The Trail of Lost Soles – Part 2

We finally arrived at the Jeanitte School and were greeted by the elderly pastor, a young school principal, and several sharply dressed men. The school was built with wooden poles together with walls of small rocks and mud and a tin roof. I quickly realized not to lean on the walls as the dried mud would often start to crumble when I put my hand on it. It was one building about 100 feet long, with dividers separating the three classrooms. Here the kids learned their schoolwork and were fed daily with the Word of God and a tasty noon meal of rice and beans provided by your donations to Trinity/HOPE.
While at the school, we ensured the feeding program was administered correctly, checking to see that the meals were properly made and correct portions being served to the various age and sized children. We had to hike another half hour to inspect the facility where the food was securely stored. Every school day, both food and water needed to be carried from this facility to the school to prepare the noon meals. How easy we have it, don’t we, with our stocked pantries, numerous restaurants and kitchen faucets?
We shared Bible stories with each class. We often did interactive stories like the ones of the lost sheep and we highlighted God’s care for us using the “trust fall” (see picture on right). These brought smiles to the children’s faces as we had them join in making the sound of sheep and watching a classmate fall backwards to be caught halfway to the ground by our hands. They sang a welcome song for us and later drew pictures that they proudly made to be shared with Vacation Bible School kids here. With the children dressed neatly in their school uniforms, smiles on their faces, stomachs filled with a tasty lunch and the shared Word of God in their hearts, this remote school is can be truly recognized as a place of hope for these children, the teachers, principal, pastors and their families.