Greetings:
As I sit down to write this article today, I would just like to express that there is a lot to be thankful for and excited about as we look at what has been done in Pignon and with Promise for Haiti.
The streets in Pignon have just about all been paved. While this has caused some stress for some folks and especially those people who had some of their houses damaged, I think overall there is a good feeling among the citizens of Pignon about what has been accomplished. There has also been a very beautiful city park erected that is a great sense of pride for the citizens of Pignon. Speaking of roads, there is also great anticipation about the road that is being built from Port au Prince to Cap Haitian. Right now it is done from Port to Hinche. This road could be the answer to economic development of the area as there will be a good road connecting Port to Cap.
Another project that is causing excitement is that of electric poles being strung into Pignon and other cities in Haiti. I don't think at this time we can say what this means for the citizens of Haiti, but the possibility of electricity coming to these areas is exciting. Along with electricity, there is still a water project going on - wow if the area could have electricity and water, what a difference that would make for everybody.
Thanks to Rotary, the new septic system for the hospital is about to become a reality. This system will be a gravity fed system and should require little if any maintenance. The plan right now is to still keep the old system as a back up, but chances are we will never need it. Thank you Rotary for the grant and thank you to so many who have had a huge part in making this happen. A special thank you to Larry Madole and Herb Sikkink for overseeing the actual work of getting it done.
The Jaipur clinic is also now a reality. Patients are being seen and are being fitted for new limbs. When I was there in August there were 5 patients staying in the patient dorm who were there to get these life changing limbs. Words cannot probably express what a difference this will make in the life of those Haitians who have experienced this great gift. Again we have to give thanks to Rotary.
If you get the privilege of coming to Haiti with a team this year, please notice that most of the buildings including the hospital have all been painted. Everything looks fantastic.
When you look at the schedule, you will also notice that there are many teams scheduled to come to Pignon this year. We are so thankful for all the volunteers who come and serve this great mission.
The schools in Haiti opened on October 3. We are excited about all the schools that we support in Haiti, but especially for the 9 Christian schools that have been built by so many great groups who have a special heart for the children of Haiti. We had an unbelievable teacher training that took place this past August. There we around 70 teachers who were blessed for four days with just great teaching. They were also introduced to text books that are going to be used in the schools for the first time since the schools have been started. A big thank you to H.E.L.P. and Joanne Schafer and Bev Brand for making this happen. They have put together a marvelous 3 year plan for school improvement.
I also want to thank all of you who so generously contribute to this great mission. Your gifts are greatly appreciated and are not overlooked. I would like to say that we are at a good place financially but that would be misleading. We need your help to keep everything going in Pignon. Anything that you can help us with right now would be greatly appreciated. I would ask that you go to (
www.promiseforhaiti.org) and click the button that gives you the information about the Health Development Account. This is a way in which you can make the hospital sustainable and it also really is a way to bless the people around the Pignon area who need health care.
The Lord has been so good to us over the last 30 years of this mission. There is so much to be thankful for. The mission is serving the Lord and also serving the people of the greater Pignon area. I know that all of you who have been associated with this mission truly do love it and the people that we serve. May we continue to ask the Lord for his blessing at this time as we walk together in ministry.
Denny Brand, Executive Director
Promise for Haiti Inc.
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