Please pray for Haiti...

Just wanted to let you know what has been going on in Haiti the past couple of days. The common people of Haiti are upset with the fact that food prices are going up and the people can not afford to continue buying food!! In turn they have take to the street to protest. You cannot get to and from [the capitol] Port au Prince. In turn the stores in Jacmel are running out of things. The power company is running out of fuel to provide us with power. Our generator decided to break the other day, too, so we are here without power at this point.

Please keep us in your prayers. Please pray that diesel can make it to Jacmel in the next day or two. Pray that we will have enough drinking water to get through. Pray for the people and the country of Haiti...

40 for 40...

In honor of Will & Mark's 40th Birthdays, we are launching the "$40 for 40 years" CHALLENGE!

Over the 50 days between their birthdays (02.25.08 - 04.14.08), we are asking you to save $40 to donate in their honor.

$40 in the U.S. can get you a week of Starbucks... in Haiti, it is two months' wages (for those that are lucky enough to find work).

$40 can be dinner for two in the U.S... or it can feed a family for four months in Haiti!

Please prayerfully consider skipping your morning coffee even once a week for the next month, or cooking Sunday dinner at home rather than dining out, and donate your extra $40 to the Hands & Feet Project in honor of two who have given so much to make it happen! [Note: You may donate any amount you wish, but we are issuing you a challenge to find that $1/year to honor these men by contributing to that which is most important to them.]

Click above for online donations or mail to:

"40 for 40"
c/o The Hands & Feet Project
PO Box 682105
Franklin, TN 37064

03/25/08 UPDATE:

The total amount raised thus far is $1480. With a goal of $5000 by 04/14, please continue to spread the word!!

04/08/08 UPDATE:

It's been 44 days, which means there are a mere SIX remaining to donate to the 40 for 40 Challenge!! [For more information, please click the above image.]

The total currently stands short of the $5,000 goal, so we've added a little something special!! While the birthday boys don't yet know about their birthdays being so-honored, if the challenge goal is met, EVERY PERSON WHO DONATES (ANY amount) will receive a SPECIAL "THANK YOU" from Mark & Will!!! Donate NOW and guarantee your chance at a personal surprise!!

I hope that many of you have been saving for the past 44 days so that we will be able to meet our goal to benefit the Project's 34 orphans!!

04/17/08 UPDATE:

The "40 for 40" deadline has come and gone, BUT... we are a mere $160 -- FOUR DONATIONS -- SHORT of our goal!! We have extended the deadline by ONE MORE DAY! All donations MUST be in by midnight Thursday. Will you be one of the four who make it possible for all those who have given to receive their special "Thank You"?

Hi from Michelle

I just wanted to stop and give you a short update on
what all is going on around here. Since I have been
back we have been in full swing. (Well, Drex and Jo
already were.) We have had non stop groups in which is
cool, because you get to meet so many different
people.

Little Jean Jean turned 1 on Jan. 4th which just
doesn't seem right. I feel like we just got him
yesterday. Rood and Roodly are just amazing. I look at
them daily and am reminded of how special our God
truly is. Roodly is taking like four or five steps
every day and is going to be walking at any moment.
Roodly (in case you don't know was so close to death
when we got him) thinks that church is one big jam
session and you are suppose to sing the whole time.
Little Claire is picking up strength on a daily basis
and can actually climb the stairs by her self ( for
those of you that don't know her story, she was abused
and starved so badly she looked like an infant and is
really 3 1/2 years old). Christela thinks she is as
big as the other kids. She is only 6 months old, but
she is everywhere. I don't think that child has one
ounce of sadness in her, because she has a smile on
her face 24 hours a day.

I could go on and on about all of our kids, but you
probably don't have the time and I don't have the time
to write a book. hee hee

The weather is beautiful here this time of the year. I
wish you all could come and visit. You would fall in
love with everything. O.K. maybe not the huts, the
smells, the raw meat hanging up everywhere, and the
small children you see in need. Other than that you
would love it.
I thank God daily for giving me the opportunity to
serve Him in this way. I know this is where He truly
has put me for now.

Please take care and remember us in your prayer. Here
are a few things to pray about:
*Our children
*Our staff
*Drex and Jo Stuart (the other onsite missionaries)
*the children that need to be here that just have not
found us yet.
*Our other Missionary friends and the wonderful works
they are doing.
* A special little girl named Natelie.

Take care and May God Bless you;

Michelle

Haiti is Hawk Nelson's best friend.

Hey guys - we are here at HAF with Jason and Daniel from Hawk Nelson, Daniel's wife, Bonnie, and their manager Teresa. We got in on Saturday and took the 3 hour drive over the mountain from Port Au Prince to Jacmel yesterday afternoon. We've been huggin on babies, digging a new foundation for our next building, organizing supplies and clothes in the depot, and seeing as much of Haiti as we can fit in. Oh, and of course, playing Farkel with Drex!

We checked out the damage to our property and our neighbors property from Hurrican Noel - it's crazy. There's just rocks EVERYWHERE - even on the drive over here, parts of the roads were washed away as well as big boulders bigger than a truck blocking parts of the roads.

We just got a new baby the day before we arrived - on Friday. His name is Cadet (pronounced ca day) and he is 3 months old. He is TINY - probably about 7 pounds. But he's cute!

I'm sending a pic of me and Christela. She's perfect. Behind us is the new depot - soon it will have a second floor!

We are having an awesome time and the Hawk guys are loving it. We're taking tons of pics and videos to show you all.

I even think the Hawk guys are going to become Haitian. All of Haiti is Hawk Nelson's friend.

Hope to see you all down here soon!"

-Mark

The whole gang is here...

one big, happy family...

1st row [L-R]: Kevins, Luca, Richnieder, Claire, Nadine, Barbara, Junior, Gerlande, Jerdly (Edens), Rilinks (Nulu)

2nd row [L-R]: Tamara, Georgina, Ti Paul, Maudeline, Thaina, Marc, Lorgley, Merci Dieu, Sabrina, Roosvelt

3rd row [L-R]: (the Nannies) Dautha with Roodley, Lucy with Jean Jean, Edeline with Christela, Marielie with Melusa, Loudemyar with Giovani and Mackenly

4th row [L-R]: Jo with Rood, Michelle, Drex

A time to be thankful!

Luca & Nadine enjoy their first Thanksgiving...

I know this is a couple of days late, but I hope you all had a great, feastful Thanksgiving. Actually I had a very nice Thanksgiving here in Haiti. Our kids even got a chance to experience the joy of all the food. I think they have decided that this is a holiday that needs to be adopted here in Haiti.

Everyone here is doing great. I just wish you all could come down and meet my family here in Haiti. I am so thankful for each and everyone of our little ones here. I am not sure they realize how thankful they are for getting a chance to live a life of comfort for Haiti, but hopefully one day they will thank our great and wonderful God for the way of life they were spared. I thank my God daily for the smiling faces of each one here, for I know they would have had a sad life else where.

I hope that you are able to enjoy the rest of your Holiday weekend. Just remember us in your prayers. Especially little Claire to help her to keep getting stronger, for she is still so weak. But she is coming along so nicely. Can you say a little prayer for our little Nadine, her and her brother have been here for a little over a month now. We think she has a bit of depression going on, because she misses her mother. She is staring to come around, but it is just taking time. Pray for Drex and Jo who are returning next week. Pray that they will have a safe trip back into Haiti. Just continue to pray for our mission here that we can run it the best way God wants it to be ran.

In God's Time.

Michelle

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BLOG... Storm update(s)!!

We have officially transitioned over to our new website -- check it out! We were down for a few days, so here's our Project update, post-tropical storm Noel!

[[SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE]]

October 30th: DAY ONE

I am writing this at 4:40 in the morning on Oct. 30, 2007. I am only up because of Tropical Storm Noel. At around 3 a.m. our main worker (Odius) here at the Hands and Feet Project called to tell me he had a big problem. I ask what (thinking someone had died or he was hurt.) He informed me that his house was now flooded. I as like WHAT??? Only to open my front door to see a new Haitian river that had formed in our drive. (Not the normal water flow when it rains, MUCH bigger) I even have a log the size of what you would see men rolling on in my new river. Our barrier gate has been blown open from the force of the water. Odius came over, we decided it was time to move all the kids to the main house. I was afraid more water from the mountain would come and we would not be able to get to them. So do you know what it is like to wake 26 people from a dead sleep (Especially children) and have them walk in the rain to a new location and then try to get them all back to sleep?? It is virtually impossible. I am waiting patiently to see what the light of day brings.

I don't mean to scare anyone, we are fine here. We have food and electricity (from the genorator and inverter) and we are fine. I would just like for you guys to please pray for my neighbors because they do not have it as easy (if easy is what we have???) As I am writing this, I can hear some of our neighbors out talking and I can hear the cries of a pig. I hope all is well.

I just had to stop and think, there are 26 kids upstairs right now that have no fears of the storm. They are so lucky to. But I guess luck has nothing to do with it. I guess I should say they are in God's hands. He has plans for these little ones I feel, or they would be out in a hut scared of the water. I am glad I can be of help to children that had no hope and now have the light of God.

PLEASE say a little prayer for those around us.

In His Time;
Michelle

P.S. Hurricane Dean had nothing on us compared to this!!!!!!

October 31st: DAY TWO

Things around us are not in that good of shape. I never expected the storm to have such a devastating effect on our surroundings. In the photos you will see a massive amount of rocks. It looks like a dried up river bed. Before last night, there was nothing but trees and bushes (almost like a forrest) out there. It will take a year to clear all of that off I am sure. At this point, me and the kids are fine. (Thank God) The people around us are not so fortunate. At 3:30a.m. we had to wake all of our houses and have the kids come to the main house. We were not sure where the rock and water was going.

Please continue to pray for us. We have a lot of clean up.

November 1st: DAY THREE

Today held another day of storms here in Haiti. It truly has been devastating. The Hands and Feet Project's new river was raging again today for the second time. It was sooooo unbelievable to see. I was in total awe. We are fine here at the Hands and Feet project. I was able to venture out after the storm only to find people just sitting along the road side because their house's were either flooded or gone. I have been very thankful to my Missionary friends Danny and Leann Pye. Danny has made sure I have plenty of water and diesel for our generator, since I have not been able to get our truck down the lane. Please keep us and the people around here in your prayers. I talked to the American Embassy today and they informed me that we are in for three more days of rain. I have never in my life seen anything like this in my life. I have always heard of flash flood warnings at my house in the States, but they have NO idea what a flash flood is. I even had a Haitian minister friend tell me today that we could never describe the devastation to people in the US.

Again please keep us all in your prayers. Please do not worry about us here because right now we are fine.

November 2nd: DAY FOUR

It is Friday morning Nov. 2nd, 2007. Yesterday cleanup efforts were being made here at the Hands and Feet Project. I was surprised how Carlos had gotten the driveway looking and the gates area. I hired some of the neighborhood boys to help with moving rocks. Kids crack me up sometimes. Our kids were just itching to get out there and help and I thought, why not. So they had fun yesterday. We even took a hike up our new river bank. BUT this morning I woke up to it pouring down rain. I am sure our river will be returning. I am trying to get my video camera set so I can send out video of the raging river if it returns. Please continue to prayer for the people of Haiti in this area. Odius was telling me of a house in Caye Jacmel than just floated away yesterday. I guess it was something. Please continue to pray for us here at the children's village that we can continue to stay dry and safe. Plus, pink eye is going around and it is making it's rounds here to. I have it really bad, thank goodness it is finally clearing up.

In His Love;
Michelle

DON'T FORGET... WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!

ALL ONLINE DONATIONS* WILL RECEIVE a Hands & Feet WRISTBAND!!!

All mail-in contributions can be sent to:

HANDS AND FEET PROJECT
PO Box 682105
Franklin, TN 37064

*qualified donations must meet or exceed $10. All parties that have donated to this cause previously will be contacted via email.