Stateside

As usual I'll be stateside for the month of July so the blog will suffer a bit.  I'll still be posting items but the photos will come from staff (Berthony, Nathalie, Linda, Peter...) so keep checking in.  While in CA I'll be preaching in three different churches, speaking at Rotary Clubs, meeting and greeting old and new supporters, dining with friends.  Will end my time in the states at the fundraiser in Maine, the LobsterFest.  Can't wait for that! Hope to see many of you there.  Keep me in your prayers so that this trip may be fruitful.  Thanks.

Education Celebration

Our educators gather for a little feast in the pre-school office.

Gerald and friends

Renold Remarais (with tie), Gerald MarieNelly and Kira McGurrin

Educators' Day

Yves Mecene, our Secondary School Director introduces some of his professors.

Primary School teachers line up as we express our gratitude for a successful academic year.

Education Recognition

Maitre Franz Etienne, our Education Director, addresses the crowd this morning as we honored our educators.

Little ladies

There's a party going on for our educators just beyond that doorway. These girls are hoping for some cake leftovers.

Jacques

Jacques taking a  breather from a soccer game (watching one--just to be clear).

Papa Titi

Papa Titi hanging out in the children's village.

TiOurs

TiOurs before his afternoon bath, runny nose and all.

MaTante

MaTante relaxing and playing dominoes.

Jonise

Say hello to Jonise, our new clinic menagere. Jonise is the mother of two cute little people: one girl and one boy. Jonise's husband died in the earthquake on January 12th. She made her way to Les Cayes only to find no one in her family had room for her and her two children. We took her in and now she's working and making a little money-- a first step on the road to independence.

Jackson Lubin

Jackson is waiting for Berthony Constant who will drive him home for the summer break. He'll be back before you know it as there's nothing at his home for him to eat. All the children look forward to going home no matter how miserable it is. Those who have no home, the orphans, find it difficult to watch the others leave. Will try our best to keep them occupied with all sorts of activities. Keep them in your prayers.

Food distribution

We had scheduled food distribution for 200 familes (out of 800) for this morning. As happens in this kind of thing, more folks showed up and kept showing up. Everyone left with something but those who weren't on our list will be visited, their stories verified and added to the list for the next time. This food program is made possible by CRS (Catholic Relief Services) and USAID.

Friends

These three came by this morning looking for food. They said that someone in town told them that we were giving out food today so they came for their families. We gave them some and will verify their stories just to be on the safe side. I forget the names of all of them but the two on either side are brothers and there are nine people in their family. The boy in the middle, Nathan, has seven in his.

Oh, did I mention that they walked here from town?  An hour if you don't dilly-dally.

TiRok

Here's TiRok sitting on the lawn outside the Guest House. He weeds and cuts the lawn and Peter gives him a little something. TiRok asks me every day (when it's not pouring cats and dogs) where Peter is and when he'll be back. Soon, TiRok, soon.

Duckens

Photo taken this morning in the early light. Duckens was looking at a magazine oblivious to his surroundings.

Friday afternoon

Top left and clockwise: MacKentoche, Adonis, Chelo, Willy

I took advantage of the rare sun this afternoon to snap a few photos.

Pam in the rain, again

Pam was instrumental in our acquiring four BUVs (basic utility vehicles) which are hugely useful. Even though it was pouring, Pam wanted to take one out for a spin. Well, she got soaked (again) but, as you can tell, she thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.

Motherhood

This cow gave birth to twin calves (the ones closest to her) which is pretty rare and marvelous. Somehow she picked up a stray along the way so she cares for three calves. Kinda typical for here.

Strong winds

Shallow root systems of the banana trees plus strong winds equal the above. The tropical depression we are in right now is living up to the name. Too much rain and too much wind are having a negative impact on agriculture. Fowl weather is impeding construction projects so all workers are not getting paid while they wait for the skies to clear. And what about the hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in tents these days? Life for them is absolutely miserable times five. Depression? For many here, YES!

The old man and the Mountie

OK, so Nathalie isn't a Mountie but she did serve in the Canadian Navy. Both wear uniforms and are Canadian. Here are Nathalie and me listening to a little speech given in her honor. Many happy returns, Nat.

Happy B'day, Nathalie

Office pals: Anne Netty, Jean Joel, Moliene, Nat, Renold, Louinda

A long, long time ago somewhere near the North Pole a baby girl was born. She's all grown up now and lives far from her roots. Happy Birthday, Nathalie. I'm sure I speak for all (especially November) when I say that we are all better people because of you. We wish you much joy, laughter and fulfillment. God bless today and everyday!

Free Spirit

Pam Reidy, long-time friend of Linda and Peter's and new friend of ours, reacted spontaneously to the rain this morning. While most of us see the rain and go "Ugh", Pam welcomed it with joy. Ever wonder what a free spirit looks like? Now you know.

Then and now

This little boy was found in a field near Laborde.  He was too weak to even turn his head.  When he arrived at the General Hospital no one thought he'd make it as he was unresponsive and would not eat.  Enter Nathalie.  She met him early on and took a liking to this sad little boy.  She visited daily, brought him extra food and juice.  She bought him clothes, spent time with him, held him and, most of all, loved him.

Look at him now.  Another small miracle in southern Haiti, November now lives with us and is under the watchful eye of Nathalie.

Intro to computers

Gerald has been volunteering with us for the last three, going on four, weeks.  He's an Information Technology guru who was born and raised in Martinique but who works in London.  He's been busy experiencing Haiti and Espwa, has set up a network in our Admin section, has been teaching basic computer stuff.  He's been a pleasure to have around and has made a lot of friends.  Thank you, Gerald, for giving us all this time and energy.

Bird's eye view

Rev. Andy Topp, a friend and supporter of our efforts, sent me this photo that he took recently while airborne. I added the labels so that you get a picture of what's what. The northern village is not included and much is hidden by trees but, still, this is great! Thanks, Andy.

Exotic Starfruit

Picked these up at the open market on Saturday.  TiCharles will be making juice out of 'em.  I don't recall ever having eaten starfruit so I'll let you know if they are a delight or not.

Rainy days

Photo of the entrance to the children's village.  Thunder, lightning and rain have been our constant companions of late.  There's mud everywhere and large pools of water.  Except for caring for the animals, our agriculture department is on hold.  No work can be done on the construction of the new kitchen.  Visits to the clinic are up due mostly to the sniffles.  If this post appears on the blog, I'll be pleasantly surprised as the internet has been less than accommodating.