Posted by admin on August 24, 2010 under TLC Updates | 
Well, you won’t believe it, but we had to stop the daily feeding program……the neighbors complained to the mayor. Everyday at about 10:30 many hungry neighborhood children gather outside the TLC gate waiting for the food to finish cooking so they can be fed, by the grace of God. They do get loud sometimes, as children do, and some sit against the one neighbors wall. We constantly police them and have warned them in the last several days of the community not being too happy with them. The TLC children come directly into the school as they arrive, and are very disciplined, but it’s some of the other children that are the problems. The mayor has told us that we will have to stop because of the neighbors complaining. Now this is the same mayor that did not even thank all of our TLC children for writing wonderful thank you notes to him for helping in the community……so perhaps you may have some understanding in how things work in Haiti. Sometimes it’s hard to make the people of Haiti understand what it takes to help their people and their country.
School begins in just two short weeks, September 6th. One week will be spent giving our teachers some good suggestions in: ”How to discipline in love.” We do have two new teachers and hopefully another assistant to begin our year. One of the new teachers will also offer computer classes after school and on Saturday for the older students. We also have some visitors coming to help with uniform distribution for 2 and a half days.
If you have not contacted me about renewing your sponsorship for this year I ask that you would please do so. We have 12 new pre-k children for this year and two are already sponsored at this time.
We are eternally grateful to our Lord and Savior for making it possible to continue to help educate the children here in Haiti. We ask that you would pray; pray expecting; pray with faith; pray like you’ve never before prayed, this country needs change, the people need Christ in their daily lives, not just on a Sunday in church. Please pray also for this upcoming presidential election in November. We know that God is “still in control,” and the devastation of the earthquake and the thousands of misplaced people living in unfathomable, sweltering conditions are in HIS hands also. He is with us everyday, wrapping His arms around the hungry and the homeless. We will continue to ask HIM how we can help, how we can be His arms of love here and as we walk and reach out.
Thank you for taking time to read our updates and we shall lift each of you to Christ everyday.
Dottie and the school.
Posted by admin on August 5, 2010 under TLC Updates |
Since school will be starting in September, it was necessary to purchase our new dining canopy. We are trusting God to provide the needed funds to reimburse that account. Notice how nice and clean our area is with our beautiful, sturdy new tables. Thanks to Mr. Nickson, Mr. Dieusel and all others that helped with this project. Glory to God as we listen and pray for HIS perfect will and thank HIM daily for our many, many blessings.
Thanks,
Dottie
Posted by admin on July 30, 2010 under TLC Updates |
The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION
Squall sweeps over Haiti tent camp, toppling brick wall that kills 2 boys asleep
in tarp home
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Distraught parents mourned the loss of two children in a
camp for Haitian earthquake survivors Wednesday, a day after rains caused a wall
to collapse on top of a row of tarp homes.
The family’s tragedy is another reminder of the perilous conditions of an
estimated 1.6 million people living under tarps and tents on dangerous ground
six months after the quake devastated Port-au-Prince.
Enrique Joseph, a 30-year-old policeman, was on the job downtown Tuesday evening
when his cell phone rang with the horrifying news: After losing his home in the
quake, he had lost his makeshift home — and his 8-month-old son, Kesnel, and a
2-year-old nephew, Kika Leus, were under the wreckage.
He raced back to the Terrain Acra camp in the Delmas neighborhood, home to tens
of thousands whose tarp homes blanket a hillside owned by one of Haiti’s
wealthiest families.
He was too late. The boys’ lifeless bodies already were wrapped in sheets.
“If we knew the wall could fall, we would have moved,” Joseph said, his eyes red
with tears.
Little reconstruction has been done since the magnitude-7 quake pulverized the
capital. Piles of rubble and thousands of collapsed buildings remain where they
stood in January. Even transitional shelters remain a pipe dream for most.
Donors pledged $5.3 billion for two years of rebuilding at a March donors
conference but less than 10 per cent has been delivered. On Wednesday, the U.S.
Congress passed a bill to partially fund the administration’s $1.15 billion
pledge to Haiti and sent it to President Barack Obama.
The threat of hurricanes lingers halfway through the summer. The USS Iwo Jima
amphibious assault ship is anchored off Haiti’s north coast this week to train
its sailors and Marines in case they have to respond to storm damage.
It took no more than an isolated squall that swept over Joseph’s camp to soften
the ground around a 10-foot retaining wall beside a tennis court.
Suddenly it gave way, sending bricks crashing onto blue and grey tarps. The boys
were crushed to death in their sleep and the tattered remnants of the shelter
filled with mud and rainwater.
“The material things don’t matter. I lost my papers, I lost everything. But I
lost my son. That means I lost my life,” Kika’s 25-year-old mother, Ketlanda
Leus, said, rocking back and forth and weeping beneath a neighbor’s tarp.
After carrying the boys’ bodies to the morgue at Haiti’s badly underfunded
general hospital, Joseph returned to search for a new space to build another
tarp home for his five surviving family members. The policeman said he is
desperate to get out.
“Anything can happen, anytime, inside these camps,” he said.
Posted by admin on July 27, 2010 under TLC Updates |
It seems that our overhead eating area canopy has “gone to the wind,” so to speak. We tried patching back in May, and also put a tarp over the existing canopy, both now are gone. It is, after all, over 5 years old this September, so we thank the Lord for our covering for such a long period of time. Now, knowing HE knows our need, we are asking for a new canopy before September 6th, when school begins. He has always met our needs and we step out in faith for this one too. Please pray with us as we seek protection from the rain for our children as they eat their breakfast and lunch.
I’ve always believed that satan attacks when we are at our weakest………….well, we’re at the end of the year, our funds are at their weakest and it seems we are looking at a new transmission for the Isuzu. My car (1996 Chevy) is running now, but, without air conditioning. So of course we make do. Good news: the new picnic tables look great, and we thank God, everyday for providing the funds for this completed task and no more yearly replacement of wood and paint. We also need to thank Mr. Nickson and Mr. Dieusel for all of their extremely hard, continuous hard work.
I remember the song; I never promised you a Rose Garden, but HE did promise to be with us every step of the way, so we give Him continuous praise, honor and glory and choose to walk by faith and not by sight.
Blessings to all,
Dottie
Posted by admin on July 19, 2010 under TLC Updates |
Dear Sponsors & contributors,
Many of you that are new, may not know that when mailing a letter/card to your sponsored child or anyone other than Dottie Diehl, it is to be addressed to Dottie Diehl not TLC Barefoot School (see address below). You may write the name of the child receiving the card in the upper left hand corner under the return address, please make this very small.
Dottie Diehl belongs to Agape Flights (missionary mail delivery) similar to what we had with Missionary Flights International. We pay $100.00 affiliation fee a year. We sometimes have American teachers signed on with us and this fee has to be paid for each one desiring mail delivered to them personally. There is no charge for first class mail and magazines. Bulk mail, catalogs, (junk) mail is $100.00 per year also. Anything sent to us in boxes, we pay $1.50 a pound. The actual cost of shipping boxes is $4.00 a pound for Agape. Anyone wishing to help Agape Flights to cover the actual fee may attach on the outside of their box an envelope with a check payable to Agape Flights marked “AGAPE OFFICE.” Payments to help offset these fees may also be made online at www.agapeflights.com.
We also pay to Agape the charges for the package to go through customs. The nice thing is that this organization picks them up for us and we pay them directly, plus $1.00 for each box handled.
We hope everyone understands; it truly is no different than it has always been except on our end. We thank you for your help with all of this and appreciate your taking the time to read.
As in the past we still prefer you contribute the money for birthday and Christmas gifts, and we shall purchase them here, adding to the economy and saving on custom fees.
God bless all,
Dottie
Address:
Dottie Diehl
C/o Agape Flights PAP 25421
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL 34285
Posted by admin on July 15, 2010 under TLC Updates |
Dear sponsors and anyone desiring to sponsor,
Here we are in the 3rd week into July and it is time to recommit to helping a child here in Haiti receive an education. So many of you have been with the school since it began, what a blessing for us, for your child and for you. We pray you are able to continue on with us and we want to let you know the sponsorship fee remains the same for another year, $525.00 for full sponsorship. We do realize these are difficult times for so many, and if your circumstances have changed we ask you to please let Dottie know at her email address: dottiediehl@hotmail.com as soon as possible. She will then be able to seek sponsorship for your child. Most of you know that we do offer co-sponsorship and also monthly payments. The fee you pay per year will not only provide the necessary Christian curriculum, but also two meals a day, uniforms, shoes, undergarments, personal hygiene items and medical necessities.
At this time, it is necessary to gently remind all who have not finished paying the fees for this past school term to please do so now. Please make note on your check to our treasurer, Ginny Underhill that the payment is for academic year 2009-2010. For those of you that do not know, TLC’s fiscal school year runs from July 1st to June 30th. We are a non-for-profit organization, and we do therefore abide by all the necessary IRS laws and guidelines that are necessary, but we pray daily for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, binding our minds to the mind of Christ, and to keep us from the temptations of becoming “worldly.” Dottie will be personally emailing all of you within the next few weeks for confirmation and also sending out forms via snail mail to those that do not have email. If you are reading this update you may go ahead and email Dottie with your confirmation of sponsorship, you do not have to wait to hear from her. We will accept an email note as a yes or no; you do not need a form.
Within the next few weeks, Miss Dottie and Mr. Nickson will begin to walk through the community allowing the Holy Spirit to send 12 new 4 and 5 year olds to be selected to attend TLC Barefoot School for the new term of 2010 – 2011. So any of you who do not already have a sponsored child; this is your opportunity! Hopefully we will be able to get photos of these precious new little students on the website soon and you will be able to select by name and gender.
ONE THING NEW THIS YEAR…………WE NEED TO HAVE YOUR CONFIRMATION OF SPONSORSHIP BY MID JANUARY OF 2011, OR IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO ADD THE CHILD’S NAME TO THE “CHILDREN NEEDING SPONSORS,” LIST. ALSO, IF YOU CHOSE TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS WE ASK YOU TO PLEASE BEGIN THESE NO LATER THAN JULY. IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAN PLEASE MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT IN YOUR AMOUNT ACCORDING TO THE MONTHS REMAINING FOR THE SCHOOL TERM.
We here at TLC Barefoot School in Haiti and the Board of Directors in the States deeply thank you all so very much for making another year possible for the less fortunate. We pray for all of you always, for your families, for the US and we thank you for being obedient to our Heavenly Father.
God bless you all.
Posted by admin on July 13, 2010 under TLC Updates |
Summer Repairs - This is a picture of one of our new picnic tables. There are 5 others being made. They are expensive, but this will save us replacing them every year. They are 8′ long and we are able to use the good wood from our old tables for the tops. Each table is costing $370.00. Mr. Nickson is handeling all the repairs on the screw holes, sanding, using primer and painting. They look great and we are very pleased. 
We received enough funds to cover the cost of two tables. We are now praying and stepping out in faith for the extra cost to complete the tables before school begins on September 6th, 2010.
Earthquake Fund /Rebuilding - This is a photo of Firna & Sabrina Cherime’s house, or part of it. This left corner of the house, fell during the quake. We will be utilizing a portion of the Earthquake Relief Funds to make this repair. The father of this household (Mr. Cherime) will be doing the work himself. 
Angels?? – Mr. Nickson, the Principal of TLC Barefoot School lived in an apartment that is located on the school grounds. We are in the process of rebuilding that apartment (see photo). 
We realized what a miracle we “uncovered” as the walls of the damaged building were being knocked out for repair; block buildings require rebar between and in blocks for reinforcement and we found NONE! We are also told that the roof, also made of cement, moved away from the walls, but did not fall. Mr. Nicksons wife, Sophie, who was then 8 months pregnant, was in this apartment during the earthquake. Who says there is no such things as angels? We give God all the glory and praise Him for protecting Sophie and the now 4 1/2 month old, Damaile. (see photo)
Hasn’t she grown!
Please pray with us for God’s wisdom and favor in all things regarding TLC Barefoot School.
In Christ,
Dottie
Posted by admin on July 5, 2010 under TLC Updates |
The demolition for the apartment that is located on the school grounds has started.
Our computers from Texas Baptist Convention have arrived!!!!
Feeding the community is always our first priority.
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORT TLC BAREFOOT SCHOOL
Posted by admin on July 2, 2010 under TLC Updates |
To all of our wonderful sponsors and supporters,
God continues to bless, AMEN and PRAISE THE LORD. You know the old story, if God chooses to take something away, then He will restore you 3 fold. So let me share our blessings. Even though we had a new laptop stolen out of the TLC school two weeks ago, we are now being blessed with 10, yes 10, new desk top computers and screens………….I think we are definitely able to get back into teaching computers. Please pray with us for a good computer teacher, meanwhile I will begin to show our older students the basics of utilization.
We have also accepted an estimate from one of Haiti’s engineers (U.S. schooled) to begin the repair of our little apartment and praise God the Landlord has worked out a proposal for holding back the rent. He will basically cover almost the entire cost of the repairs. The demolition of the damaged walls will begin next week and we pray all will be completed quickly and perhaps we can begin our summer feeding program. For many years now we have felt it necessary to feed our school children and their immediate families by having a summer feeding program during summer vacation. With the existing problems of the apartment above the kitchen and our anticipation of work beginning we have not set a date to begin this program. So, once again we ask for your prayers for God’s Holy Spirit to guide the work and the workers to a speedy and successful completion.
We would also like to ask for your prayers for more teachers. We not only need a math teacher, but most likely will be needing an English teacher also and we still need one or two more assistant teachers. If anyone is interested in signing on for one or two school terms please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, Dottie Diehl.
As far as the country’s situation, not being there for almost a month now, I really cannot elaborate too much. I do know that I posted about the raid on the tent communities, this, I see as a blessing and a good move from the police force, the UN and the government. As most of you know all too well, nothing happens fast or overnight, in Haiti.
I return to Haiti on July 7th, please pray for safe arrival and pick-up, many things are going on at the airport.
Blessings to all and may our Father in Heaven watch over each of you.
Dottie
Posted by admin on June 20, 2010 under TLC Updates |
Dottie Diehl, the Administrator for TLC Barefoot School is in the US for a much needed rest and is enjoying her time with family and friends. She requested this news article be posted. Please pray for our kids in Haiti and for the staff of TLC.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.N. and Haitian police raided a crowded earthquake survivor camp on Friday to capture 30 criminal suspects in the biggest law-enforcement operation since the Jan. 12 earthquake.
The pre-dawn raid startled the tens of thousands living under leaky plastic tarps around a monumental flagpole at Port-au-Prince’s abandoned military airport. Most said they were grateful for the incursion, which they hope will reduce rampant crime in the burgeoning shantytown.
“They arrested people who are causing trouble. They’re people who go into people’s tents and tarps and take cell phones,” said Relye Lima, a 24-year-old. “They are making sure people can sleep at night in peace.”
The incursion was a response to rising insecurity at homeless settlements that are still swelling more than five months after the earthquake. The numbers of people streaming in in search of aid, unable to make rent in houses that are otherwise habitable, have swelled the camps to an estimated 1.5 million people.
Police swept through one of Port-au-Prince’s largest and most crowded settlements, nicknamed “Jean-Marie Vincent” after a Roman Catholic priest gunned down in 1994. Since shortly after the quake, people have been adding permanent metal and wood elements to their tents, turning what was an empty field used for soccer games into a huge slum.
Brazilian soldiers with the 14,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force formed a perimeter around the camp shortly before dawn. Some 165 U.N. police and Haitian police, many in riot gear, then ran into the camp and began looking for suspects, U.N. police spokesman Jean-Francois Vezina said.
There were no reports of tear gas or gunshots being fired during the two-hour operation. Witnesses said the targeted men scrambled into whatever shelter they could find to hide from authorities.
“We had a lot of cooperation from the people inside the camp,” Vezina said.
Jean Brunel, a 32-year-old who sells medication for a few cents a pill, said he was pleased.
“I wasn’t able to work today (because of the raid), but I’m happy police are getting involved to provide security in the camp,” he said.
One of the men captured is suspected of escaping Port-au-Prince’s national penitentiary when a wall cracked during the magnitude-7 quake. All the inmates fled from the dangerously overcrowded prison, where the vast majority were held awaiting prosecution.
The 30 men arrested Friday are being held at a Port-au-Prince police station.
