I need Haitian chocolate, coffee, and a lot of prayer

 Hoo-boy. We have our work cut out for us.

I’m sitting here with my cocoa, considering the effect that this election may have on Haiti and on Haitians  both there and living in the United States. My Haitian godfamily lives in Ohio now. This isn’t a good time to be Haitian in Ohio. And nothing is improving in Haiti right now – as a matter of fact, I gather it is getting worse. I will not quote those who malign Haitians, but I will say I didn’t expect to hear a friend need to joke that people shouldn’t worry about their pets, as they are vegetarian.

a tap-tap declaring truth: life is not easy

So what do I do until I know what to do? Drink Haitian hot chocolate. Singing Rooster Haitian hot chocolate, to be specific. And I am here to commend it to you both because it is fabulous and because you can support small farmers in Haiti while doing so.  

This. Haitian hot chocolate is a good support to one's prayer. Just saying.

Actually, I met the people who were starting this project back in 2012 at a church patronal festival in Jeannette, Haiti – way out in a rural area of the southern peninsula. 

the entrance to the church in Jeannette in 2012

Back then, as I understood it, it was limited to coffee. Now there is also chocolate (I want the lemon ginger dark chocolate bar… if my family reads this, feel free to give it to me for Christmas! :-D), metal art, paintings – and, of course, the hot chocolate. Dark hot chocolate. Microwave milk, then mix for a while because this is the real thing with bits of chocolate that need to melt. This time I added cinnamon because I was remembering Sr. Marie Margaret making us hot chocolate in Haiti in which cinnamon sticks were involved.

Here is the information you need:  https://singingrooster.org/ They have both retail and wholesale options, including information about using this for fundraising.

https://singingrooster.org/about-rooster/

But NOOOO… Classic Hot Chocolate is out of stock! https://singingrooster.org/shop/haitian-hot-chocolate-2/ I am so sad. And grateful to have bought a couple of bags last time I had the opportunity.

They still have bulk/wholesale spicy hot chocolate – that is, hot chocolate with cinnamon and hot pepper.  Hmmm… Haitian Hot Chocolate - Spicy! I haven’t tried that yet. Maybe I will… except I can’t afford 15 bags. Fundraiser? Hmmm… They do sell it at my childhood church, so I know that's a thing.

There is also the chocolate, of course. Show your friends some of what Haitians really eat. They want some, too.

https://singingrooster.org/buy/haitian-chocolate/

If you want to support Haiti in this way, there are also Christmas ornaments, metal, paintings, and plenty of coffee.

https://singingrooster.org/shop/99-2-1-11-2-3/

I had better drink the rest of my hot chocolate before it gets cold. It won't change the state of the world, but it will fortify me for the next steps. 

A message for the church from a Europe at war

A message from our Associate, the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, Bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, from the American Cathedral in Paris, as the Russian invasion of the Ukraine continues:

God of timelessness,

From chaos and disorder 

you brought forth the beauty of creation;

From the chaos of war and violence

Bring forth the beauty of peace.

God of compassion

You saw the humanity of the outcast and the stranger;

Help us to see the evils of our hatreds and suspicions

and to turn them into the embrace of your Beloved Community.

God of peace,

Through your love on the cross

You overcame the power of violence and death;

Turn us away from the love of power

That we may transform a warring world

through the power of your love. Amen.

"The Arch Is Dead, Long Live The Arch!" - a tribute to Archbishop Tutu by someone who knew him well

The Arch Is Dead, Long Live The Arch! 

By Stewart Ting Chong, Canton, MA, USA 

12/31/2021

I write this after having returned from St John’s Episcopal Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, where the church bell tolled at noon, as it did at other Episcopal Churches across the State. The mournful single note of the bell, rung in short intervals, heralded the reminder that Archbishop Desmond Tutu had died on the 26th December 2021 and that his funeral was to be conducted at 10am in South Africa the following day.

I sat alone quietly weeping in the church where I was married by Desmond Tutu, the priest who became a bishop, a Nobel Peace Laureate and then Archbishop of Southern Africa. The awards and accolades bestowed on him meant little to me for he was just “The Arch”, someone who I had known for 34 years as a mentor, friend, confidant and boss, having worked on his staff for seven years during the era of apartheid in South Africa.

While the media is filled with tributes honoring a great peace maker, and rightly so, my own thoughts have been focused on how my life had changed as a result of his influence. There was, for me, no one braver, more outspoken in the defense of the oppressed, the persecuted and the discriminated and no one more prayerfully contemplative than the Arch. It is in this light that I pen my own thoughts in my personal tribute to honor him. 

I could so easily repeat words already spoken more eloquently by others, but what I know of him is that words were meaningless unless there was an action that supported their intent.  

“I’m not a holy person and have no skills to offer”, you might say. And I can hear the Arch’s response: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”. We can absolutely do good in the world but why not start in your own part of the world first? Pick up that piece of trash that someone else has tossed aside and do good by saving the environment and the conservation of wildlife. Reach out to someone in need for “We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.” Get involved in your communities and correct the injustices that you’ve ignored by thinking, “someone else is better equipped than I am to deal with that.” Volunteer your time to help organizations in their mission and become the person that we know we want to be.

The greatest challenge for me, as it may be for you, is to see the goodness in others with whom we disagree.

The Arch emphatically believed that we are all children of God, that goodness is in everyone even though that goodness might be hidden by “evil”. His challenge to us is to try to see beyond that and to acknowledge the intrinsic value and goodness in everyone. 

So, I write this more as my own pledge, to read and be reminded daily, that if the Arch meant so much to me, then I should honor him through my interactions with others, as hard as that might be.

“Goodness is stronger than evil.

Love is stronger than hate.

Light is stronger than darkness.

Life is stronger than death.

Victory is ours through Him who loved us.”

The Archbishop’s death is not the end of the battle he waged for goodness. It is the beginning for each one of us who holds his name in high esteem. Discrimination, injustice, persecution and oppression will not end unless we pick up his mantle of righteousness and call to account those who continue to tarnish the ideals that he had so faithfully strived to achieve. Let us find our voice and speak out against oppression. Let us speak out against the injustices inflicted on communities around the world. Let us hold accountable those who plunder the coffers intended to help the weak, hungry and destitute. And let us put the words we speak into action with righteous indignation and leave this world a better and kinder place for the generations that follow. Let us pledge to continue his work.

The Arch is Dead, Long Live the Arch.

Duxbury Interfaith Council 2020 Holiday Basket Project

 

COVID IS CHANGING THE  2020 DUXBURY INTERFAITH HOLIDAY BASKET PROJECT

 

For over 30 years the Duxbury Interfaith Council has helped over 100 Duxbury families with a turkey and all the trimmings for their Thanksgiving and the Winter holiday dinners.  Along with food help, the Council provided family members gifts for the winter holiday.

This year, the Interfaith Council is going to give gift cards only.  It was a difficult decision, but the safest one at this time.

The DIC Gift Team is collecting gift cards that will be distributed to families so they can shop for themselves.   There will be collection boxes for gift cards at most local churches, many businesses and the Senior Center.

DIC representatives will also be outside Brothers on November 21 and December 5 to collect gift cards and monetary donations

Gift cards and checks can also be mailed to:

 Duxbury Interfaith Council

PO Box 1161

Duxbury MA 02331

 

Or donations can be made via Paypal:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7MLC3MWZWEEGC&source=url

Lord, Who throughout this Quarantine

Note that this quarantine is currently taking place during Lent. Therefore, this setting is particularly appropriate for those familiar with the hymn Lord, who throughout these forty days.

However, I don't usually end up laughing during the original. Maybe that is about to change...



Many thanks to the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa for a much-needed laugh.

Just found their blog: https://catherinescafe.blogspot.com/ and signed up, as they seem like women I'll enjoy meeting (virtually, anyway). And yes, I am now following them on Twitter, too.

Here's the original:

join in prayer each Sunday at noon

In the midst of crisis, it is more important than ever that we stand together. From wherever you are, join the members of the Duxbury Interfaith Council each Sunday at noon in prayer for health and healing.

Duxbury Interfaith Council invitation to prayer Sundays at noon from wherever you are, however you pray. Church bells will ring, and we will all stop for a moment.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on immigration: ‘Who is my neighbor?’

"Deeply embedded in the Christian faith, indeed deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition, which is the mother of the Christian faith, and deeply embedded in the faith and traditions and values of many of the world’s great religions, is a profound conviction in a sure and certain value and virtue that care for the stranger, the alien, the visitor, is a sacred duty, a sacred vow.

In the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Deuteronomy, the book writes and says you shall love the stranger, for remember you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.

In the 25th chapter of Matthew in the New Testament, Jesus in the parable of the last judgment says that when you welcomed the stranger, when you did it to these who are members of my family, you have done it to me."



transcript via https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/presiding-bishop-issues-video-message-on-immigration-who-is-my-neighbor/

Duxbury Interfaith Council 2018 Spring Holiday Basket Project

Last weekend there was a (tiny little) snowstorm. Noah didn't amount to much after all. Yesterday and today it has been spring. 

just after sunrise this morning

a beautiful start to a beautiful day

It's been over 60 here in Duxbury, and it was 73 in Cambridge yesterday afternoon when I was up to speak with the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Div. I was wishing I could add a few extra hours in the afternoon to wander around and look at birds. (That's not an unusual wish, however.)

happy long-tailed duck, already anticipating the loveliness

Tomorrow I hear it will snow again. 

"You did not just say that..."

Meanwhile, however, I have received a confirmation that spring is on the way, Punxutawney Phil notwithstanding. It's time to think about the DIC food drive for our holiday meal baskets. Care to participate? See below for possibilities. 

2018 SPRING HOLIDAY BASKET PROJECT

The Outreach Committee of the Duxbury Interfaith Council is planning the Spring Holiday food basket project to distribute holiday meals to our less fortunate neighbors.  This has become a major community endeavor, and we are asking for your help.  We thank you for your continued support, as do over 130 recipient families.

HOW TO HELP?

DONATIONS OF MONEY:  Please make check payable to the Duxbury Interfaith Council and mail to P.O. Box 1161, Duxbury, MA  02331. 

DONATIONS OF FOOD:  Please drop off all non-perishable items at Holy Family Church, 601 Tremont Street, by Saturday, March 24^th   

Non-perishable donations needed:

●      Canned Goods:  Yellow and Green vegetables, Cranberry Sauce, Canned Gravy

●      Juice:  Non-frozen concentrated juice mix

●      Packaged Dessert Mixes: Quick Bread, Muffins, Brownie, Cake & Frosting

●      Baked Goods: Cookies, Brownies, Squares, Cupcakes, Quick Breads, and Pies.

Baked Goods should be dropped off no later than 3:00 pm on Monday, March 26^th.

**No food donations in glass containers and within expiration dates, please.

There is always an enormous need for home-style baked goods for the Spring Baskets.  Please consider baking from scratch or purchasing from a local supermarket bakery.  These goods add a personal touch to the baskets.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

BASKET ASSEMBLY:  At Holy Family Church Parish Center, 601 Tremont St. 

Tuesday, March 27^th 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon and Wednesday March 28^th from 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

BASKET PICKUP/DELIVERY:  Most recipients pick up their baskets.  We need help loading the baskets into cars and delivering baskets on Wednesday, March 28^th.^d from 12:00 – 4:00 pm (strong adults only) 

Deliveries begin at 1:00 pm.

http://www.duxburyinterfaithcouncil.org/

https://www.facebook.com/duxburyinterfaithcouncil/

Everyone should have a nice dinner.

this is how you do it - Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria's full speech about racism

I wish all our leaders - no, make that all of us - could be that clear. Racism is pervasive. And it's not all right. It's not just an opinion. It's evil.

Episcopalians: This is from our baptismal covenant. It goes well with the General's speech.  I've probably posted it before, but I'm posting it again because I think we need to go back to it (and the rest of our promises) on a regular basis.

Celebrant	Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People	I will, with God's help.
Celebrant	Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People	I will, with God's help.

https://www.bcponline.org/

It will be a long, long time, unfortunately, before we're rid of this scourge. Those of us who are white especially bear the responsibility here. It's seeped into our pores through the images we've ingested since birth, and we're all just going to have to do a lot of work on ourselves and our world over the long haul. As with most everything in life, and especially in our life in Christ, we need to be persistent.

There's one more thing from the baptismal service that is particularly apt for this.

Celebrant	Will you persevere in resisting evil, and , whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
People	I will, with God's help.

May God give us courage, wisdom, insight, energy, and love to move forward together.

countering the insanity + contact info links for politicians

This has been an incredible week. The post I started earlier in the week to express my outrage has gotten left in the dust as one event succeeds the next.

This ban preventing people - permanent residents of the US, refugees, and everyone in between - from entering the US - even people in transit - is one of the most appalling things I've heard of. And the stories... Holding a woman and children for 20 hours at Dulles, cuffed and without food, is the least of the stories I've seen. I can't watch a video; it's too much. Yes, we have a right to protect our borders. This, however, is insanity on a number of levels.

Here's a good summary from yesterday - good information in it, even if it's a bit behind the news now.

Washington Post on Twitter: "Annotated: The Trump administration’s executive order on refugees and immigrants https://t.co/tncUtUy7Yp" or https://mobile.twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/825353247011569665

I just read an update saying that green card holders would no longer be affected by this, but the backtracking isn't more than a start. I almost wonder if they did an overkill declaration at first in order to make us more willing to accept the lesser version thereof.

backpedaling a bit? but most still in place...

It is time to act in whatever way we can.
Call. Write. Email. 
It makes a difference.

Here is contact information for the US Senate and House of Representatives.

https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf

http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Here is what those from the Northeast have had to say so far:
Here’s what all 33 N.E. members of Congress think about Trump’s immigration order (Boston Globe)


To write or sign petitions addressed directly to the White House:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/

By (top)Cezary p(bottom)UpstateNYer - here and here, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37794073 

And pray. 

I haven't been much for praying for our government till this year. I never imagined it would become a focus of intercession in this way. But I find myself asking just how much more we can take of this - and it's been just over a week.

Fr James Martin, SJ, has a good reflection on praying with this anger.

Prayer and other forms of action will be essential in the days to come, one flowing from the other and back again.

Ora et labora.

I'm off to an interfaith rally in Boston on Tuesday. It's through a group with which I'm not familiar - MCAN - but I learned of it from an Episcopal priest of this diocese, as it's being held at the Episcopal cathedral.
"MCAN (Massachusetts Communities Action Network) is a a federation of community improvement organizations across Massachusetts working for social and economic justice by putting our religious faith values and our democratic values into action."

Description: People of all faiths and shared values are welcome to join a press conference this Tuesday condemning the hate filled Presidential Orders of the past week. The faith community of Massachusetts is standing together calling for the state to be a place of sanctuary and solidarity. We applaud our Mayors who have come out in support of all of our neighbors and will be calling on the Governor to stand with us as well.

It's a small thing, but small things add up.

yes, indeed
Boston Common Women's March 1-21-17

why I marched: baptism, compassion, and justice

Women's March, Boston Common 1-21-17

From our baptismal service:

Celebrant	Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People	I will, with God's help.
Celebrant	Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People	I will, with God's help.

-- Book of Common Prayer p. 305 (or http://www.bcponline.org/)

This looks different over time - indeed, day by day. This year brings me a new way of living it out.

I made a few hats, too. (None of these, though.)

When was I last in a march, I wonder?

I recall a candlelight vigil with the sisters in 2003 in hopes of staving off another invasion of Iraq.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1

I recall a demonstration against apartheid when I was in college. I skipped psych class (and I wasn't a class skipper) to stand with others near the shanty town built next to the Beinecke Library. We were so excited when Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent us a word! I found some old pictures online, as a matter of fact, and am grateful to the alum who shared them:

https://yalealumnimagazine.com/blog_posts/1649

I recall a Take Back the Night march in Ann Arbor, MI a year or two earlier. Looked online and found that the organization still exists (http://tbtnannarbor.org/). As a signboard I read this weekend phrased it, "I can't believe I'm still protesting this ----." OK, I can believe it. I just wish I couldn't.

Mostly, however, I've written and called my representatives, signed petitions, and learned - too slowly - to speak up instead of smoothing things over that really needed not to be smoothed over at all.

Sometimes you need to make noise.
Boston Public Garden 1-21-17

I wonder if that is changing.

Yes. Yes, it is.
Let's make it better.
Boston Common 1-21-17

What will this year bring?

more of this? more than this, certainly

Yes, we can. Together. All of us.

Snowflakes, unite!

If I am going to live the promises I made in my baptism alongside my community's historical concern for women and children, it seems to me that more may be required in the days ahead.

I might note that there were quite a few concerns expressed Saturday, climate change among them. I am beginning to learn more about that, too.

Talk about something that will affect us all, or at least anyone who is going to live a while longer. I plan to.

Marching. Praying. Writing. Calling. Networking. Listening. More listening. Reading. More praying. Work I can't yet envision. Prayer that is listening and listening that is prayer moving into action.

Jesus may be calling me out of my sycamore tree.
(A sycamore tree would have been very handy on the Common on Saturday. Some of us are too short to see over 175,000 people. However, all the good trees were taken, as you can see.)

I will, with God's help.

Join me?

Dear President-Elect Trump: a letter from the Episcopal bishops in MA about the environment

Dec. 12, 2016

Donald J. Trump

President-Elect of the United States of America

Trump Tower

735 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Dear President-Elect Trump,

We, the bishops of the Episcopal Church in Massachusetts, are glad to let you know that all of our 235 churches pray for you regularly in our liturgies with these or similar words: “For those in positions of public trust, especially Barack our President and Donald our President-Elect, that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person.”

We also pray: “Give us reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.”

The Episcopal Church stands strongly for the protection of the environment. We respect the facts of science.  We support laws and policies that address the reality of climate change. We are in the process of divesting our financial interest in fossil fuels. Most recently our Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, joined Native Americans at Standing Rock in their effort to protect their water and their sacred land. Numerous other Episcopal Church leaders have likewise traveled to Standing Rock.

Our respect for our government leaders and our reverence for the earth as God’s creation impel us to write you to express our dismay about your selection of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. We wonder why a person who has consistently and adamantly opposed all laws and policies that provide even minimal “protection” to the environment should be entrusted with leading such an agency.

President-elect Trump, you have promised economic development. Like you, we value a stable and prosperous economy.  However, a thriving economy depends on a healthy environment. The more we weaken and dismantle the E.P.A.’s vital protections of our natural world, the more we threaten the common good.

You have also promised to strengthen our national defense. Like you, we value national security.  However, our country’s top military intelligence have concluded that climate change is a “threat multiplier” that is already creating instability around the world and will likely create significant security challenges in the years ahead.  If someone who casts doubt on the reality of climate change becomes the head of the E.P.A., our national security will be compromised.

As citizens of this beloved country, we intend to write our members of Congress, urging them to block the nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the E.P.A. We will pray for a better choice.

And we will continue to pray for you as you assume this office of tremendous responsibility for the good of all.

Respectfully,

The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, Bishop Diocesan of Western Massachusetts

The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates, Bishop Diocesan of Massachusetts

The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts

The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (retired)

The Rt. Rev. Roy F. Cederholm, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (retired)

http://www.diomass.org/diocesan-news/ma-bishops-oppose-trump-pick-epa

Duxbury Interfaith Council Holiday Basket Project

Helping locally...

Once again, we are collecting donations of food and gifts as part of the DIC's community work. There is information on various ways to participate in the flier pictured below. Furthermore, we are also planning to collect donations of food outside Foodies Market in Halls Corner on Saturday, December 10, from 8AM-12PM. If you prefer, you may help by sending a check to the Duxbury Interfaith Council, PO Box 1161, Duxbury, MA 02331.

www.duxinterfaith.com 

#DIC

wary and generous

Wise as serpents, innocent as doves? Something like that...

I have read a number of things about giving to help with the devastation in Haiti. I have a feeling we don't yet know the half of what Haiti is experiencing. Yes, Florida. But for all we complain about FEMA, at least we have one. 

Haiti doesn't.

What Haiti does have is people - Haitian and foreign - who are already there and working to improve lives. No need to fly people down and pay for housing and such when there are already trained personnel in the field. They aren't hard to find. They just don't get anyone up here any brownie points in the press. 

Anyway, I've just read on Facebook a commentary to which I'd like to add an emphatic AMEN, the last paragraph of an update someone in Haiti has written. I now have permission to share it. I'll include the previous paragraph for context.

We're still hearing reports from our people upcountry. Those in the western part of the peninsula have nothing and we have yet to hear from most of ours. The road is apparently passable to Petit Goave again (by driving through the river since the bridge is gone) so that's a start. People are gathering up what meager personal belongings that they can find and organizations such as Agape Flights Inc are organizing airlifts of locally purchased relief supplies.

During this crisis many have been advising people to use small local ministries to reach into the provinces rather than channeling millions into the big money hungry international aid groups who spend more of their staff support than actually seems to get to the people in need. Those who actually minister here don't need to be flown into the country, rent expensive homes and vehicles or pay translators and guides to get them around, and also don't need to attend endless meetings at expensive hotels or go out to fancy restaurants at night and drink just to unwind. (Sorry, I've finally come out and said it. Please don't hate me.)

AMEN.

Naturally, I have suggestions!

St. Vincent's School - now expanded to a Center - was started by our Sr. Joan in 1945 as the first school in Haiti for disabled children. Another of our sisters is an alum. We don't run it anymore, though we currently have a sister on the board. They do essential work. There are boarding as well as day students whose needs must be met; just keeping up with basic supplies is a challenge, especially since the earthquake. And now this. They do have a new website and clearer American connections, which makes it easier to donate directly. 

http://stvincentshaiti.org/  
You can also donate to St. Vincent's through these two respected groups:
West Tennessee Haiti Partnership (I met these people when I lived in Haiti. They do good work, and volunteers pay for their own travel expenses. There is one fund for the school, including food and medicine for the children, and another separate fund to support travel for a surgeon or medical team members if that is of interest.)
The Children’s Medical Mission of Haiti

Next, Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante, begun by Paul Farmer, does amazing work. They have two hospitals, the original in Cange and a new one in Mirebalais, and they train medical personnel. I was delighted last year to see a young nurse of my acquaintance in one of their media posts. I knew her back in her early student days! They have a Haitian-run organization on the ground, though they also have the Harvard Medical School connection and the American PIH group as well. There has been a donate button in the right column of this blog for years, but here's the link to their website's article on Matthew in Haiti: http://www.pih.org/blog/hurricane-matthew-aims-for-haiti

Finally, you can't lose with Episcopal Relief and Development. I'd be willing to bet they have been there for decades, possibly soon after their foundation in 1940, but Anglicanism has been there for longer than that, thanks to James Theodore Holly, a man not easily discouraged.

It's also best for the Haitian economy if money is sent down there so that the supplies needed might be bought from local businesses.  Haitian business owners need to eat and send their children to school, too - and for all we know, they might themselves have lost homes or have taken in family and friends who have. So don't, say, send peanut butter from the US when there is a thriving market for it in Haiti (along with plain, there's a version with hot peppers!). Coals to Newcastle and all.

[I just searched for a picture of mamba (peanut butter) and found this article which says basically the same thing I'm saying while promoting spicy mamba by Rebo. At the convent in Haiti, we bought cheaper mamba and normally the plain version with no peppers, but I do know this company's coffee, which is good, so I bet their mamba is, too.]
[Word to the wise: if you buy spicy peanut butter by accident, it's actually not too bad on bananas for breakfast! With Haitian coffee, of course. I miss Haitian coffee. With condensed milk. 

Mmmmmm...
Wouldn't it also be good to let Haitian people buy the food they like?]

-  -  -  -  -
One more possibility to offer: There is a school of nursing in Leogane I've visited, the Faculté des Sciences Infirmières de l'Université Episcopale d'Haïti or, as it is usually known , the Faculté des Sciences Infirmières de Léogane. FSIL is near Darbonne, the town where I did the original internship that led to this blog. The nurse I previously mentioned is a graduate, as a matter of fact.  They are located near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake and are on the southwestern peninsula that was slammed by Matthew. In both cases, nursing students have been challenged to see what they could do to help in the aftermath of disaster. The dean, Hilda Alcindor, is a very determined woman, and I'm sure these students as well as the faculty members will be making a difference. (Read the reports here: http://www.haitinursing.org/hurricane-matthew.) They are worth your support. The easiest way to get them money is to send it through the small foundation in Ann Arbor, MI, set up for their support and for the development of nursing in Haiti.
 http://www.haitinursing.org/

Finally, please be generous with your prayer. It makes a difference. 

Seriously.

CBC News Edmonton: Fort McMurray wildfire specials, May 4 & 5, 2016

This is from a few days ago - and we all know it's spread since then - but it's a 25 minute show in depth from Canadian television. Informative. I'd like to find more things to post, but that will have to wait. As one Canadian friend tweeted to me, pray for rain.



#ymmfire

Here is the one from the next day:

If you would like to donate, here is a link to the Red Cross in Canada's page for it. What's more, the government is matching these donations, too. There's something we haven't thought of yet in the US.
https://donate.redcross.ca/ea-action/action?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=NO-DM&ea.client.id=1951&ea.campaign.id=50639