Friday afternoon gardening

It’s so much fun watching the boys haul banana trees from the local banana tree nursery to our garden.   The boys are full of energy as they all vie for who is going to push the wheelbarrow.  Even young Benjami worked with all his might carrying one of the trees over his shoulder.  The kids are all involved in growing a fruitful garden.  While the boys are working Boss Gardener is trimming back a “lela” tree to allow for more sunshine and give the tree a pruning.  In the meantime, Zachary discovered that the tree not quite in the center of the garden is bearing fruit.  He picked six cashima, a sweet fruit full of seeds, which he ate immediately, planting the seeds for future trees.  Yesterday Wonel marked off an area where he planted carrots, eggplants, and tomato seeds.  Sugar cane is planted in the far rear of the garden, not that we are going to make sugar, but locals like to peel off the rough outer skin revealing a soft sweet white inner part of the plant, which they chew and enjoy the natural sweet flavor of sugar cane.

Like a garden anywhere in the world, sufficient water is needed to keep a garden healthy and growing.  It rains very little in Bondeau.  I see clouds all around, lightening in the sky, but no rain here.  A few nights ago, however, it rained and rained hard and strong, straight down.  The kids loved running around in the pouring rain getting soaking wet.  We placed huge barrels to catch the runoff from the roof.  They filled up in a very short amount of time.  So then we placed every bucket, basin, waste basket and anything that holds water to catch all the water possible.  The following morning the girls and Naomi used all the water to wash all the clothes, about three days’ accumulation.  We’ll continue to use rain harvesting and hopefully keep enough water on hand to water the garden when needed.

At our nightly chapel service here at Kay Timoun we either pray for rain or give thanks for rain.  It’s all part of life at Ste. Marie Madeleine Parish.  People pray for what they need and give thanks for what they have.

A little girl named Angi

 

Benjami has a younger sister, Angi.  Angi (pronounce Ahn gee) is four years old.  I’ve known her since she was an infant.  Her mother is away in a convalescent home.  Angi has been coming here to Kay Timoun and spending the day.  I would love to be able to take her in.  She needs loving attention but the Kay Timoun budget is not able to provide for another child.  In the meantime, Angi comes here in the morning after the older kids have gone to school.  Always barefooted, I was able to give her a pair of sandals that she treasures.  She usually needs a bath and a change of clothes, and then breakfast.  She stays till evening when I walk her back to her house.

There are so many children here in Bondeau that need loving attention, three meals a day, schooling, shoes…all that the kids at Kay Timoun are blessed to have.

 

Part of my Deacon's letter to St. Gregory's

Life here for the poor is unlike anything we can imagine, unless we see for ourselves.  For instance, a poor mother comes here every day, walking a long mountain trail while carrying her twin babies with her toddler boy following close behind.  She makes the long trek to receive food for her twins.  I have been making them breakfast for the past three months and watched them grow from undernourished infants into chubby little babies.   Mother and little boy had been dressed in rags until I gave them clothes that had been donated. Mother shows her gratitude by helping with the laundry here at Kay Timoun.   A young father of four comes here to weed and cultivate the garden.  Garden work is a back-breaking job because it’s all done with a hand held curved sickle. In exchange for his hard work, he receives a few dollars, a meal, and clothes for his children.  Many accidents happen while people do grueling garden work, trying to grow food to sustain their families.  This week an older man came here seeking help with a deep wound on his leg because he accidentally hit his leg with the sickle.  He walked over a mile to get here, all the while bleeding profusely.  We stopped the bleeding and treated his wound, and recommended that he go to the hospital for stitches, which he did.  He continues to come and have the bandage changed.  Life here for the poor is unbelievably difficult.  Personally, I don’t see how they survive!

On to brighter news, Ste. Marie Madeleine Parish has a new priest-in-charge, Rev. Pere Jean Bertrand Phanord.  He has done marvels with the parish in just the short time he has been here.  He lives here in the guest house with his wife, Patricia, and three boys.  Church attendance is up so much that people are now sitting outside of the church.  Even the 6:30AM service on Friday morning is a full house.  He has a gift for coordinating teams of people to do ministry in the church, as well as work on the campus.  It looks to me that everyone likes him, and people are willing to participate in parish improvements.  He brought with him a musician who has been working diligently with the children, forming a children’s choir.  They practice often, singing simple melodies accompanied by him and his guitar.   A team of young men have been sickling and cleaning the grounds.  Others have worked on the school building, painting, building cabinets and desks, and making general repairs.  The school feeding program is up and running again under his direction.  However, the price of food in Haiti has increased significantly in the last two months.  As a result of higher prices, the feeding program could be in jeopardy very soon. 

Butterflies and gardens.

It's so easy for me to put off writing.  Thoughts whirl through  my mind that I'll "write tomorrow", or "later on today".  "Who is really interested in what I have to say?" is another way to procrastinate.  I know, however, that a few people are interested, so that's why I'm sitting at my computer at this moment, on the second floor galri with not a breath of a breeze, as the sun sets to the west.

Earlier today I walked by the garden where we have planted twenty four banana trees, as many coconut trees, and beans that have sprouted and are growing into fine plants.  I have high hopes for this garden and have invested in a strong "live" fence to keep out the goats that can devour an entire garden in one sitting.  I've also made contact with a garden expert who will watch over the new plants, remove weeds, cultivate, and water the young plants when there is not rain.  We are grateful that it has rained a slow gentle rain several times since planting.  In another area, the "nursery", healthy tomato plants have grown from seed, carefully nurtured by Wonel.  Just as I stopped to admire the garden, hundreds of butterflies descended, white and yellow beauties, twirling and dancing all around.  Butterflies, the symbol of new life, dancing above my garden.  Is this a sign that with care the garden will flourish?  Is this a sign of "new birth", birth of lots of nourishing fruits and vegetables for everyone to enjoy?  Or is this simply Mother Nature?  Whatever the reason, if there indeed is a reason, the sight took my breath away and put me in closer touch with the One who created gardens and butterflies and me.