December 2013 update

Praise 

- God has provided refreshment, a new vision and passion for our work in Haiti.

- Rebecca was offered another RN contract in CA, near family & friends for the holidays.

- Friends have kindly loaned us a car & a sweet little cottage to stay in behind their house.

- Tania Grace finished her CNA training & just got hired in her new field of elderly care.

- Provision of a new house in Haiti - across the street from AP - for LESS annual rent!

- Papillion Enterprises added 50 more Haitian employees for the holiday season...more jobs = more kids being raised by their own parents…breaking the cycle of poverty!!

- Ana & Oliver will be back in California this month! Looking forward to time together.

- God’s faithfulness, love and understanding has been revealed to us in new ways lately.

Prayer

- Tynan & Emma as they look for jobs in CA and navigate education decisions.

- Rebecca as she writes project & grant proposals for a new birthing center.

- Ted as he continues to develop new Haitian business model projects.

- Current conversations with IBESR (Haitian social services) regarding a special project.

- Ted, Rebecca & Tania as we travel to Haiti this week and address immediate needs.

- Preparations for ANOTHER move in January.

- ALWAYS ongoing language learning...even harder while in the US!

- Year-end planning & meetings with the AP board in Washington State in a few weeks.

Needs

• Financial Support (monthly or one time gifts):

We are still in crucial need of individual and/or dedicated monthly donations going into 2014.

This will prevent Rebecca from having to extend her contract at the end of January, give us the stability to remain on task IN Haiti for the coming year(s), and for her to focus on midwifery training & the birthing center full time next year.

Our current budget is $2800/month & we received 40% of that amount the last two quarters.

Please contact us (tenmilliontoes@gmail.com) with any monthly support start up or changes, so that we can notify Apparent Project. For one time giving or checks, place “Barlow family” in the comments area.

• Household Items:

 New tires for our SUV (4)

 Solar panels (6 - 100Wh or greater)

 Plastic pipe for rainwater catchment system

 Chest freezer & fridge conversion kit PROVIDED!

 Larger scale, diesel, “quiet” generator PROVIDED!

• Medical Supplies:

 Fetal heart doppler

 Portable Ultrasound

 Maternity meds (pitocin, methergine, cytotec...)

• Volunteers:

 Team for household projects, moving & painting

 Medical personnel: MD, CNM, OB/GYN, RN, NP, PA, DDS

 Agricultural specialist/Consultant

 Solar Power consultant

 Encouragement & enrichment visitors

 AP jewelry or ornament party hosts

 Project fundraiser coordinator

 Project interns

 Artisans to teach Haitian workers new skills

 Grant writers

Those are just a few of our personal requests,

ALL of the ways you can help out in Haiti are here:

Update on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 12:30PM by barlowfamily

PRAISE! 

Tania Grace passed her CNA exam with impressive skills

Tynan was interviewed & hired on the spot for a part-time job.

August 2013 ministry update

 Praise

• God’s continues to provide day by day.

• Upcoming exciting Apparent Project opportunities for growth

• Rebecca had the treat of getting to see Ana & Oliver while they were in the states from Germany and celebrating her mom’s birthday WITH her for the first time in years!

• Ted, Tynan & Emma enjoyed a refreshing “pool day” last week.

• Amazing “gifts” of medical supplies and medications have come in.

• Rebecca recently received a grant towards her Midwifery Training

• Growing relationships with co-workers in the AP work community.

Prayer

• Continued stamina through the hottest months.

• Against spiritual warfare which we have been very aware of lately.

• Guidance & direction as we each continue to develop new projects

• Rebecca as she is in the states now, updating the necessary RN skills & certifications, and laying the groundwork for beginning her advanced midwifery studies this year. 

• Tania Grace as she prepares to move to California & start CNA school.

• Electricity issues are STILL consuming too much time & effort

• Decisions about next year’s housing and/or maintenance needs

• Ongoing language learning...til we are able to converse at a heart level.

• God’s leading & guidance in Ted’s business development research.

• Clear direction & provision regarding a maternity/health center.

• All of our kids as they continue to navigate their work & school.

Needs

• Financial Support (monthly or one time gifts):  

  We are reaching a CRUCIAL situation...our support has dropped 60% in June & July. Thanks to TIMELY one time gifts that came in early August we have enough for this month. However we are faced with some tough news in a few weeks without the stability to continue living here & start large projects.

  

  Please contact us (tenmilliontoes@gmail.com) with any monthly support start up or changes, so that we can notify Apparent Project how to direct your funds. 

  For one time giving or checks, place “Barlow family” in the comments area.

• Household Items:

  - Solar panels (6 - 100Wh or greater)

  - Plastic pipe for rainwater catchment system

 - Chest freezer & fridge conversion kit

 - Larger scale, diesel, “quiet” generator

• Medical Supplies:

  - Fetal heart doppler

- Portable Ultrasound

  - Maternity meds (pitocin, methergine, cytotec...)

• Volunteers:

  - Team for household projects & painting

  - Medical personnel: Midwife, OB/GYN, RNP, PA, RN 

  - Agricultural specialist/Consultant

  - Solar Power consultant

  - Encouragement & enrichment visitors

  - AP jewelry or ornament party hosts

  - Project fundraiser coordinator

  - Project interns

  - Artisans to teach Haitian workers new skills

  - Grant writers

Those are some of our personal requests, see ALL the ways you can help minister in Haiti here:

February 2013 – Ministry Team Update

Praise –

• January and most of February flew by with back to back teams & all went well!

• WO expanded to a total of 14 partner church communities here in Haiti last year.

• Meetings with ladies that attended the Safe Birth training have shown that the time Jessica & I spent with them before and the skills that they learned are stimulating them to take action in beginning to develop small healthcare ministries in their communities.

• The chicken farm project that Ted has been providing supervision finished & sold their first set of chicks & has just started their second batch. So, it’s off to a decent start.

• Our intern, Callie, has accepted a staff position here in Haiti for another 12 months!

• The new house is FABULOUS! It is so close & convenient to the current guest house. Despite the work it is taking to get it up & functional – we LOVE it.

• We are making slow, steady progress with our broken Kreyol, but they understand us!

Prayer -

• The new house still has a lot of cosmetic work to be done. (painting, scraping, cleaning, tile & kitchen cupboards)

• Ted is working to resolve city power issues (again) – pray for patience, wisdom & provision!

• WO leadership is arriving to meet all next week for program evaluation & planning.

• As we gather all of the Haitian pastors together to join us in discussions around moving from relief to development and how to implement microfinance programs.

• We continue to be burdened by the orphanage situation everywhere around us and the need for transitional programs that move children on or back to permanent families.

• Rebecca has quite a lot before her in regards to coming alongside our church communities and seeking to help them develop much needed maternity & medical care.

• The two little ones that we have been called to care for @ Diakonos orphanage – for their continued healthy growth & development in a somewhat unstable situation. For God’s intervention & miraculous provision if He desires for
•  them to join our family.

• Pray for Olivia & Emma as they prepare for their GED exams, Tynan as he finishes his last semester for his Associates Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies & each of them as they seek God’s guidance & direction for the next step in their lives!

 Ministry Needs & Opportunities

• Monthly financial support still needed: $400/mo

• Household Items:

o    reliable 2000-4000 watt generator

o    small front load washer

o    small a/c unit to replace broken one (& fill hole in wall)

o    couch & chairs

o    4 local metal clothing racks

o    microfiber towels

• Medical Supplies:
  • blood pressure cuffs
  • basic stethoscopes
  • thermometers
  • thermometer covers
  • hanging child/infant scale(s)
  • adult scales
  • fetal doppler
  • blood glucose monitors & test strips
  • postpartum medications (pitocin, methergine, cytotec)
  • iv start kits, tubing & bags
  • sterile gloves
  • prenatal vitamins

• Child Development:
  • puzzles
  • manipulative educational toys
  • art & craft sets (older kids)
  • pool float items

• Visitors!! Seriously, we would be greatly encouraged by having company from home. Come and serve or come and vacation with us. We can use both! There are breathtaking beaches, waterfalls, and mountains nearby to explore. Or come and spend time alongside us in ministry, house renovations, prayer & worship, or whatever else comes along.

• We are also looking for miraculous provision or a creative way to finance a large transportation vehicle & 2 delivery trucks for the guest house. This is an opportunity to lend or give resources that will multiply to further self-sustainability of the OVC ministries here.

• Household Items:

o    reliable 2000-4000 watt generator

o    small front load washer

o    small a/c unit to replace broken one (& fill hole in wall)

o    couch & chairs

o    4 local metal clothing racks

o    microfiber towels

Housing, Repairs, Monthly and specific needs

In a spirit of transparency we wanted to lay out the particulars for our end of year and monthly needs.

End of Year**

$3000 to repay advance for difference in rent (due to owner delays & cancelling planned income from housing Jan team overflow)

$3000 - 5000 or whatever comes in...to cover finishing house repairs & set up

**anything that comes in above & beyond these needs will be automatically applied to monthly support

Monthly support 

Our bare bones monthly budget is $2500, 

that roughly covers-

$800 rent

$800 food & water

$200 diesel

$250 health insurance

$250 travel savings

$200 household/misc

Like most of you, there is no "wiggle room" for us. Miraculously we have managed to get by for the past several months at a deficit of nearly $1000. It meant that Rebecca had to leave Haiti and work every other week in FL for the entire fall. While that worked for a short season, she cannot stay on staff with World Orphans and continue to keep up that schedule! 

We need ministry partners to step in and provide that amount in order for us to remain on the field.

World Orphans has given us until April to show consistent full support or when we come stateside for Emma & Olivia's graduations, we will not be able to return unless we are at 100% again! 

If you would like to provide a specifically designated gift these are a few "wished for" items:

• queen or king sized memory foam mattress cover
• 2 twin mattresses
• a simple faux-leather (vinyl) couch
• washing machine
• 2 deep cycle marine batteries
• Kindle or Nook "lendable" books
• granola/protein bars (sent in with team)
• nuts - almonds, cashews or pistachios
• diesel generator
• solar panel(s)

September - opportunities to pray & minister

It's hard to believe that SEPTEMBER is here already. Wow. The summer was pretty busy, but now it seems like it went by at warp speed!!

Here is this month's ministry team update:

PRAISE

• Rebecca's short term contract is going great. She LOVES the hospital, has been very welcomed there & has enjoyed refreshing her hands on maternity skills. BONUS:Kreyol speaking co-workers!

• We are ALSO extremely grateful to the Keyser family for hosting her in their home. 

• A few weeks ago, we were able to get an affordable car that seats NINE people (without squishing!) so everyone will be able to get to our various work sites at the same time. No one has to stay behind anymore! It also is supposed to get the same gas mileage as our CRV & it uses diesel, which is much cheaper here.

• We weathered Isaac well. Very little damage & no flooding to either our home or the guest house. All of the staff is fine. A HUGE blessing.

• More helpers!! Sandrea & Callie our new school teacher & WO intern, both arrived safely & are settling in.

PRAYER

• Continue to pray for Rebecca as she travels back & forth to FL every other week. 

• Preparations for a Together 4 Adoption conference for our Haitian partners as well as Safe Birth training for 60 women across our 12 communities are underway. They are both scheduled for late October.

• Sandrea is beginning school with Emma this month. 

• Emma to be diligent in her FINAL year!!

• Callie as she brings insight and creativity and seeks God's guidance to unfold the details of her work here.

• Ted needs some extra prayer for rest!! He has been going at a strong pace all summer-long.

• Ask for God's provision of a new affordable & "just right" home for us here. We love our current little house, but need to be closer to the guest house, have more room for parking behind the wall & a small patch of yard for Cosi. We know that He has the perfect place waiting for us nearby!

• Lift us up regularly for God's constant guidance in our work here. There are many facets, many opportunities & many obstacles that we face from day to day.

Resources

• We are at 100% funding through Dec 2012 - thanks to our current supporters, recent special gifts and God's additional provision via Rebecca's contract. The new (to us) car & needed repairs, as well as our annual rent will be covered by the time it is due in November!!! 

• 2013 - monthly support pledges are roughly at 85%. 

• We would also like to begin the adoption process in 2013. Begin to pray now about partnering with us to give a couple of little ones a forever home. While living here does reduce a few costs, with the new adoption laws going into affect this month, we will be required to use a US agency, which raises them significantly above our initial anticipation.