In a land with 3 growing seasons Haiti consistently imports 90% of the food consumed. This has led to horrific food insecurity this year amidst political instability and COVID closing borders and making travel unsafe. In our city of Les Cayes we depend upon local markets. Vendors at the local market get their goods largely […]
Me, Crying in HyVee’s Meat Department . . .
I cried over a 5 lb bag of chicken legs that I bought for $3.97 at Hy Vee Grocery. I had flashbacks to my friend at the local market in our Haiti neighborhood. Donicia would smile up at me as she reached for the fresh chicken she had saved back just for me. She had […]
Staff Spotlight – Accolade for Saving Lives
Allow me to introduce you to Tikilene, one of the most incredible human beings you could be privileged to meet. Tikilene and her husband have three sons and one daughter, all of whom have completed high school &/or are working their way through a college education. Tikilene gives all credit to the grace of God, […]
Determination Redefined
There is really nothing about sewing men’s dress pants that used to be fun for me. Honestly, I dreaded waist bands, cried over a few zipper installations, and welt pockets?! Really?! That was then. For three weeks I have awakened excited to dive into the next task. Determination is contagious. Hope is contagious. Love is […]
“I Encourage You To Do It”
“Be patient, and when your opportunity comes, I encourage you to do it,” said Ofanise. We were enjoying an afternoon together with the Accolade for Saving Lives (ASL) program moms. Oflanise and 4 other moms had just completed their second week of sewing training and she wanted to share about her experience and encourage the […]
Mountain of Mercy
We at CLIMB think often of how God chose us to be his vessels. What have we done that could possibly merit such a privilege? Nothing! I was recently settling on that wonder for a moment longer than usual. I sat humbled in the knowledge that the same Jesus that was beaten, spit upon, hated, […]
On Sheep and Goats
Sunday’s message at church was around Matthew 25:31 – 46. It tells about Jesus’ return and the separation of people, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. One of our elders (also named Matthew) spent some time discussing the behavior of sheep vs goats. I couldn’t help my mind wandering to a unique […]
This Is What We’re Talking About
We have been talking about something just like this since CLIMB was a simple concept. Haitians changing Haiti. Empowering those Haitians that step out to be the change, giving them a hand up to set God’s plan for their ideas in motion. And then it came to us – no, literally! One day while […]
We Owe It All To Grace
Thank you, New World Son, for “Learning To Be The Light”. If you aren’t familiar with this song, I strongly encourage you to listen. Three of us completed a week of work to prepare for the next eight weeks with a team at Accolade for Saving Lives and Tous Ensemble. It was a flurry of […]
Can You Take It All In?!
Can you sit with me a spell? Can you take it all in? Land had been purchased by Accolade for Saving Lives shortly after Hurricane Matthew struck last fall. Prayers continued. In January of this year I stood on that ground with a team of faithful young servants. Goats that didn’t belong to us ate […]