Men At The Cross

Robyn, from Cross International, standing behind Mike, a videographer, while Kevin watches.

A video scene being shot

Friends from Cross International were down early this week to shoot some raw video which will be edited and presented as a feature for a new Christian men's organization called Men At The Cross. This will be similar to Promise Keepers but with a definite mission aspect to it. We wish them the best.

Mumps

Here is Ti Tomas feeling under the weather with mumps. Notice the leaf under his makeshift bandage--it's to keep the swelling down.

Berthony's Place

Berthony in front of his restaurant.

Berthony and Camille going over the books.

Berthony, my assistant here, has taken over the management of a small restaurant near Camp-Perrin. All the buses and trucks from Jeremie stop here and it's a watering hole for the locals in the evening. Berthony invested a few dollars in some paint and putty and the place looks terrific. We wish him well in this new endeavor as this is a wonderful example for the kids.

Container from PA

My guys waiting for the word to start unloading the container.

And here we go.

It took us two hours to unload the box this morning and we got done just in time for church. There were hundreds of cases of isopropyl alcohol, hundreds of cases of empty plastic bottles, bikes, a work-out bench with weights, two diesel water pumps, tires, clothing, sandals and, the reason for the container in the first place, a full dental suite. The container had been in Port-au-Prince since October and it took this long to get it out of customs. Talk about a nightmare!! Do not speak to me about a container for a long time, please!

Other goodies in the container

Bags and bags of sandals

You should have seen the faces of the kids when they spied these bikes.

No more flat tires to repair for a while.

Wilnik Souffrant

No, this is not a zombie. It's our own Wilnik who just covered himself with a local powder as treatment for measles. I made a joke but he would have none of it. He's not a happy camper isolated from all his friends at Castel-Pere. The powder comes from the Dominican Republic and helps sooth the itching-- a non-liquid form of calamine lotion, I think.

Dimanche Erlens (Lukson)

This is Erlens, nicknamed Lukson, who gave us quite a scare a few months back. He was scheduled for eye surgery (cataract) at the local ENT hospital but the surgeon refused to do the operation due to a heart condition. Long story short, we were ready to send him stateside for heart surgery but the cardiologist in the states gave him a clean bill of health. Lukson and we were relieved --to say the least. I saw him this morning and he was downcast so I asked him what was going on. He said that his mother had to go before a judge yesterday and that he had given her two days to come up with rent money or she would have to leave the small house she has been renting. Lukson's father abandoned the small family years ago. His mother had a small business selling essential food stuff like canned milk, magi, vegetable oil. Increased prices chased her clients away and her little business folded. She has no way to pay the rent and no where to go. This is sad but what is worse is that Lukson is expected to help her find the money for the rent. He's only 12 and should be still enjoying his childhood. If we could, we'd hire his mother to avoid outright charity. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to do that. Please keep Lukson, his mother and Bilande, his younger sister, in your prayers. The rent is $270 for a year, just in case you were wondering.