I am sitting on my veranda, looking out into the night sky, with a colorful star in front of me twinkling with a black background of a sky that is unaffected by city lights. Black, black sky! The only light in view, beyond the lights in our Village Univers, is that of a neighboring house. 

This is something to write about, because just this past Sunday afternoon, sitting in this same rocker in the same position towards my neighbor's home, I watched a man high up in a tree stringing electrical wiring across from another post or tree to his tree, then affixing the wiring to the another tree down the path. All while his young son looked up at him as he completed the wiring for his home. This went on for some time that afternoon. And now, the result is that this family has a light on the roof of their home. Maybe for the first time since they've lived there. Maybe for the first time in Ouanaminthe at this "address". I don't know. What I do know is that this piece by piece progress of electricity is making a difference in the lives of the people in our community. I also know that it is a reminder to me personally to never, ever to take anything for granted, such as electricity. Oh how easy it is for me to take things for granted when I am in the U.S., but now back in Haiti, it is reassuring and refreshing to me to be reminded of this. Reassuring because it reconfirms that I prefer this life in Haiti that I now call "home", and love being called to this life! And refreshing, because I don't want to become desensitized of the needs of our community, ever.

Another example of not taking everyday activities for granted, just this morning I only had a trickle of water come out of my tap in the bathroom for my shower. I started washing my hair in the shower, then moved to the sink to finish rinsing because there was more water coming out of the sink tap - thank you Lord, for water, when so many in my town have none.

Here's a photo of Hugues last week, taken by one of the Christ Community Chapel members, before the accident occurred. Now that's our Hugues!

Just to update you on my Calendar - After much prayer, and conversation, due to the accident and the priority over the next few weeks to support the school and administrators, I will NOT be attending and speaking at the Estero United Methodist Church Missions Conference this weekend. Next year, Lord willing.

I was just viewing the photos posted by last week's mission team on my Facebook. Check them out - wonderful photos and memories. From that team to the beginning of March, we have back to back to back to back teams visiting and working. Yes - 4 teams. So grateful for the dedication of these missionaries to come serve along side us.

Hugues Bastien, the founder and executive director of our ministry organization, had a very serious motorcycle accident last Thursday. He is now back in Ouanaminthe, after three days in Santiago with his brother Jacques (thank the Lord, Jacques happened to be visiting from NY to work on the hotel he is building), Jaccin (one of our administrators), Cindy Foraker (nurse from the Iannetta missionary team), a visiting doctor, Dr. Lamah (our main doctor from our medical clinic) and me. 

Please be praying for his recovery. He MUST stay down for 1 1/2 more weeks. Pray he will heed these instructions and that God will minister to him in a very special way during this time. Additionally, are specific prayer requests in the email content below.

Here is the content of an email sent from Pastor Dave yesterday: 

Dear Friends of Univers,

Hugues returned to Ouanaminthe on Saturday.  He looked like a survivor of a street fight, but it surely was good to see him.

This morning (Sunday), he was present in church.  As he gingerly walked to the mike, a stillness fell on the congregation.  When he spoke, it was clear that the people were relieved to see this man in their presence again, albeit in battered form.  Hugues gave a brief testimony thanking God for his life, and concluded by singing a worship song which totally fit his situation – Si jodi-a m vivan, se gras a ou (If today I’m living, it’s thanks to you).  The congregation joined in, hands uplifted, cheeks tear-streaked.  To listen to a recording of this worship song on YouTube, click here.  Or type the following in your address box --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GJAkpRvcqA. 

Thanks for praying.  Please continue the prayer support -- for Hugues to avoid infection around the stitches in his scalp and his arm to remain immobile for the clavicle to knit together well.

Thank you, Lord!

Dave Mann

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers.

 photo taken in 2011

I know many of you reading this have heard the news of Hugues motorcycle accident. I will not go into details now, but just want you to be aware that he will be fine, all praise to our God for his life!
More later...

This photograph represents so much emotion for me ~ joy, bittersweetness... oh, I believe my brother can see this photograph from Heaven!
This was his guitar, given to him after his first surgery for brain cancer in 1974. He went home to be with the Lord in 1983. My sister Gail and I have passed the guitar back and forth to our homes over the years, thinking one of us will learn to play it someday. Before moving to Haiti, I had the guitar in my possession and I asked her if I could make Haiti it's home and learn to play here, to sing along with the students. Gail's response was an undeniable "Yes"!
Well, I haven't had time to teach myself yet, although I now have a DVD and YouTube to learn...someday soon I'll start learning!
Anyhow, this week with the Iannetta Team from Christ Community Chapel, the worship time is accompanied by Hugues and Billy's guitars, through the talent of Jim and Todd. This photo, with the back drop of the "eternal treasure"messages in the murals is exactly where this guitar belongs.
Billy, your legacy in Jesus lives on. I love you and look forward to seeing you in Heaven someday!

Back in Haiti...ahhhhh! It is so good to be back! The sights, the sounds, the scents - good to be "home"! Most of all, the precious friends and their precious love welcoming me back makes me feel so much joy. I was able to have lunch with Imelda, Ana, and Evelyne today, to discuss their application to Florida Gulf Coast University and the SAT requirement. I am actively looking for sponsorship for one of these gals to be able to attend this particular university. We have applied for scholarships and will continue to apply for more. We have families who a student can live with through the Haitian church I attend when I visit Naples, but these families are Haitian themselves and do not have the financial means to pay for any educational costs that FGCU does not provide scholarship for. If any of you feels led to investigate this further with me, please contact me as soon as possible.
I want to share an article that one of our Philo students wrote to educate others about our school, and what makes our school so special. He had the editing assistance of Dave and Pam Mann. Additionally, Starson received a 76 score on the TOEFL exam - the highest in our school's history. He is so pleased, yet so humble and grateful. We are so proud of him!

Here is the article:

What makes Institution Univers unique?
by Starson Audate, 13th Grade
December 2012

Haiti is a place where a good school should be well organized. Schooling can be very helpful to the country, but their ways of teaching are very different from one another. In light of the growing education crisis in Haiti, especially in Ouanaminthe, Univers School has been created to reduce negative effects. But what really makes I.U. unique from the other schools in Ouanaminthe and in Haiti?

I.U was founded in 1994, and since that time I.U has never stopped making progress. From 1994 to 2012 I.U. has accomplished many things than any other school in Ouanaminthe, or even in the whole Northeast deparment.

I.U. is the first school to offer a lunch for the students. Now that other schools offer lunch, I.U. has the most reliable kitchen. Even though cooking with wood would be cheaper than propane, I.U., in order to encourage reforestation in Haiti, uses propane to cook meals for the students. I.U is the school that has the most space in which students can play sports in Ouanaminthe. So we host many athletic events for the town. Ours is the first school that offers one entire chair for each older student and has a maximum 5 students on one bench for 1st to 3rd grade. I.U. is the school where parents pay low tuition. If we compare the tuition of a senior student in I.U. with a senior student in College Oswald Durand, a neighboring school which is not the highest school tuition in Ouanamithe, the cost is twice as much for the C.O.D students.

Institution Univers is one of the schools that puts an accent on Christian faith. We accept every religion but we really believe in Jesus. I.U. is the only school in Ouanaminthe which has Bible lessons for every class at school. At I.U. we have among the most qualified teachers in town. Teachers in I.U. recieve more money than any other school in town except the Hope for Haiti orphanage school and the public school.

 I.U. stands out as the school with the highest level of English instruction in Ouanaminthe, the only one that seeks opportunities for its graduates to study in other countries. I.U. is one of the rare schools in Haiti, if not the only one, which has a standard program for the top students to visit the United States of America each year. In Ouanaminthe I.U. students are those who feel the most comfortable talking to foreign English speakers.

Institution Univers was the first school that offered computer classes for the high school graders in Ouanaminthe and it is the only one that has an auditorium in Ouanaminthe.

In Ouanaminthe I.U was the first school that established a well organized sports program for the high school students, the first that included physical education on its report cards to encourage athletic talent. Univers is the only school that had four athletes in the national volleyball team to represent Haiti in the Caribbean competition in 2012 in the Virgin Islands. Univers students know that after college, depending on their ability, they may have the opportunity to work for the school. Univers is the first school in Ouanaminthe that banned corporal punishment for the primary students, the only school that has a monthly service dedicated to worship the Lord, where all the students, teachers, and administrators gather to pray, the only school that has a choir and also an instrumental band, the only one that has organized a summer camp for the students in which they study English, faith and the larger world with Americans. I.U. is the only school in the northeast region of Haiti that  qualified to participate in the 2012 "National Genie Royal," an academic quiz competition among Haiti's ten top schools in Cap Haitian.

Consider all the things and you will be convinced, as we are, that Institution Univers is very special and very helpful to Ouanaminthe and the nation of Haiti.

Here's a photo of the "Iannetta Team" before departure. What a special group to spend time with this week!

The countdown has begun to return to Haiti. In 24 hours we will be en route and by tomorrow night, at the border of the D.R. and Haiti, ready to cross Sunday morning, Lord willing! I am traveling with a Christ Community Chapel team, "the Iannetta team", who will be down there for a week. I'm excited to fellowship with them as I will be able to sup with them after their active, full days of serving in construction, auto mechanic, sport camps and behavioral health clinic activities.

I have some sort of intestinal virus that I'm fighting. So I do a bit, then lay down a bit, then do a bit, so I appreciate your prayers to "get it all done" before leaving.
Also, please remember Allie Armstrong and the Armstrong/Kura family in your prayers as Allie is in the battle for her life.
Thank you for your encouragement and prayers, and your faithfulness to what you are accomplishing in your life. Each day is a gift!

Here are some amazing photos of the Cascade Mountains ascending from Seattle this past Monday, that I wanted to share of the majesty and grandeur of God's creation. Enjoy...

Talk to you from Haiti!