Dear Loved Ones:

It does not seem real that Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner. God is blessing us to add another year to our lives. Last year Christmas and New Year's season we were freezing in cold Kansas city. The heater saved us from freezing. This year we are going to celebrate everything outdoors. No heavy jackets, no heavy socks, just us in the tropical weather.

We thank God who takes care of us every day. He has been good to us, giving us the everyday strength we need to do our work.My teaching is going well. My new emphasis is helping students to learn by themselves in lieu of giving them facts they need to memorize and get the grades they need.This seems to work, and I am glad. I have come to learn that the grades students' get can be a revealing statement of what's going on in one's life.

For instance, after two tests I noticed that one girl was making poor grades in my freshman Christian Ethics class.When I talked to her one-on-one I found out that she has just lost her mother prior to coming to start her university studies.She lost her father when she was a small girl.Her mother was what life was all about for her.In spite of the fact that she is in school, her mind is in her village where she is grieving her deceased mother.We have reached out to her to help her through her grieving process.

I have started visiting churches to share the joy we had in the States and the joy of being back in Haiti.The school children continue to keep us busy.We have provided pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, calculators, glue, paper, and scholarships.The joy on their faces gives us the energy for the next round.The female students in the university have enjoyed the gift they always receive of lotion, maxi pads, shampoo, soap, and makeup. These items make them the most well treated university students in Haiti.This inspires other students to enroll in the University. When they receive these gifts, we can see by their faces how ecstatic they are.We have been involved in some social projects: helping the triplets have a decent place to grow in, clothe the poor, share the balls to the team to promote the sport ministry, reach out to some important persons to create some relationships.

Kihomi and her women's ministry have been flourishing.Many women desire to be a part of the ministry and Kihomi is invited to speak at many churches.She has been traveling constantly to seminars, conferences, and visiting the sick and grieved.I, as her husband, wonder sometimes where she gets all the energy, but I can understand that her love for women and women's work is what inspires her.Besides Haiti, she attended meetings for the Caribbean Baptist Women Union in Turks and Caicos Island, and in Miami.To her heavy schedule, she has been chosen as the official representative of the Haitian Baptist Women for the international meetings.Soon she will be working on some conferences that she will be leading in Nassau, Bahamas.

Our children are all doing fine.We hear from those in college and have the chance to chat with them on line.We praise God for the care you take of them.The two small ones are doing well. Nzunga Giguya, is fourteen years old now. He is the oldest and tallest in the school of about twenty children. He will be finishing up his eighth grade in June of 2004.We are praying to find a place for him to go to school next year.His current school does not go beyond eighth grade and there is no high school in this area.Nzunga Pambi, ten years old, is enjoying her fifth grade. She is in the same classroom with her older brother.It's tough sometimes for Giguya to have his little sister with him, but they are getting along.

One of the best times of the week is when we go to meet the plane from the Agape Flights to get our mail and cargo.They are an important part of our ministry here and without them we would be cut off from the rest of the world.The news and packages from friends, even the junk mail, brings joy for our family.It's so much fun to receive mail that we even fight to open and read what you have sent.

If we are here ministering to our Haitian brothers and sisters, having the energy and courage to face the uncertainty of the country, it is because we have you supporting us.Your daily prayers, letters, cards, e-mails, financial support, and gifts of all kinds are what really keep our ministry alive.We know that you go extra miles to support us, and we are praying that God blesses you.Thank you, brothers and sisters, and we hope you all celebrate a warm and wonderful Christmas season with your loved ones.

Sincerely yours,

Mabudiga & Kihomi Nzunga