Wrapping up 2013

Happy New Year 2014

It has been an amazing two months since we last wrote.  The children have gotten into the swing of being back in school, and EGO celebrated 21 years of education on December 13th. 

 Do you realize how many children have come through during that time? Continue to pray for the school as they work with many families who start the school year, but then are unable to pay the tuition necessary to keep their child(ren) in school.

During the month of November, one of our special needs babies, Saraphina, stopped breathing and had to be in the hospital for twelve days. Three days were in Dessalines and the rest were in a pediatric hospital in Port-au-Prince.  Thank you to those of you who stepped forward to help provide for her medical needs during that time. EGO now has a mini oxygen tank on hand for emergencies. Continue to pray for little Saraphina as she fights each day to stay alive. *We are still seeking a miracle that would allow her to get to the US for surgery to repair the hole in her heart.*

Also during November, we had a couple of wonderful teams here at EGO that worked tirelessly to help get some projects completed.  Many thanks to all who came and labored on the boys bathroom and front porch, through the heat. 

We have a new Facebook page called Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage. Please make sure to check us out and give us a “like”.  You may also continue to use our website as well for updates:
http://www.ebenezerglennorphanage.org/#/news

December came so quickly and in only a few short days toy trucks and treasure boxes were made for the children for Christmas.  A big thanks to the Merrill family who came and helped to paint and put together the push go-cart that the kids play with for hours every day! Christmas morning was beautiful with the sun shining and the children all bathed and dressed for opening presents.  We spent time reading about the birth of Christ and talking about how the gift God sent of His Son was the best gift of all.

In 2012, the Social Affairs Dept. in Haiti, called IBESR, started requiring orphanages to hold strictly to keeping 0-18 year old children. As of January 1, 2014, Ebenezer Glenn no longer has any child over the age of 18 that is not an employee. We are in the process of establishing a transition house in Port-au-Prince for future teens who need to leave EGO, but still need further education. The cost of this transition is $2,600 (US) per teen. Please prayerfully consider how you might be able to help in this area. If you are sponsoring one of these teens, your support will still continue to go toward their education and/or food allowance.

The year 2014 brings with it many challenges and changes for EGO. Our vision for continued improvements and training is moving forward. We have been blessed time and again when you listen to God’s call to either come and provide labor, or send support to keep EGO running on a day-to-day basis. The children are growing not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well, because of your generosity.  Thank you!

Serving where He has called,

The Drowleys (Ken, Marla & Max)

Editor’s Note:  Online donations may be made on our website.  http://www.ebenezerglennorphanage.org/#/donate
Thank you for all you do! 

Gwen Schmidt, EGO Admin
616-550-3469 or ego2haiti@gmail.com.  1726 Gun Club Rd., Caro MI 48723

October 31, 2013

Doris has asked that I write the newsletters from here on the “front lines,” so here goes!  For those who do not know already, we are the Drowley's: Ken, Marla, Samantha (Sam) and Maxwell (Max).  We arrived at EGO on August 17, 2012.  After fourteen months, we are still just getting our feet wet.  It has been an amazing year!  Our daughter, Sam,  graduated with honors from high school in May and is now back in Jackson, MI, attending Spring Arbor University, so she is no longer here with us.

Don & Doris have been busy visiting family and friends, plus seeking medical attention and relaxing back in the states.  Please continue to pray for them that they are encouraged and rejuvenated.  

Summer has faded away and school has begun (for us here in Haiti – October  1st).  Also, work teams are beginning to come again. We did not have any teams for September and October, so much of the work turned into routine maintenance and housekeeping.  As far as projects go, the boy’s bathroom is almost finished.  We have a team coming from Michigan the first week in November and we are hoping to finish this project.  Next we will be adding on a bathroom to the baby dorm.  If any of your organizations want to tackle this project, either financially or physically, please feel free to contact Gwen and we will give you the specifics.

The first Saturday of each month we celebrate birthdays for that month, and October had eight children with birthdays.  It was quite the celebration with cupcakes, candy and games!

The hens are still laying about 40 eggs per day and we have broilers getting bigger every day.  The cooks cannot wait to butcher them.  With the high prices of food in Haiti right now, many people arrive at the gate each day looking for help with food or school.  It is a difficult challenge to decide who needs the help.  We are ever grateful for Madam Suze and her knowledge of the community.  She is a great help as an administrator of the orphanage.  We’re also thankful for the recent container of food paks sent by Lowell Yoder.  These help us out so much! 

We are growing here at EGO.  The Haitian government that regulates orphanages has passed many new laws regarding how things are run and how adoptions are handled.   We now have a crèche at EGO called Victory Glenn Creche. Most of you know it as the “baby dorm”.  This is so we can continue to receive babies who are orphaned, abandoned, or in need.  Since starting to accept babies again in January 2013, we are now up ten new faces.

We also can no longer keep the children here at EGO once they reach the age of 18.  Therefore, we must come up with some sort of transition housing and schooling for them so they can complete their education.  The main objective is to get them reunited with their relatives, but in many cases this is not possible.  Families live too far away from universities, professional schools, or have no room to take the children.  It has been an interesting situation for us to deal with this summer.  Please continue to pray for this transition.

With school starting, we are also having an outbreak of the flu. It even hit our house and we were down for about four-five days this past week. Many of the little children are battling the high fever and all are coughing and having runny noses.  If any of you are like us, it is awful being sick.  But these little guys are like the energizer bunny and they just keep going and going and going.  It is amazing their energy level even when they do not feel good.

Many of you have been praying along with us regarding a 40 foot container that was to be shipped over 14 months ago.  It finally arrived at the end of September and brought with it the many tools and equipment needed for starting our woodworking and mechanical classes.  Ken was able to start the woodworking portion by building benches/school desks for the school.  Wishing we could attach about one hundred pictures of all the things that happened this month, but since we cannot, we will just let you plan a trip to EGO so you can see it all for yourselves!

the Drowley's

Editor’s Note:  As you read “between the lines” above, you can see that there are so many areas in which you can be a huge help and blessing to EGO!  We love to have teams visit EGO to help with work projects.  We also are always so grateful for your financial gifts, either for general purposes or toward one of our ongoing “special projects”.  Check out our updated website at www.ebenezerglennorphanage.com for more information on both!  You can also contact me at 616-550-3469, by email at ego2haiti@gmail.com, or by “snail-mail” at 1726 Gun Club Rd, Caro  MI  48723.  Thank you!

To our Dear Friends and Family.


QUIET?  YES! Not that we would like it this way always….but just a little break is nice!

The children were up here early this morning remembering things they had forgotten the night before in preparation for their trip! They had to carry their noon meal.  Joceline, bless her heart, came yesterday afternoon, baked cookies, cooked rice, chicken and sauce, fried ripe bananas, macaroni salad and much more.   Of course she had a little help from some of the girls!

Yes this is the great long awaited day for 24 of our children and 72 in all that left the morning of the last day of May on the bus for the IMP school outing. Everyone returned exhausted, including Rachelle and I’m sure the Professors that went also.  Please continue to pray finances will come in to fill the gap where some of the poorer parents are unable to pay. This is quite a struggle and some of the teachers do not receive their monthly salary.  They have been more than patient with us and we do not want to lose such highly qualified teachers.   Last year we were the only school in the area where every student who took the government test passed.  This is quite a compliment!  The government would love to take the school over but we would lose our opportunity to have Bible classes and a spiritual emphasis, a school where a heart change and a life choice for Christ is presented as a choice for every student.    Also, the government  has chosen our school again this year to hold the Government exams.

We hear Madam President might be coming to Dessalines in the near future and just might visit E.G.O.   In years past,  President Jean Claude Duvalier came to Dessalines and was going to visit the orphanage. We had the children all dressed up in their best, waiting. He went to visit the Spring which you’ve heard is supposed to have special spirits…. After waiting for a long time I decided to mount Babe, our horse and rode out around the crowds on the other side of the spring. Everyone said, “He’s coming, he’s coming”…… but he never did.    We don’t have a horse this time………but if we did, I just might ride it anyway!

Now for the important things:                                                                                       

The rains finally came –  Our 28-year-old tractor is still running but it’s impossible to get parts now without going on line. Watson got stuck in the garden spinning the wheels and didn’t realize he was digging a hole. Dad had to jack the tractor up to get him out. We’re sure he has learned his lesson. He is a fast learner!   They have some rows of corn planted and Dad is transplanting some plants.

We are now cooking with gas in the Kitchen! Everyone is enjoying the clear air.  It seems they need to continually be reminded,  “please turn the flame down under the kettles!”   The girls are enjoying the luxury and privacy of their new showers in their bathroom.  The boys are waiting for theirs to be built.

Thanks to Russ Cole and team we have a tank around 30 feet high that holds 1000 gallons of water. The water is pumped up by solar power. Everyone is enjoying the running water, especially the wash ladies.  They so appreciate that water comes out of a facet instead of having to use the hand pump. Sometime the hand pump is still used, especially after the sun goes down when the solar power wanes away.

Several teams came earlier this year and now they are gone. We really appreciate all the hard work and willing hands that accomplished so much in so little time. God’s blessings on you.

The fish tanks are being cleaned in preparation to house a new batch of fingerlings (about an inch and a half long) that we will be buying. The rice has been harvested.  Praise God, we received 30 bags. Of course this won’t last until the next harvest but it surely does help. The seed beds have been prepared, fertilized and planted. They will grow for three months and when transplanted it will be three months before the harvest.  Mangos are still plentiful, Praise God. During this season we rarely have any sicknesses.  The lawn is green and beautiful from the pouring rains.   The grape vines have been pruned and now little clusters of grapes are forming.    

I guess you’ve heard we have a little calf.  It’s a bull.  Of course we would rather have had a heifer…perhaps next time. The boys take turns milking morning and evening and the little ones are sure enjoying the milk while we are waiting for the big goats to deliver. The Drowleys are back  home now in the States for graduations etc.  We are looking forward to their return soon.

Many of you have heard that we are having difficulties getting a container.  That was an understatement!  I think we have had things in a storage unit for about two years.  But it sounds like one might be opening up…Praise God!  Drowleys have been waiting for one to come also.  There are Dental chairs and equipment for the Dessalines hospital in the storage also. Please join in praying with us that this will happen quickly.

God has been so very good to us giving us good health.  We remember Him saying, “I will be with you even in your old age.”  He certainly has done what He said he would do! Praise His Name.

May we thank those of you that have continued to support this ministry for many years.  Without God and you backing us up where would we AND all of the children be today??  We are so blessed to have you folks that have stayed with us all these years financially and most of all in your prayers. Thank you so very much.  Love you bunches!

Still standing in the Gap,

Don & Doris Peavey