Many of you know that I spent the summer of 2012 in Haiti at Mission of Hope. I got off the plane on day 1, not knowing a soul in the Country (it's fun to go back and relive that day specifically.. if you've been through the airport, you probably understand... https://blaireinhaiti.wordpress.com/2012/06/). I had tears in my eyes and a heavy heart when I left just months later. God has given me an opportunity to return to Haiti in January to serve alongside 140 other young adults, and I could not be more excited! I'm excited to see how the kids at MOH have grown. I'm excited to see the things that were mere ideas in 2012 that are now realities. I'm excited to (hopefully) get to see the boy I sponsor and hug the families that I met in 2012. I'm excited to serve with a team that I get to serve with here in Dallas on a weekly basis at The Porch. Most of all, I'm excited to see the Lord work and to share the good news with others. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• First and foremost, pray. Pray for this trip: If you would like to be included on a prayer email while we are in Haiti, please comment below with your email address! 
  
• Pray for Haiti: Follow "@mohhaiti" on Instagram or "Mission of Hope: Haiti" on Facebook to stay informed and up to date on what is happening at MOH and how you can pray for Haiti. 
• Long term.... Support a child!!! If you are looking for a long term way to make a difference, $35 a month provides a child with a nutritional meal each day, and a Christ-centered education. http://mohhaiti.org/learn_sponsor#.VjOUrVWrRhF
• Fundraising: If you would like to help support me, you can donate on this page by clicking "Donate to this Fundraiser".
• T-shirts: We are selling t-shirts to raise money for the trip: www.tinyurl.com/yahaiti2016tshirts  
• Chili Cook-off: We will be having a Chili Cook-off to raise money for all participants of this trip. It will be November 21st at Trinity Groves. (facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/890016074399878/)  

Watermark is excited to continue partnering with Mission of Hope Haiti (MOH), an Evangelical, holistic ministry that has been operating in Haiti for over 40 years. The MOH complex sits on 90 acres of land and employs over 150 Haitians. Their ministry reaches approximately 7,700 children through the School of Hope, houses almost 70 children in the Hope House Orphanage, serves more than 2,500 patients every month in the Hope Clinic, shepherds over 1000 adults, youth, and children from surrounding villages through the Church of Hope, and feeds over 90,000 Haitians each day. 

If you're still reading, you're a trooper. Here is a story that I leave you with from talking to Pierre one day during my time in Haiti in 2012: 

 "Pierre was in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake happened. He said many times that he is only alive because God chose to keep him alive. People were dying left and right from buildings collapsing, yet Pierre, his wife, and his son all survived. He said some people were killed because they stayed in their house, and some people were killed because they left their house. Life or death was totally in the hands of God. Everyone that survived asked “why me?” because it would have been impossible to know what to do to stay alive. Pierre experienced a very sad tragedy, and something that most people can’t imagine. But aren’t the things above true for all of us? Aren’t we all alive today only because God has willed us to be alive? We might not have seen building crash, but isn’t life still a gift for all of us?"