Merry Christmas!
“And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10
There have been many times this past year when we have had to remember to “fear not”. God has been our faithful Savior and friend. He has sent many to come alongside us to serve us and help us serve Him better in sharing the good news of the Savior whose birth we celebrate. It is with great joy that we join Him in spreading this news in Haiti. Thank you for partnering with us in bringing the good news to Haiti. We hope to be able to share with many of you face to face what He has done in the coming new year!
From our family to yours…
Interview with Elita Marguerite
What are you praying for?
“I am praying for others to hear and understand the gospel.”
What prayer request do you have?
“I would like to ask for prayer that my sister will receive her visa soon.”
What is your favorite subject in school?
“My favorite subject in school is Social Studies and I like English a lot too.”
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
“Seeing my family again.”
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
“Finding and collecting seashells at the beach, eating mangos, and riding bikes with my brothers, sister and other kids on the street.”
Elita switched from everyone calling her “Marguerite” this past year when we moved to St. Marc in January and she began a new school. It took a little while for her brothers and sisters to make the switch but everyone is officially calling her “Elita” now. She moved up to the high school building this year (where Eric works) and is enjoying new friendships. She reminds us daily that she is not a baby anymore though we tell her she will always be our baby no matter how old she gets! Elita studies very hard every day and often right up until bedtime. She is a cheerful help translating for teams and often us parents when we need it (especially on hard to interpret phone calls). She is always quick to volunteer help in the kitchen if vegetables need to be washed and cut, but not usually for dirty dishes. She is pickiest eater but we let her get away with it because she is also our healthiest eater. Her favorite activity when she gets a chance is watching memorizing movies and then quoting them for days to come. But this year she has learned to LOVE reading and occasionally chooses reading a good book over a movie! She is learning how to deal with peer pressure and speaking up for what she believes is right. We are so proud of her!
Interview with Esmée
What are you praying for?
“I am praying for my visa approval and also for the son of the lady in our church and his friends who were hurt and the families of those who were killed in Afghanistan,”
What prayer request do you have?
“I would like others to pray for the children that do not have any parents who are sitting in orphanages and having a bad day.”
What is your favorite subject in school?
“My favorite subject in school is Social Studies.”
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
“I am so excited to ride on an airplane and then go shopping with my Ta, MeMa, Aunt Emee, and Kelly (Hiney). I am also super excited to do all kinds of fun things with my family.”
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
“My favorite things are helping others that don’t have anything and playing with Evangeline.”
Esmée has grown up so much this year! It is hard to believe she weighed only 38 lbs and wore a children’s size 5 when we first met her. She was the same height as Ethan when we moved to Haiti but he had her beat by 10 lbs. Now she has surpassed her brother in height and weight and is almost caught up to her older sister! Esmée is a joy to be around and delights herself in helping others. She is tenderhearted and the peacemaker in our home. If there was such a thing as a quiet person in our household, it would be her.
Esmée has surpassed our wildest expectations both socially and academically. Two years ago she barely knew her ABC’s and we taught her how to write her name. She now wins awards at school for things like completing more books in one semester than everyone is expected to finish in an entire year and making the highest grades in all subjects in her entire elementary school. And yet, she rarely brings home any homework. Her favorite leisure activity is listening to music and dancing. Pretty much everyone wants to be Esmée’s friend. If you want to make friends with her fast just bring her some beef jerky.
Interview with Ethan
What are you praying for?
“I’m praying for all people to come to know God”
What prayer request do you have?
“My prayer request is that we will have electricity all the time soon.”
What is your favorite subject in school?
“My favorite subject in school is definitely Science.”
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
“I am most excited to see all my family and friends I haven’t seen in a long time.”
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
“Snorkeling, fried plantain, fried akra, and mom letting me eat hot dogs which she almost never did when we lived in the states.”
Ethan often hears the words, “You are such a Price” more than once a day. He definitely takes after his “Ba”, the distinguished Dr. Randall Price (Elisabeth’s dad) in brains but unfortunately also in feet and fumble as is evidenced by his many scrapes and scabs. Ethan has stepped out of his comfort zone a great deal this past year and we are so proud of him. He and his little brother are the only kids lacking a lot of color at their school and Ethan has taken quite a bit of name calling in stride. He makes friends easily but says that he only needs one really good friend. His best friends are his sisters and brother. He is picking up Kreyol (Haitian Creole) easily now and can interpret conversations on the street surprising us many times with how much he actually understands.
Ethan is also taking French at school which is a high school course. He completed all of his Word Building books through the 7th grade and therefore had an extra class to fill. We decided to give him a challenge. Although there have been a few tears, so far he has maintained a passing grade and is competing with Elita who is taking the class with him. Ethan loves his Haitian mutt dogs Daly and Brownie (aka Houdini) and is completely smitten with 15 month old Evangeline who lives with us. His siblings tease him that he loves her so much that he might marry her when he grows up. He loves to dance with his sisters and play DS with his brother. If anyone is up for a walk to the beach and a dip in the ocean it is Ethan. He can show you all the good snorkeling spots and finds the best shells underwater. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that he is only 9. Other times we can’t believe our firstborn son is getting so big!
Interview with Evan
What are you praying for?
“I’m praying for my cousin Kyle so that the doctors can help him be able to use his hands and arms better and he can learn how to use them all over again after his surgery.”
What prayer request do you have?
“I want my sister Esmée to have a great time when she visits the United States for the first time.”
What is your favorite subject in school?
“Well, it was Math until I worked too far ahead and it got harder…so now I like Science better.”
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
“I am most excited to see my family.”
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
“My favorite thing about Haiti is just having fun with my friends and I’m happy to spend time with my family.”
Evan Daniel Ream is without a doubt the most spoiled member of the family. He melts his daddy (whom he takes after) with one tiny freckle face look. The others don’t think it is fair. But they know Evan has their back. Evan is a sweetheart who can be mistaken for a sucker because he is such a giver (except his horrid hording of video games). Evan is also a fearless swimmer, climber, and fighter. Once this year when his family, friends and dogs were in harms way he instantly leaped into action and defended us all with a pod sword he swiped from a tree that mimicked a machete. Allegedly he broke the ribs and fingers of a grown man with that same pod.
When it was suggested that his actions were inappropriate and much too dangerous for a little child his response was, “I wished it was a real sword!” Haiti has nothing on this kid. Evan will talk to anyone anywhere anytime and tell them just about anything. He has lots of friends at school and is a favorite with the teachers. He is often found at school volunteering his recess helping the 1st grade students during their math hour. He is still our pickiest eater and doesn’t see much reason to learn Kreyol when he has so many translators and plenty of friends around. Evan is the first to volunteer to pray at the dinner table and always prays for those who do not know about the One true God, that someone would go and tell them and that they will come to know Him.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Good News of Great Joy from Haiti,
The Ream Family