Yesterday was one of the days you have in life where you are just filled with comforting spirit. I as facilitator of LOVE Takes Root drove across Iowa to meet with Christy who is a Professor at Coe College, and who is interested in learning about May Term opportunities for students. And also a sister with a donation to memorialize her sisters. We met at a coffee shop in Cedar Rapids. Christy arrived and had her 16 year old daughter with her since it was trimester break. We sat down and I heard the painful story of Christy's sisters. Sarah and [...]

Sharing one of the blogs that was written by  BVU Student Haley. She spent her J-term in Haiti at La Concorde. She is majoring in education. In Haiti at La Concorde she taught a lot and learned a lot. The children loved the opportunity to share moments and LOVE. A Walk to Remember Our days in Haiti are quickly coming to an end and I have been thinking about leaving ever since this weekend. I am ready in some ways to go home, but if I had the opportunity, I think that I would choose to stay here or adopt a few [...]

LOVE Takes Root spent an afternoon at Sacred Heart Elementary School yesterday. The k-6th grade made different SNOW projects for the children in La Concorde orphanage, Haiti. They made snow flake people, snow globes, pictures of them making snowmen and snow angels. There is a wonderful book about snow that each child signed. The children were coloring, cutting and gluing with intense concentration. The project was full of love. The children in Haiti will receive the gift with thankfulness and open hearts. This is the same school children that started the fundraising of the playground at La Concorde last year.  They enjoyed seeing [...]

On December 22nd, I decided to sign up to become an Independent Consultant with Thirty-One Gifts, LLC. I was initially thinking I was going to purchase items for myself at a discount and maybe I would sell something here and there. However, on the very same day, someone on Facebook had shared the article from Iowa Radio (http://www.radioiowa.com/2015/11/26/spencer-doctors-love-takes-root-charity-raising-money-to-open-haiti-school/) about Love Takes Root. Having grown up in the Spencer area, I had heard about the Wilkerson family and their mission trips, but I hadn’t heard about Love Takes Root before. I was inspired by what this organization is doing. I gave [...]

LOVE Takes Root Board of Directors had a meeting last night and reviewed all the Financials from 2015. So amazed what can be done when committed people work together! We have less than 5% Operating Costs because of so many dedicated individuals that care to use their time, talents and money. They are changing the future of many children and also their communities. When we have donors give money they can feel confident their dollars are going directly to the project. We still have work to do.  The Fundraising for the Secondary School is still in process. We have the [...]

For those of you have been following me along my whole journey to Haiti, I have been trying my best to describe some of the bigger feelings and things that have left impressions on me but I know that I have missed a large portion of the whole experience as well. There was just so much to see, hear, and do there that I couldn't possibly write about everything. Ironic enough, I couldn't write about it all, but here I am sitting in the airport thinking about every single thing ever since I first woke up this morning. First culture [...]