About this time last January we were finishing coffee while having our initial conversation with Steve. As we were saying goodbye, Steve with a big smile on his face, said, " I think God is up to something here." God was up to a BIG something!! Many prayers, a lot of texts and more coffee chats brought us to La Gonave in June so the family could check out Starfysh and their projects. It felt good to be back in Haiti. One of the villages we stopped at was Dub Saline, meaning two salt flats. Located only 7 miles from Starfysh, it takes 2 hours to get there by truck or a quad. The beauty of being on the ocean was amazing. What can be wrong with having the peaceful and calming blues and greens of the Caribbean Sea in your front yard? Well, being at sea level your only drinking water is.....sea water! We were able to see one of Starfysh's main projects, water filters, in a home. Though it cannot take out the saltiness, it can eliminate deadly viruses and bacteria. Another project we were able to see was the village latrine being dug. As the picture shows the water table is very high right at the sea. The second picture shows the latrine completed. This is huge as disease prevention/education is also a main focus of Starfysh. When the picture was posted on Starfysh's Facebook page Amy and I both said AWESOME loud enough that the girls came running in to see what we were excited about...they were just as happy.
We also went up to Makochon where they will break ground in 2016 to build the new school. Education is a simple and effective way to break the poverty cycle and give kids a real chance at hope and having a future.
We also visited Jaden Lavi (Life Garden). This agricultural center will be a game changer for the people of La Gonave. The garden will allow the Moringa tree to be used as a much needed source of nutrition to those in Haiti. Starfysh will also hold educational classes on farming practices so that families can grow the trees and other plants for food and as a cash crop.
July 28, 2015 we were officially announced as Starfysh's first appointed Field Directors. Since then we have been working on a budget, taking Creole lessons and fundraising. Fundraising is like a second full time job! The month of December we had an anonymous donor put a matching $15,000 donation on the table. With two days left in December we were $3,900 short. New Years Eve we started the day $300 shy of $15,000. God showed us again how big He is...when the ball dropped we raised over $2,100. As we write this, we have 2/3 of our first year's budget committed.
Next month Amy and I go to Haiti to look for a house and meet more of the staff.
Prayer requests:
1- That we will be able to find a house that will meet our needs with reasonable rent.
2- That we will get the full 2 year funding before we leave.
3- That we will find a good renter for our house.
4- For spiritual guidance and protection.
Praises:
1- We matched the $15,000 in December.
2- Starfysh Market was launched on January 1st: starfyshmarket.com.
**Donations can be made at: https://starfysh.worldsecuresystems.com/content/donate
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