The village

Many have heard about what is happening in the village but I wanted to let the rest know and clarify what's happening.

About 2 weeks ago, 3 Haitian men living in Caraballo, I'm not sure who they are, killed a Dominican motorcycle taxi from Caraballo. The three Haitians were hidden away in some of the houses in the village for 3 days, in which time frustrations rose from the Dominicans. The Dominicans started going through houses in the village looking for them, then the police and military got involved. It turned into quite a Dominican-Haitian conflict as the Haitians are here illegally and for the most part unrecognized by the government. The Haitians were being thrown out of houses and others, out of fear of riots and violence, have fled the village.

Both sides have made homemade bombs and guns, so the scare is real. Military got involved in the beginning but it appears that things have calmed down now.

At last check, of the approx. 200 Haitian families that were in the village, about 50 remain. I talked with one of our favorite workers today, Fransua, who is staying with his family in Montellano at a friend's house. He has hope that things will get better and they will be allowed back into their homes soon.

We know and trust that things will improve, we have seen trials before and will get through this as well. Please keep these families and the community in your thoughts and prayers as we hope to be able to get back to school soon and know that everyone is safe at home.