We have now completed our first week of community service! On Thursday and Friday we finished painting the exterior, kitchen, and bathroom of Lena’s house, which now has a gorgeous aqua shade on the outside and a brilliant orange inside. We also painted beautiful designs on the garbage huts that we repaired earlier in the week. In addition, we started making a foundation for the Bense resource center, which will serve as a shelter from future hurricanes for the community. We hope to begin pouring concrete next week.

After wrapping up the work week, we had a fantastic weekend exploring around Bense and Portsmouth. On Saturday, we hiked up to the beautiful Chaudiere Pool near Bense, swimming under a waterfall. In the evening, we played games at an evening social with local kids. On Sunday, we attended a service at the local Catholic church before heading off to the Cabrits, an historic British fort overlooking Portsmouth. We ended the evening with a delicious dinner in Portsmouth before heading back to Bense to prepare for the following week. Overall, a highly successful week, and the perfect weekend for recharging to return to our projects tomorrow!

— Gabby & David