well, actually selling out or close to selling out everyday! Rick has returned as of last evening for further training of the staff, and to check how things have gone over these last two weeks with the staff "working on their own". I believe he was pleasantly surprised as we entered the bakery this morning. 

We have a new director at the vo-ed school, UTEC. Valentino joins us with a wealth of talent. He is Haitian, Hugues cousin actually, who has been living in Montreal, and has desired to return to Haiti. The timing was right, as God's timing always is! I jokingly said to Hugues and Valentino when Hugues introduced me to him, "ah, I see we are becoming a family business!!" Well, now all joking aside, we truly are adding family members, as, as of last week Valentino's brother has joined Univers as the new medical director at the Univers Medical Centre. This warms my heart that Haitian, especially those related to Hugues desire to serve alongside Hugues. If you recall, Dr. Francoeur suddenly passed away last December. The credentials of  Dr. John Nelson are Way Beyond what we were looking for. Again, we are privileged to see God uniquely working out His details. He too had been living in Montreal, and of recent  and now living and teaching at a university in Port au Prince. For the next month he and his wife are commuting, spending half the week here and half in P au P. I am enjoying getting to know his wife, Chatel. What a precious woman! We are blessed with the people that God has chosen for us!

The career assessments with the Philo students are in their last week. I am enjoying working with the students and seeing their enthusiasm when they discover how the technology allows them to reconfirm their likes and dislikes, and allows them to discover new avenues to consider for their future.

And what an asset Hantz-Jerry is to Univers! Jerry as he likes to be called is our first "U.S. university graduate" to return and be employed. He is training in many facets of the organization. Namely, information technology, Morne CouCou and the bakery. His willingness to learn is inspiring! Oh my, it is good to get to know this young man. His energy energizes me! 

As I prepare to return to the states, I have secured a number of college appointments and church speaking engagements. I will update the calendar as soon as I have a few more set this week, so click on the tab "Calendar" at the top of the blog for my schedule. If I'm coming to your area to speak, please come and visit! I'd love to see you. If you'd like me to speak at your church, civic group, Bible study group, wherever you desire...Please contact me; I'd love to share what God is doing in Haiti with those who mean so much to you!

May God's face shine upon you,

Marylee

An exciting day in the life of Univers...
The following is News from Dave Mann out to the Board, and I'm sharing it now with you to get the news out. Digicel is an Irish company that is deeply committed to Haiti.
Please feel free to share with all those you know. 
Thank you for your dedication to Univers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, October 14, 2013 - CAP HAITIEN  

Today was the gathering in Cap-Haitian to announce the regional winners of the Entrepreneur of the Year.  There are four categories and Hugues was nominated (anonymously at least to us) to the education category.  As you may know, Digicel is the largest cell phone company in Haiti and throughout the Caribbean.  Hugues is now the winner of the education Entrepreneur of the Year award in the north region.  There are a total of four regions in the nation for this selection process.  On December 17^th, he is invited to Port-au-Prince, where the selection of the national winners will be announced.

Before that date, Digicel will send a filming and interview crew to Univers to gather more information and footage to put together a short video to present at the December 17^th gathering.

Hugues and the other regional winners are also invited to Columbia University in New York for a seminar on leadership.

As proud as we all are of Hugues and his initiative in setting the vision for Univers, he is quick to comment that this award is really about the entire Univers community.  It is a recognition of what has been accomplished TOGETHER in the work that the Lord has given us to do.

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of serving with Hugues in your work.

Dave Mann

My friend Mary from CVCA just emailed me with such an encouraging email. I am blessed! Here are the verses she sent me. It surely encouraged me so I hope it does the same for you. We all have a calling! Live life purposefully, my friends!

Colossians 1:9-14

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the^[a]knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,¹⁰ so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^[b]to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and^[c]increasing in the ^[d]knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all power, according to ^[e]His glorious might, ^[f]for the attaining of all steadfastness and ^[g]patience; joyously ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us ^[h]to share in the inheritance of the^[i]saints in Light.

The Incomparable Christ

^13 [j]For He rescued us from the ^[k]domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^[l]His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Love,
Marylee

These are taken from my apartment - aren't I a blessed gal?! Beautiful Haiti!

It's a GREAT day in Haiti when we have water, electricity, internet and cell phone service - as many of you have heard me say. We have been saying it a lot around here since yesterday! Now, not to say that the wireless only lasts until about 10:00am and then we move to our internet "sticks", which until Tuesday wouldn't work since last Friday. But, a former student who is much more astute in computers than me, which is not hard to be, by the name of Bilou said "Mrs. Marylee just try this". So I clicked the wireless connection off (which hadn't been having enough power to even send an information up onto the cyber highway anyhow) and VOILA! - my internet stick worked. Oh joy!
Career assessments could resume, I could read emails and respond, be in touch with my loved ones, research college and scholarship websites, introduce us to new contacts, organize MetPas' (Hugues) November tour and, as of today, find my blog so I could catch up with you! Google rearranged some things on their site and I couldn't find the administration webpages to update my blog. Now you can understand why I need these young people to direct me in my computer naivety!
I have also hired Bilou to be my creole instructor this year. One exciting pattern for me - everyone I've hired has gone on to college in the D.R. or the U.S. - a pattern I'm happy to live with! So, I am hoping that Bilou will move on someday too, so that he may turn his dreams into reality, by going to college in the U.S.
I am currently working on the college application process with Imelda, Bilou and Evens, who graduated in 2013, and Junior and Tisma from the 2012 graduating class. Please pray for which colleges these students are to attend. Tisma is already accepted At Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and is preparing for his Visa interview. As you pray, please pray for host families, and financial sponsorship to be secured for our 2014 class. I have eight students this year who are qualified to attend college in the U.S.
We have one tuition only scholarship secured thus far.
This week we were able to tell the family who is providing a full Haitian scholarship to a female student who their girl was going to be. It's Anaychilove Elva, and do you know what? That's exactly who this family was hoping and praying for - isn't God tender and rich?! Yes, He is!
I will be in Colorado in December and California in January, if you would like me to speak at your church, Bible study, civic group, Rotary meeting, etc. Just contact me at marylee.lewis@gmail.com
Lastly, please keep my mom in your prayers. She has been diagnosed with inflammation of the sciatica this week and we need prayers for wise decisions to be made for both my folks. Thank You very much for your prayers. Right now it is difficult for me to be here with them there.

As I close today, here are a few photos for your viewing enjoyment:

The "grocery store" (my Trader Joe's in Haiti!!!!):

Anaychilove!

Every morning MetPas greets students as they arrive - 2,400 this year - we are at maximum capacity at Institution Univers!

ESL Students, Joubert Bernard and the Shipp family this summer - thank you Tonya, for emailing this to me!

Be Faithful!
Love,
Marylee

I'm back in Haiti!
We have had VERY intermittent internet therefore this is the first I'm able to catch you up on what's been going on! First, here's a few of the college students who are studying in Ohio; the photo was taken this summer after Evelyne's arrival as a freshman:

The school year has begun - such an exciting time for the students! I arrived on Monday and hit the ground running! After crossing the border Hugues drove me straight to my apartment to drop off the duffels and my luggage, I moved the supplies I brought with me to one of the duffels and jumped back in the truck to take the supplies to the school. But not before we first went out to the farm to see the progress he's made over the summer. The pavilion sides are now protected with chicken wire, there is a personal vegetable garden started, and the biggest news - a new rabbit house with many new rabbits. One rabbit looked like it was just days old. So adorable!
There is now much room for growth of the rabbit "farm".
Then on to the school, where I was able to deliver three musical instruments for our school band. Thank you to Bruce and Christ Community Chapel for your generosity. If you have a musical instrument you or anyone you know would like to donate please contact Bruce Hilburn at civilwarsword@gmail.com
PLEASE donate them in "ready to play" condition. We appreciate if you have them cleaned, conditioned and repaired prior to donating them. THANK YOU so much!

I may lose the internet again (electricity keeps going on and off today) so let me make a couple of other requests and then the next time I am able I will update you with this week's activities here at the school.

We need donations specifically for two things. Checks can be made to COCINA and sent to COCINA, P.O. Box 12685, Columbus, OH 43212, for the following:
1. Construction of three bathrooms at the Clinic, so that the three inpatient rooms we have allocated can have private bathrooms in each room. Construction is to begin this month.
2. Six Philo students need to sit for the TOEFL exam - the cost is $160.00 each.

Please email me or comment to me with your contact information if  you are able to donate - ANY amount is welcome! marylee.lewis@gmail.com

Bondye Beni Ou (God bless you)!

This time in the United States is winding down. Depart tomorrow for Miami Beach, to spend time with Trustees from Florida International University and then on to Santiago on Sunday night, to arrive in Ouanaminthe on Monday.
It has been a very productive and progressive time in the U.S. As many of the new relationships and opportunities develop I will keep you up to date. It was wonderful family and friend time too. Returning to Haiti refreshed, ready to focus on this school year, and feeling blessed beyond measure.
Talk to you all from Ouanaminthe!

It seems like forever since I blogged...I truly took a break from it right?!! While in the U.S. I have so far spent the month of July literally packing, cleaning out, selling, donating and moving out of my condominium in Cuyahoga Falls. Then traveling to Pennsylvania to pick up Hugues, Evelyne and the two middle school ESL students, dropping the students in Ohio, spending a few days running Hugues around to various meetings and then we drove Evelyne to Kentucky. Had a wonderful visit with the Brown family, then to Lexington to meetings and a visit with the Kentucky Haiti Partnership team. Blessed by the many people who love the ministry!
On to Muskoka Canada for wonderful family and friend time - so, so wonderful! Here's a photo of the blessing we have to go refresh called "Fairhaven North"
(Acts 27:7-8) When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; ⁸ and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

And to share with others to also be refreshed, for 44 years!

Here's a few photos from the last month and a half while in the states:

The Indians game with Linda: 

At the Portage Lakes with the Keslar Family:

 Last movie night in the condo with Mark and Tara:

 The annual fundraiser "Called Back to Haiti...Again!"

Thank you again, to all!

 The artist Nichol Brown with her daughter/manager Christy, and Ernie:

 An fun evening on Lake Erie
With Tony, Amanda, Laura, Gordy and Dale:

 The Hope in Haiti Picnic in Pennsylvania:

Samuel, an ESL student in Pennsylvania with Clarel (now at Madison Area Technical College):

 Hugues, college students, and ESL students:

 Tracy, Clarel, and Aleksandra:

 Starson with the his hosts and sponsors, Susie and the Reynolds family:

 The ESL students:

 With part of the Voigt family:

 With Randy at his church, Trinity Baptist Church, of which Hugues and I had the privilege to speak:

 Ohio college students welcoming Evelyne to the "group":

Lastly,

Here's photos from our newly opened bakery-part of our economic development and the vo-ed school (culinary program).

this is so exciting!

As I wind down my time in the states, I'm still scheduling with colleges in the northeast Ohio, and welcome the opportunity to speak with any one of you who would like more information about COCINA, www.haiticocina.org, and Institution Univers high school graduate placement program, in particular. I'll be here until September 7. Just comment to this post with your contact information or Facebook message me.

God bless you!