Rain

I sent out a newsletter telling people of the drought we have been having. There was hardly any rain and the gardens were not producing. Then, after I sent that newsletter out, that night it rained the hardest it has rained in a year. Last night it was the same thing. Now, you tell me that God doesn't hear us when we pray. Thank you Lord.

Where are they now?

38 years ago I arrived in Haiti on M.S. Starward out of Miami. I was met at he dock by Sis. Hodges who informed me that she had a young lady who would begin working with me the next day as a housekeeper and cook. That young ladies name was Lena. Later she married a young man named Archange and they had Jimmy. Lena and Jimmy continued to live with me for a while and one day he was struck by a car. God was good to him and he recovered nicely. After a while I helped Archange get to the States where later he was able to send for Lena and Jimmy. Jimmy did well in school, learned Spanish and English, he already knew Creole and French. He got a scholarship and went to West Point where he graduated with top honors. Today one of my little boys is serving as an Officer with distinction in the United States Army.

Ice

This is the first ice I have had this year. Thanks to the "Tharps" of Illinois I now have a gas refrigerator and I can now have ice in my soda. Now my food doesn't spoil and everything is kept cold in spite of the fact we have no electricity. Thanks so much for all your kindness and help in making this possible.

Solar Panel/Module

This is a Solar Panel that produces 135 watts of electricity. While in Haiti we do not have much wind, we do have plenty of sunshine. Therefore, wind turbines which are very efficient in some places, are not the answer the answer for our electrical needs. However, Solar Panels work quite well in converting sunshine to usable electricity. I already have installed a 12 volt 1200 watt inverter and a solar controller/regulator. I have the money to purchase two six volt batteries that can be wired to operate as 12 volts but I do not have a solar panel. I can purchase a 135 watt Solar Panel/Module for $600.00. I would like for you to add this to your prayer list as I have to sleep with a Cpap machine every night and since we do not have electricity sometimes the charge in batteries run out. This would give me protection against electrical failure and guarantee me electrical backup that I so desperately need.

Haitian Rice and Black Beans

Haitian Black beans and Rice

1 quart water, 1 cup dried black beans, rinsed, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 8 parsley sprigs’ 3 scallions or 3 green onions, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 cup rice

Bring water to boiling. Add beans and cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, reserving liquid, and set aside. Add enough water to bean liquid to equal 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Set aside , in a mortar, pound together to form a paste the salt, parsley, scallions, garlic, and rosemary. Heat oil and seasoning paste in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Put rice in Dutch oven and stir until well coated with oil. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil, stirring. Add beans and again bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove cover, stir, and cook about 5 minutes longer, or until no liquid remains. (serves 4)

School Lunch

Rice and Beans are on the menu for today as the Children get ready to have lunch. While so much is said in the U.S. about nutritious lunches for kids at school one might question rice and beans, that is unless you know that rice and beans together has the same protein value of meat. Not only is it good for the kids but they love them as well. There are no snack foods so they really look forward to lunch.

Meat Market

When was the last time that you slaughtered a cow in your backyard so that you could have some meat? We do not have a Safeway, a Publix, or a Krogers to go to when we get a craving for some hamburger meat. Here the men are shown dressing out a cow as Violine had just given them instructions as to how she wanted it cut up. Because now we have no electricity it presents a problem as we have no way to keep this quantity of meat without it spoiling.