Pentecost 2003 - Pere Bruno

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel 37:1-3

Dear Friends,

Each time I travel from Ouanaminthe, the first town one finds after crossing the border from the Dominican Republic at the Northeast point to Terrier Rouge and the St Barthélémy Center, I feel that I am walking in a “valley of dry bones.” The text of the prophet Ezekiel comes alive in my mind. The panorama I contemplate is the same described by the prophet.

The trip, known as a “Haitian massage”, in normal conditions takes half an hour. Now, it lasts two hours. The distance between the two towns is only 40 kilometers (25 miles). But when you travel in Haiti you do not measure distance in kilometers but in time. The dirt road, full of deep holes, is the first obstacle we encounter. During the rainy season vehicles upon vehicles are stuck in the mud. The road looks like a cemetery. There is no way to move. Four wheel-drive vehicles or big trucks can only take a chance. In the dry season, you are exposed to a lot of dust. You need an air conditioned vehicle. There is no time when the trip is an enjoyable one.

When the flat land is dry and dusty, one can count the ribs of every cow eating the rest of the burning grass. A little bit further one can see the skeleton of the mountain slope completely washed down because of erosion. Everywhere on the road piles of charcoal made from cutting trees are waiting to be taken to the market. You see many people walking on both sides of the road some of them not knowing their destination. They are walking like “dead people on vacation” seeking their daily bread, trying only to survive.

This situation is not specific to northeast Haiti; it is the same all over the country. As I see it, Haiti is a vast “valley of dry bones.” But the good news is that the vision of the Prophet did not stay there. It went further. Later on those bones become alive. The Sovereign Lord puts breath into them and restores life to them.

My prayer at Pentecost is that the Lord’s Spirit will put breath into Haiti and the dry bones will have life. I am praying and expecting big improvements in the country. The day will come when the roads will be fixed, when the eroded mountains will be turned into forests, the dry land into green pastures, when our children will have access to good education, when our youth will not cross the border to meet humiliation but will stay home, when the political system will be less corrupt and justice will be for all. I am dreaming of that Day, the Day of the Lord.

I have seen the beginning of this dream in the work you and I are doing in Terrier Rouge and in other parts of the North. The education of the children is our only hope. Thank you for accompanying us in this endeavor. We are encouraged and sustained by your prayers, your generosity, your work and your visits. We need to continue to do the work together for the purpose is a noble one and it pleases the Lord.

I would like to update you on the progress of the work at Terrier Rouge. We are adding the second floor to the school. Right now the first part of the roof is poured. We are plastering it and at the same time we are working on the second part, which will be poured by the time this newsletter arrives in your mailbox. Our 60 children are doing well in school. Some of them know already how to write and read. They know the basics of arithmetic. We are very proud of them. We have started registering new ones for the next school year. We are working with a company whose expertise is in alternative energy to reinforce our electrical power. With a combined system of solar panels and wind turbine we can have sufficient energy to run the school and the computer labs we will add for adult education.

From May 26 to 28, the Center has sponsored a three-day clinic operated by a group of 20 ophthalmologists from Canada. They have seen around 2000 people with eye problems. We have used the facilities of the school and our dormitory. As you know health care is very important but lacking in the area. We encourage missions of this nature.

The Vocational School in Cap Haitien and the other elementary schools which you support are in their final weeks. Examinations will be soon and summer is already at hand. Possibilities for you to help are limitless. Here is a long list of needs:

First of all, I ask you to renew your scholarship support so we can maintain those who are in school and register new ones. Remember that $150.00 will support an elementary child’s tuition and $350.00 will support a vocational student.

We need more student desks and chairs. Sponsor a desk or a chair for $35.00

This summer during the month of July, we will have a vacation Bible program for the children of the neighborhood in Terrier Rouge. We expect to have around 150 children. We would like to have volunteers from all over the world to help us. Would you like to be one? We would love that! If you cannot come in person, you can sponsor a young person by providing a Bible or a snack for them. The cost of a Bible is $5.00; the cost of the program is $20.00. We are asking your Youth group or Acolytes; your ECW or Women’s circle to sponsor a child. It will be worthwhile. Our program will include crafts, art, and many other practical things. If you can personally participate, let me know by email: RPJMBruno@aol.com.

To enable our environmental efforts, donations of a solar panel: $400.00 or a Deep cycle battery: $70.00 will help us become the first project in northern Haiti to restore life to the “valley of dry bones.”

As always we count on your help for the success of the ministry. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen us so we may do together God’s will which is to take care of His people.

This comes with the assurance of my prayers.

Jean Monique Bruno