The Wonderful, Beautiful, Lovely, Awesome Kelley's

Brad, Shannon, and Lena Kelley have been running the guest house here for about 8 months.  I have been so blessed to know them, and I'm not sure I would have survived this experience without them.  Lena adds a lot of sunshine to my life, and she is my movie and homemade popcorn buddy every few days or so.  Brad is exceedingly hospitable, to the point that he is angry if I don't consider myself a part of the family.  And Shannon, oh Shannon.  Shannon Kelley is a beautiful person.  Some of my favorite days begin like today - with me and Shannon sitting at the dining room table on our computers.  It's a very pleasant way to get work done.  She is the best photographer I've ever known, and she's quite the celebrity (though she won't admit it).  To prove what a wonderful photographer she is, here is a picture she took of me outside on the front porch.

I'm so lucky to be a part of this amazing family.  Now, keep your eyes glued to the computer and enjoy this inspiring guest blog by my dear friend, Shannon Kelley!

A couple months ago, at an orphanage we were visiting in another village, an older Haitian man saw my camera and asked me to take his picture. He proudly stood with his family, his wife and 4 kids, for the picture. After that I watched as the family hugged the oldest daughter and said goodbye as she walked back into the orphanage. They were there to visit their daughter at the orphanage. Here was an intact family with their child in an orphanage purely because it was the only option they had as they struggled to provide. They gave her a better life because someone offered to give her what they couldn't- at the cost of dividing their family. 

That moment was the culmination of God throwing us in the deep end and showing us His heart for us here in Haiti. That was the moment that I knew, deeply knew, that we were here to fight for families. 

As we move out to Les Anglais with Harvest Field we are so excited about how what they are doing out there molds into our heart for families. They are actively working on reunification of the kids in the orphanage that have families by lifting those families up to where they can provide for their children. They are focusing on lifting up families through vocational projects so that parents can provide for their kids. They are focusing on education and meeting medical needs so that families have brighter futures. This union of our family coming alongside Harvest Field is something that God has perfectly aligned. 

We sit and dream about a day in this community where families know that that when they are struggling that they have options and that there is a community around them who will fight with them to better their situation in a healthy, sustainable way. We want to be love to people and families in Les Anglais and meet them where they are. 

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Follow Shannon and her family at Shannon's Blog, where they chronicle their day to day life of living in Haiti, loving lots, and taking pictures along the way.







Now, enjoy more of Shannon's wonderful pictures!