January 2014 update

Praise 

- A truly blessed and rejuvenating family time over the holidays.

- Rebecca's contract is coming to an end in a few weeks & she'll be back in Haiti.

- Tania Grace passed her CNA certification exam on the first try!

- Tania Grace was able to take her first visit to "home base" in Haiti & loved it.

- Provision of resources that have brought us up to nearly full support for 2014.

- Papillion Enterprises is growing by leaps & bounds and gaining retail exposure.

- We've had pretty good health all around so far this season.

- Examples of God's love and compassion for our family as we enter the new year.

Prayer

- Ana & Oliver as they travel back to Germany next week.

- Ted as he returns to Haiti & begins to move our household again next week.

- Tynan & Emma are both starting part time jobs in CA the next couple of weeks.

- Rebecca as she finishes up her RN contract and applies for Midwifery School.

- Ted as he takes over the leadership responsibilities at AP in Haiti.

- As we work with IBESR (social services) regarding care for special needs kids.

- Longterm guidance as we develop new projects and funding to get them started.

- Peace and provision for Tynan & Emma as they gain independence here in the US.

- Tania as she returns to TX & continues to seek work there in her new field.

- Ongoing language learning...has been harder while in the US!

Needs

• Financial Support (monthly or one time gifts):

Individual and/or dedicated monthly donations going into 2014 are welcome, anything received above our personal budget in any given month will be applied toward special needs or AP projects.

Our current budget is $2800/month & we have 100% promised at this time!

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:

 Tires for our SUV (4)

 Solar panels (6 - 100Wh or greater)

 New deep cycle batteries (6)

 Inverter/charger for new house.

 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:

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.

July 2013 prayer & needs

Praise

• God’s faithfulness in guiding our ministry transition.
• Apparent project - great to see a successful sustainability model of orphan care here!
• We are almost finished with the paperwork for our Permis (residency cards).
• Kreyol is coming along...
• We’ve been able to create some margin & organization with a regular schedule.
• Doors are opening for a maternity center & preventative health ministry.
• Our neighbor, Jean has asked Ted to help him learn English through Bible study.

Prayer

• Stamina through the hotter summer months.
• Against spiritual warfare which is predominant here!
• Balance of work, family and fun in our busy days.
• Find ourselves struggling with household duties & needing outside help
• Basic electricity is still a complex issue that consumes time & effort
• Ted will be meeting with our landlord to discuss next year’s lease.
• Continued language learning...the ability to converse at a heart level.
• God’s leading & guidance in Ted’s business development research.
• Clear direction & provision regarding maternity/health center.
• All of our kids as they seek direction in their schooling & futures.

Needs

• Financial Support (monthly or one time gifts):  

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, RN with maternity or peds experience

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 out here:

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.