Ou vle plantire?

Bonjou! I apologize for the long delay of posts!

I have been busy (good) and the internet went out for a bit (not good), so I will be catching up for lost time!

It is a national tradition to 'plantire yon pye bwa' (plant a tree) on the anniversary of the last battle for the independence of Haiti. In honor of this special day November 18, 1803, the students of St. Bartholeme gathered to 'plantire anpil pye bwa' (plant many trees!) on their day off. With patriotic banners, and the band leading the way, they marched a parade through town to a beautiful stretch of farm land where over 2000 cashew trees were waiting to be planted! The farm will produce large crop of cashews, which can be used to raise money for the school, and provide some delicious snacks!

The kids absolutely loved being out somewhere different, and learning about trees and farming. They also really enjoyed the satisfaction of planting a tree yourself. Most of everything has to be done by hand, so having all the hole dug for the trees slowed things down a bit! We still managed to get most of them planted, and afterwards they all needed to be watered.

This is quite a feat when there is no irrigation, which poses a large problem for many would-be farmers. Water had to be pumped from the school well and driven to the farm in large barrels, buckets, and anything else to hold it. The students loved forming an assembly line to bring water from the truck into the farm. We had the aid of a tractor to water for a bit, but much of it was done by students filling up small jugs and happily distributing it to the tiny saplings.

After all was said and done, everyone gathered for a couple of songs, including the national anthem. As the students waited for the ride back to the school, Pere Bruno gave them congratulations on their work and some words to inspire them to work for the betterment of their country. It was a long day of hard work, but seeing all those trees where there was only dirt is so satisfying, and I know it will be a great addition to the resources of the town.

After our long day of hard work, God gave us this beautiful sunset to enjoy!