REACHING FOR A DREAM

Those of you who have visited Canaan probably know Erve Joseph and Edgard Milace. What you may not know is that they are both living with families here in Northeast Indiana. Erve was accepted at a local community college last Spring and arrived here in July to live with Doug and Amber Walker and their boys Luke & Garrett . Edgard returned here in October from Haiti to finish up his school work and check out local colleges. He is living with Jeremy and Maurine Freeman and their two kids Wyatt and Eden. A group of local people from Columbia City First Church of God formed a committee to sponsor and oversee their stay here in the U.S. They also established an educational fund to help finance the education of Haitian students who exhibit exceptional scholastic abilities for higher learning. Erve recently finished his first semester of college and received A's in all four of his classes. Next semester he will being carrying a full load of five classes. Three weeks ago we visited Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. as Erve looks for a four year university he can eventually transfer to. Through the generosity of Dr's. Ric & Wendy Bonnell , Erve is flying to Dallas, Texas today to spend a few days with them and look at some colleges in their area. Erve's dream is to one day be a doctor but for now he is focused on earning a usable 4 year degree. Edgard at this time is leaning toward automotive or diesel technician school . These two young men are not the only Canaan students pursuing their dream in the United States. Pricilla Mecklembourg is attendng Washington State University with the hope of also attaining a medical degree . These three are first generation Canaan students and are a testament to what you can achieve with hard work, good planning and staying focused on your dream. In God's love, steve

KEEP ON COMING

Well Christmas has come and gone and 2008 has only one more day before it is gone as well. Today has been sunny but just cold enough not to thaw the ground or the ice on the Northeast Indiana lake where we have a home. The snow that gave us such a beautiful white Christmas as well as the sheet of ice that covered our streets and trees has all melted away till another winter storm blows in. Only the most ardent hater of Winter could not fail to see the beauty of it all. I'm often asked how I can leave the warm tropical weather of Haiti and come back here where many nights the temperature is single digit. Yet I can't imagine not being here, even in the winter the beauty of God's creation shines through. It's a time to get together with family and friends to rejoice in the real meaning of the Season. Our family also has five birthdays to celebrate in Dec. and this year we added another with Edgard Milace a Canaan student who is staying here till April . A group of his friends got together and gave him a real surprise birthday party.

In less than a week I will once again return to my home in Haiti and jump back into another culture and routine. The next several months people from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Texas and S. Carolina will join me at Canaan. They are men, women, teenagers and even children from not only different states but a variety of backgrounds and careers. Yet they all have one thing in common. They have come to Haiti to be a part of something much bigger than themselves, they come to be a part of the Great Commision. They come with love and compassion and empowered by the Holy Spirit they come to "make a difference". Whether it's through construction projects, ministry programs, teaching, evangelizing , medical outreaches or just being there they leave us with many blessings. Yet in the process they go away being blessed themselves . They go away seeing the world and their part in it a different way. They go back to their homes, families, churches and communities and because they changed the world has changed, they really are "making a difference". In God's love, steve