Check out this unique fundraiser April 13-14 in Knoxville:

Currently, my tentative plans are to return to Haiti the beginning of May, so I would just need them by then if you wanted to send them along with me on that trip. You can Google "pillowcase dress" for instructions. I've seen them made with different variations. Some with pockets or a trim at the top. All are cute!

Email me if you have any questions or if you need my address for mailing the dresses.

Last Sunday while I was in Leogane, my friend Kalebe (the director of The Lamb Center) wanted to take me to a nearby orphanage and meet the pastor who runs it. Kalebe had already informed me that this orphanage was facing some desperate circumstances, so I was a little prepared to see harsh conditions. I still find, however, when you are walking among places like I am about to describe, nothing can fully prepare you.

Pastor Jeannot and his wife have 18 children at their orphanage called House of Hope. Three of those children are their own biological kids. The story I heard from someone else was that Pastor Jeannot had had a 16 room building in a different location that the earthquake destroyed in January 2010. Thankfully the children were outside playing when the earthquake occurred. None of them were hurt but two employees died who were inside.

The spot of land where the orphanage is now is small. Scattered about are several tents for sleeping and one larger tent shared by Pastor Jeannot's church and the school for the children. Pastor Jeannot led me around to show me how they live. While I could sense a deep hurt as this man is struggling to put the pieces back together, I could also see joy and pride in him for all he is trying to do to serve God and care for these kids.

Maybe it's best for you to take a "virtual tour" with me around the property through the photos I took...

Pastor Jeannot showed me their current well. It has already been dug very deep but needs some repairs and a proper system for bringing the water up. Obviously water is vital to health and survival. The well will be their source of water for cleaning, bathing, cooking, and probably even drinking. The water would not be safe for us to drink but someone who has been "raised" on it can typically handle it, though it is obviously not the best option.

This is their cooking area. You will see most Haitians cooking in a similar fashion, using charcoal. I hope one day they can have an even better setup. And I can already see they could use some bigger pots.

This is their clothes washing station but under the piece of plywood is a huge pit for a future latrine.

Graciously their neighbor is letting them use this latrine area for the bathroom and bathing. Obviously they need to build their own area soon as this isn't best suited for their needs.

This is where the 8 girls sleep. Those are the only two mattresses. The ground is hard and rocky and I would not want to be the ones who couldn't fit on the mattress. The 10 boys share a similar tent.

This is the tent for church and school. Most of the tents on the property were given to The Lamb Center after the earthquake. Their orphanage had also collapsed. Once Kalebe was able to put his children in temporary homes, he gave the tents to House of Hope.

As I was walking around this orphanage I was gripped by many thoughts and emotions. Probably the main thought or question was, "God, what am I to do?" What am I to do? When I walk around a place like this. Where children are living in tents in a hot climate with the rainy season not far away. They don't have great water access. The pastor is doing all he can but is obviously sending a loud plea for help without even having to use words. Kalebe, who has 68 children of his own is concerned and taking time out of his busy schedule to raise awareness about these children and their needs. And again... what am I to do? I knew I needed to take photos, gather information, and be prepared to share with all of you about House of Hope and the needs that they have. And while I do want you all to be aware and think and pray for yourselves as to what you can do to make a difference in the lives of these children or children like them through a ministry somewhere you may already have a connection with, this story does not end here and I have good news to report as you continue to scroll through the remaining photographs.

After the tour, Pastor Jeannot and his wife gathered the children around to welcome me with singing. Always a special honor! (Notice, there is a white face in the background. When I arrived, I was the only American there. After about 10 minutes, this changed... scroll down to read more.)

While the children were singing, three tap taps (truck taxis) arrived with a big group of blancs (slang for white people). A bunch of college students and their leaders jumped out. I observed pretty quickly that some of them had been here before. Just as my initial steps inside this orphanage began a flood of thoughts and emotions, seeing these Americans come out of nowhere set off yet another stream of thoughts and emotions. Who are these people? How crazy is it that they showed up right after I did! So they've been here before? How long ago were they here? I found myself most concerned about what the answer was to that last question. I was thinking, if the last time they had come was like a year ago, I was going to be frustrated. I would not be able to reconcile how a group could come a year or even just months ago and yet this place still looks like it does now with pathetic tents, no working well, and half-finished construction. I engaged in conversation with one of them. I found out they were from Georgia, and some of them had been there the previous week. Good! So this was a group who was currently working in this area. That was a positive revelation because that meant that good things were probably going to be happening soon and I dropped the expectation of thinking this group should have already done more than they had so far. I also breathed a little relief personally knowing that I now shared the burden I had picked up just ten minutes before, feeling like the whole weight of helping this orphanage was on my shoulders.

There is another story to be told from this day at House of Hope. It involves meeting a missionary named Roland who was in charge of sending this team to the orphanage. And it opens up an exciting door for me to possibly return to Haiti for ministry in the near future. But for now, I want to keep the focus on House of Hope and I will share more details about that "chance" encounter in a future blog entry.

The college group was from Crossroads Baptist Church, most attend Valdosta State, and they had given their cherished Spring Break to come and serve the people in Haiti. They had a range of medical, construction, evangelism and other experience and skill levels. They weren't afraid to jump in and serve where needed. I headed back to the orphanage on Monday and got a firsthand look at some of what they were up to throughout the week.

The medical team had a clinic that morning. Some of the children at the orphanage were already sick. Measles was going around. And of course people from the nearby community came to get checked out, receive medicines, and prayer. They also shared Bible stories with the kids and led them in some fun activities.

I took the next two photos off of Roland's Facebook page since they were taken after I left...

This is the dorm you saw in the first picture. It's coming along! If they haven't completed it yet I'm sure it will be done soon.

They finished the well!! This is a HUGE accomplishment and blessing! Thank you, Crossroads!

This is my new friend Suzie. Suzie came two weeks in a row and has been to Haiti and Africa several times. She is a neat lady and I know our friendship will continue! :)