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.