Still here~

It is my firm belief that blogs should be regularly updated..like every three and a half years or so. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? I half forgot I even started this blog. But in spite of me Jacmel Bay is still a beautiful little entity both in Jacmel, Haiti and in the USA.

Tomorrow will mark the six year anniversary of the 7.0 Haiti earthquake that devastated the Pearl of the Antilles and rocked my world. Like the death of JFK and 9-11  the moment I heard the news was etched into my brain and heart  leaving me forever changed. The memories are almost (nightmarishly) dream like or like remembering a movie that you saw a long time ago that scared you so much you had to hide your face and sleep with the lights on. But still... my deep love for Haiti and her people remained and I completely supported my daughter and son in law's decision to continue to make Jacmel their home.

Jacmel Bay has had a beautiful board walk face lift.

Jerry will always love a kite.

Laundry day.

Beach trip #1

Beach trip #2

 Because Gwenn and Nick lived in Haiti I had the honor to be a part of the story..a small part but still a part.
We are in transpiration now as Gwenn and Nick and the American children have relocated back in Raleigh, NC. It is great to have them a short 200 miles away. Adjustment will take time but time as they say heal all wounds..ok..that might not be completely true. But they will learn a new normal. Something they have done time and time again as they have needed to reinvent themselves for the last seven years.Like their move to Haiti I completely support their decision to come back. Both moves were hard ones.
The children of Joy in Hope are now under the care of a good friend named Sarah Wallace a midwife in Jacmel. She is the founder of Olive Tree Projects. From now on Jacmel Bay will donate 25% of sales money to this organization to continue care of the children.
BUT the story is not over! In fact tickets have been purchased for March and I will be traveling with Gwenn and Nick and their children to spend some time in Jacmel. There is still work to be done and more than that there are children to be visit!

Artist Gerzie and her beautiful baby.

Sicot

J

Me with artists Nesly, Sicot and Fritza

Artist Frezian

I have continued to work with the same group of artists in the Deaf community in Jacmel. Over the last six years they have grown up! In fact there was even a baby welcomed to the group. While Jacmel Bay has not been in the position to offer regular work to the artists several of them have made local and foreign connections to continue selling their work. I will continue to work with them and hope to be able to find more opportunities to help them expand their business.

Jacmel Bay at night

Fritza and Nesly

They have also started a church for the Deaf in Jacmel that meets at one of their homes.  In March I will bring them a laptop and teaching materials for the Deaf to help them to grow in their faith and leadership roles.
So with 2016 there will be some adjustments.In a year from now we will look back and see how all the pieces fit together in this puzzle we call life. But the cool thing is that God sees the whole big beautiful picture. He designed it and it will be awesome.
Visit jacmelbay.com to see the back story and go mangine.org to read my daughter's blog.

Divine Appointment

A few days ago I returned from my annual pilgrimage to the mountains of Pennsylvania. This is the 33rd year straight that I have made this trip. Each year is special and each is also a family reunion of sorts. Teenagers who hung around my campfire are now in their forties with teens of their own. When I first went I was a mere 25 years old with babes of my own. Now I watch my grandchildren learn the ropes of learning how to work and serve in this community. Young men with braids down their back are now dying what little is left of their hair blue in a vain attempt to hold on to a visage of youth. Over the years we have grieved the loss of 'family' as they have left this festival for one that is far grander. Many very much loved 'family' were not there this year due to changes in leadership making it at times hard to even be there without them.

When I first began serving on volunteer staff in 1985 I was honored to work with Liz and Elayna cleaning the six packs, a name we had given the outhouses which were in groups of six. Three on each side much like a six pack of beer would be packaged. My children came along holding doors and sweeping floors and spraying down the bath house floors. When the children were older I moved on to supervising Individual Campsite ushering. I did that for a few years but clearly not my gift. :)

When Phredd asked me to supervise the Deaf Ministry I was more than excited and very humbled knowing that my sign language skills were far less than many of the volunteers I would be working with. I loved this assignment but to be honest it was very time consuming. I spent months leading up to the festival compiling lyric sheets often having to type out the lyrics before the whole 'cut and paste' thing became available. So when in 2006 my son in law Chris started a new ministry at another festival , Purple Door, and then at Creation in 2007 I was a little reluctant to give up the ministry that I enjoyed so much. After prayer and council in 2007 I became know as the "Ice Pop Lady".

Chris designed a super cool wooden box that  was secured on the cargo bed of a John Deer gator. It has straps to secure three 5 gallon jugs, a ice pop cooler, a trash can, a cup holder, a storage box and a candy box. Just add Gatorade, candy, water, ice pops and prayer and I was set to go. So for six years now I have spent the last week in June driving over the fields of Agape Farm in Shirleysburg, PA hunting down weary, hot, tired and thirsty volunteers at the festival in hopes of encouraging them and refreshing them and trying to be sure that they do not feel invisible.

Why you may be wondering am I posting this when it has noting to do with Haiti or Jacmel Bay? Well this is why...

I was working my 'ice pop' cart at the Fringe Stage. Doing my normal thing..ice pops, water, candy, Gatorade...when a golf cart with two volunteers backed in beside me. I gave the driver and his passenger a ice pop. The driver said "Didn't you just get back from Haiti?" I told him that I was there in March. He said that his passenger was just there as well. At this point of course all ice pop work on my part comes to a halt and I became  engaged with this young man in conversation about our adventures. He told me he was ministering in Port Au Prince.I tell him that I go to Jacmel. He says "We went to Jacmel for one day." So I tell him about my family there and about the Deaf that I am working with there. I tell him about the sea glass necklaces. At this point his jaw goes slack. "No way!! I bought one of those necklaces! A deaf girl came to the house I was staying at!"  He described the packaging and the necklace and sure enough it was one of the Jacmel Bay artists that he had  met.We were both more than a little excited. Remember, there are only seven deaf artists working with Jacmel Bay in Haiti. This young man from SC meets me from NC in PA and we discover over an ice pop this wonderful connection.

Many thousands of people come to this festival for the amazing music and ministry that happens from the multi media state of the art stage. All the best known bands and speakers come from all over the world come  to share with the crowds messages and songs..I don't get near the stage very often any more. ....well except to hand out ice pops...but still God creates divine appointments along my way. These appointments offering encouragement and reassurance that He is with me. God does not need all the extra 'stuff'. He speaks to His children in so many ways. Can He use the music? The speakers? He sure can. And does. But if we are available. If we are serving Him, he will and does speak in the small stuff. In the ice pops..He reminds us that He sees us and that what we do matters....We are not invisible.

I am so encouraged by this divine appointment. God reminding me that Jacmel Bay is touching lives. In Haiti. And in golf carts on a farm turned music festival in PA.

A Little Help from my friends.

So thankful to Justin Lukasavige for believing in the "story" of Jacmel Bay. Today on his call in talk show Coach Radio, he reviewed my new website jacmelbay.com . I have come a long way and he has encouraged me all along the way. I still have a lot of learning to do. Justin made some good suggestions on the program and I have made some changes and will continue to make the changes that are possible to make. (Some things can be changed  because of the limitations of the web host.)
I am so amazed and thankful for the encouragers that God has put along my path as I run this race! Having people believe in your vision makes all the difference.

Mother's Heartbeat

Mother's Day. Flowers and candy and breakfast in bed. I have marketed my necklaces as wonderful gifts for your wife and mom. And they are. Each piece of glass carries a story of hope and redemption. Each is a mystery and a repurposed beauty. Some pieces more rare than others. Some considered precious to sea glass collectors. One especially is highly sought after. Red glass.
Often when people inquire about my necklaces they will say "Do you have any red?" And this is the story I will tell them.
Red is precious. I have had a total of three pieces in the last two years. Some people search a lifetime for even one of these pieces. I found one on my very first day of collecting sea glass in Jacmel, Haiti. One of my deaf artists found one and I was given one.
I tried to make necklaces with these but somehow it did not seem right. I knew I could not sell them. They were too precious.
 Then this past winter we heard of the death of a baby. The mother of the child asked that people who attended the funeral should wear red. At that moment I knew. I knew that these pieces were far to precious to sell. The Mother's Heartbeat necklace was first created for this dear woman as a memorial to her most precious child. Just a token really for this child is so far more precious than anything that could ever be made.
Since then I have made one of these for my closest friend whose son died eleven years ago. I will never forget him and still after all this time I know the pain remains. With each birthday and anniversary...it still hurts. I want to remember with her. His life mattered. Her pain still matters. This necklace a visible token to wear close to her heart that says "My child is precious."
Today with tears I fashioned my last piece of glass. Loosing a child is always the worst heart break a woman can know. To loose a baby just a few days before Mother's Day....really I don't even have words. But I want to acknowledge that is child matters.  Even thought we will never see the baby's face this side of paradise this child is precious. Precious to the mom and dad. To me. And so precious to God.
So I send this necklace off. With love and with prayers. Knowing that a Mother's heart is broken but also knowing that God holds her baby and he holds her heart.
Remember this Mother's Day those around you who will not get flowers and candy or breakfast in bed. Those who are aching for their children and those who are longing to have children. Mother's Day is a painful time for them. Acknowledge them. Honor them. And love them.

Home from Jacmel. Remembering Day One.

When I packed to go to Haiti I tucked in my small journal having decided to at least write down points of interest that I might want to blog about later. But as the days passed that did not happen. I was convienced that I could not foget any of the details.
The truth is that there are so many 'new' things to see, heard, taste, touch and smell in Haiti that sometimes it blurs..times and days run into each other. And Haiti is like Narnia with it's own measurement of time so different from our own world. I will try to capture some of  what is left and write it out out the next week. For me mostly..to remember...
I started my travels on March 19th. Overpacked with dontated kites and bandaids, gun parts, a doll, hairbands, teeshirts , 700 count sheets and various other gifts. My first bag weighed 48 lbs. and the second was 51 lbs. The woman at the AA counter waved me on. My carryon was another 30? lbs and my backback close to 20. I was on my way..
With an overnight in Miami my biggest concern was claiming my bags and finding a shuttle to the hotel a friend had graciously provided with his 'points'. I remembered a friend saying to me "Denise, you travel to Haiti alone...and you are afraid go to a hotel by yourself?" Point taken. I put on my big girl pants, collected my HEAVY bags and found the shuttle. I checked into the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at and called it a day.,,,

A Second Short video of the Jacmel Bay Artists at work in Haiti

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Meet the Jacmel Bay artists

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Reflection

Tomorrow will make two years since the quake that rocked Haiti. It seems like several lifetimes ago.
I was about to start my first sign language class at the community center in my small town. I was desiring to work with the deaf in Haiti and offered this class for a donation to the work in Haiti. As the students entered in a took a seat my cell phone rang. It was Pastor Frank from the Source church. He was not my pastor  at that time but we had worked together in youth ministry a few years earlier. His voice was serious when I answered. "I just heard the news about  Haiti. I am calling to see if your daughter is alright." My heart raced as I told him I had not heard anything. I could not image the images that would fill my TV screen in the days to follow.
I powered up my laptop and within five minutes had a message from my daughter. "We're fine." That was all. At the moment it had to be enough. The director of Joy in Hope followed up with a phone call. We were so blessed to have not lost communication with Gwenn and Nick. The amazing fact was that most had lost communication but by God's grace they still had Internet. Not always dependable but as least we were not completely cut off.
Because they were still able to communicate somewhat the countless inquires began to pour in. Families looking for families. Friends looking for loved ones. Joy in Hope on the ground in Jacmel became the eyes and ears and hands and feet. They worked at fever pitch for months on end. No matter how much was done there was still more that needed doing. In the midst of all that was going on there was still a family to care for.
For my part Haiti began to pulse through my veins. I loved Jacmel before the quake I mourned for her after.
Their orphanage was standing but for many weeks the staff and family feared going back inside. The after shocks continued for many months. The after effects are still very evident. The emotional aftershocks continue. For Gwenn and Nick..and for all of Haiti. Two years and 200 thousand lives ago.
Pa Bliye Ayiti. Don't forget Haiti.
http://youtu.be/b6C0hQT5uD8

A proud mom

Very excited this morning to listen to this podcast where Stacey Gagne did an interview on WJTL talking about Jacmel Bay. The really exciting part was when she spoke of one of the Jacmel Bay artists showing up at the hotel to sell his necklaces!!! I could not be more proud of him and I have to tell the world!!!! (podcast Stacey, Oct 27, 8 AM)

Jacmel Bay October Day Autumn Give-Away

Go here to end the October give-away!

Christmas Rubble

Christmas is still nearly three months off. But the Christmas story is timeless. It's true beauty coming from it's humility. A birth in a place that no woman would choose for her child. But to this lowly place we are drawn.
God's redemption stories remind us time and time again that God chooses that which is broken, abandoned and discarded to build His kingdom. To bring Him glory.
His word says He makes all things beautiful in His time.
So it is from broken and discarded rubble and glass He paints a story that draws people. I can not explain the popularity of the nativities that I make. It is not the rubble. It is not the glass. It is the story. The story of Christmas? Yes. But also a story of hope for Haiti . Remembering as we see these that there is a hope for the poverty. There is a hope for the pain. There is a hope for restoration. There is a hope for children discarded and abandoned. The hope for all of this brokenness was  born in  barn and slept in a manger. All so that we could see past all of the brokenness in our world, in our country, in our homes, in our hearts...past the rejection and misery..past the unfulfilled dreams and the shattered hopes. Past the sorrow and abuse and hidden unrealized desires..past even death..see past all of this to a manger bed and a simple baby who came to redeem us from all of our rubble and broken glass and to make something beautiful from all that we thought would destroy us.

The lesson Magdaline taught me...by Gwenn Mangine

The lesson Magdaline taught me-- by Gwenn

by Joy In Hope on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 5:08pm

One of the things we love to do with our kids is head out to search for sea glass.  It’s fun for us, and it helps my mom’s company, Jacmel Bay, which supports Joy in Hope and serves the deaf community in Jacmel, Haiti.

Having any kind of disability is very difficult in Haiti.  Very difficult.  There are situations we’ve heard about where parents simply stop feeding children who are disabled as there just aren’t resources available to help children with special needs. The same is true for deaf children.  It is so frustrating as many deaf children do not have other special needs and can learn and develop well—it’s just that they need a community around them who can help them communicate.  There is a large deaf population in Jacmel because there is a school for the deaf here.  Even with a significant population of deaf in Jacmel, there are still very few resources, however, strides are being made.  More parents/families of deaf children are learning sign language and there are several educators who are committed to seeing opportunities for the deaf.  Change is happening.

However, yesterday something happened at the beach, which I won’t soon forget.  We were at Jacmel Bay collecting sea glass.  It’s pretty normal that kids see us doing this and catch on to what our goal is…  They all come up to us and start helping.  I love it.  They never beg from us or ask for money—they just pick up on what we are doing and start helping.  It’s pretty cute.  The same thing happened yesterday.  Random kids started helping us and there was a girl that was in her mid-teens that started walking along with us, just holding hands and smiling.  I tried to talk to her but she wouldn’t respond—she’d just smile and laugh.  I assumed from looking at her that she had some sort of mental challenge and realized she couldn’t or didn’t want to talk back.  But she caught on quickly—finding and picking up pieces of sea glass and proudly giving them to me.  It was quite endearing.   The first time she did it I told her that she had done a perfect job and the kids around me said, “Oh, she can’t hear what you’re saying, she’s deaf.”  I asked her name and they told me that her name was Magdaline.  I asked if she signed and the kids told me she didn’t.

I looked Magdaline up and down.  In spite of having some teeth that had rotten, she looked like she’d not been totally neglected.  Sure, she was very thin, but her hair clean and was also braided in neat cornrows.

And I couldn’t help think about the irony of what was happening in front of my eyes.  Here was a young woman with incredible challenges.  Let’s just face it—she’s basically the low man on the totem pole in a society that’s the lowest on the totem pole in our hemisphere.  But she saw what we were doing and she wanted in.  She didn’t know that the point of our collection was to help people marginalized much in the same way she had been.  She worked along side of us asking nothing in return.  She was happy to walk alongside of us, hand in hand and offer us the “gems” we were searching for along the beach.

I was very convicted because this young woman who had nothing to “offer” was offering me what she did have.

It reminded me of the story Jesus tells of the rich young ruler, a man too tied to his earthly possessions that he was missing out on the kingdom of God.  It was a good reminder for me.  Being in a tough season from a financial standpoint, it’s tempting for me to focus on all that we do not have instead of the ways God has blessed us.    But yesterday Magdaline was such a good reminder to me that it’s not about what you have not been given—it’s about how you will live with what you do have.

Will we, despite the challenges we’ve given, wallow in self-pity?  Or will we focus on living in and serving community?   Yesterday while all this was transpiring, the thought crossed my mind that it frustrated me that I didn’t have more to offer her. (Because I am American like that and all.) But just as quickly as that thought crossed my mind, I was reminded that Magdaline hadn’t asked me for anything.  She just wanted to walk along with us, to smile and laugh, to hold my hand.

And so that’s what we did.

Jacmel Bay Give-Away

Click here for the Jacmel Bay Give Away!!! Limited time!

How can I help?

Often when we see photos of a place like Haiti it is overwhelming. There is so much that needs to be done it almost seems impossible to do anything! The truth is that if everyone gave that which he is able to give all the physical needs on earth would be met. But ...we can not worry about the other person doing his part to make it all work  out. The question is "What can I do?"
I really believe that people like to give. I also believe that it often helps to give them direction. If I say
"Can you give me a little money to help out in Haiti?" You will  be embarrassed to give me a dollar. But if I say "will you give me a dollar to help in Haiti?" most likely you will be happy to give a dollar.
So let me give you some suggestions how you might be able to help.

• Give us a dollar. Or five or ten. If that is what you can give we would love to have it for our trip in October.
• Give us $5,000. That would go a long way in building the driveway to the homes that will be build for the Joy in Hope Children's Home.
• Buy a set of good quality white towels. We need ten more sets. One set cost about $40.00. Ten people donating one set each will have it covered.
• Donate your time and sewing talent to embroider 10 sets of towels. Or volunteer to embroider one set.
• Donate good quality white queen or twin size sheets. We need a lot. Donate one set..two sets or ten.
• Donate beads or jewelry making items that can be donated to the deaf community in Jacmel.
• Donate used t-shirts. 100% cotton. We will make diapers out of them to bring to Haiti.
• Donate your time to help sew these t-shirt diaper's..
• Donate powdered formula for the babies in the tent camps in Haiti.
• Donate powdered SOY formula for baby Schneider in Haiti.
• Donate disposable diapers for babies in tent communities in Haiti.
• Sponsor a bag. For $100 we can carry an additional bag to Haiti.
• When missionaries are on furlough lend them a car, a car seat, a house. Give them a gas card a gift card  a prepaid visa card. (any missionary not just mine  :)
• Sponsor a job for an unemployed Haitian.(monthly)
• Sponsor a child.
• Sponsor a house. You don't have to go to Haiti to build a house. If you have the means pay for the materials for others to build a house. (roughly $6,000.)

I could go on all night. What I really want to say is "What's in your hand?" It's not about the gift. It is more about the giver. I used to not like to ask. Then I discovered people like to give. They just sometimes need a little direction. So give with an open hand and  a cheerful heart. It will make your heart happy.

 http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/US-Polo-Association-Egyptian-Cotton-White-3-piece-Bath-Towel-Set/6026492/product.html

Free Advertising from the grandchildren :)

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The Story of my Haitian Family

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Every story has a back story.

Today my son in law Nick and I talked about Jacmel Bay and sea glass necklaces. Each necklace has a life of it's own. At some point it could have been ballast from a long ago and far away time when Haiti was known as "The pearl of the Antilles". Cargo ships sailed into harbors and off loaded glass bottles and dishes and pottery into the sea to make room for the riches of Haiti to be stored in their bellies. Or perhaps it was not such a glamorous story and simply was a discarded item that was tossed over the river bank that make it's way to the sea and churned for a hundred years and then on the day of the sea glass hunt it was tossed onto the rocks on the shore of Jacmel Bay to be rescued and redeemed.
Then there is the back story of the person who found the glass and the person who fashioned it into a necklace. That is the story that Jacmel Bay tries to tell. When a necklace is worn it gets noticed. I am delighted that people like the necklaces because of their beauty. But that is not it's story. Simply being pretty is not a story. What happens every time someone comments on  necklace the story gets told..The wearer does not simply say "thank you". The wearer tells the admirer the story of Jacmel Bay artists and Joy in Hope. The story is compelling and worth repeating. It helps us to remember the pains of yesterday but offers hope for tomorrow. Jacmel Bay is not a business. It is a story.
I have shared how it all started. The scripture in Exodus chapter four when God asks Moses " What's in your hand?" The power Moses possessed was not it the staff. It was in his obedience when he threw it to the ground at God's command. That phrase "What's in your hand? has been the foundation Jacmel Bay has been founded on. Being willing to offer what ever pitiful thing that I might possess in obedience to God is very humbling. How could God use what I have in my hand? Like Moses I do not possess the confidence to speak or to lead and like Moses I question God wondering if I am really the one to walk this path.
Today while looking a facebook a sidebar on my page revealed photos from my daughter Gwenn's page. Knowing that these were photos of a sea glass hunt I clicked on it.  I saw the photo Gwenn send me last year of a young boy's hand outstretched with his sea glass offering. Just a small child of the streets with a dirty hand outstretched to give his gift to my daughter. The picture spoke volumes to me "What's in your hand??" In fact that photo has become my logo. And this is a back story. But not far enough back. Tonight as I looked at Gwenn's photos I saw HIM! Not a body less hand with white and green sea glass. Yes that but so much more! This picture was the boy himself. And I could see his eyes and face and smile. This was the back back story. A child. A boy. A dirty little boy, unsupervised, unschooled and very possibly on his own. A child offering what was in his hand. Delighting in his ability to give I want to be able to give like him. And now seeing his face I want to know his story.His back story may never be known by me.But his story is now part of the Jacmel Bay story. A story that must be told.

Joy in Hope, My family and Jacmel Bay in the news :)

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/world/haiti/video/9931091/#/vid9931091

Unless the Lord build a house the laborers work in vain.

In three months from now I will travel with a nine person team to Jacmel, Haiti. We will come from 4 states and all different backgrounds. I am the only one on the team that has met all of the others on the team and stilll...we are a family. When our week is complete we will have laughed and cried, shared meals and living quarters. We will bond together in unity. The work of our hands will teach us the strengths and weaknesses of our family and we will learn to work within that reality. We range in age from about 30-60 yrs old. We all have jobs and lives and families in the US but for 7 days we will be living a seperate reality. And..we will never be the same
But this stroy is not about us. It is about another family. A family whom we have not yet met who has been living in inhuman conditions for nearly 2 years. A family who lost their home and possibly family members on Jan 12, 2010 when the 7.1 earthquake rocked their world. But by the grace of God and the sweat of their brow they have survived
The word of God tells us : "To him that has two give to him than has none." This adventure we are planning is an act of obedience. So we set out obey.
When I first started planning this trip I was talking at my job to a customer who inquired about how things were going in Haiti. I told her that we were going to build a house. She asked "How much does that cost?" I I said well the house is about $6,000. and then the team must raise about $1,500/ea for their fees and air. On the spot she wrote out a check for $6,000.00!! So each of our nine team members is now raising their own fees. When you all live in the same town it's easy to pull together fund raisers. But nine people from four states and seven different towns don't have that option. So we are all doing what we can to raise the necessary funds. We are selling Haitian sea glass necklaces which also help support the deaf community in Jacmel, Haiti and you can contact any one of us if you are interested in buying one.
If you would like to donate via paypal to this trip please use the paypal donate button on this blog. If each of our face book friends donated $2-$5 we would most likely be all but covered. If you want to donate to one person in particular here are the team members names :Stacey Gange, Denise Goodale, Tim and Jenna Phillips, RJ Hutchinson, Chris Boone, Cece Disharoon, Bonnie Strawser.and Doris Frame. And thank you for building with us. If you would like more info you can visit Joy in Hope on Facebook or go to joyinhope.org
If you need a tax receipt please let me know so I can make the donation accordingly.

Getting to Haiti

Jacmel Bay has been evolving over the last year. It is exciting to see how things are developing!

From the beginning I knew that this business had to do more than just be a little business to give me part time employment. I desired to see  lives touched and jobs created.

When I sell my work a percentage of the proceeds goes back to Haiti. I love creating sea glass jewelry and find it a really satisfying way to spend my time. That is just one element of Jacmel Bay.

Working to create work for eight members of the deaf community in Jacmel, Haiti is another part. Here is how that works.

Jacmel Bay supplies artist with materials that are not readily available to them in Haiti. I work with them training and overseeing the project. Some necklaces are sold directly to customers by the artists to visitors in Jacmel. Other necklaces are purchased directly from the artists and I check them and package them. (This step will later be taken care of by others in Haiti.) These necklaces are used in two different ways. Joy in Hope missionaries have these necklaces available for personal fund raising when they are in the states on furlough. They only pay the cost of the necklaces and are not charged a handling fee. The processing and handling is a donation by the company. (As was the initial start up costs for this project.)

Another way these necklaces are being used is for fundraising for individuals or groups who desire to travel to Haiti on short term mission trips. I am really excited about this program because it is such a win/win/win/win situation. My artists win because of the quantity of necklaces we will be buying will in a short time will be able to give them a very decent wage. This is great for any workers in Haiti but especially great in the deaf community. Jacmel Bay wins because even though there is not a big profit per necklace selling larger quantities make it possible to offer huge discounts. The short term missionary wins because the necklaces sell easily and in a short time can raise the necessary funds for their trip. Then Haiti wins because those short term missionaries go to Haiti and help rebuild the country. It's a big circle. I love it~

Here is how it works:

You decide you want to go.
Jacmel Bay sends out 20 necklaces packaged to each team member. (At no cost at the front side of the sale.)
Necklaces can sell for up to $25/per necklace. At the end of an eight week period  $8/per sold necklace is due to Jacmel Bay. Unsold necklaces are returned. More necklaces can be ordered at any time during the sale but each order of 20 must be paid for first.
OR  you can get an even bigger discount if you purchase the necklaces outright. All necklaces paid for at the beginning of the sale will cost only $6.00 per/necklace!
Shipping fees will also be chagred as well as NC sales tax for NC orders. (on the amount paid to Jacmel Bay).
Contact me at dgoodale@ymail.com if I can answer any questions or if you are ready to get started! If you will be traveling with a team I will need some advance notice to be able to well supplies with sea glass necklaces from Haiti.