Debra wasn’t sure if she just heard her husband right, and the nausea creeping up into her tightened lungs was not helping either. Quebec? That sounds like the French part of Canada but why was he choosing that province to do his Masters when there were a bunch of other Universities closer to Jamaica and, more importantly, English? Debra suddenly wished at some point during her 10 years of marriage to the Haitian native that she had made the effort to parlez vous Francais…but wait, focus girl, Jacques is still talking. He explains that as part of his life’s purpose to return to Haiti one day and make a difference, he feels an MBA in International Missions from a French University would be the most recognized and fruitful, so he is considering Laval University.
Debra does her best to feign blissful agreement (just smile and nod, smile and nod) but as soon as Jacques’ back is turned she goes into Google overdrive and discovers that Laval is near Montreal. Phew. She knows one person there so that’s not too bad, and shoots that friend an email right away. The horror. Debra discovers that Laval University is not in the Laval near Montreal, but it’s actually in Quebec City, 3 hours away from Montreal, so she in fact will now know, count them, ZERO people there. Debra manages to keep her panic to a minimum over the next several weeks but resumes her nail-biting once Jacques gets his acceptance letter,. She embraces him, masticated cuticles and all, ensuring Jacques that she is committed to his vision and will put her own career plans on hold. This preacher’s kid with her MBA plus a Masters in Education was thriving in her current position…but she would wait for the two years it would take her beloved to complete matriculation.
They both resign from their jobs, give up their house, sell their car, pack up the three kids and move in with her parents in anticipation of the Canadian embassy in Jamaica processing all their Visas. Hold up? They did all of that without the Visas? Oh yes, because they’re believing that this is God’s will. Hey, we all understand faith and standing on promises but that seems a bit premature, non? Turns out it was…. because the Embassy processed Jacques’ Student Visa and basically told Debra and the kids, forgive their French but, ”?#&*5%? NO!! None for you!” Jacques was mortified. He ached at the chance to start his Degree that January and did not want to postpone it any longer but no way was he leaving his precious family behind. To complicate matters, just when they were considering a formal appeal to the Embassy, he got the call from a major Jamaican corporation requesting his managerial experience as they expanded into Haiti. Excuse moi? Was this another way of getting back to his homeland wrapped in a different package but still destined by God? Even as a Pastor he had no idea how to process this new turn of events so he took the meeting and they loved his ideas but Jacques still left the building with a heavy heart. His friends thought he was crazy. Take the big corporate job and forget about Quebec, especially since your family got dissed by the Embassy, it’s the most unChristian province in Canada anyway…plus, need we rub it in?…you don’t know a soul in Quebec City and it’s the dead of winter! You don’t even have a scarf to your name!!
Stressed out, Debra and Jacques decided to spend the weekend alone at a Negril resort just to clear their heads. While in the dining area one afternoon they struck up a conversation with another married couple, the Lavantes, who….gasp, were straight up Quebecois. Hearing their story, they immediately offered to host Jacques and Debra once they landed in Canada. They owned a large property in St Bruno with more than enough space to house them for a couple of weeks and they also had three children under the age of 10. This was too good to be true and had to be a sign from up above. St Bruno isn’t Quebec City but it’s closer than Jamaica so they hightailed it back to Kingston and with the help of family and friends went prostrate in prayer before the Lord. By the following week, the Embassy called to advise that the other 4 Visas were ready. What? Little did they know it was the first miracle of many to come. Debra and Jacques packed up 10 suitcases, bid their friends and family a sad farewell and with the smells of sorrell and Christmas cake still in their nostrils, they were welcomed with open arms at Trudeau International. The Lavantes were laden with more than enough winter wear for the family of 5 so no-one felt any of the minus degree temperatures as they trudged in snow to the mini-van. On the drive to their new temporary home, however, as if on cue, all the vehemently pitched protests seem to suddenly ring louder in their ears: Where will you live? You have no credit history plus nobody signs rental agreements in mid-January, you have to wait until Summer. All you have in your wallet is tuition money, so how will you even pay for rent without a job and your wife can’t speak the language? How will you buy furniture, pay for heating, purchase food and books for school, since the children have to attend somewhere. The chattering teeth and trembling knees could very well be from the rush of anxiety, rather than the cold.
Then it hit,…not them literally….but a 4.6 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti. Both families watched in horror as news reports flooded in of the destruction and suffering. Jacques was inconsolable especially when he realized the hotel he would have occupied had he taken the corporate job, was now part of the rubble. How is it possible then, that while Haitian cries of pain rose up from his broken country, almost simultaneously, God showered blessings unto him and his family in St. Bruno? The worldwide outpouring of compassion for Haitians filtered its way into their lives too. The University waived his tuition…which opened up their finances to consider rent. The government relaxed their work permit stipulations so Jacques could find a job while at school. The most generous contribution came however via the neighbourly people of Quebec who flooded the Lavante’s home with couches, crockery, cutlery and clothes. The West Indian family who landed with little more than the Bob Marley T-shirts on their back, now had four beds with new mattresses, dressers, Televisions, lamps you name it,…..and after 3 days they had to stop accepting donations. Jacques, who was already missing several days of school, called ahead and found a 2 bed-room house in Quebec City where the landlord didn’t care about their lack of a credit history and went above the call of duty by upgrading all the appliances, installing a brand new fridge, stove, washer and dryer.
In a matter of a week since landing, the family went from nothing but the clothes on their back, to more than enough. They moved into their new home, Jacques started his classes, the children registered at a nearby English school and Debra would eventually find an English job also. In a province who’s residents barely believe in God, that is where this family saw Him the most.