Justice Water with Jamie

Sitting here in Houston, I've realized that I haven't updated anyone on what has been happening in my life for quite some time so this should be a whopper of an update.  I spent this summer in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti and was blessed to really see and get to know the island deeply and intimately.  In the three months that I was there, I spent at least a week in 6 different cities, full on learned a language, learned more about what fully relying on God is like, and built some deep, lifelong friendships.  

During my time in Haiti, I feel like my perspective on what is normal, what is necessary, and what life really entails was completely flipped on its face.  We spent a week just outside Port-Au-Prince, a week near Mont-Rouis, and then 11 days on the isle of La Gonave.  That time on La Gonave was incredible, crazy, difficult, and completely unlike my life in Red Deer or Kona.  While there I met an incredible group of kids with an amazing young lady from Washington who, at the age of 19 decided to spit in the face of the american dream and start an orphanage with her Haitian husband.  That would be an orphanage worth praying for (called New Beginnings Orphanage).  They have encountered tremendous opposition by the community that they are near in term of voodoo attacks and hostility and the orphanage will be moving to a new town but it has been a crazy time for the orphanage and they could use prayer support.  They have also been dealing with dengue fever in a serious way over the last month so that has been a heavy attack.  I was touched by these brilliant and fun kids during the time spent with them.  While we were there we focused on specifically working with the orphanage- so teaching about sanitation, hygeine, how God uses and sees those kids, and the older kids' responsibility as the leaders of the family.  We also did some projects on the land; building a chicken coop, making their toilet usable, building 2 hand washing stations, and more necessary jobs.  It was an incredible week and a half.  

I spent my last week on Hispanolia in Juan Dolia- the location of the YWAM San Pedro base.  I was planning on going to Samoa last Wednesday but got Dengue fever so will be heading home for about a month.  I am healthy now and excited to see everyone back home.  I will be heading back to Kona in mid or late September to teach again and the future is a little foggy from  there (and I am excited to talk with you all about it in the next month) but is exciting and I trust that the Lord will continue leading me.  I will attach a few pictures of projects that we have done by us this summer or projects that we have fixed up that were done last summer.  Thank you everyone for your prayer support and for your thoughts.  

Jamie

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