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Friends, thanks to your generosity we have finished the school building. All the finishing touches are completed: paint, tile, doors, everything. The school is ready.
We had planned to show you photos of happy, hopeful children, smiling in front of the new school building. Instead we have a finished building with no children. Schools throughout Haiti are closed because the country has descended deeper into anarchy. Fuel shortages and food shortages are worse than ever. Lack of fuel has led to cellular and Internet service outages. Life in Haiti is tenuous.
Thankfully Fr. Phanord came to visit us last month before Haiti's situation worsened. It was a blessing to be with him again, working together to serve the Haitian people. We proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ at St. James Hyde Park, St. Augustine in Croton on Hudson, and Good Samaritan in the Bronx. We met with seminarians at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in New Haven. We talked to partners and supporters throughout the Episcopal Diocese of New York, from Wall Street to Dutchess County. We went to the top of the World Trade Center, and we crossed the Croton Dam. During our ten days together Fr. Phanord asked us to pray for Haiti. He asked us to pray for the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. He asked us to pray for St. Luke's Episcopal School and Church in Martel. Prayer was his consistent and urgent request.
We hope to host a food packing event for Martel in the Bronx. It all depends on raising the money. We have applied for grants to fund the event. We hope to pack and ship around 75,000 meals for the school children and community members of Martel. Now we pray.
We are grateful to all of you who helped us finish the school building. When the children and teachers are able to return to school, they will have the space they need to learn and dream of a better future. Thank you to all who made this building become a reality.
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