Entering a new “dimension”…effective 11/30/2014

SO, one of the BIGGEST challenges of overseas life, we’ve found, is communication.

Another is isolation.

Beyond that we face a stronger sense here of limited resources…

• funds

• time

• proximity

• energy

• relationships

• encouragement 

We enjoy & need ALL of the above! 

Facebook, Squarespace blogs, Newsletters and Twitter have been fabulous tools for SHARING what we are doing ministry-wise, personally, and as a family in general. They are also helpful for sharing thoughts, events, pics and chat sessions with family members & friends. However, we have to dedicate quite a LOT of time to planning, writing, posting and updating the latest "news".

With a busy 6 year old underfoot, me (Rebecca) in the midst of midwifery studies 50 hours a week now & Ted’s 40-60 hours of field/office work we have had to seriously weigh up time management factors along with our current resources & “needs” as human beings, christian workers, family members, and friends.

This is what we realized...

• Broadly used social media is playing a different role than we hoped.

• It is probably more of a drain on all of the above than an improvement.

• Our personal & ministry support of all forms has been through truly engaged (daily to annually) family members, friends & co-workers.

• We are not comfortable broadcasting...personal events, experiences, and needs...or the lives and stories of our Haitian friends...with the general public anymore.   

What we honestly don’t desire right now (or ever) is:

• to spend extra non-interactive time on electronics
• our Haitian friends’ privacy to be invaded or stories exploited 
• to feed information consumerism instead of tangible engagement in ministry
• personal information to be turned into “gossip” 
• one way communication
• a growing sense of isolation in observing normal life from afar
• a mile long FB chat list of individuals that we never interact with
• our youngest to learn that life revolves around a laptop! 

We DO desperately need:

To SIMPLIFY during busy times & STRENGTHEN “real” and positive relationships, even from a distance. 

To share meaningful personal time with family & friends in some interactive (probably media based) form regularly.

SO, here is the HARSH part...

...we are going to take a VERY BOLD step & actively shut down any social media pathways to the general PUBLIC and those we are not interacting with personally….over the next few weeks.

What does that look like?

We WILL still be on facebook/twitter as individuals.

Our family page will be shut down by the end of November.

If you would like to remain “friends” please send each of us a quick message saying so.

No communication from you in the last year directly by any mode or between now & the end of November, means...don’t take it personally...but we must unfriend you at that time.

BLOG POSTS may be limited or even eliminated. We'll see what time allows in the coming months.

We WILL continue to send occasional NEWSLETTERS out.

The idea is that when they arrive, we'd love to hear a reply & catch up on YOUR news as well!

You will receive one ONLY IF you send a brief reply to the most recent one and notify us that you would like to continue receiving them OR have responded personally at least once in the past year. 

Does this mean that you have to chat with us daily or weekly or monthly??? No, not really. We are just looking to be more engaged personally with you over the course of the year in some way.

We sincerely hope that you understand this phase of our overseas life & work right now and will be an active part of our circle of friends & family that laughs with us in joyful times & shares strength, wisdom & encouragement during the hard ones. We love and cherish you either way!

As always...there is a standing invitation for the use our guestroom in Haiti as well!

Have a blessed weekend - Rebecca

More NEW ministry developments…

Life has SO not been dull the past three months...

Quick Recap -

When Apparent Project decided to suddenly change course back in February, International Hope & Heritage immediately stepped up as our fiscal sponsor to receive all donations. What a blessing!

At the same time, Rebecca’s brother, Bob, began conversations with us and created a timeline for the first business as mission development project under our ministry org - Ten Million Toes. The first phase of a computer programming outsourcing business / training (& eventually post-orphanage transition program) will roll out July 1st!

Rebecca was asked recently to fill in at Midwives for Haiti for July & August in several capacities and started preparing to open a free-standing birthing center collaboratively with them and Hopital Albert Schweitzer later this year. She has just submitted her final application for an online midwifery school program this fall & already has a partial scholarship.

Our family size here IN Haiti has doubled at the moment!

Syndie joined us on March 30th & is pretty much as excited as we are about her adoption...now in progress!

Last week, OLIVIA joined us here again too, after 2 years away. She is enjoying being a big sister for the first time ever & some family “face time” while seeking God’s next steps. She plans to be here through September. 

AS IF THAT IS NOT ENOUGH EXCITEMENT…

God has been rolling out plans for us that we never even dreamed of!! (Imagine that)

A few weeks ago, Ted was approached by a friend of ours here and asked if he would be interested in taking over his own ministry position with an organization called Operation Blessing. After quite a lengthy time of prayer & discernment over this semi-change in direction, we decided that it was a perfect fit for Ted’s personal skill set & previous experience here in Haiti. 

As of TUESDAY this position offer became official - Ted will transition into the role of National Director - Haiti for OB this summer!

Read more about the organization:

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN for our ministry? 

Well we expect that nothing will change at all, with what we currently have in development. Ted will continue to oversee our highly qualified Haitian manager as the business unfolds. Rebecca will look after everything else...with some help! 

The BIGGEST difference with this organization for us is that they use their donations to provide ALL of our personal living expenses & housing! 

This is where we get REALLY excited...& yet somewhat fearful…

While we won’t need personal support financially in order to stay here anymore, we DO need a continuing ministry team to engage, to PRAY, to work alongside us in so MANY WAYS! 

So we admit, we’re a little worried that you might step back and let go or even leave the team… just when we need you the MOST. 

We have always said that anything above & beyond our personal needs that comes in each month will go to ministry supplies or projects. Now EVERYTHING will go to support the actual ministry work at hand!! 

We will continue to post specific items or needed resources monthly as they come up and report when they have been fulfilled. 

Syndie’s adoption is another way to continue to support us this year! You can designated that through our ministry fund at IHH or through our pureCharity adoption site:

WHAT WE NEED MOST:

Teammates to consider how they can engage more actively in ministry here!!!!!

There is a lengthy LIST of opportunities to come serve alongside us in the coming year OR to provide stateside support services as the organization grows. 

We are also looking for additional field staff to join us here. If this is something you would consider, please CONTACT US: rebecca@tenmilliontoes.org 

You can always reach us via Skype phone: 916.790.2319 - we’d LOVE to hear from you!

We cherish the constant support & encouragement that you are for us day in and day out... knowing that we aren’t ministering here on our own always keeps us going!

Ministry Projects: the incubation & birth of yet another "organization"

With all that has come up opportunity wise this past month it is still a little hard to put ALL of the details down in one blog post on the subject of starting up a ministry organization.

Since we have International Hope & Heritage at the wheel of a 501(c)3 that is in overall alignment with our own ministry goals, values & calling, you might wonder why we would even bother?

These are some of our thoughts behind the idea...

God has laid on our hearts a specific mission statement & orphan care philosophy that relates to our work here in Haiti. At the same time, we have multiple ongoing projects in development and more anticipated.  Logistically having our own official "non-profit" organization that is working in partnership with IHH seems the best way for us to go for a variety of reasons.

It will allow us to host and maintain an independent ministry/organization website as a platform to explain our projects better and to share our vision of orphan care through the facets of prevention, stabilization & reunification.

Since our unique ministry is still in early development stages, we have a long way to grow. We'd like to go ahead & lay the groundwork for long term missions here although we do intend to keep or place everything possible in the hands of Haitian leadership.

Eventually we would like to be open to receiving grants from partner organizations, especially in the case of maternity care which is generations away from being self sustaining. In that case, we may be required to convert over the ministry organization itself, to it's own 501(c)3 to have access to those granting organizations that would require direct donation to the projects. 

Another reality is the fact that we may be required to create a Haitian foundation or non-profit at some point and it makes more sense for that to be our independent ministry vs IHH having to go through the steps and expense here.

Ultimately, we feel that over the long run, having a separate organizational entity will help keep us on our unique course and provide both accountability and a specific identity for the ministry as we grow.

As you see, this remains a percolating idea, but one that we are spending a lot of time & energy on at the moment. Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we seek God and round out the details of this foundational step for our work here even further over the next few weeks!