The Price Diaries: Our pocket change is someone's miracle...

I really honestly don't even know how to start this blog post. My heart has been so heavy for what I'm about to share since I stumbled across it on Facebook a little while back, and then again a few days ago, and at that point I knew it wasn't an accident I had come across it again. I knew I had to do something! So, I've partnered with Krista Parada, Shirley Clark, and Lisa Fife in trying to rally supplies, financial donations, etc. in helping these children in Haiti. Living in such a wealthy country we so quickly forget how LITTLE people in other countries have and how many things we take for granted that are such precious commodities in these third world countries. Seeing the pictures and hearing the stories of these children in Haiti has absolutely just broken my heart, so I'd like to share with you a little bit about the needs there in hopes we could all help in some way, and together make a great difference in the lives of these sweet children.

Krista is actually in Haiti right now and will be for at least 1 year. She has seen and is seeing firsthand the great need in that country. She is in Jeremie, Haiti, with a Christian discipleship school called IMPACT195. You can visit their website here to read more about them! In a nutshell, the school is designed to equip Christians to live a life of impact for Christ in all 195 nations of the world! There are 6 people living in Jeremie, Haiti, right now with the team team Krista is on and their main ministry is with the hospital, children, building water wells, teaching English, and conducting weekly Bible studies. Each missionary on this team raises their own support as well as their own project money.

So, here's how YOU can help! Krista has given us a list of some things that are currently of greatest need. Because of the high cost of formula many mothers in this country are having to feed their young babies powdered milk (if you are a mom, you know how nutritionally deficient this is to a young baby) because they simply cannot afford formula and because of this babies are dying from starvation. Another huge need is Infant Tylenol for fevers. Many children and babies are dying from high fevers because they just do not have the means of treating fevers! Another need is infant/toddler girls dresses and clothes (they recently received many boys clothes and are ok in that area right now), but infant/toddler girls dresses and clothes are needed. This one really got me (they all did, but I couldn't believe this!)...for $25 US, you can get a child everything they need (medicine and help) to get well and out of the hospital. Most children just need proper nutrition. A good group of the children that come in to the hospital come in with malaria which Krista said is easy to treat, if you can afford the medicine and in a country such as this, the majority cannot afford the treatment.

There is no postal system there, so the only way to get things to them is to send them with someone going over there. Krista has a friend going there mid-April, so we are trying to gather everything we can prior to then to package up and send there. It costs $2 PER pound to take things into the country, so we also need donations to help cover the cost of getting it in the country to these children.

SO, to sum it all up - the greatest needs are: formula (if you have unopened cans you'd like to donate we will take those), but the team can actually purchase large cans of formula there for $25 US which is around the same cost as America. So, if you'd like to donate towards that, the monetary gift for formula would be so helpful (unless you have some already!) which would eliminate having to pay to get it into the country (but whatever you can give would be AWESOME!) Also, the infant/toddler girls dresses and clothes, Infant Tylenol, and $25 US to sponsor a child for complete medical treatment.

The need is so great and we in America have been SO blessed. I know personally God has blessed my family so much, I don't think there has ever been a time in my life I have been without a meal. I simply cannot imagine not having food, medical treatment, etc., but to see my own child suffer and possibly die of starvation or sickness because I simply do not have the means or funds to take care of them, is an absolutely heartbreaking thought. If we all rally together, we can really make a difference in the lives of these children. I've posted a few pictures Krista has taken of the children in Haiti. In America, our pocket change truly is someone's miracle in another country such as this.

Please, please pray about it and consider giving! Whether large or small, anything we can gather to give to make a difference is a difference made! Feel free to spread the word as well! Shirley Clark, Lisa Fife, and myself will be collecting these things up until sometime in early April to package to get over to these children. Thanks in advance for your help and support!