7 months.

time is a funny thing. sometimes it can move so slowly & then sometimes you blink & it's gone.

i feel like just yesterday i was taking a pregnancy test because i just knew i was pregnant. 4 test later- same result.

this pregnancy has been a breeze for me. i think the lord knew what trials we would be going through during this time & that i needed it to be easy breezy.

thank you God.

baby is getting big & moving ALOT. it is still the craziest most amazing experience i have been through. just this morning i was telling cory the baby was trying to escape from my belly. seriously. how do we grow humans? whoa whoa whoa.

my mom will be painting the nursery soon. i am ordering the rug & crib. it is all getting so real.
i finished my registry & i have my first baby shower soon. i keep looking at these little pants i have & thinking OH MY GOD. we are having a baby. it is so exciting. like SO EXCITING. cory will be making some shelves for the babies room. i have photos of my boys to hang up. i have letters & drawings from the kids at CAD.

i keep thinking about cory meeting the baby for the first time. i feel like i have these months to bond with this baby. feel all the feels. cory is like an outsider just watching me try to get out of the bed. watching me breathe heavy after 20 steps. the thought of him becoming a dad makes my heart skip a beat. i really do think it is going to something else when that baby makes his/her way into the world. 

so many people say so many things to you while you are pregnant & to be honest i let it flow in one ear & out the other. i have chosen to just take this pregnancy in my own terms so to speak. i am not afraid to deliver a baby in the privacy & comfort of my home. i feel empowered that my body was made to grow a human life. how exceptional is that? i am excited about the whole experience. i sit & think about holding my baby for the first time & i could cry just thinking about it.

this is my first baby biologically BUT i have two beautiful boys in haiti that cannot wait to meet their brother/sister. 

i want to thank everyone for all the prayers for haiti. all the messages of the best places to give money too. asking about my boys & all the kids at CAD. all my friends & family there. THANK YOU.
you all know how much of my heart belongs to haiti & i appreciate everything. there is so much to do & pretty soon our news will be covered with this insane election & haiti & the relief efforts will be last weeks news. lets not let that happen.

sponsor a teacher at CAD.

we have been finding ways to get the money in to pay for the teachers at CAD so we are doing a "sponsor a teacher" program.

you can choose to pay $25 a month to go towards a teachers salary, you can pay $50 for 1/2 of their salary for the month or the full $100 a month. there are only 4 teachers at CAD so i think we can do this!

get with a friend, a family member, a co-worker- you can go in together & help pay these teachers.

if this is something you would be interested in you can email me at revelatorinternational@gmail.com

WE CAN DO THIS!

thank you all for your continued support. so many amazing things happening. i feel blessed to be apart of something that feels like a dream.

-e

teachers & education.

we all know how important school is in america; however, school in haiti is insanely important. i hear the kids say next to God school is the most important thing.

right now CAD is in need of money to pay the teachers so the kids can start school. they have not started school at the moment & if we don't raise the money to pay the teachers they won't be able to have school. i have been in a panic since i found out this information while i was there this last trip.

i was made aware of this issue & i reached out to a few people & they were unable to help.

so i am taking to this blogging world to get these teachers paid. share it with your friends, family, everyone.

we are wanting to pay the teachers $100 a month which is more than what they made before. most workers or teachers make about $45 a month, which is nothing.

there are 4 teachers at the school- with 4 classes. so for one year for a teacher it would be $1200.

for all the teachers it would be $4800. this would pay all the teachers for an entire year.

eventually we want to bring in more money to pay all the employees more than what they get at the moment, but you have to start somewhere, right?

i KNOW god is big enough to help with this situation.

if you can help at all or would like information please feel free to email me
revelatorinternational@gmail.com

- e

land & school update.

thank you all for being patient with me. being pregnant, just getting back from haiti & trying to get in the hang of things here has kept me busy. already missing my boys so here is some photos that i stare at everyday.

SO. as most of you know the engineering department at UGA has picked our school to design.  WHAT? god is good. i still keep pinching myself & asking if this is all real. god is constantly stretching my dreams & faith in him.

this last trip kat was able to take some video & photos for me & we will post the video soon.

i am blessed to have so many talented friends on this journey with me. still pinching myself.

back to the land. we have until the end of november to raise the rest of the money for the land. we still need about $2500. we will be doing some craft parties, hosting a 31 party & a few other things. make sure you are keeping up with us so you can be apart.

if you would like to donate you can do so HERE

we got a lot of info for the students at UGA to help them with their design.

we will have a school with the capacity for 600 children with 16 classrooms. which means one school for all grades which is a DREAM. we will have a kitchen & a nice place for the kids to eat breakfast & lunch at the school. there will also be a food storage with organization to put all the food. we will have dorms with enough room for 30 girls & 30 boys- each dorm will have a room for a dorm leader. there will also be a room for organization for donations & easy access to be able to give the kids things when they need it. our bunk beds will be made by a haitian artist. we will have an outdoor play area, soccer field, & a stage. each thing we build will be multi functional so many purposes for each thing. we will have ways to recycle water & will have solar panels so we won't have an electrical bill. we will have parking & a path from the entrance to the school for the kids to walk. i sit & dream about this all the time. i cannot wait!

this church above is one we will be partnering with. i was so happy that we got to see it in the beginning stages. we got to meet the pastor & see all the workers doing amazing stuff. cory was able to see it too. the next group we will be taking in march will be partnering with some people in the community to help paint this church. so exciting. 

some fun things i am exciting about- having a freezer to be able to freeze fruit for smoothies. farming. having animals in a fence. all the mango, coconut, plantain & breadfruit trees. the water that runs on the property & finding ways we can make use of that. children having a safe christ centered home. so many kids having a school to go too. seeing how the lord uses this land & what we build to further his kingdom. building relationships with people in the community. being fluent in creole to talk with everyone. so many amazing things that god gets all the glory for.

feel free to email me to see how you can be apart of what we are doing

revelatorinternational@gmail.com

-e

21 weeks.

i am 2 days away from being 22 weeks.

WHAT?

time goes by so quickly.

"baby e" is the size of a baby bok choy right now. the baby's pancreas is creating its own horomones right now which is pretty cool. a lot of moving around, i am pretty sure this baby loves music.

we ordered these bellybuds by wavhello & every single time i put music on the baby goes nuts.

cory really wanted them so the baby can listen to classical music, but you better believe this baby was listening to some Imagine Dragons & Adele yesterday.

i made my registry on baby list which i highly recommend. you can literally register at whatever store you want & everything is on one list & easy to find for everyone. if you would like to see what i have on my list so far you can HERE

i ordered baby his/her first pair of moccasins from "hello mess" & the money goes to help pay medical costs for her son rocky. you can see her amazing products HERE

i ordered the scarecrow green & cannot wait for baby to wear them!

cory is making some really cute shelves for the nursery, for books & little trinkets i have been collecting.  i am doing a very cultural room that is very simple & colorful. you can follow my pinterest board HERE to see some of my ideas.

it is all very exciting. i cannot wait to meet "baby e" & no i am not finding out what i am having. why? because there are very few surprises you get in life & this just so happens to be one of the best. i don't need to know what i am having to make a really cool room or to buy clothes, diapers, wipes ect. i want a healthy baby & that is what i care about.

now. if we can just decide on some names.

-e

september in haiti.

thank you guys so much for keeping up with my blog & commenting & writing such pretty things to me. it really means a whole lot.

september 19th i will be headed back with kat by my side. diana is coming too for a little bit & then cory. it is going to be a good little group to get a lot of things done. 

if you haven't check out my go fund me page you can do so HERE literally every $1 counts. 

there is also a detailed little write up about some of the things we are doing. 

if you are going through your summer clothes & need somewhere to put them you can give them to me. the kids are in need of the following items. 

shampoo

soap

deodorant

toothpaste

toothbrushes

socks

bras for the girls

shoes

ribbons for the girls hair

shorts (sizes 2t- 16 year old)

shirts

blue pens

rulers

* they prefer travel size bc it is easy to give out to the kids & to travel with *

if you have any of these items let us know! we will come pick them up if your not too far away! 

you can email me at revelatorinternational@gmail.com

the kids had a really good meal for lunch. 

they even had some fruit for breakfast.

alix went to CAD yfriday to hang out with the kids, teach english class, prayer, make sure they got their meals on time & see what they were eating, he also spent some time with them in the library- they got to paint, color, read, & write if they wanted too. i was so happy to see them using this space that we worked so hard on. sonson wrote me later & told me he got to read today, & when i asked him what he read he said the bible, he then made sure to tell me he got to go to the library to read. THEY LOVE IT! it made my heart so happy.

*this picture above is the kids having a prayer time*

if you remember we painted this room in january & in march we put up shelves & organized the whole room!! it has been such a team effort & i could not have done this without so many others by my side, it really is incredible to see everyone who came together & continues to come together for these kids & this amazing country.

some other really amazing things going on at CAD- food for the poor built a cover over the raised garden beds to help them grow better, food for the poor is also building an amazing hen/chicken house close to the school for the kids too. can we say eggs everyday? there is a company laying piping so the kids can have working plumbing so no more bucket showers.

this is the new chicken house. it is going to look amazing. 

they covered the veggies so the sun isn't so hard on them. 

on my mind.

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.

-E