Nou La

Nou la is a common Haitian response to the "How are you?" question...directly translated "We're Here."

That's us today, nothing more or less...Nou La.  


We still have a large number of students here with us, many unable to go home, so we continued on with classes today.  Matt and I are teaching all the languages in the mornings, and then the Coopers and Matt, with the help of Belony and Joab, are teaching the Bible courses the rest of the morning and into the afternoons.  Not ONE of our national teaching staff has been able to be in since Monday, so we are pressing on a bit short-handed.

However, the students and staff who are here have been great and flexible.  Tomorrow is a major national holiday celebrating the final fight of independence Haiti won against France.  It took place right outside of Cap-Haitien, so the celebrations annually take place there, with many government officials from southern Haiti usually coming in for this.

We are hoping it is this holiday that will end, or at least delay for a few days, the continued violence and riots throughout the north.  It is an important holiday to every Haitian, and no one wants to be locked in their homes afraid to leave on a major holiday leading into a major holiday weekend.  We are praying that this will calm things down a bit, at least for the weekend, and enable our students to get home to check on and be with their families, and enable staff and students to get back safely Sunday night for a full week next week...election week.

We have been working hard to understand how all of these issues this week are linked to the election next Sunday, knowing that this is no coincidence but not quite understanding how it all works.  I don't want to get into politics on a public domain, but after more discussion with more people yesterday and today, it does seem QUITE interesting that last Friday, everyone was angry at the government for not doing anything to help with Cholera, everyone was refusing to participate in the elections, moral way way down, etc...and then just two days later, after some key candidates pegged cholera, violence, enslavement and even plans for dictatorship on the UN... suddenly the government is heroic, the peace-keepers are the enemy, and several candidates who have promised to kick the UN out of Haiti forever have become insanely popular overnight.

Moral in Haiti is restored, people who are tired of being hungry and poor and sick have a good excuse to violently vent out some of the stress and frustration that comes from life in Haiti being SO hard EVERY day, and the UN, who no one ever really liked anyway, is an easy target.

At least that's our theory :)  Either way, it is sad to see how many already have been injured or killed during this time, and how many continue to contract and die from Cholera while battles rage.

It is a GIFT this morning to hear the Word of God being taught to my right and left while shouting continues over our walls, to hear the staff and students unite in praise songs to the One True God, to hear fifty prayers loudly lifted at the same time for our families, our country, our politics, and His people.  It is the ONLY true balm, the ONLY true relief, the ONLY true need of Haiti...His desired presence.

While Nou La always sounds quite depressing, we are realizing more and more that in Haiti, it is actually the citation of a miracle.  Because of Him, His grace and His presence, we are HERE this morning when a lot of people who were here yesterday are not.  We have good health, a good little girl, a good marriage, a good calling, a good work, a good community and a GOOD God.  Praise the Lord.