Visitors from Cornell University

On May 25th Mike Schafer, Cornell University Hockey Coach, Mike’s son Luke, friends, Mark and Mason Bishop, masons, Scott Howard, Tony Eisenhut, his daughter Lindsey and her friend Nicole, Cornell students from the hockey team, Joe Scali, Shane Hynes ,Taylor Davenport, Brendan Nash, Dan Di leo and John Nitti, Cornell football, arrived in Don Juan. The group of 14 arrived from Ithaca, NY to do some projects connected with the School, Santa Maria Josefa Rossello.

The group kept busy with many projects during their week of work. They helped to lay the foundation for a nurse's office, built protective walls around the well and cistern openings (the future pump house for the new water system to be put in this fall), and prepared the field for new, coming park for the school children, who will soon number over 400.
The present area for the children outside the school is a wholly inadequate space. The boys at the school, most in single parent households, are very aggressive. The additional, large space is most needed.

They all did great work, interacted with the children of the school and town, and even got to know the local scene in the evening. Much good work was completed and many good memories were made. It was a very successful week for all involved!
Showering dominican style - outside in the rain


~P.Ron

Center of Development of Skills Graduation

Friday, May 15th the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Doctor Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez, was here in Don Juan for the graduation of more than 400 students from our Center of Development of Skills. The sisters here, with the support of our foundation, bought the property where the center is located, and the nuns direct programming at the center. The building itself was designed, constructed and equipped by the government.Programming at the center includes classes on computer use, cooking, sewing and beautician skills.
The center is one more example of where your contributions to the Portal de Belen Foundation are at work helping the poor better their livelihood.
Doctor Margarita is the first, First Lady of a republic to whom I have ever been able to give a welcoming kiss (may there be more).
She is a very warm, gracious Lady indeed.

My life is never dull here.
~P.Ron

Putting a personal face on the world financial crisis

Like many, my personal income has decreased recently, while my expenses have increased. Tourism, which is the number one industry here in the Dominican Republic, has decreased by 25%. Off-season rates are now en vogue during what is actually the height of the tourist season. I spent two days after Holy Week in a principal resort in Punta Cana. There seemed to be more employees working than guests staying at the resort.

The third largest source of income here is money sent home from family members abroad (principally the USA). Even this source of financial support for local families is down more than 20%.

Previously we were able to cash a check and have it covered in 15 days, the time required is now 50 days. This delay is making projects here difficult to proceed with and to manage, and thereby causing increased unemployment.

A young man, whose nickname is Darling, came to visit me two weeks ago and told me that he was sick and had anemia. At 18 years old, Darling is still growing. He has always been thin, but now Darling seems malnourished more than he is just thin. The only source of income for his family right now is an apartment they rent out. I asked Darling if he had gone a clinic to be examined. He said no, so I gave him the money he needed to do so. Darling was right. Because of malnutrition, anemia is so common here that an 18 year old knows the symptoms and can correctly diagnose himself.

My life here is never dull, could use a vacation from it, at times.
~P. Ron

Sister Maria Arileida

A young woman from the parish here in Don Juan, Arileida Basarte, made her first profession as a nun in the Congregation of the Daughters of our Lady of Misericordia. Sister Maria Arileida made her first profession in the city of Rosario, Argentina. I was invited to attend and celebrate this wonderful event with her, and celebrate we did, with gusto!
~P. Ron

Questioning Sr. Maria Arileida's readiness

Reading her profession

Celebrating with friends!

Children's Olympic games

The children at the El Portal de Belen Daycare Center participated in a day of Olympic games on the last Wednesday in March.

The children played games and completed challenges according to their age and capabilities.

Suggested reading:

In the New Testament Jesus says the poor you will always have with you. Given the economy of his time and that of ours, those words are true, but need they continue to be? Muhammad Yunus in his book, Creating a World Without Poverty, demonstrates a way through.
Yunus speaks not just from theory, but theory put into actions that prove his theory. Yunus includes data and statistics to support his theory for those who need them.
Creating a World Without Poverty in paperback for ten dollars and change.

As some of you know my favorite book about Jesus is not the one written by Himself, Benedict XVI, but by Jose Antonio Pagola. Pagola's book has yet to be published in English, but has gone through eight publications in less than 12 months. I don’t know why it has yet to appear in English.

But in the meanwhile I would recommend, What Jesus Meant, by Garry Wills . This book is also in paperback. Wills' text is in the spirit of my favorite book about Jesus, though not as in depth.
If it wets your appetite for more accurate knowledge about Jesus follow up with The First Paul by Marcus J.Borg and John Dominic Crossan.

Missionaries from St. Alphonsus Parish

We were pleased to host some visitors recently. Eleven people, 5 adults and 6 high schoolers, traveled from St. Alphonsus Parish in Auburn, New York to work as missionaries to the Project in Hato Nuevo from March 11th to the 21st.

This is a photo of our guests' arrival at the local airport on March 11.They spent part of their visit painting new classrooms in the elementary school.
Group organizer Kim Gunnip doing some painting.
The new classrooms the group worked on will be completed in time for the next school year.

The group also spent a good deal of time getting to know the children, their families and the poverty of the people of Hato Nuevo.
Sunday night we went to a parish in Ceuta to participate in an evening of local folk music and dance.

One afternoon Sr. Kathleen and a group of Hato Nuevo school children entertained the missionaries with songs.

The group departed on March 21. We so enjoyed hosting our guests during their stay with us. Their hard work in the school and the time they spent sharing stories, songs, and smiles with the children and local families were much appreciated. Their faith, time shared, and hard work will have a lasting impact on our efforts to help the children and families of Hato Nuevo!