Dear friends,

A work crew from the Lynden area will be leaving on the 21st of this month for Haiti to put the roof on the new orphanage building.  This team includes Doug Jarvie and his father from Canada, who are specialists in the plumbing and electrical areas and will be working on those areas of the orphanage.  Glenn Bridges, from California, his son, and a friend will have been in Haiti a couple weeks already, preparing for the roof crew.  It is interesting to see people God brings together.  Please pray for this crew as their focus is on getting a lot of work done.

Many of you have asked about the green card for Leonette (Pastor Diogene’s wife) as you continue to pray for her and that need.  She has not yet gotten her green card.  We are told that there is a quota to be met in March and we hope this will be God’s timing to give her the card so she can go back to Haiti.

Pastor Diogene tells us that the four children from the orphanage who graduated from the 6th grade last spring and went on to secondary school in Port au Prince in the fall have received their first report.  Three of them are doing very well but one is working below what is expected for the first year.  Please pray for this gal, as Diogene says she is capable of doing better but lacked  motivation this first semester.

One of the boys at the orphanage was caught stealing this past month.  He is 11 years old and has lived in the orphanage about 4 years.  He was from the Pont Sonde village, where the original orphanage was located.  His father has died but his mother and siblings still live in Pont Sonde.  His mother is so poor.  However, because of this child’s unrepentant heart the Starfish Ministries Board decided it would be best to remove this child from the orphanage.  This board is made up of three women and two men from the Tricotte village.  We are very thankful for this board.  They are of the Haitian culture,  and are involved in the daily operation of the orphanage.  We feel they know what is best for all concerned.  Pastor Diogene took the child back to his mother in Pont Sonde. (This would be 4 – 5 hours from Tricotte).  She was very sad and cried much.  Pastor Diogene asked that the support for this child be continued.  He will work with the mother using part of this support to help her buy and sell a few goods to earn a little bit to feed her family.  Pastor Diogene will also see that this child continues in school.  At the end of June the situation will be evaluated and if there is a heart change and he has done well otherwise, he will be allowed to go back to the orphanage.  Please pray for this young child.

Thank you, once again, for your continued financial support, your prayers, and encouragement.

Serving the Lord together,

Bernie and Sheryl Bovenkamp

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