Tropical storm Isaac came and went...as storms always do.  We saw some strong winds on Friday evening, then a clam night, and then a weekend of rain. 

I remember learning that our town is located at 18 degrees N and 73 degrees W.  The National Hurricane Service lists the location of Isaac on Friday night @ 11:00 pm as:  17.7N and 72.5W.    So it pretty much went right over us.  By God's grace Isaac was unorganized and weak at that point.  I noticed a couple of trees down in our area before I left.  Hadn't heard of any real threat to life.  Gardens were surely destroyed, banana trees and such.

I flew home on Tuesday as scheduled and am back home in PA now.  It's great to be in the USA. 

I met a man on the plane out of Haiti.  He's doing work in the Jeremi area with young people.  He's Haitian, but left Haiti as a teenager.  What an inspiring man!  I believe that Haitians like himself are the people best qualified to lift Haitians out of their situation.  He's convinced that charity weakens people in many situations.  I am too.  He brings the kids a message of performance:  Don't expect someone to do for you...Get up and be your best.  It's simple.  But so many Haitians live with the hope that someone will visit them with gifts to make their life better.  And they wait, and they wait.  They live their lives waiting.  Meanwhile, I believe God waits on them to serve Him, grow in Him, and

We spent all of last week under the hot Haitian summer sun preparing the cement pad that will receive the 16x32 steel building we'll call the ASAPH Teaching Center.  I did as much as I could myself (which wasn't much) to help lower labor costs a bit.  It turned out pretty well, but not as well as the first pad.  The mason will have to come back and redo a couple of places where the cement has 'lifted'.  Oops. 

So now I pretty much end the 'Haitian' part of the construction.  What's left is waiting for the steel buildings and then erecting them on the cement pads.  No real ideas yet as to when that might actually happen.  :( 

I'm closing up operations here this week.  On Saturday I'll assist the graduation from university studies of Pierre-Louis Esprenord.  He lived with me for a year or two before moving to Cayes where he has been studying.  It's a big deal to get this far in Haiti.  I'm proud of the work he's done and the things he has endured to make this far.  Hopefully, he'll be gainfully employed in the fall.  Gainfully employed in Haiti.  It's like finding that needle in the haystack. 

Next week then I'll fly home to PA for about one month or so.  Looking forward to seeing all of my pale, long-nosed family members and friends.  If you or your group would like to receive a visit from me with an ASAPH presentation, please contact me.  I'm delighted to have the chance to share what goes on here in this ministry.

I read somewhere that Solar Summer is now over.  Whew.  Feels better already (sarcasm).

The hurricane going by to the south has given us some needed rain...and a bit of wind.  It reminded me to get busy making my window shutters BEFORE we are in the path of a storm.  Hope to have them done this week.  I have shutters for 2 1/2 of my five windows already.  That works for a typical rain.  In storms, though, rain can come from all directions, so you need to have 100% coverage. 

I spent last week teaching the Bible to 25 or 30 young people in town.  They were a great group.  I think alot of us came away with a little more faith.  The Bible is like that.  Spend time with it, and your faith grows.  It's a fantastic book.  Be sure you are understanding it better each day. 

I've only seen about 60 minutes of olympic coverage.  It was a soccer game with Brezil playing against Honduras.  That's about all that folks here care deeply about.  They did show some speed walking at halftime.  That just looks silly.  We enjoyed it....if not for the right reasons. 

This week I am planning on having people put in the cement pad where the Teaching Center will stand.  It's behind schedule a bit.  I'm praying we can get it in place and be officially ready for the steel buildings to arrive here.  No word yet on when that might happen. 

Sixth and ninth graders have gotten their state exam results.  It's a great day for those who pass.  It's a lousy day for those who don't.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason sometimes.  I know a young man who should have passed.  Now he has to deal with what to do next year...change schools? ...stay in the same place?  ...move away to go to school?  Tough decisions.