December Update

Hello again everyone. I just returned from another successful trip to Haiti. It is awesome to see God at work in the lives of our children there. On Monday, we made a trip down to the new orphanage, along with all the boys. We took the table, chairs, mattresses, fans, stove, and many other items with us. The boys really enjoyed helping us move the stuff into their new house. They are so excited about the new opportunities that God is providing for them.

The road leading up to the orphanage has suffered a lot of damage from all the rain that has fell in south Haiti in the last month. It was difficult to navigate through all the ruts in the road, and at one point we had to push the truck after it got stuck in the mud. When we walked into the house, we were surprised to see several inches of water standing in the floor. Since the entire house is made from concrete, it didn't do any damage, but it took us several hours to mop it up. We just assumed it was from all the rain, but after closer inspection, we discovered it was leaking from the pipes running into the kitchen. This was a blessing that we didn't expect! It seems all the rain has started the water flowing in that area of town again. This means that for now there is water in the house, although not enough pressure to fill the cistern on the roof. With all that said, here is the situation on the water. We can go ahead and move the kids in with the amount of water we have now. As soon as the road dries out, they will be coming to fix the road and drill the well, which will permanently fix the problem.

Last Tuesday, the three older boys (Mika, Julmis, and Fito) were heading back to the capital after helping us move the stuff into the house. They were traveling with one of our helpers in the truck that we often use while in Haiti. The axle broke on the front of the truck which sent it flipping over and totalled the truck. It was a very serious accident, but miraculously, none of the four involved had even a scratch. After seeing the truck, it was hard to believe they weren't killed. It was a clear testimony to the kids that God had his hand on them and was protecting them. Praise the Lord!

Please pray about this: This Saturday, the kids will be leaving the capital and moving into their new home. Next week they will be taking placement exams in their new school. This will let the teachers know where to place them when the new semester starts in January.

Here is a list of additional prayer requests: Pray that the kids will adjust in their new home and community, pray for Marie (the house mother of all the kids), pray that God will help us meet the financial costs of operating the orphanage every month, pray that God will help us solve the transportation problem we now have since our helper's truck was wrecked, and pray that God will help us meet the need of school tuition for the kids (school is not free in Haiti, and we will need to come up with about $125 per child).

Also, please view the short thank you messages several of the kids gave. We hope it will bless you as much as it blessed us! It is so cool to see how Jesus Christ has changed their lives, and how He is shaping them to be great Christian leaders in the future!

Building Eternity,

Steve, Ashley, Mya, & Elijah Horne