Home From Haiti

We're home from our fourth trip to the New Testament Mission in LaCroix, Haiti.It's probably no surprise that on these trips I always learn things about myself, about others and about God. I remain grateful to my clients who are patient while I delay shipping for a week so I can have this time to serve, learn and grow.

painting silk scarves with LaFemme de la Croix

In the last two years the silk scarf painting program has grown from selling the scarves in the United States and sending the profits into a general education fund for the artists to much, much more! The girls are now getting paid per scarf and a Haitian teacher and assistant are paid for their leadership. There is also still profit from the sale of the scarves that goes into the education fund. The scarf inventory has grown large enough that in addition to being sold through my home church that they are being sold at the gift shop at the US Embassy in Port au Prince. Coming soon they will be offered in an online retail store! Additionally Carrot Top Studio is thrilled to purchase scarves and take them to another level by using them as appliques in stoles. The sale of these stoles send proceeds back to the LaFemme de la Croix. 

Charles

When in Haiti I travel with a blank sketch book. As an introvert that is s-l-o-w-l-y learning Haitian Kreyol I find that sharing a sketch book and taking turns drawing can be an opening to making new friends....because art is universal. After this young man finished drawing he wrote in the sketch book, "Jesus please bless me and Jenny. Behold. We love you very much." This simple message brought tears to my eyes. I blinked back the tears in my eyes and assured him I would gladly be praying for him until we meet again.

peace and sandwiches!

Voodoo infiltrates the country of Haiti. But where Christians are they tend to pronounce their faith boldly.For example they paint portraits of Jesus on the headlights of their tap taps (public transportation). Another example is the Haitian workers that enter the mission at 5:30 a.m. singing hymns. And many businesses incorporate their testimony into their name. I experience these things and I am humbled. I leave the country wondering if am I proclaiming my love for the Lord boldly as possible? I marvel at the fact that God is wo patient with me.

Creating Ministry Stoles Lends Itself to Fun

A few things that made us smile in the studio--

A client wrote: "Gave pastor the green custom stole today and he was speechless. (A good thing)."

Another client shared: "You are the fastest shipper I have ever met. I tell all my colleagues about your quick ship and say "Carrot Top Studio will never let you preach naked"!

This is fun...it looks like Ordinary Time will really be "in" this year (ha, ha)....

And speaking of color....we took advantage of snow on the ground outside our studio this week to produce this fabric that we're just itching to stitch into Pentecost and Ordination stoles! 

What does the snow have to do with this? It allows for a fun, spontaneous fabric dying method where you cover the fabric with snow, sprinkle powered dye on top of the snow and then you let the melting snow marble the placement of the color on the fabric. Trying to focus on blessings I can now count this method as a blessing to having snow on the ground!