random June news...

Tynan & I (Rebecca) finally received physical DIPLOPMA's signifying our graduations from LeTourneau University in May and bringing an end to our studies for a while...well at least mine! We even took a few courses together, such as CS Lewis, the man & his works and Non-verbal communication. FUN times!

Tynan received his Associate in Interdisciplinary Studies degree.

Mine is a Bachelor of Human Services.

It's always nice to have a little hard work pay off with tangible results...!

Father's Day was generally a quiet one here, since Haitian Father's Day isn't until the end of the month and most Haitians tell us they don't really ccelebrate it much here...poor dad's.

Ted did enjoy a promised gift of more planters for his ever expanding patio garden, and dined al fresco with two of his kiddos over a home cooked dinner of lemon noodles, Haitian fried chicken, veggies & and a 7 layer oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chip dessert!

This month Emma also started the final leg of her high school education, including a Senior Practicum that she is very excited about! She is going to be slowly taking over full household management over the next three months. Not only is she getting credit, enjoying the challenge, and learning a LOT, but it has been a ministry that helps lighten the load for the rest of us as we focus on our new tasks.

Look at her latest creations:

YUM!!!!! Nice "working" breakfast for Ted & I this morning...

as if creating goodies to nourish us isn't enough...she designed this for her online art course as well:

Last Friday Tynan & I rolled out a new event at the Apparent Project boutique, cafe & book nook with the first ever STORYTIME! It was a great turn out, allowed moms to enjoy the cafe and a browse of the artisan's work, while the kids were absorbed by several "animal" stories. This week it will be Dr. Seuss!

 If you're in Port Au Prince on a Friday morning this summer drop by the Apparent Project and join us at 10 am...with (or even without) your kids!  @ Rue Cassagnol Prolongee #16, Delmas 75  

Last news worthy event up to date was a very special birthday party for one of our favorite people...

Little Miss Phoebe Kate turned FOUR!

Phoebe & her mommy, our dear friend Jessica Williamson, lived with us for most of last year before moving up the hill to Thomassin. We still miss having a little one in the house, but they are like family now, so it was an honor to enjoy another birthday with our little unofficial "niece". Looking forward to many many more!

So....that's a random summer news from Haiti wrap!

Rice farmers & orphan care

An unplowed field produces food for the poor,                                                                                    but injustice sweeps it away.  Psalm 13:23

This week Emma and I had a chance to go visit a rice farmer's cooperative about 1.5 hours outside of Port au Prince. Located out near an area called Thomazeau, it looks a lot like the rice fields and farms in the valley surrounding Sacramento, California where I grew up. Here's a farmer tending his field of carrots.

The cooperative is housed in a small concrete building with an office, and a bigger room which houses the 2 rice mills. There is a large concrete pad outside for drying the rice and a larger mound of old rice hulls.

When we visited, there was a large group of local women who brought their harvested rice on the backs of donkeys to dry it out and to run it through the mill. These women represent local farming families that plant a total of 2,000 acres of rice each year. Here is a dry field ready for flooding and planting.

The cooperative provides a tractor, expertise, and the drying and milling facility so they can prepare their rice for their own use or to sell in the local markets. The cooperative takes 25% of the rice as payment for their services and sells it to local food programs and resellers.

We are looking at possibly purchasing this local rice for our food distribution program. This particular area is an up and coming rice farming location, not in the part of Haiti that is typically known for growing rice. They are in need of more markets to sell their rice in, so that they can continue to grow their farms and provide stable income for these local families.

rice mill from Ted Barlow on Vimeo. 

So what does this have to do with orphan care? This rice will be distributed and resold in Port au Prince, providing "living wage" jobs for parents and other caregivers in our communities. These individuals represent families that are at risk for having to give up their children if they can't earn enough to take care of them. Their children could end up in local orphanages, where more than 80% of the kids are "economic orphans", children who were given up to the orphanage because their families couldn't provide for them. This rice will be an important part of our micro-finance and small business programs that will help prevent these kids from being abandoned in orphanages. 

Our goal is to tackle the orphan care problem here in Haiti at the source: and this new farm-to-table project aims to do that by creating opportunities, resources and jobs for vulnerable families. 

Ted

joining forces...

Here is a link to the official announcement last week that we are now on staff with The Apparent Project in Port Au Prince, Haiti. 

We treasure your continued prayers & support!!!!

jobs, orphans & trafficking

It may be the recent course that I took on International Human Trafficking, but this issue seems to be popping up more & more in our personal lives, both here & abroad. 

Whether it is recognizing the characteristics that make one emotionally vulnerable to being trafficked, or seeing the physical conditions that predispose thousands to take a leap toward hope and end up with despair in the hands of evil & greed.

A neighbor told us several weeks ago that he was trying to get over two thousand dollars together to go to Brazil in search of work. Earlier this week a news article explained that Brazil was asking for help for the thousands of Haitians that have been trafficked there...they have no deportation laws. 

Read more about that here.

Needless to say I was glad to hear that there continue to be new campaigns and training going on to help prevent trafficking. 

This week Brasil announced that they and "five other countries will conduct campaigns to warn of the risks of undocumented Haitians smuggled by 'coyotes' into the Amazon." Brasil has been well documented as the latest destination for traffickers to unload their human cargo because their borders have been so hard to secure. This article stated that many are having to survive life in the Amazon now in slave-like conditions. (Dominican Today, 16 May, 2013)

Earlier this month the International Rescue Comittee (IRC) "Miami and Seattle staff provided support to the IRC Haiti project to implement anti-trafficking initiatives." They "trained social workers and child protection staff from the Haitian government and non-governmental organizations." The Haitian staff received "information on the legal definition of trafficking in persons, how to identify child victims, and effectively provide services." (IRC, 2013)

While we can talk with our neighbor about his idea and hopefully avert the choice to go. The issue remains that the reason he wants to go is his lack of work. This week his words to me were " I still have nothing."...meaning no hope, no prospects as an educated 20-something year old to create a life and a future for himself here.

THIS is the #1 issue to be addressed today in Haiti...even before orphan care - yes that is me saying THAT!! Why? Because the same reason that people are being trafficked is the same reason that 80% of the children in this country that are in orphanages are there...no work, no money, no food, no hope!

As we look at a transition to working with The Apparent Project we are laying ourselves out to be whatever assistance needed in helping Haitians retrieve all of those things...jobs, resources, nourishment & the grace that leads to true hope! Some say that community development is not really "missionary work", it's not very evangelical, that you must be preaching the gospel or providing the hands on care of mercy to orphans. I don't agree.

Jesus himself came to "develop".

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”  (Luke 13:18-21)  

We believe that God calls us to work in a way that has been termed "transformational development" Basically it is when God's principles and His redemption are incorporated along with addressing the physical and emotional needs of people. Especially in working with those that are suffering from the effects of poverty. 

Jesus himself gave a laundry list of what he came to address on earth...while His main concern was our salvation, he did not limit himself to ONLY death on the cross and the spiritual freedom that brought us. He spoke of meeting emotional & other tangible needs at their core. 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring 

good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

If we are doing His work in love, then the freedom of others (spiritually, emotionally & physically) should always be at the forefront of our hearts and minds in servitude.

Why shackle a family to feeding programs, subsidized education and medical care if you can find a way to help them make a living wage and provide those for themselves? In doing so, you are sharing God's hope, the fulfillment of His promises to always provide for us and His undying love that surrounds us in times of hardship. 

Moms & Midwives

As many of you know, Maternal Care and Midwifery are precious needs and something that I (Rebecca) am very passionate about here in Haiti. 

Last fall, with the help of World Orphans & Carol Denny of Global Health Training, we hosted 65 Haitian women for a Safe Birth training conference. It was a great success, though just a scratch on the surface of the need for fully equipped and trained midwives here in Haiti. 

Mothers die in childbirth on a daily basis here.

Children become orphaned.

Babies are high risk.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God has for me in the coming months and years, to help promote midwife training and develop care models for the women of this country.

Their lives are so VALUABLE and yet they are not valued!

Here are some of the amazing ministries that are working their hardest to provide care in this realm.

With Mother's Day coming - please consider supporting their endeavors on behalf of your own Mom!