Pardon my absence these past couple of days. Faith and I have come down with fevers, aches, and chills so we've been bed-bound most of the past 24 hours. Fortunately, the fever seems to be subsiding for the moment so I may be able to return to work tomorrow.

As I've been in bed and out of work, my memory takes me back to Hispaniola. The luxury of having paid sick-leave is an unheard of concept in Haiti--for to miss work, means to miss your next meal or two. The Haitian work ethic is nothing short of phenomenal. They have a strength and a steadiness that puts most Americans to shame. So on this day when I get to skip work due to illness, here is a sampling of Haitians at work.

(Above and below) Ladies who are carrying dozens of egg cartons on their head. How they never broke an egg escapes me! Twice a week, the Dominican Republic opens up its borders and allows Haitians to cross over and buy food and supplies. As generous as this sounds of the DR, it can actually do more harm than good to Haiti.

Thoma, our translator for the week, and I adding block to the school's new latrine.








Faith's friend, Jordany, picking tomatoes for lunch.



Conel, LaCharit, and I working on a new well in town.





Yea, that's cinder block. And yea, he's making that by hand.


Some of the ladies filling up 5-gallon buckets full of water (in case you were wondering, that's between 40 and 50 lbs!) After filling the buckets, they would carry them down a hill on their head in order to help mix the cement needed for the cinder blocks.