#i'mme

[aninjaonavacation-blog]

Us The Duo is so cute. 

[jilllovesmike]

I'm halfway to my goal! Tomorrow a very special person will be matching any donation up to $100. If you are willing to give I would greatly appreciate it. All donations are tax deductible (for my US friends). All funds go to help the children in Haiti via I'mME.org You can follow my Haiti trip when I leave next week via @travelingwithjill

[venue52-blog-blog]

Cause For Thought - i’mME

i’mME was founded by a family and continues to operate like one. One of the greatest tragedies in the world is the orphan who never knows what family is.

i’mME are committed to ensure every child under their care knows that they are part of a family.

Their mission is to bring the sustaining and empowering structure of family to the orphans of the world through care, prevention, and stewardship.

With over 160 million orphans worldwide, it’s evident there is an orphan crisis. What has been ignored is the fact that over 80% of these children, have a mother or father alive somewhere. Instead of addressing the symptom, i’mME is focused on addressing the root of problem – Ending the Orphan Cycle through family.

Job Creation, Education, and Family Preservation are the cornerstones of their mission. Instead of mothers and fathers placing their children in institutions, they seek to provide jobs so these parents are able to keep their kids.

Education is a powerful weapon to combat poverty and oppression, and they are committed to implementing enriching and creative environments on the ground. They believe in the power of family, and are devoted to strengthening, re-unifying, and developing the family structure.

They are focused on a long-term investment by partnering with locals on the ground. All of their programs and efforts are run indigenously, with the mindset of empowerment and sustainability.

Parents want to keep their kids, but often face the difficult choice of keeping them or be able to feed themselves. i’mME exist to be that alternative, and be a vessel of hope, opportunity, and value for families everywhere.

Find out more at http://imme.org/

[rainheart1120]

First Day

Just to clear things up: 1. I'm a crazy geekling. 2. I DON'T know what I'm doing. and 3. I'm me and no one else! Now that that's done, this blog(I guess) is for me to fan girl all over you people. Don't like that's your problem. Well this'll be fun!

[dreadthedeadd]

People can really stop telling how to behave anytime now. I'm aware of myself 99% of the time. Thanks you.

[bayliboop-blog]

A Beautiful Awakening

My time in Haiti can’t be contained in a few words. These words will only scratch the surface of what I truly experienced and felt.

Going into this trip I was expectant. God provided like only He could, and Haiti couldn’t come fast enough.

Throughout the trip I was so full. I was walking the streets of Haiti feeling like I was on top of the world. I was living and breathing a dream that God had planted in my heart less than a year ago. I was ready for whatever God was going to teach me. For real, I was “jumping up and down clapping my hands eyes squinted closed” ready. No matter how many times I look back and try to convince myself how ready I was; I wasn’t.

I wasn’t ready to see a little girl pick up vitamins of the dirty ground and stuff them in her mouth. I wasn’t ready for a little boy to repeatedly asking me for my shoes. I wasn’t ready to hear the stories of how parents have abandoned their children.

I definitely wasn’t ready to have my heart shattered while holding a little baby boy in a mountain village. I saw him sitting alone in front of a little cottage. He had dirt caked on the side of his head, and I went to wipe it off. I sat next to him and eventually pulled him into my arms. The whole time he was giving me the side eye, not trusting me, but not resisting me either. I was walking with him in my arms and a woman on my team; Beth, prayed over him. As she prayed I felt something shift. I can’t explain it honestly, because what happened the few minutes after have changed life as I know it. I began crying and praying over the little one who thankfully fell asleep. I wanted to hold him as close to me as possible. I wanted to somehow memorize his face and I wanted him to leave an imprint of his little body in my arms so I would never forget this moment. Still crying I found a shady spot to just hold him and take it all in. I cried for this baby boy who I’m sure was malnourished. I cried because I felt like I had been snatched up in the air by my ankles, and shaken out. In those few minutes holding this sweet boy I realized that all the things I wanted in this life didn’t matter. Going back to a four-year university, getting married, and making all the money in the world paled in comparison to just staring, holding, and praying for this sleeping baby in my arms.

 It was in that tender moment that I knew why God had me go to Haiti.  I have found my purpose, I have felt my calling, and I have found my joy.

Everyday of this whole trip I saw brokenness, but in the midst of it all my eyes were opened to the beauty. The beauty of hills that seem to cascade over each other while the clouds settled among them. The beauty plastered on the children’s faces as we danced and laughed  to nothing in particular. The beauty in the quiet moments rocking a little girl to sleep on the patio. The beauty in just being completely free in worship and singing to my Savior. The beauty that shines from the eyes of those passionate about Haiti.  The beauty in watching the people I got to experience Haiti with take it all in and store each experience in their hearts. There is an undeniable beauty on this island that I want everyone I love to experience too. I am blessed.

I’mMe. Thank you. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to experience Haiti with you all. I have never seen or felt so much love and truth in one home. There is a sense of authenticity and transparency that sets I’mMe apart from the others. I pray that the Lord continues to bless you as He takes you higher and higher. He is enlarging your vision, and He is faithful to complete each and every one of His promises that He has laid on each of your hearts. I am “try not to pee my pants” excited to see where God is taking I’mMe!

Haiti. The place where I experienced Jesus like never before. I can’t wait to touch your soil again, to be among your people. I carry you in me, Haiti. Your land holds beauty uncommon to the human eye. I am glad I got to see a glimpse of that beauty. I will be back soon. I can’t stay away.

“They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord, and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.” – Isaiah 62:12

Journal Pages

April 27. 2014

Yesterday, my cup was overflowing. I was just so full of all things good. Things weren’t exactly going our way but we made the most of it. I want to swallow the ocean and dance on ten thousand more mountains. I was feeling Your presence and was so aware of your hand in this nation. I am absolutely, irrevocably in love with Haiti and I’mMe. I am so filled and full of joy and peace. I hope this feeling isn’t fleeting. You brought me here for a reason, and I know that these feelings are no just for here. They are to be spread every where I go.

To see what God is doing in Haiti and with I’mMe, check out their website Imme.org!

[bayliboop-blog]

I'M GOING TO HAITI!

April 24 I'll be in headed to HAITI. I still can't believe it. All Glory goes to GOD!

[bayliboop-blog]

Haiti

The past 24 hours have been a complete whirlwind.

I am sitting here typing this still in shock.

So what all went down? Ha! I still trying to process the huge turn of events. I’ll just start from the beginning.

It is known from an earlier post that I planned on going to Haiti in the summer(you can click here to read that).  I was all set and ready too. Well, until God had other plans. I have been researching/ stalking an organization called i’mMe since I began my search of organizations in Haiti. I didn’t realize they had trips until a little later, and I remember thinking about how much I would love to go with them. I looked at the dates and realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to swing it, and resigned myself to just planning to go in the summer.

A few weeks ago I was on Instagram stalking some of my new friends, and I was clicking on random names, just putting names to faces of people in my church. I came across one Instagram account and I saw the i’mMe logo and freaked out. I realized that this person was somehow involved in i’mMe and I needed to talk to her ASAP. I remember I wrote down her name, Trina, and proceeded to text and hassle all of our mutual friends to try to get in contact with her. Finally, I got in touch with her and I realized how much God had orchestrated it. Her Instagram is usually set on private, and for some reason that day she made her Instagram public. That was the day that I saw her Instagram. That has Jesus stamped all over it! Anyway, she told me more about the organization and how it began. Talking to her I knew I wanted to go on a trip with i’mMe, and I was more than willing to wait for a more convenient time for me and avoid fundraising all together.

Fast forward to yesterday, I was waiting for confirmation from God if I should go through with trying for i’mMe’s trip in April or wait for a more convenient time. On Tuesday I had set up a fundraising page, but couldn’t follow through and publish it. I was desperate for a sign or something. I wasn’t going to go through the fundraising process and realize it’s not what God wanted me to do. That morning at work I got a text from Trina telling me that God is waiting to do a miracle. That was all the confirmation I needed. I knew I had to get myself together and get ready to have my faith stretched again. Last night I went to church and that was just more confirmation of what God wanted me to do. I stayed up way past midnight to make a donation page, and just surrender this whole fundraising process to Him. It’s pretty obvious that I have no way of paying for this trip myself. I am jumping into this with complete faith and total dependence on the One who as called me.

What miracle does God need to do?

i’mMe is taking a group to Haiti April 24-29, 2014. I plan on being with them.We will be the light that God has called us to be to the people of Haiti. We will be visiting orphanages, cleaning up around Port-au-Prince, helping out with feeding program, and much more.  The total cost of the trip is $1,200. The cost will cover my flight from Florida to Haiti, accommodations, and meals throughout the trip. The kicker is that I need $600 two weeks before we are the leave to reserve my spot (April 10) and I have until the day before we leave to have the rest (April 23). Also, I will somehow need to find a way to get a flight to Florida from Texas to meet up with the team. Now you can see why I need a miracle. I don’t even have a month! I could panic, but I don’t even have time! I have a little over 20 days to raise money for this trip to Haiti. I know that if it’s God’s will He will do what He has to do to make this trip possible. I’m just saying yes to the call and just expectantly waiting to see how He’s going to fulfill this promise.

If you would like to donate click here. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to those who feel lead to give. Your support means the world to me. If you feel lead to share, please by all means, share! Also, please pray for me in this major fundraising task and for the team that is going to Haiti. Prayer is essential and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for prayer. Even, though this is crazy and totally unplanned,  I know that in the end God will get the glory!

The facts and figures in front of me say that this is impossible, but I am trusting God with this. I am confident that He is still in the miracle working business, and if He has called me to Haiti at this time then He will provide in a way that I can’t even imagine. 

If you would like to know more about i’mMe check out their website here. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

#baylitohaiti