This was a fast month. I went to England and Ireland with my tin cup. I left at midnight Nov. 5 and returned late November 14. I had been watching weather reports for the U.K., and must admit that heavy winds and cold rain seemed to be part and parcel of weather there. I had an old jacket from Cuna Life Insurance my brother gave me years ago, and a rain jacket I bought last summer, but they didn't help much. My efforts didn't bring in much either. Not a good time to troll for shekels.

We have begun the rice harvest. The older boys and girls harvested 28 rai (14 acres) by hand with sickles. Since people are bringing in trucks in this area to steal rice (the rice lays on the field until they bundles are hand tied with strips of bamboo before going to the thresher), we had guys sleeping in the fields with shotguns. I told them to aim at the truck door and pull the trigger. The rice yield is quite disappointing, due to the lack of rain and not enough fertilizer in new paddies that I bought.

Our latest little girl, Oop-Ip is doing better, and is fitting in with every other little toad in the nursery. They fight like tinkers, and Mimi looks like a sumo wrestler, so not too many kids pick on her. With the other kids from the House of Hope in kindergarten, there are only 6 at home all day. At Sarnelli House, we picked up an 11 year old buy named Bern two weeks ago, and have another two AIDS infected boys coming in soon. Just when one thinks the virus is slacking off. Bern has AIDS.

Oop-Ip (left) and Mimi (right)

Since it rained up to last week and the soil is soft, we had to stop digging the footings for the new Nazareth House for teen age boys (with AIDS). I bought a small Divo pump to pump out water, but the rains were too heavy. I just hope no one is swinging a pick when that pump is down there, with an electric cord hooking it up to 220 v. electricity.

The kids are all relatively well. Little 13-year-old Mutt is recovering after months of suffering while adjusting to her new ARV medicines. She wound up in the hospital for 5 days early this month. Some of those cocktails literally bring people to the gates of heaven before they come back to normal. The other AIDS kids understand and give each other hope and strength.

We pray for you every evening at Holy Innocents chapel.

Fr. Mike