October Update

Dear friends and family,

Greetings from Haiti!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 11 months since I arrived in Haiti. In some ways I feel like I just arrived here yesterday, in other ways, I feel like I’ve been here for years. So much has happened in that time – some good and some bad – no matter which, I’ve learned so much about myself, my faith, my God, and I feel like I’m just starting to really learn about Haiti. Just when I think I’ve mastered some revelation of why Haiti is the way it is, I stumble upon some other fact or truth that just opens up the door to more questions. I’ve been doing a lot of processing in my head – I’ve meant to share more of it with you on my blog, but sometimes I just can’t put it all into words on a screen. I’ll try to get better at that!

That being said, things are going well here. Summer vacation is over – kids are back in school and life is getting back to its regular rhythm. Things at the clinic have been steady. Dr. Manno was particularly busy during August and September as Dr. Joselie was on vacation. There is still work to be done on the new hospital and a lot of planning to be done before it can open.

We have a couple of groups lined up to visit in the next month. The first is a group from the Covenant Church in Breton. This is the first time for this church to visit Haut Limbe so I’m very excited to show them around and have them experience this community. They will be working on some more tiling in the hospital as well as some painting, cleaning and organizing. About a week or so after they leave, I will be hosting a group from a Covenant Church in Minnesota. They will continue the work on the hospital as well as assisting in the clinic as they have a few medical professionals coming with them.

Before that group leaves, I will be flying out to Florida to spend a week with my parents, sister and brother-in-law and their children. We’ll be going to Disneyworld, Seaworld and just spending time together as a family. There is also a rumour that we will have a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner too!

My original plan was to return back to Canada after our vacation, but I have decided to stay on here in Haiti longer. Right now, I’m looking at staying until the Spring of 2011. I feel like this past year was such a learning experience, I want to put all I have learned to use for hosting the upcoming groups.

To do this, I am humbly asking for your continued prayer and financial support for my ministry. I am so grateful for all the support you have shown me in the past year – it is so encouraging, and I know I wouldn’t have been able to be here without it.

There are a number of ways you can support me in prayer:
• For me to stay healthy and strong to fight off any illness or fatigue;
• For me to continue to learn and understand more Creole;
• For me to have patience and understanding when dealing with cultural differences;
• For me to find ways to continue to find ways to be spiritually fed (I’m beginning to understand Creole sermons, but it is still a struggle)

If you would like to continue (or begin) to support me financially, you can do it a couple of ways. All donations can be made through the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada and are eligible for a tax receipt.

If you would like donate by cheque, please download a response card, complete and mail to the address given. Please make sure my name is does not appear on the cheque.

If you would like to donate online, you can through CanadaHelps.org. Please designate your donation to Haiti Clinic and in the comment space indicate your donation is for Janelle Peterson.

I would also encourage you to consider supporting the ongoing work of Ebenezer Clinic. You can do that the same way as supporting me; just indicate your donation is for the Haiti Clinic.

Thanks again for partnering with me in this ministry. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Blessings,

Janelle Peterson