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 :)

<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oTqJj5AyJNE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Story of my Haitian Family

<object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1661867345982" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1661867345982" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>

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.