Here the students and teacher have a good look at the Sun Oven. The grade 11 students had a demonstration from the representative of the Methodist church. Haiti is one of the best places to use solar cookers, with so much wood gone and charcoal so expensive. If the family attends cooking class to receive instructions on how to use the cooker, the family is able to purchase the cookers at a reduced price of about $50. In the USA, the very same ovens cost $259. The meal cooked was delicious.

The students in the grade seven class had a lot of science fun in participating in the egg drop contest. The object of the experiment is to have the raw egg whole at the end of the drop. Their various containers built at home from the materials found around the house were ingenious. Their containers ranged from plastic bottle, to chip containers. to socks and even their shorts. Needless to say, they were not all able to say It's alive, especially after the drop from the second storey of the elementary building. Next week, just straws and tape. Well see how creative they are:-)

Friday after school the elementary staff gathered at a staff member's home up the mountain to say farewell to Lonnie Murphy, who has been a staffer at the school many years and has spent almost 20 years in Haiti. She with her husband, Phil, have a home for Haitian children and now the House of Blessings will be operated by one of their first orphans. Once again, there was food at the fellowship and a lot of laughter, recalling to good times together. Mary and I were invited due to my involvement with the ES, which will increase in the new school year.

God's creation never stops blooming here in Haiti. The rains have started and the down pours are welcomed. We do not have to take the same care of the amount of water used since the cisterns are overflowing. We can see the grass growing, even on the 'sod' on the soccer field. The leaves on the tress are providing shade once again and the gorgeous blooms such as these daily drop to the ground. Now I know why they have the sweepers on the school compound. Each day anew, the ground is covered with leaves and blooms from the trees.

The beauty of Haiti is seen in this picture of the mountains taken from the patio of the de Gier's home. They invited several families of the church to come together and get acquainted with one another. This was a part of Port-au-Prince I had not seen before. We had a great time of fellowship and food of course. The children played in their swimming pool while the 'adults' talked and talked :-)

The school chapel is receiving renovations by the members of a pentecostal church since the facilities of the house they are meeting each Sonday is too small. They will start using the school facilities on June 10th. It is great that various organizations are willing to work together, both benefitting from one another in the building of His kingdom. pictured here are the members building a new sound room for the chapel.

This past Friday was a national holiday because it was flag day. It was also the day that Mary came home :-) Here the children from the elementary school are parading around the soccer field waving the Haitian flag while the national anthem was played in the background over the PA system. The MS/HS students cheered these patriotic students on as they travelled around the field three times. We all enjoy a celebration especially when it means time out of the clasroom :-)

This is a shot from the teachers' room in the administration building where the photo copier is located as well as three computers for the staff members use to do emails, print tests, stay in touch with home, etc. This is the first year that the teachers do their own copying. This service in past was always done by the office staff. Presently, we are still looking for teachers and office personnel for the new year. Mary will not be involved with the school in the new year, but free to serve and travel since we are expecting two more grand children in the near future:-)

The soccer field will be out of bounds for the rest of the school year since they 'laid sod' this past Friday and Saturday. A soccer field was being dismantled as so the top soil and the existing grass was dumped into dump trucks and dumped onto our soccer field. All we had to do was to find the grass in the top soil and level out the soil and plant the grass once again. Almost half of the field was covered with grass by the end of Saturday. Now is the time to do it because it is the rainy season - so the tuffs of grass may take root.

In 1986, Lonnie and Phil Murphy came to Haiti with a vision for a home for Haitian children. Twenty years later, they have cared for more than 40 children, and their present staff is made up of children they raised and the present director is now married with three children of her own. The House of Blessings has its own home of over 3,000 square feet and almost 2 acres of land. The ministry has expanded from caring for the kids in their own home to caring for children in the community and helping local families with farming and construction needs. A summer camp program that reaches over 400 children has been established.

Lonnie is an elementary teacher at QCS and she invited Mary and myself to visit their work in Haiti. Impressive! A school for the home is almost complete, an animal facility is in its final stages of completion and now the funds for a fish project may be in the works. God has truly blessed the ministry of the House of Blessings. In June of 2007, Lonnie and Phil will move from Haiti to the United States. They will spend the next six months traveling to visit their supporters to say thanks. Here is one of the children doing his chores of his wash. The children have specific responsibilities such as their own wash, cooking food, looking after the generator, etc.

This was the scene of the next door neighbour. The location of the orphanage is up the mountain where the temperatures are cooler. This is the beginning of the rainy season and the plants were already started to grow. The plots of land are small and on the mountain side, they are also terraced. Some of the farmers bring their produce to the city of PAP to sell in the markets or along the streets.

Our Creator God shows His presence in our daily Living for Jesus. The beauty of Haiti is seen everywhere, only if you have the eyes to see it. One needs vision to see Jesus in our daily living - whether in Haiti, or Port Perry, or St. Thomas or Chatham - wherever the Lord has placed us for His service. I saw Jesus while travelling to the House of Blessings Orphanage, at the House of Hope and its environment. Where did you see Jesus today?

Last Sonday was our staff food, fun, fellowship night. We do this on the last Sonday of the month. Yes we do a lot of eating :-) Rice! My favourite - not. It is good to come together to sing praises and worship together to build community. It is the prayer of the Personnel Committee that no staffer may feel left behind. About 40 - 50 people attend these monthly fellowship opportunities and the free food is certainly a getter. Our devotional focussed on running the race, giben by Beth McHoul who has run many a marathon race, including the Boston Marathon. She and her husband have been in Haiti since 1989.

Enjoying the fellowship Sonday are Cari Viximar and her husband Junior with Heather de Pooter, pictured from left to right. Both Kari and Heather are Canucks, and Partner Missionairies. Each week, the three of them with Mary and myself meet at Leanne and Casper Geisterfer's house for food and fellowship - games night or discussion night. It is important not to feel isolated, lonely in Haiti. The same is true everywhere. Hospitality is a main
ingredient of the Christian walk.

Last Sonday we had special music at church with the church choir led by Heather de Pooter. Heather is also a Partner missionary teaching grade two at Quisqueya Christian School. This is her second year at QCS. She is also Canadian, eh, coming from Sarnia. It was an interesting Sonday, because there were at least seven Canadians introduced in church last Sonday, visitors who had come to Haiti to serve a week or two at a specific organization. Some of them knew people we knew :-) It is a small world after all.

The rains have come. Friday night it rained and rained, flooding the school soccer field. I was to have supper at a teacher's house within walking distance of the school, but had to wait for a ride. The water 'hit' the bottom of the car as we drove through several deep water holes. The rains certainly help the dust control and fill the school water cisterns. God is good, knowing what we need.