This photo was taken a few days ago of the new carpenters' workshop. The walls are actually all the way up now. There will finally be room for all the tools, wood and students in one place. This new building is a gift from Father Joseph Balthazar who will head up the Carpenters' and Cabinet-making School. Mesi ampil, Pe Bal. 

A close-up of the chicks which just came in from the Dominican Republic. We ordered a thousand but only 780 arrived. They are now three days old and in about six weeks will be ready. The watering trough is a bamboo branch cut length-wise. It's amazing to see our little guys getting up at zero-dark thirty to catch a glimpse of the chicks and then to help with the cleaning and watering and replacement of the wood chips. The project is working well so say a prayer that it continue this way. 

Matante, Denise Vendredi, getting ready to pass out some fresh mangoes. The mango trees are finally bearing their fruit and the kids are grateful.  

Distribution of the mangoes. 

Jean-Gardy digging in. 

Rico, Pierre-Richard and Kenson Felix's father passed away this week. The funeral is tomorrow. Say a prayer for the repose of his soul and for his sons. 

Here's the crew working on the ceiling of room three of the Quad at Vilaj Espwa. The Quad will be the Guest House for long-term volunteers and visitors. 

This is Brother Clement Rondeau, a Canadian Marist brother, who is putting some finishing touches on the little store at Vilaj Espwa.

Alexis looks very cool in borrowed sunglasses. 

We're in the finals of the Marbles' Olympics here at Castel-Pere. Ti-Rico feels the pressure but blocks it out and lines up his shot while his competition looks on. 

Talk about concentration!! The game hinges on this shot, so quiet everyone. 

Here's Dan teaching English as a second language. We are fortunate to have Dan with us. He's great with the kids and learning them a lot. (Get it?) 

Tama with her new boyfriend, Andrew Cramer. Andy's a long-term volunteer with us and doing a bang up job. Just ask Tama. 

Charles Hurd, volunteer from New York, working on a nursery project of a special tree, locally known as the soapnut tree, whose seed pods can be used for laundry or shampoo. It's great when things work together like this. With these soapnuts we don't have to worry about pollution or buying biodegradable detergent. Charles is also working on an irrigation plan for the farm. He's extended his stay with us to do this and it is much, much appreciated.

Davidson and I are waiting for a ride to Castel-Pere where he'll be living from now on. Davidson might be five or six years old but he is no push-over. This is one fiesty, little guy. 

Here's Wilbert in front of the his small home at Castel-Pere. He was the first to plant a garden and is now harvesting cukes and tomatoes. The others are following suite cause those red Roman tomatoes look real tasty. 

This is the Matechery family in front of the remains of their home. They have lost everything, including a seven year old son who died at the hospital from the burns he suffered in attempting to salvage his family's things. 

A small, quick fire causes a huge loss

Where yesterday stood a house for a family of eight, today stands a heap of ashes. A jagged concrete skeleton is all that remains, surrounded by piles of charred clothing, rusty pots and pans. The fire started in the afternoon while the two youngest children, Izrael and Stevenson, were home alone. Everyone else was at the local market, struggling to keep the family afloat by selling yams and bananas. No one knows how the fire started, and one can only imagine what was going through the kids’ minds as the fire gathered strength. Did they argue about who had started it? Were they afraid of the trouble they’d be in when their parents returned?
After trying to quell the uncontrollable flames, they repeatedly lunged into the house, tossing
everything they could out of the crumbling structure. Seven-year-old Stevenson lost his life attempting to salvage old, worn-out belongings that we would consider worthless in the United States. And so there the family members stand, with no home, no clothing and grieving a dead child. Neighbors have done what they could by sharing the little they have-- some clothing, a pot and pan.
We are looking for funding to build a new home for the Matechery family. Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you.