i feel like i am writing about so many different things, well - i am! why?
BECAUSE GOD IS SO BIG!
he really is. he is doing so many things & as soon as i get my mind wrapped around one thing he is doing another.
my prayer is that i am always honest, open & willing to go where he leads me. even when it is really hard, because trust me - some days i really struggle. i have questions & sometimes i am angry with God which i know i shouldn't be. i never want to be selfish or do things to pat myself on the shoulder. i never want to come across as the person that seems like they don't need help. RI is made up of so many different people, with so many talented gifts & i could never do anything without God or these people by my side. i never want to take one day for granted or let something pass without showing appreciation. i have felt like i have been so busy with life lately, because there is so much going on that i haven't properly showed those close to me how much i appreciate them. i will be introducing them as the time comes along, so be on the lookout.
lord help me to never be to busy to love on those around me.
help me to always stop & be present with those around me.
help me to encourage others to pursue their dreams despite the whispers of others or their own whispers of doubt.
help me to always be genuine.
help me to always keep YOU first.
help me to never start a day without saying thank you.
help me to never look at a meal & not feel thankfulness for your provision.
help me to be everything that you are calling me to be.
help me to be patient.
for every single person that prays for me thank you. for every person that donates to RI to help CAD please always know that my heart is for those kids. 100% of your money always goes to them. always.
if you don't know anything else about me you should know the reason i started RI was because God was calling me to do something different. i try to put myself in the culture & history of haiti as much as i can. reading about why after 50 years of people working in haiti it's the same if not worse. why american products are putting haitian people out of business. why are people selling children in orphanages? why are children with parents being put into orphanages? why are orphanages treated like some sort of vacation spot for groups? why are people bringing groups of people to build things in haiti, or paint churches in haiti when you could hire locals in a community to do the exact same thing quicker & that money could provide SO MUCH for that persons family?
what can we do that is different?
we can do a lot.
we can make partnerships with businesses, & we can partner with communities. we can build relationships.
RI plans on being very different. we want to build relationships that end up being like family, bc with us most of the time they do.
la cabane hotel is my second home. i don't always stay there BUT i recommend everyone to go there. the owners are like family to me & when i need a moment of peace i go there. i take my kids there for a good meal & to swim in the lake.
i have one hardware store i go to where i am friends with the owners.
empower haiti together- i cannot begin to tell you how much i love aslan's heart & her desire to see true change. she takes group on experience trips to haiti & they visit so many businesses that she has created relationships with. these trips help fund her work in communities all over haiti. she recently
rented a home & you can stay there! i cannot wait to stay there. her heart & detail to every piece of that house is incredible. i look up to her so much & love our talks.
dirty feet missions- meeting these ladies was not by chance. i truly believe that God orchestrated this & i could sit & talk to them for hours. i needed to meet them, i was so discouraged at that time from seeing so many corrupt organizations & how hard it would be to do something right. they were the light that i needed & i LOVE seeing the work they do. i pray for them & pray God continues to bless their ministry.
when i work in a community i view it as a relationship. i want to best friends ahahah that is what i call it. i want to meet with leaders in the community & ask those living there what are the best ways to help families? what are the needs? if families are in need, what are their skill sets? i take names of families in need, i pray for them, i figure out ways we can work together to bring change- NOT a handout. i like to sit down with locals & ask them their thoughts on what will make a long lasting change?
i always view things as how would i want to be treated in this scenario?
for example. if cory & i were living in haiti, we had 8 kids & i had a group of strangers come to my door with a ziploc bag full of rice & a bag of beans & then was given a little hygiene kit & they prayed for me. how would i feel? for me, i would feel like ok. here is some food that will be one meal, a hygiene kit to share with 10 of us & a prayer. i would be thankful for that moment BUT will i ever see these people again? did they ask for my name or my childrens names? this is good at this moment, but what about next week when my husband cannot find work? ALSO can you imagine what it does to a man who wants to provide for his family? all the good pride that comes with being able to provide for your family? what about all of that? i want every encounter i have to be personal. i really do.
so how can you change this scenario that happens all the time?
instead of taking 20 people to do this- lets pause & do some math. a trip with airfare is about $1300 depending on who you go with & where you are flying from--you multiply that & you get $26,000!
YOU GUYS.
WHAT!
$26,000.
if you bring a group of people please be mindful of what you will be doing. make an impact & include haitian people PLEASE PLEASE. focus on one community, i am telling you being in one place & having people build relationships is so important & they will remember it so much more.
instead what if you took a few people, hire your translator & your driver. you go into these communities & you sit down with the locals. you sit down with families & you share your heart of why you are there. you say you don't want to give a handout bc it doesn't help in the long run. you say WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BRING CHANGE to your community? should we build a garden so you can feed your families & sell it in a business? are some of your carpenters (at this point i would get my notebook out & i would write down their names & numbers & what town i am in), are their women who cook (write down names for next time i need someone to cook) are their woman who can sew? are their men who do concrete work? (takes names for when i build the fence on our property) what are the skill sets in this community? what type of education is needed here?
do you realize how amazing it is to sit & get to know someone & ask them their dreams. help them write a vision & then work together to make it come to pass? is it hard? yep, but so worth it.
there is something about helping people figure out what it is they can do to help themselves. sometimes people just need that encouragement. they need someone to organize or help them put everything together. it is like magic really. you build this relationship & then you start getting questions like why are you here? what made you want to do this? & then you have this whole new platform to tell them what God put in me to do when i was a little girl. a whole new platform to share the gospel in a completely different way while helping them become self sufficient. then they are the ones paying for their children to go to school, paying for their groceries so they can have a meal everyday, you see this new self-worth & pride in what they are doing. bc at the end of the day you want someone to look in the mirror & see something they are proud of. the only thing you did was say yes lord & help someone see a dream they already have.
every opportunity you have to make a true lasting impact on someones life, take it seriously.
please. you might be the only person that can see that is different. that is trying to set themselves apart in this world that is so messed up.
your voice is important. your choices are important.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
