Aslan Newsletter of February 15, 2000

Dear friends:

My son, Daniel, and I just returned from a weeklong trip to Aslan’s mission in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. I’d like to share one of my journal entries with you.

It’s our sixth day in Haiti and we went to Savane Au Lait today – a very remote village about 8 kilometers from Ouanaminthe. Pastor Louis desires to help the people of Savane Au Lait (who presently walk to worship at his church) build a church in their own village. The countryside is spectacularly beautiful – in the high hills with lush vegetation (bananas, coconut palms, etc.). An orange tree loaded with ripe fruit grows alongside another very tall tree in the midst of where the new church will stand.

Several men from Ouanaminthe have come with us to lay out the measurements for the church. As we arrive, there is singing and worship with a handful of people. They continue the entire time we are there (almost 2 hours). Sharpened stakes are driven into the fertile ground and strings are strung to various points in a square. One man with a machete must cut some vegetation in the way of the string. Children come to a well on the property. It is obvious they are unused to seeing white people (blanc in Creole), as Daniel and I are the center of much attention.

It is amazing the lengths these lovely people will go to in order to achieve their goals and dreams. As we drive past the public and private schools on the road back to Ouanaminthe, they are filled to the brim with students eager to learn. Along every road and path, we see children dressed in dark blue pants/skirts and light blue shirts/blouses for public schools along with various other colors for private schools. Upon our return, we see students walking home to Savane Au Lait from Pastor Louis’ school in Ouanaminthe! How early must these children arise to be at school by 7:00 a.m.? Amazing!

After school, the children of Haiti work. They don their old rags and pump water by hand – to carry heavy 5 gallon buckets on their heads or suspended on long sticks to their homes. They are fortunate to eat one meal a day of rice, beans, and perhaps a piece of fruit. Often they stave off their hunger with sugar cane. They are grateful to drink water they pump by hand from wells – water polluted by microorganisms that shorten their lives.

In the evenings the children in Ouanaminthe study by the light of kerosene lanterns – hungry to gain knowledge, the only hope they have to ever better their lives. And they study and study, even though their hard work may never be rewarded. A degree is only good if there is a job at the end of all the hard work. Seven of ten times, there is not. These young students often find themselves 21 years old or older and still in 9^th or 10^th grade. With too many mouths to feed, survival must often take precedence over school.

And yet, there is a joy in these beautiful people that will not be quenched. They refuse to give up. The people of Haiti look to the mountain blocking their way and they begin to climb – and they climb to the top only to be greeted each new morning with another mountain. And yes, they cry real tears. They do understand that they are desperately poor. They mourn the passing of each life, and they mourn much more often than most. Half the children die before they are 5 years old! Yes, amidst their joy there is much, much sorrow.

Yet, it is not only the children who strive for a better life. Last evening I was introduced to 6o men and women who are studying law. As the sun set amidst the Haitian hills and light faded, one of the supervisors lit two Coleman lanterns and hung them from the rafters. In the large room the light of 2 lanterns was woefully inadequate. However, it offered these hungry minds the chance to learn.

I hope I’ve been able to open a window through which you can glimpse the people we minister to in Haiti. As God continues to bless and expand Aslan’s ministry, we need your help for our children in Haiti every bit as much as we need it for our children in New Jersey. When you send your next gift to Aslan, please remember how much all our children need your help just to survive. With your gifts and your prayers, Aslan is helping raise up a new generation of children that will bring hope and leadership to an otherwise hopeless country. May God richly bless you your prayers and for your giving.

Most sincerely!

Craig

Craig Bogard