I am thrilled to announce that – after almost 3 years with Trades of Hope – I am going on a Trades of Hope vision trip to HAITI! I will be traveling with 12 other Compassionate Entrepreneurs from around the country between March 23rd – 29th to visit our 2 artisan groups there.

Despite being a resource-filled country with beautiful people, colonization and natural disasters have caused Haiti to have an overwhelming number of “poverty orphans” – children whose parents turn them over to an orphanage because they can’t afford to care for them.

Our 300+ artisan group (Papillon Enterprises) pays the men and women a living wage to make ceramic products, beads out of recycled cereal boxes, and beautiful art out of recycled old drums.  And the almost 100+ artisans at the Haiti Design Co-op make incredible leather and fabric products.  Hope is restored and now they are able to take care of their families!
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This is called a “vision trip” because we finally get to SEE just how our mission of empowerment through sustainable business is working, to deepen our dignified business partnerships, hear their stories of redemption, and meet Michelaida(!) the girl whose education I sponsor at the Three Angels school that Trades of Hope supports!  It’s not a “missions trip” because the mission and service happens when I return home and get back to work!!!

And this job has allowed me to build relationships and share God’s love and creativity with a wide variety of people and groups in including: Girl Scouts, the Impact Hub, Goleta Chamber of Commerce, The Oaks Spa, moms groups, book clubs, local schools, multiple churches, public boutique events, and countless women’s homes.

I would greatly appreciate your individually led prayers as well as for my own requests: that I would listen well, be an encouragement, be observant to how God is moving, and receptive to how He leads.

I’m also collecting donations of materials to take to the school and orphanage there, including:

sharpie markers, children’s scissors, coloring books/crayons, white ribbon for hair, Emergen-c packets, plastic jars of creamy peanut butter, HP Ink 952XL cartridges, 2 & 3 gallon ziplock bags, rolls of contact paper, baby wipes, individual packets of “easy to digest/for colic” baby formula and diapers (especially size 4).  The Guest House that will be hosting us has a special wish list as well.

If you would like to support and share the mission of Trades of Hope (empowering women out of poverty), then you can shop our artisans’ beautiful products.

Or partner with me to host an online event or in-person gathering after I return so I can share what God is doing in Haiti!  I love doing speaking engagements with interested groups!!!

And if you’d like to contribute financially to help offset the $1900+ cost of the trip, your generosity would be humbly appreciated:  Haiti You Caring page

Please let me know if you have any questions or words of encouragement about this wonderful opportunity and I look forward to sharing with you all that God does!