Hello Family and Friends,

Back in November, I reached a crossroad in my life. I had just moved to Sacramento away from most of my friends, my parents had just moved to Kentucky, and I was beginning to feel like a tree that had outgrown its pot. Fortunately around the same time my church began a series on the Holy Spirit and encouraged us to learn / strengthen our ability to discern His leadings and to follow His guidance. In the times that I felt alone with nowhere else to turn I decided to spend more time in prayer asking if I was where I needed to be or if there was something more that I could be doing. During this time I felt like God was asking me, “Why did you start teaching? Do the children where you work know that they are loved and cherished? Would they know that they are loved and cherished even if you weren’t there? Is there another group of children that need your love and affection more? What are you going to do with all of this next?” To which I answered: I started teaching because I want every child I know to grow up knowing that they are loved, cherished, and has someone in their life that wants the best for them. Yes, my students know that they are loved but they would still know that they are loved if I wasn’t there because their parents love and cherish them. Yes, orphans and foster children waiting for their forever home are often not as loved and cherished as they should be.

I continued to pray what my next step should be in light of these answers. As I prayed, my church began to talk about an upcoming mission trip our pastor and his family were taking to an orphanage in Haiti. I had been hearing about Danita’s Children since I started going to my church two and a half years earlier. As I sat in church this particular Sunday I realized that I had felt a tug on my heart to go every time I heard about the orphanage before, but had always made excuses of why I couldn’t go. I found myself in tears and knew that the next time an opportunity came up I had to go.

The first chance for me to go to Haiti came in March of this year. When I landed with my team in Cap Haitian and drove to the orphanage in Ouanaminthe it felt like I was heading home, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. There were several children of varying ages waiting for us when we pulled up. They didn’t even wait for the taxi to stop before opening up the door and pulling us out to greet us and give us hugs. The rest of the week was filled with fun adventures in and around Ouanaminthe, bonding with the full time missionaries, and amazing time with the kids. Sitting in the taxi driving back to the airport I felt as though part of my heart was getting ripped out of my chest and left behind at Danita’s.

Back in the states, I tried to settle back in to my “normal” routine, but couldn’t shake the fact that something was missing. I reached out to the missionaries at Danita’s and scheduled a time for me to come back for 30 days to see what everyday life was like at the orphanage. During that trip in June / July my heart was completely captured by the missionaries, the work, and mostly the children. I got to help with a few different organizational projects, be a part of hosting a couple teams, and spend a lot of time bonding with the children. In the middle of the sermon on my last Sunday there, I decided to spend that time praying about my future and the next season of my life. In that time of prayer I asked for clarity over whether or not Danita’s Children is where God was calling me to spend the next few years of my life. Very clearly in that time I felt God saying that the feeling I had driving to the orphanage for the first time, my bond with the missionaries, and the relationships that I’ve built with the children were for a reason. It is because this is the home He has been preparing for me in this next season of life.

In talking with several of the missionaries about the possibility of moving down to Haiti, we decided that the timeframe that worked for all of us was to have me move down there sometime at the beginning of October. I will be leading the HopeWorks program; organizing short term teams that want to visit, making sure that they complete paperwork and make payments on time, and hosting them while they are on campus. I will also be assisting two of the full-time missionaries with more organizational projects and daily operations. Most importantly, I will be spending all of my free time with the children building the relationships and being present for them.

I could not be more excited about this opportunity, and I hope that you will consider partnering with me to love the orphans of Haiti! My goal is to raise a one-time amount of $1550 to help cover initial travel and set up expenses. I also have a goal to raise $2125 in monthly support (anywhere from $10 to $200 a month) to cover administration and living expenses. I would be very blessed if you would prayerfully consider partnering with me to help make this trip happen. If you are interested in partnering with me on my monthly support team, you can visit foreignmissionsociety.org/give/ and select my name from the list of missionaries.

Thank you so much for your time and prayers!

God Bless,

Kimber