30 Day Picture Challenge: Day 20

Day 20:

A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

That beach looks incredible, right?  So pristine, so peaceful.  Perfect vacation spot. 



What if I told you that was Haiti?



Would you still want to go?



I do. 



A part of my heart is on an island I have never seen.



With children I have never met.



But who need someone who cares.

Update on little Susana - Please pray

Cody & Maria just posted an update on their daughter Susana here.  Please continue praying for them.  The diagnosis is not good.  They have found tumors everywhere, and it is officially Neuroblastoma, and aggressive.  I know that if it were me, I would covet all the prayers I could get.  Please, go to their site & leave even a small note letting them know you are praying.  Thanks, friends. 

Urgent Prayer Request - Please!

Two full-time missionaries in Haiti, Cody and Maria Whittaker, are facing a grave situation with their 3-year-old daughter Susana.  She was flown to Miami Children's because they thought she had contracted malaria.  Turns out, they found a malignant mass in her stomach.  They are doing further tests today to determine where they go from here.  You can visit their website here to leave them a word of encouragement or get updates.


Thank you so much for praying. 

Haiti Dresses Update

Wow! I have been so blessed to see the outpouring since my last post. I spent last Saturday sewing these dresses:

Then last night I received a package from my awesome friend Jessica. She sewed these wonderful dresses. Aren't they beautiful?

Another friend posted a message at work, asking for pillowcases or material. Her mom is now sewing like a mad woman, making a pile of dresses for me from material donated by her daughters co-workers.

Then, a friend of a friend from Cortez gave me 9 BAGS OF MATERIAL. Not just little W*l-Mart sack, but 9 giant garbage sacks full of material. She heard about what I was trying to do, and searched through her Zircon to find material to bless Haiti's children. She also donated multiple bolts of fleece for blankets.

Tonight, our nanny took some of that material home to make dresses and shorts for little boys. Another friend is making more shorts and shirts for the boys.

So, how can you help? Here are our needs:

• more dresses. I have material you can use.
• shorts & shirts for the boys. There is some really cute boy fabric in those bags, and some really easy shorts & shirts patterns online.
• cloth diapers.
• blankets. If you are interested in making those, I have a lot of cute fleece.
• sewing materials. We are using a lot of thread, elastic, and double-folded bias tape. If you cant sew but would like to help, this might be a great way.

Contact me if you would like to help in any way. I would be grateful for any help I can get. It looks like we will probably be going sometime in May or early June, so we have plenty of time. If you leave a comment on this post, I will respond with any info you need. Also, please feel free to link up this post onto your blogs. It is my dream to connect seamstresses from around the country to bless the children of Haiti. Thanks for helping, my friends!

Will You Help Me Help Haiti?

Jerome and I have prayed throughout our marriage for God to use our gift of the French language for a higher purpose. We have wanted to be able to help someone, somewhere. And, when the earthquake struck Haiti, my heart sank.





A few years ago, when our pastors were in China adopting a son, God began to soften my heart towards the plight of the orphan. Honestly, I fought it. I thought the only way to minister to the orphan was to adopt, and I was not in a place to be open to that possibility. But, as I started reading web sites and blogs for orphanages around the world, I could no help but be moved. And I fell in love with Haiti.





The day the earthquake hit, it took everything not to get on a plane and get down there somehow. I obsessively read blogs from amazing ministries like Real Hope for Haiti, cherishing each little bit of information, cried over every picture.





Our church is organizing a trip to Haiti soon. I am slightly itchy to be on the plane and down there already. But, until that glorious day comes, I have to do something to keep my hands and mind busy. And here is where you come it.





Many of these orphanages rely on donations from the States for supplies. Things that cannot be purchased in Haiti, or are very expensive. RHFH recently asked their followers around the world if they would be willing to do some sewing for them. And that is something I can do!





I am making as many pillowcase dresses as I can before we leave. Right now, I think the trip will be in a couple of months, so you have plenty of time. Here is a really simple pattern that I used, but if you Google pillowcase dress, you can find many different patterns. Kat and I were able to make 2 dresses in about 2 1/2 hours this afternoon - not bad for someone who has never made a dress before! Here is one for a girl about Katrinas size:












And here is one for a baby, probably about 6 months.











These are seriously the most simple projects I have ever done. I bought more bias tape this afternoon so that I can use all the extra fabric I have laying around our house.





Whats that, you say? No sewing machine? Dont know how to sew? You can still help! Send me pillowcases, or cute fabric - I will make them. Please, link this post to your blog if you know you have followers who sew or would be interested in helping. I would love to have an entire suitcase full of dresses to take with us, hand made by people all across the country who just want to help.





Do you know how to sew cloth diapers? The orphanages in Haiti use cloth almost exclusively, simply because of cost.



Thank you for reading this. Thank you for hearing my heart. Thank you for helping!