Starfish Pens



A story recently retold to me goes like this: An inquisitive fellow is on an ocean beach watching as another fellow on the beach is busily picking up one starfish after another and tossing it into the surf. There being thousands of starfish there, stranded where they were left by the receding tide, the watcher thinks only of the futility of the starfish rescuer. After watching for a while, he approaches the rescuer and asks him of this futility, how he hopes to ever save them all. The rescuer, continueing to pick of starfish and toss them into the deeper water replies that he hopes to save them one at a time. The reteller of that story has kindly given me his permission to post the story and what led him to tell it here. Please click that link and read his story of his trip to Haiti and all he saw and did there. I think you will be touched like I was.

Our world is full of troubled places throughout and we can not ever hope to save them all, but can only do our own part toward saving as many as we can, one at a time. One such troubled place is Haiti.

Just a few minutes by airplane from Florida is the small island nation of Haiti, a very poor country by any standards.



Haiti occuppies the western 1/3 of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the remaining 2/3 of which is the Dominican Republic. The City of Cap-Haitien is located on the north central coast of the island.



Just outside of Cap-Haitien you will find the Eglise Evangelique Bethesda de Madeline Church of Pastor Julio and its associated Elementary School


This is Pastor Julio's Church.


Pastor Julio and the teachers from the school.


The School Kids with Pastor Julio.


Here is Pastor Julio and his wife.


And here he is with his wife and children.

Pastor Julio's Church, and just as importantly, the school, depends on the graciousness of others to continue feeding the minds, souls, and bodies of his parissioners and students. At times he has to depend upon the grace and patience of his teachers because making ends meet it often difficult.

To help him beyond my normal financial means, it came to my mind that I could possibly combine my joy of woodworking with helping out his church through selling hand made pens made of wood, and sending the profits on to him. What I have done is seeded this enterprise out of my own pocket. When I sell a pen, the replacement cost of materials will go toward the purchase of additional materials and the remainder will be forwarded on to Pastor Julio. Much of the wood used for these pens is scrap from other woodworking projects, while some of the more exotic woods have been purchased with pen making in mind. The scraps I will continue to donate freely, the exotics will be replaced from the proceeds of the sales. The mechanisms for the pens vary in cost, from as little as $2.00 for some, up to $8.00 and more for others depending on the type of mechanism and material. I had thought to list these costs out individually for each pen I show, but buying in bulk quantities, the prices for materials vary somewhat. The prices listed are approximately the regular price you could expect to pay if you were to buy them from another pen maker, and maybe less than what many ask.

Note that although I have not had any problems with the many pens I have made previously, I have upgraded to a better plating in the last kits that I ordered. This resulted in an additional $2.00 in cost for each kit which is reflected in the most recently added pens.

I also understand that some folks would like to make a donation to help Pastor Julio, but do not care to purchase a pen. At the bottom of the page I have added to methods by which this can be done, first, I have given an address to which donations in the form of checks or money orders can be mailed. Secondly, I've added a donation button through our PayPal account to make donations by credit card or as electronic withdrawals from your bank account. Thank You, and God Bless You.

We now offer European Style Fountain Pens!!!



These are pictures of a Euro Style Fountain Pen in CocoBolo Wood recently custom made for a customer. Prices start at $45 for most domestic woods, a bit more for exotics and burls.

The Americana Pens have arrived!!!!

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AM02
Americana Style Pen of Cocobolo
$30.00
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Special Theme Clips are only available on the Slimline and Euro Style Twist pens.

SL03 Slimline Twist Pen of Bocote with Jonah Clip.
$25.00
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SL06
Slimline Twist Pen of Ebony with plain clip.
$30.00
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The clips for the Euro Style Pens can be quickly switched out, so if you see a particular pen but prefer different clip, then let me know and I will switch it out to the one you want.
EU02
European Style Twist Pen of Birdseye Maple w/Crucifix Clip.
#28.00
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EU03
European Style Twist Pen of Olivewood of Behtlehem w/Crucifix Clip.
$28.00
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EU08
European Style Twist Pen of Spalted Maple w/Jonah Clip.
$30.00


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EU09
European Style Pen of Purpleheart w/Cross Clip.
$32.00
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EU10
European Style Pen of Kingwood w/Jonah Clip.
$32.00
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The Cigar Pens that follow are somewhat bulky being from approximately 1/2" to a little larger in diameter. If you like a large pen, these are the ones for you.

CIG01
Cigar Pen in Unknown Burl Wood.
$40.00
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Sold, but we'll have others soon
Cigar Pen in Unknown Burl Wood.
$40.00

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CIG03
Cigar Pen in Olivewood from Bethlehem
$40.00
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CIG04
Cigar Pen in Unknown Burl Wood.
$40.00
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CIG05
Cigar Pen in Cocobolo.
$40.00
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Don't see what you want? Contact me via e-mail below and I'll custom make what you want.

Each Pen comes in a nice gift box.
Shipping is a flat rate of $3.00 for all pens shipped to a single address. Buy one: $3.00. Buy five shipped to a single address: $3.00
Each of the pens made of OliveWood of Bethlehem comes with a sticker of authenticity provided to me by my source of the wood.

If you wish to mail a donation to Pastor Julio, you may do so at the following address:
Pastor Julio J. Gilles
C/O Unit 1033 NBC
3170 Airmans Dr.
Ft Pierce, FL 34946


Payments Accepted: Paypal, Checks, Money Orders. To order a custom pen email me by clicking the moving plane. Mention "Pen" in the subject line.