Hot & Sticky

Thankfully I was able to talk Ryan into getting me a tiny personal fan :)

Haiti's Slow Recovery

Prayer Calendar

6 Months Ago

Haiti's New Normal: You Get Up, You Sit Back Down

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (July 12) -- Along the fault line that caused this disaster in Haiti, there are now more than 1,300 camps. They are filled with 700,000 tarps and 100,000 tents. They are tied up alongside 8,000 cubic yards of rubble and 190,000 destroyed houses. There are 1.5 million people, including half a million children, in the streets.

But ask folks what they've been doing lately and there is only one answer: "Nou leve chak jou, epi nou chita." We get up every day, and we sit back down.

Life is like that, they say, six months after the Jan. 12 earthquake. What can we do?

Days start early. By 5:30 a.m., the sun has risen. By 6 a.m. tents and shacks are unbearably hot. There may be breakfast. Or there may not be.

The rest of the article here.

1 Week To Go

I will be leaving next Monday - wowser. It seems like it came a lot quicker than I was thinking. We had a team meeting yesterday and got a schedule.

Monday, July 19 - Travel to LAX and leave in the evening
Tuesday, July 20 - Team arrives in Port au Prince, Haiti and travels (by bus) to St. Louis, Haiti
Wednesday, July 21 - Campus day at St. Louis, visit jail
Thursday, July 22 - Tortuga Island, sports camp
Friday, July 23 - Visit Ansefelour (voodoo temple)
Saturday, July 24 - Market and waterfall trip
Sunday, July 25 - Church
Monday, July 26 - Visit House of Hope (orphanage), sports camp
Tuesday, July 27 - Community projects (construction)
Wednesday, July 28 - Visit OTB super kitchen in Port de Paix
Thursday, July 29 - Hut to hut evangelism, Miriam Center (mentally handicapped children) cookies and fingerpainting
Friday, July 30 - Hut to hut evangelism, meals on feet
Saturday, July 31 - Travel back to USA

Of course the schedule is just tentative - if things come up we will roll with it and do what they need - but at least this gives you all an idea of specifics to pray for on a daily basis.

Our team - Kristina, Adam, Bonney, Brenda, Silver, Andrew and myself. Please keep us all in your prayers!!

99 Cent Store

Today the 99 Cent Store was my friend. I walked down and stocked up on all of my travel things.

A few of the things I picked up:

**Shampoo
**Conditioner
**Hair spray
**Body wash
**Shower sandals

I think I am 99% packed. I am trying to keep everything in my carry on (I think the last time I didn't travel in only carry-ons was when I moved out to California in 2 suit cases that I had to check). I think the last few things are mostly food items that I have to pick up at the grocery store in the next week or so.

2 Weeks

Two weeks until we leave!! I am all up to date on my shots and vaccines. I have about $300 left to support raise. I have to pack, but hopefully that won't be to difficult. There are a few things that I still need to get before I go (like bug spray and packable food), but we are getting there!! We will have another meeting on Sunday - and hopefully this time we will get a full schedule of what we are doing on a daily basis (that way you know specifics of what to pray for).

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT - BUT FINANCIALLY AND PRAYERFULLY!!

Soup Kitchen Site

Outside the Bowl - Haiti super kitchen workflow from outsidethebowl on Vimeo.

Walkthrough of Port-de-Paix super kitchen site workflow

3.5 Weeks

3.5 weeks till we head to Haiti. We have our third team meeting on Sunday. This meeting we should have a tentative schedule of what we will be doing on a daily basis - that way our prayer team will be able to pray for specifics. I will be sure to post it on here once I get it.

Malaria Pills

I went and picked up my prescription (and then pills) for my Malaria prevention on Saturday. I will have to take 1 pill every week, for 7 weeks (the week before I am there, the 2 weeks I am there, and the 4 weeks after I am back). Also, while I was picking up my prescription, I paid for my Typhoid shot (they required that I pay for it before I order it). It should arrive in the next week or so, and then it will be off to get another shot.

I know, it isn't too exciting, but it means that we are getting closer and closer!!

Shots

Went and got my first round of vaccinations yesterday. Got tetanus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. They had to order the typhoid one for me. They said that they will call me tomorrow to see when they will be able to get it in. I will then have to go back in about 3 weeks for my second hepatitis B shot and to pick up my malaria pills. Just in case you were worried, the shots went fine. They said the tetanus would hurt most and would probably leave a knot in my arm, but I haven't noticed anything.

Support

Thank you again for everyone's support!! I am currently at $1,525!! I only have $475 left to go!! The full amount will be due the week before I leave (July 11th), so I have a month or so to get the last of it. YAY!! Thanks again everyone!! YOU ROCK!! God is GOOD!! And what a Provider, huh?!

First Meeting

We had our first team meeting on Sunday. Our team currently is 6 people, with the possibility of being up to 8 (depending on if they can get their deposit in by Friday). I was thinking that everyone would be from North Coast, but it seems about half of us go to North Coast and half of us go to other churches around North County - I guess that is the benefit of being a non-profit, you can pull from the entire community. We decided that having a smaller group would be awesome, seeing as we would be able to get into more areas. Our next meeting is this upcoming Sunday. We are hoping to have our schedule more worked out by then. I'll keep you updated!!

Support Raising Letter

I thought I would post a copy of my support raising letter on here in case people that didn't receive it wanted to read it.



April 27, 2010

Hey!! I hope this letter finds you well!! I want to share with you a challenging ministry opportunity God has presented to me. During July 19 – July 31, I will be going to Haiti with a team from North Coast Church and Outside the Bowl.

The trip dates for the July Haiti trip are July 19 - July 31. On this trip we will be involved with the new Outside the Bowl (OTB) food center in Port de Paix, as well as working with other ministries that our partner organization (Northwest Haiti Christian Mission) already has established such as a baby orphanage and a medical clinic.

OTB is an international Christian organization dedicated to helping alleviate world hunger by developing food production facilities and spreading God's Word to those it serves. OTB will model its food center facilities throughout the world after the first Food Center in Paarl, South Africa, which currently feeds 5,000 people a day. OTB will be funded by U.S. and International donors consisting of Governments, Businesses, Churches, Service Organizations, and individuals. OTB also has the very unique opportunity to strategically partner with bulk food providers such as Global Food Banking Network, Breedlove Foods and local farmers and food stores. The mission is to build the food center facility, coordinate the bulk food, employ a full time staff, and evangelize and disciple those we serve, because it is more about the child holding the bowl than what is in it!

I'm excited about the opportunity and experience that lie ahead. I hope you see the value in what we will accomplish. As you can imagine, a trip like this requires financial support from a number of people. I need to raise approximately $2,000. If you can support me in a financial way, I would be very grateful. And, most importantly, I also need your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God's leading in ministry in these countries. Without prayer, nothing will happen.

If you are able to help, please check the appropriate box on the donation form included in this packet and send it with your check, payable to Outside The Bowl, in the enclosed envelope to me by May 31. Envelopes and donation forms are enclosed for your convenience. Please make your check payable to Outside the Bowl and write "Haiti" and my name on the memo line. All contributions are tax deductible.

While money is important, it comes in a distant second to my need for your prayer support. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I can count on you in that area.


With you in His service,
Carlee

OTB Story

Here is a little video of the story of Outside The Bowl.

Thermometer Builder

I thought it would be helpful to show my support raising progress on this blog - so I looked up a "Charity Thermometer". I came across this Thermometer Chart Builder. I had to customize the size a little so that it would fit better on the side.

I received my first support check today - $25!! WHOOO HOOO!! I am on my way :)

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!! I started this blog so that my friends and family can stay updated with my trip to Haiti. I will be heading to Haiti with Outside The Bowl at the end of July [July 19-30 to be exact]. I sent out my first round of support raising letters at the end of last week and am praying that I will start seeing support coming in later this week. Check in on a regular basis to see any updates.