He's Not Finished

Our amazing view tonight!  We were able to take some time away from the city and enjoy one of Haiti's beautiful beaches for the weekend.  Such a great place to unwind, chat, and do some brainstorming.

It seems I have become rather reflective this trip.  I have often found myself pondering the last 4 years.  It's a bit overwhelming.......

So.....

Apparent Project began in the fall of 2009 with 4 women.  Now there are over 300 artisans who have steady employment.  Shelley has a goal to one day employ 1000 people.  I honestly believe that can happen.  Actually - I believe she will go beyond that.

But how?  How do you keep growing?  Keep providing jobs?  Keep the products new and marketable?  Shelley spends a lot of time figuring all of that out.  Trial and error - hit and miss.  Navigating in and around a completely different culture.  Dealing with things that we cannot even begin to imagine.

So how can Apparent Project come along side Shelley and help?  How can we promote the artisans?  How can we help her help them?  We already have the party boxes.  And the fundraisers.

Last year we began the Daycare Center.  Providing a safe place for the most at risk moms to put their children.  We are watching the babies grow and flourish!

We also began API (Apparent Project Institute).  Giving the managers an opportunity to learn English, grammar, typing and other basic computer skills.  Both of these help the artisans to not only grow personally - but strengthen their marketability and make them even better employees.

So - what's next?

What does 2015 look like?

That's one of the reasons that Marilyn and I are here this week.  To see how things are going, how they can be tweaked and what we can do next.  Lots of prayer and conversations happening.  Lot's of "what ifs" and "how abouts...."  Lots of listening to Shelley's heart.  Seeing where she is taking Papillon Enterprises and how we can help her get there.

Such exciting stuff in the works.  It amazes me that each year just gets better and better.  Yes - there are difficulties but growth never happens without pain.  4 employees to 300 doesn't just happen.  It's a God thing.

I am so thankful that I was chosen to be a part of it all.  When I look at the big picture - it's nothing short of mind blowing.  God is a big God and He loves details.  Apparent Project was birthed from God's heart  -  it's His baby.  We are just the vessels He uses to care for it and help it grow.

Four years ago - I was just poking around on the internet wanting my Christmas money to count.  Looking for ways to make a difference with my purchases.  I "stumbled" upon Apparent Project.  I ordered a party box.

My life changed forever.

I am overwhelmed to tears tonight as to where this has brought me.  The places I've been to speak.  The amount of jewelry I have helped sell.  The deep, life long friendships that are being cultivated.   But most of all - the way God has used it to grow my faith and change my perspective on so many things.

I am a different person because of it all.

God had a plan.  I followed.  It's been amazing.

He's not finished.  With me or with AP.


We are seeking His face this week as we move forward.  Won't you pray for us?

I know that whatever it is - it's going to be awesome!


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Day 1:  Sweet Return

Sweet Return

This trip for me only came about 3 weeks ago.  One of my jobs for Apparent Project is to write in the blog and help manage their Facebook page.  I had not been here since last June and was feeling disconnected.  Things grow and change so rapidly here and it's hard to write about it all if you haven't been around for a while.  Marilyn was coming and asked me to join her.  I knew that I needed to come and reconnect with the artisans and all the new things going on here.

So I spent today enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells of all that is Apparent Project and the surrounding community.  Lots of landscape changes as they are paving all the roads in the neighborhood and putting in sidewalks.  So everything looks different.  It doesn't matter though - as soon as I step off the plane, there is a piece of my heart that feels like it is home.  Each time I have come here, God has done amazing things in my heart.  There is a love that I have for this place that cannot be expressed with words.


As I was walking around Apparent Project today, taking lots of photos and seeing all the new additions and changes, I couldn't help but think about the very first time I came here.  How God opened my heart and my mind to the idea of giving people dignity through work.  Shelley only had about 70 artisans then - now they are busting at the seams with more than 300.  

Since my first visit, an entire ceramics/pottery line has been created and just in the last month new jobs were added as more new potters were trained.  A recycled glass production line is under way and beautiful things are coming from there.  The daycare has been created - it was bustling today with 15 babies!  I also got to sit in on the new Apparent Project Institute.  About 23 managers are learning how to type, learning English and Grammar and today I was able to witness the first instructional class in Excel.  Talk about exciting stuff!  So many changes and so many possibilities!

Walking around - seeing so many familiar faces.  Artisans that have been here for years - whose lives
have drastically changed.  Also seeing so many new faces - faces whose lives are beginning to change. There is so much dignity and possibility in this little section of Port-Au-Prince and I am so thankful to be here and be a small part of it.  And the exciting thing is - it's only going to get better!

Things will calm down for the weekend - we are actually going to go to the beach for a few days!  But I look forward to coming back on Monday and interviewing more of the moms and the API students so that I can share their stories with you!

Growing Pains

Parenting is hard.

I mean, really hard.

When they are young, you are tired.  You are watching them closely.  Guiding, directing.  You have the constant responsibility of making sure they are fed, had enough sleep.  That they are polite to others and learn to share their toys.  You answer a million questions a day.  All the "whys".

There were days that I swore if I heard "Mommy" one more time - I would change my name or even run away!

It's so much easier to blog when they are younger.  They do so many cute things to make up for the crazy and everyone relates to you.  It's not so easy when they are older.

Now there is this fear that you are sharing too much - embarrassing them.  Putting things out there that they may not like becoming public knowledge.  And maybe you don't either because you feel like you blew it in the parenting department.  It makes it so much harder to write about.


As we are in the middle of the teenage years - and the beginning of High School - there are so many things that I could talk about but don't.  Those bone-headed things that teenagers do - and our boneheaded reactions.  When will I ever learn to respond rather then react?????

In the beginning I was holding tight - now  I'm letting go.  This stage is by far - the hardest.

Seriously.

It involves more faith and trust than I often feel that I have.

I've been here a lot lately - thus the fact that my last blog entry was from July!

This stage also involves so much more prayer.  Well - not that I didn't pray a lot before but I guess I felt like, because they were still so little, I had more control.  And I guess I did to some degree.

Now my prayer life consists of a lot more begging and pleading.  Asking God to give me the strength to let go and trust him with my son - AND asking Him to protect and guide him since I am no longer with him 24/7.  He is becoming his own person with his own thoughts and opinions.

The things that I see in him involve the heart.  And unfortunately, often it is easy to focus on the negative.  The things that you know need to change - but that change can only come from God working in his heart.  Not his mom giving him a lecture.

For the past several months, I have been really praying that God would draw him in.  And that he would grow his faith.  This is probably one of the most scariest prayers because I look back on my own life and I know that my faith grew/grows the most in trials and difficulties.  No one wants to watch their child go through difficulties. We want to protect them from them.  But - is that really helping them? 

Jarod was handed a huge blow this week.  I won't go into details in order to keep his privacy and because this involved another family and I don't want to distract from their great loss.  But I will say that I knew immediately that this was part of what I had been praying for.  I also learned that this wasn't just about Jarod's faith growing - but mine as well. 

As I sat many times crying with him this week, I just continued praying that God would use this in his life.  

I watched him grieve - but I also watched him stand tall and do the difficult things that he never had to do before.  I heard from others how Jarod had affected them positively and the impact he made.  I learned what an encourager he is to his friends and I could see how God has been using him.  I watched how he would analyze a situation before getting involved.  How he had the wisdom to speak up or stay quiet when needed.

He handled this with such strength and maturity for a 15 year old.  As I watched, I could see God working.  I could see God using him.  I could see God growing him.  I could see God answering my prayers and for a brief moment - letting go didn't seem so scary.

When Jarod was entering Pre-K and I was scared out of my mind - (Pre-K - ugh!  I knew NOTHING! LOL)  God spoke to my heart and said, "Cami, trust me with him.  The things I am allowing for him (good AND bad) are so he will become the man I need him to be later."

I go back to that nugget constantly as I pray that I can completely trust God with my son.  Knowing that no matter what comes his way - it has a greater purpose.  And God loves him far more than I ever can - and that is impossible for this mother to grasp.

Today - I am so proud of this guy - and the young man that he is becoming.  And I am thankful for a God that is full of grace and mercy.  That doesn't give up on me when I fail as a parent.  And who has a purpose and a calling for my son.