You know you are in Haiti when...

You know you are in Haiti when...you use bug spray to clean your furniture instead of furniture cleaner! 
Yesterday, I opened my laptop to find tiny ants crawling everywhere on the keyboard and screen. My deduction - I must have left a crumb (that's all it takes is one crumb!) from when I was working at the kitchen table Saturday evening and enjoying a snack.
Anyhow, after carefully cleaning the laptop of all bugs, I removed it to clean the table it had been sitting on. With that, I reached for the can of bug spray instead of Pledge and dampened my cloth and wiped down the table. That's when I thought how fun it would be to tell you this little story.
Greetings from Haiti and have a splendid Monday.
Love,
Marylee

A wonderfully interesting Saturday

After an wonderfully amazing week with the Kentucky mission team, it was a Saturday to catch up!

After three months of not being able to run because of the residual effects of Chikungunya in the arches of my feet, this past week I awoke three mornings with hardly any pain. The first thing I decided I would do this Saturday was attempt to run out to the farm, as it is one of my favorite, rare  "down time" activities! This morning was perfect! Cool breeze and the sun was just coming up when I set out. I didn't make it all the way to the farm but I did end up completing a walk-run of four miles - my feet started aching so I cut it short. But it invigorated me to do it again tomorrow morning.
The other activity that I wanted to complete this morning was to go to the garden "nursery" in Dosmond with Renel, the Village Univers custodian, to purchase bushes for Village. We went to the nursery we've purchased from previously - plants growing in any container available, to include a hallowed out television set, and  discovered they were growing "Chris-pee" ( a very tall Caribbean pine tree that the gardner and Renel referred to as 'Chris-pee' which informally translates to "Christmas tree").

The Chris-pee was so pretty I purchased a sapling!
In order to purchase "fleur" (flowering bushes) as they called them, we had to drive to another nursery (Haitian-style!) about a mile off road to a very neatly kept house and property. The bushes leading to the front of the concrete block one room house were very neatly trimmed. To one side of the hedge was a small circular arrangement of small fleur bushes and young palm trees. I was able to 'pick out' what I wanted to purchase then the gardner took Renel to the other side of the property, under some very large bushes (large enough to walk under) and he came back out form under the bushes with the fleur in little containers! Then the gardner proceeded to dig out two other bushes with his machete as he didn't have that particular fleur in containers! No shovel needed when you have a machete.
As I waited I looked over to the other side of the bush-lined path and there was a grave. The rock and pebble mound was freshly made. That caught me by surprise! It saddened me to think the gardner has just recently buried someone.

This afternoon was our first Bible study since I returned and although there were fewer than usual in attendance it was a joy to see those who came. And Wislin came! He is one of the 2014 Univers graduates who still needs a host family and financial sponsor to attend college. He is proficient in English (he was in the TOEFL class). I would love to see him in the U.S. in college next Fall! He is available to work as a translator for mission teams so some of you will meet him when you come to visit with us!
Cleaned the apartment, completed some computer work and started a new book tonight (just finished 'The Rescue' by Nicholas Sparks last night - I recommend it!) so off to bed so I can run again in the morning before church!

I've returned to Haiti...safe and sound! I thank the Lord for a taxi driver named Jose who got me to the Dajabon/Ouanaminthe border before the D.R. border closed so I could cross after traveling for 14 hours at that point. Ah - but Haiti decided to close early for no apparent reason other than it's Haiti, therefore across the border by foot I went, after seeing the familiar faces of Jerry and Jean-Gardy - a very welcome sight! We walked across with two haitian young men carrying my two bags each weighing 50 pounds. They carried them on their heads as if they were carrying something much, much lighter - like a feather - amazing!

The school year has begun! Tomorrow is the cut off for students to arrive and we still have 75 students MIA (missing in action - registered but haven't yet decided to come to school). We will see who comes "drifting in" tomorrow. The administration and our returned graduates surely are excited for the new school year. I have a new office with Emmanuel and Marie-Claire and we are having a blast together!
All for now - it's been a very busy two days since returning Good night, and God bless you all!
Love,
Marylee

Tomorrow night is almost here!

Purses & Pastries & Praise 

Fundraising Event for:

Marylee Lewis
Director of High School Graduate Placement Program
Institution Univers, Ouanaminthe, Haiti
WHERE?
Christ Community Chapel, 750 W. Streetsboro St., Hudson, Ohio 44236
www.ccchapel.com
WHEN?
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 from 7-9 p.m.

Tickets are $5.00

We are having a silent auction of donated purses that will have all kinds of great surprises inside, donated by the women of Christ Community Chapel as well as baskets donated by business and individuals.


If you would be interested in donating a purse, basket or gift certificate, please contact:
Jan Iannetta 330.962.7962
Kelly Gluntz 330.714.8203
Chris MacMillan 330.414.1617
Kim Spontarelli 330.256.0945

Marylee’s responsibilities include securing educational opportunities at colleges and universities in Haiti as well as other countries; securing vocational education opportunities and apprenticeships, continual career assessment and counseling; and coordinating the ESL English Immersion Summer Experience opportunities for Institution Univers Secondary school scholars. Marylee also secures for the college students, host families for at least the first year of residence in countries outside of Haiti, as well as immigration coordination for the students.
www.haiticocina.org
http://www.calledbacktohaiti.blogspot.com/ - to see more information and to donate (Partners tab on the home page) if you cannot attend!
Thank you so, so much for your support!

Summer Update

Enjoying family time and working from our family cottage for a couple weeks in Muskoka Canada. Refreshment and rejuvenation at "Fairhaven North", as our family has named it many years ago. Named after Fair Havens in the book of Acts.

Please keep Junior Filsto in your prayers, as he was one of the first students I worked with when I arrived at Institution Univers as High School Graduate Placement Program director in September 2012. Junior had just graduated that previous June, and had been a shining example of leadership all through his secondary school career at Univers. His leadership and tenacity didn't waiver as he didn't find opportunity immediately to attend college in the U.S.
Rather, he applied and was admitted to the university in Limonade, in the North of Haiti. Even though after one semester the funding proved futile from the Haitian government to continue funding the university's programs once the Dominican Republic funding was departing (the D.R. gave a gift to Haiti after the earthquake, to build a university in the North and fund it for one year and then it was up to Haiti to take over the expenses to run the university - seems likes a responsible request for a limited gifting). Well, the professors saw "the writing on the wall" and began seeking jobs elsewhere. Junior went from having nine classes to four in his first year of university. The 2013-2014 school year fared worse with constant opening and closing of the campus during the school year. He was able to receive his credits eventually; to request and receive the transcripts is another whole story that I won't go into detail here, but let me just say this one thing to give you an idea: It took a year for us to obtain an official transcript from Limonade - Enough said.
Junior re-took the TOEFL test this past year and received a high enough score to catch the interest of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, Massachusetts. He went through the application process, sought and obtained the funding from the generosity of donors to go to get his U.S. Visa in Port au Prince. Emmanuel and I worked diligently to get Junior to appointment day. Then...
This past Thursday was the appointment. He was denied the Visa. I have requested the college to intervene in any way they may be able to, and now we wait for their response. In the meantime, Junior, Emmanuel and I are trusting God in the decision from the U.S. Embassy, but will pursue whatever avenue God leads us to pursue. I request that you please keep this dedicated young man in your prayers; to remain strong in his faith and trust as he goes through this crucible.

Marylee

Here's Junior cutting my hair in 2012, after teaching himself how to cut  hair through YouTube videos so he could be employed at the Univers Barber Shop

Some have asked how to add COCINA (www.haiticocina.org) as their preferred charity on AMAZON: Go to smile.amazon.com and sign in with your amazon password. Search for Coalition of Children In Need Association or COCINA and select it from the list. I then personally added it as a Bookmark (Favorite) so in one easy click I can order and donate to COCINA!

Blessed be your day!
Marylee

Our lunch program receives a wonderful blessing!

The Million Dollar Round Table has awarded COCINA with a $5,000 grant through their Worldwide Grant Program to assist with our school lunch program.

We are so grateful for their commitment to us!

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

The mission of the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation is to increase member and industry participation and to give funds to worthwhile charitable organizations throughout the world.

View the short clip about MDRT Foundation's history

Here's a photo of Hugues Bastien, Executive Director and Founder, and Tony Iannetta, Board President accepting the award at COCINA's 2014 Board Meeting:

Our students enjoying the lunch time meal:

Thank you so much, MDRT!

God's timing is...awesome!

What an awesome God we serve! Received Wonderful news today - Willens, the 10th grade student will head to Kentucky for the ESL Experience for the entire month in the USA!! Yahoo!
That leaves us with the following dates and students to place in host homes. Will you consider hosting and sponsoring an ESL student?  Please message or email me if you can host or donate!

We need Rose Mica and Roberson hosted for July 23 - August 2 (a little more than a week)
We need Roberson hosted for August 2 - August 10
We need Roberson hosted for August 10 - August 17
We need Roberson hosted for August 17 - August 22 (a little less than a week).
It's a $700 per student, per week monetary cost in addition to the host providing food and clothing . If you are unable to host, but want to donate, any amount is appreciated. This will help offset costs that the host family needs to meet. Donate to COCINA. P.O. Box 12695, Columbus, OH  43212 - Memo line: 2014 ESL Scholarship Fund.
You will love this experience - I promise!
Love,
Marylee

Roberson

 Rose Mica