Coming Home!

For anyone following this post, there is good news on the horizon!! Paperwork is beginning to move a little, and the hope of coming home is beginning to burn brighter! Please keep the children of Haiti that waiting to come home in you thoughts and prayers over these next few months.

Although the tragedy of Haiti's disaster has faded in our minds, the reality of it has worsened for the people of Haiti, who seem to have to relive the nightmare everyday. Many nations continue to try to supply aid to this (what seems to be at times) hopeless situation, but God continues to shed light on the HOPE that rises from the rubble. The cry of a newborn, the giggles of little children on their way to school, and the peaceful sigh of an elderly man as he rests his weary bones in the doorway of his patched up house. The people of Haiti are strong and courageous. They are heroes and survivors... but most of all, they are His. :)

God bless,

Clay

Moving Along in His Time

Hello all!

Our team is making progress in our steps to becoming a successful non-profit organization. The new non-profit is called "Haiti N.O.W.", and we are dedicated to the construction of the new HCRM Village outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In order to provide Haiti Children's Relief Mission with new facilities and opportunities, we must work towards raising $750,000. Yes, this is a HUGE mountain to climb, and right now, we're at the bottom looking up and getting a little dizzy. In the end, however, it is about the children. A new facility would allow for at least a hundred and fifty more orphans/displaced children to be taken in and cared for under Christ's name, educated, and given good medical care! This new Village would open up multiple job opportunities and job training for the local Haitians. Our goal in all of this is to meet them in the middle. If they put in the hard work, we want to make sure they have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Whether it be to continue education, become a doctor or teacher, or just provide food for their families, Haiti N.O.W. wants to be apart of their tomorrows and work toward creating a better tomorrow for the Nation of Haiti. If you can donate time or money toward this cause, feel free to visit our Facebook page by searching "Haiti N.O.W.", or by following this blog. Donations are tax deductible and can be mailed to: P.O. Box 1341, Spring Branch, TX 78070. Our website is currently in the works, so prayers for its completion are very appreciated! God bless each of you wherever His calling takes you. Please deeply consider the children and people of Haiti and what you could do for them.

-Clay-

Update

Our crew made it home on December 15th at 11:01a.m. after making a run for it on Monday night! Yes, we were caught in the rioting, and housed between the president's house and the UN's hotel. Not the best place to be, but God kept us safe! There were burnings, gunshots etc., but through it all, we felt safe in Him. The children were amazing and we spent a lot of quality time with them. I think every crew member's life was touched in some way through this experience. :) They got 132 feet of a 5 foot by 16 inch wall built in only two days of work, so the boys were very happy despite their disappointment in not being able to work as much as planned. God had a different plan for these young men, and you could see it as each day progressed. They came together as friends and brother's in Christ to encourage when times got rough and support when they needed it most. Without one of those men, I don't know if we would have made it home. They spent time mentoring some of the older boys in the orphanage, which not only touched their lives, but it changed the boys' perspectives as well. To grow up without a supportive, male role model in your life is tough, and they were so grateful for the time they spent with our crew members.

On the second day of being stuck, we were up on the roof discussing my hopes for future work at the orphanage. As we kept talking, things/connections began to fall together, and we realized that we could really make a difference with the guys we had come to Haiti with. I didn't put this crew together, it just kind of fell into place, so to see these men filling the exact roles I had prayed for was moving. We had Alfred (Chile) the architect, Chad (Policia) the planner with connections, Charles (Charlie) the high tech dude, Jeremy (Jerry) the EMT with a new found heart for missions and a church to back him, and Joe (Skinny) with a new found heart for Haiti and helpful connections as well. So, while sitting on the roof of the orphanage, watching the rioting that was going on just down the street, we laid out plans for a new non-profit organization called, Haiti N.O.W.! (New Orphanage & Wall). This organization is designated to the construction/maintenance of the new HCRM Village (consisting of a new orphanage, school, church, med clinic, volunteer housing, adoptive family housing and director's house) and 'Kinderville' (a school in Carrfour). Our ultimate goal is to create a safe haven for orphans and students looking to further their education. We hope to be the education resource center for Haiti someday, hooking students there up with resources our students here have complete access to, and finding ways to help them with online courses and/or foreign exchange programs here in America by connecting their 'University' with our colleges. That is in Haiti N.O.W.!'s future-future, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. We're hoping to have the organization up and running by mid-January and we are praying for your support. :) Details on the organization, plan etc. will be released with our website around mid-January as well, so stay tuned!

Again, thank you for all your prayers and support! Our team greatly appreciates each of you and we are so blessed to be home here in America with our families for Christmas!

May He guide and guard you wherever His calling takes you!

Merry Christmas!

~Clay~

Crew Update!!

So... our food drive is done, or clothing/supplies drive has less than a week to go, and we are off to Port-au-Prince in a few weeks!! As exciting as this is for each of us, there are, of course, some worries. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we prepare for our trip and travel to Haiti. May He guide and protect us in all that we do and wherever we go. :) Blessings!

Welcome!

In His Hands blog has been started to help bring those with a passion to help Haiti together. We have started a project to help sponsor the HCRM orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This project was started to help raise the $200,000 needed to build the new HCRM orphanage. They have the land, but not the funds, so we're here to get involved. There are three ways you can help: 1) PRAY!! You can check out our Prayer List and add this project and the HCRM kiddos to your daily prayer; 2) DONATE!!! The only way to raise the $200,000 is to DONATE!! So spread the word and get involved. You can start a family fast by giving up the things you know you could live without, and sending the money you save to HCRM... You could hold a garage sale in honor of the orphanage and have all proceeds fed into this project... or, you could find a unique way that your family could come together to raise the money!! Post your ideas!; 3) VOLUNTEER!!! We are looking for crew members to get involved in a mission trip to Port-au-Prince!! We currently have the first wall sponsored, but now, we need a CREW!! With Crew #1 almost complete, we are looking for 2-3 more people to get involved and come aboard. If you would like to help, but don't have the funds, we have scholarships lined up to help you get there. Are you a college student?? No worries! We're forming crews of hard working, Christian college students to go to Haiti during Winter and Spring break! Could your church get involved? If you want to present this project to your church, whether it be for fundraising or for going, we can't wait to here from you!! We already have four churches actively involved in the project, and want to add yours to the list!! Lets come together to get this done for this orphanage!