Sometimes living in Haiti we feel like a broken record as we advocate for financial help. Well, today we get to share some exciting news that allows us to narrate another story. If you recall, last October the job contract Craig had (that allowed us to stay in Haiti and volunteer for Okipe) ended. This left us with the option to either move back to the States to find another job or stay in Haiti and find personal support for 2016. Because of many of you who stepped up to support us financially, you have made it possible for us to continue our ministries here. THANK-YOU! While this has been such a blessing for our family, it has never been our desire to need to depend on your financial support personally for a long time. We tirelessly make request to friends, family, and new connections for the children's village, as well as needs of Haitians we live in community with. While there are still many financial needs all around us, we are very excited to announce that over the past few weeks, we have been in discussion with Extollo International. (This is the organization that Okipe partnered with to build the children's village). They have offered Craig a position as the Country Director in Haiti that will allow us to continue to live on La Gonave and meet our personal financial needs!
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR ROLE WITH OKIPE??
Craig will continue to volunteer as the Chairman of Okipe and for the time being, Renee will continue as the Okipe liaison working with connecting the Children's Village and their needs with the rest of "you." We will still be living on La Gonave and interacting regularly with the Children's Village.
We are thrilled to have joined the Extollo International family and know that this will also be a great partnership with the children's village. Extollo is dedicated to educating people in all areas of the construction industry, equipping them to build/rebuild their communities, reduce unemployment, stimulate the local economy and improve their quality of life. As we look for more options for the teenagers who are aging out of the village, we know this will be one viable partnership!
We are excited to share more with you about what is to come for Extollo and our family. This past month, we held our first masonry training at the new training facility. Nineteen students were given their certificate of completion. It has been such a blessing to see so many who want to learn and work to provide for their families.
We've already had the opportunity to work with some great guys and have formed new relationships!
And of course the kids are always loved!
Thank you so much for supporting our family and following along on this journey with us! We are looking forward to all the new experiences and stories this new path will bring. Please feel free to contact us with any questions at crjfamily@gmail.com.