We have the rooms!

I'm excited to announce that we've rented two rooms to house the sewing program in Northwest Haiti! Praise the Lord! This is a huge answer to our prayers. I can't wait to see them filled with sewing machines and students. If you're interested in helping cover the cost of the room rentals, please visit the donate page.

The Dangers of the Single Story

One of my goals with this ministry is to simply "Tell the Stories." There are so many stories I can tell about this ministry...stories about God's great provision, about His love for people, Haitian families transformed, Haitian culture, and the list goes on. There isn't one single story I want to tell. There are many stories. In this interesting TED Talks video, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, warns about the dangers of "The Single Story." Although she speaks primarily about Nigeria, the same can be said about Haiti or any other country.

Here's a few important remarks she made:

(5:05) My roommate had a single story of Africa. A single story of catastrophe. In this single story, there is no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way. No possibilities of feelings more complex than pity. No possibility of a connection as human equals.

(9:35) So that's how to create a single story. Show a people as one thing, and only one thing, over and over again and that is what they become.

(13:22) The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they aren't true, it's that they are incomplete.

(14:00) The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of their dignity and makes recognition of our equal humanity difficult.

I hope this website gives you a glimpse into some of the other stories about Haiti and the Haitian people. If you do have a single story about Haiti, and many Americans do, I hope you will take a few minutes to check out the video gallery to watch even more stories, because there are dangers of the single story.

God is Faithful

I just received some exciting news this week from Diana. God has been faithful, and has answered our prayers about where to house the sewing program. He has provided us with two rooms in a building that will be perfect for this ministry. We've also found two sewing teachers for the program! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness! Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."

More details to come!