December Gilmore Gazette: Contemplating Christmas between cultures

Dear Family & Friends,

December has been full for our family. At times, it felt like an overstuffed suitcase - zippers straining and fabric stretching. Ericlee's focus at the start of the month was putting on the 3rd Annual Haiti Decathlon at the Crossfit Combat Fitness gym on December 1. The event doubled in size with 85 competitors raising $2,500 for Haiti's schools. Ericlee loves the way God used a fitness/CrossFit event to get a new group of people interested in the work He is doing in Haiti. Ericlee and Dorina joined the other competitors as they raced to perform exercises like pullups, dips, jump rope, flipping tractor tires and more.

Dorina was busy this month juggling mommy duties, Haitian Bead Project jewelry events and Christmas parties. Both November and December were very fruitful months for the Haitian Bead Project. Dorina and a host of volunteers sold jewelry at boutiques, tea parties, M.O.P.S. groups, Christmas open houses, and dinners. We were so blessed by volunteers also willing to share the jewelry in other states like Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas and even other parts of California. One highlight for Dorina was speaking about the project to the Mothers in Christ group at Trinity Community Presbyterian Church in Fresno. Dorina also shared 12 stories of the Haitian artisans on the new web site, celebrating what God is doing to transform lives in Haiti through this project. If you're interested in reading more details, check out the series here. The project is certainly growing and we are praying for discernment on how to keep it sustained in new markets.

Would you be interested in hosting a jewelry OPEN HOUSE or having the jewelry at your work place or special event in 2013? www.HaitianBeads.com.

Giada sings with the Preschool crew at The Bridge Church to celebrate Christmas.

Our month was also full of family time and Christmas traditions as we had the gift of spending the holidays in Fresno. Some highlights included: going to see the Nutcracker Ballet with Meilani, Giada and Nana; walking Christmas Tree Lane as a family; hosting a 12 Days of Christmas potluck party for the mamas and kids who are a part of our Go Mama Workout group on Wednesdays; making homemade gifts at Craftopia Craft Studio, performing our Christmas story play with both sides of the family on Christmas Day and sledding at Shaver Lake. Dorina's sister Caron and niece Sophie have been with us for the past week. We will head down to the L.A. area to visit Dorina's brother and his family for New Year's Eve and Day.

Dorina and Nana Maria took Giada and Meilani for a Girls' Date to see The Nutcracker Ballet in Fresno. They were dancing pirouettes through the aisles and even got to meet some of the dancers.

Although we do treasure all the time with family and our California community, we do feel our hearts sometimes wandering to thoughts of Haiti. We know our friends there celebrate with a different focus. The whole week preceding Christmas our Haitian friends gathered at church for musical programs. Our dear friend, Walquis, the music director there has been busy rehearsing all month with the many choirs. The event is not the gifts like it is in many American households, but the time to worship together. Our girls' hearts have been longing for Haiti too. We hear it in 3-year-old Giada's prayers for her Haitian friends and 6-year-old Meilani's stash of well-loved toys she's set aside to share with the kids in the orphanage. We understand that this constant longing - whether we are in Haiti or the U.S. - is part of the role God is calling us to as a "bridge family" living across cultures.

One-year-old Zayla bites into a Christmas ornament. It doesn't take much to delight this little girl.

We are planning our next trip to Haiti at the end of January. We will be taking all three of our girls this time along with a team of friends from Trinity Community Church. That team will be led by Richard and Gina Wathen. The team will be helping build bunk beds and other furniture for the new orphanage building in St. Raphael. Gina will be helping Dorina work with the women of The Haitian Bead Project. We covet your prayers as we prepare new friends and our family for this trip.



As 2012 comes to a close, will you consider supporting us monthly or giving an extra gift toward our Haiti travel fund? Our family of five will be traveling to Haiti in January and July, and travel is always expensive. We need to raise $6,000 for the January trip. Maybe you can't make a trip to Haiti yourself but you would consider helping us continue the work serving God in Haiti? You can donate online here. Just add our name "GILMORES" in the Memo line when you checkout through Paypal or feel free to mail a check to CFM, P.O. Box 27584, Fresno, CA 93729. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt either way!

The kids in The Bridge Christian Children's Home orphanage pose outside the Mission House in Pignon, Haiti. The Gilmores will visit them in January.

We have enjoyed seeing all your faces on Christmas cards and Facebook. We wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! We are so grateful to have you in our community support. Not a month goes by that we are not surprised by God's provision through the generosity of each of you!

Because Christ's Love Compels Us,
Ericlee, Dorina, Meilani, Giada and Zayla

Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas 2012

"The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."~ Psalm 126:3

 

Zayla, 1

 

Giada, 3, Meilani, 6

 

We pray J-O-Y abounds in your hearts,

your homes, this season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

The whole Lazo-Gilmore crew: Maria & Doug, Paul & Michelle with Jeremiah & Cindy & baby in belly, Ericlee & Dorina with Meilani, Giada & Zayla

Day 12 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Moise

This post marks the finale of our 12 Artisans of Christmas series, featuring the stories of 12 of our friends in Haiti who work with The Haitian Bead Project. We hope you have been encouraged by these stories of life and redemption in Haiti. We "remember Haiti" again!

Moise's life is one that is transformed as a result of The Haitian Bead Project. When she first joined the project she wore tattered clothes, often begging for food and money. She was so unsure of herself. Fast forward to today. Moise is a different woman. God is redeeming her life.

This woman was once pressed to the outside of the group. The other women would pick fights with her or ignore her. Today she stands with dignity as one of the leaders of our cooperative. After attending a training in Port Au Prince to learn how to roll recycled cardboard beads and make jewelry, she returned to the mountains and began to teach others. Today she is designing new products and helps with quality control. She commands a kind of respect because people see her talent. They know she can help.



Soon after Moise joined the Haitian Bead Project she joined a microfinance and savings group at the Evangelical Church of Pignon. She started to invest and save her money through this group. She recently was able to save enough money to start building a little house for her family. She is putting the money raised through her jewelry to good use. She and her husband once rented a few rooms. They lived on the third story with an open balcony that was very unsafe for her two young children. She speaks with excitement as she describes her new little house with the roof going up.



Moise is one of the best teachers in our Pignon group of artisans. She helps women in making wrap bracelets, earrings and a new custom chunky bead necklace. She has a new sense of confidence and creativity as she leads others.

*Read more about her story HERE.

Day 11 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Nadia

For the 12 days before Christmas we are featuring the stories of 12 of our friends from Haiti. They are all artisans for The Haitian Bead Project started in 2011. They are learning how to turn trash into treasure by making jewelry from recycled cardboard beads. They each have stories of transformation and God's grace. Our desire is to encourage all of you this season with these gifts from God. 

When Nadia's pastor, Peter Constantin, asked her to attend a training to learn how to make jewelry, she quickly obliged. This mama of six children knew she could use the extra income to help support her family, and she was eager to be a part of the project.

Nadia was trained as the first leader for the group of artisans in Pignon. She and another woman from her church, Moise, went to Port Au Prince to learn the technique of making beads from recycled cardboard. Shelley Clay and the ladies of the ApParent Project generously shared their skills and then set Nadia and Moise free to teach others in the Northern mountains of Haiti.



Peter appointed Nadia to set up a little space where the women of the church to gather, learn and share supplies. Today the leadership team has grown to a committee of five who help with the 35-some artisans working in Pignon.



Nadia recently perfected the art of making Christmas star ornaments. These ornaments were released for Christmas 2012. These ornaments make unique gifts to share with teachers, friends or as hostess gifts. Nadia's most quality work is showcased in her long layering necklaces (pictured above).

Nadia and her husband dream about building a house for their family. Each month Nadia sets aside half of her earnings from The Haitian Bead Project jewelry so that one day they can make that dream come true.

Day 10 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Therese

For the 12 days before Christmas we are featuring the stories of 12 of our friends from Haiti. They are all artisans for The Haitian Bead Project started in 2011. They are learning how to turn trash into treasure by making jewelry from recycled cardboard beads. They each have stories of transformation and God's grace. Our desire is to encourage all of you this season with these gifts from God.

When Therese joined The Haitian Bead Project in the summer of 2012 she didn't know exactly what she was getting into. She entered the one-room church building where the artisans meet greeting everyone with a smile.

This mama of three children - one girl and two boys - has an adventurous spirit and is eager to try to new things. That showed right away.



Therese was an active part of summer training sessions with visiting teachers like Dana Johnson. She watched carefully and quickly learned the technique to roll beads from recycled paper and string into bracelets, classic and layering necklaces.

Not only did Therese develop her skills as a jewelry artisan, she also has formed friendships with the women in her group. They share problems, successes and even prayer requests as they gather each week to make beads.



Therese expresses her desire to save money so all her kids can get an education and learn English. She wants to provide them hope for the future.

She tries out some of the English she has learned: "Thank you," she says flashing that signature smile.

Day 9 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Maniolitha

For the 12 days before Christmas we are featuring the stories of 12 of our friends from Haiti. They are all artisans for The Haitian Bead Project started in 2011. They are learning how to turn trash into treasure by making jewelry from recycled cardboard beads. They each have stories of transformation and God's grace. Our desire is to encourage all of you this season with these gifts from God.

Maniolitha loves children. Although she does not have any biological children yet, she is like a mother to 18 children in The Bridge Christian Children's Home orphanage. Maniolitha lives in the orphanage and works as a dorm parent. Her life is devoted to bathing kids, braiding hair, preparing food, helping with school lessons, teaching the Bible, going to market to buy clothes and weekly groceries.

Her rich voice rings out as she sings little ones to sleep each night.



When Maniolitha gets a break from watching kids, she is up in the choir loft of the Evangelical Church of Pignon singing her heart out. Her other favorite hobby is rolling recycled cardboard beads and creating beautiful jewelry.

Maniolitha was part of the original group of nine artisans who started The Haitian Bead Project in Pignon, Haiti in 2011. Over the last year and a half, she has perfected her bead-making, learned to make new products and even ventured out to create her own style.

The project has given Maniolitha new confidence and inspired her creative side. Maniolitha's jewelry often showcases rich colors: greens, purples, blues. She loves making long necklaces and even designed some new earrings this summer.



Maniolitha dreams about getting married one day to her boyfriend and having children of her own. For now, she's saving the money she makes for a wedding and a house.

Day 8 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Juliana

The following story is part of a 12-day series featuring 12 artisans who are part of The Haitian Bead Project. This growing business helps offer a hand up to women living in rural Haiti. They use recycled cardboard and paper to handcraft beautiful jewelry and products to sell around the world.    
 

When Juliana first joined The Haitian Bead Project she was pregnant with her third child.

She was so eager to be a part of the new group of women crafting beads out of recycled cardboard that she walked 40 minutes down the mountain to the church in Savanette in the hot afternoon sun. She would arrive 30 minutes late with beads of sweat trickling down her brow and a wide smile splashed across her face.

Juliana is the perfect mix of determination and grace.

She only missed one meeting with the Savanette artisans this past summer: the week she had her baby boy.



Juliana is not afraid to jump right into the work. She cuts recycled cardboard. She counts out supplies. She rolls beads.

She says the Evangelical church of Savanette has always been a place of refuge for her. At times, she has been persecuted for her faith. Her neighbors and family have not been kind because of her determination to worship God and attend the evangelical church. She shares that her confidence is in Christ. God has always provided for her needs.



As Juliana turns trash into treasure, she dreams. Of course, she wants to make a little money to provide for her three children. But she dreams bigger. One day she says she would like to open her own little grocery store up in the mountains where she lives.

Day 7 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Nella

The following story is part of a 12-day series featuring 12 artisans who are part of The Haitian Bead Project. This growing business helps offer a hand up to women living in rural Haiti. They use recycled cardboard and paper to handcraft beautiful jewelry and products to sell around the world.  


Nella cooks like her mama. Take a bite of Haitian rice and beans and you know Nella has been trained well.

Nella spent years shopping at the market and cooking with her mother, known fondly in her home town of Pignon as Madame Degloir or Sister "Degwa." As they picked through beans and plucked feathers from the chicken, Nella learned her mother's ways, her heart for God.

In 2011, she had one of her legs amputated after a bad infection went awry. But Madame Degloir always persevered. She made the best of all situations. She was always singing in the choir and leading prayer for the women in her church. This was the environment Nella was raised in.

In July 2012, Nella's mother died. She had struggled with high blood pressure and diabetes. The whole community mourned her passing.



Nella desires to continue the strong legacy her mother left behind.  She uses her hands to bless her family and serve God.

Nella leads the children's choir at her church. On Mother's Day, Nella gently guided the children to get in line as they climb into the choir loft at the Evangelical Church of Pignon. She kept time and urged them to smile as they sang songs and poems that honored mothers.


Nella holds her daughter, Perla, outside her church in Pignon. She poses with Perla's American godmother and a volunteer for The Haitian Bead Project, Stacie Benedict.[/caption]

This year Nella also became a mother. Nella's daughter, Karissa Perla, proved she is a fighter too. She was born two months premature. In rural Haiti, that means the odds were stacked against this little one. But Nella was able to get medical care and Perla gained strength week by week.

Nella is busy these days taking care of her daughter and going to professional school. She is happy to be a part of The Haitian Bead Project because it provides some extra income so she can provide for her family. She loves to make short necklaces and earrings in bold colors like turquoise, orange and purple.

Day 6 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Renande

The following story is part of a 12-day series featuring 12 artisans who are part of The Haitian Bead Project. This growing business helps offer a hand up to women living in rural Haiti. They use recycled cardboard and paper to handcraft beautiful jewelry and products to sell around the world. 

On a dripping hot day in July, Renande rises early. She's eager to get to church where she will be helping with a week-long Vacation Bible School for kids. Some 500 kids crowd into the one-room church building and pile onto wooden pews. Renande is not rattled by the numbers. The morning starts with singing, and Renande is right out there leading the brigade. Some kids are timid at first but she gets even the littlest ones involved.

This woman has a heart for kids.

She also is very talented at using her hands. After the singing, Renande helps direct the children in making crafts. She loves to teach and work with others. She makes fast friends with some of the Americans who are visiting her home town of Savanette for the week.



Later that afternoon Renande is among the first to arrive at the church to work on making jewelry for The Haitian Bead Project. She pulls the front benches into a circle and covers a desk with a lace tablecloth. Despite the dusty ground and simple furnishings, she makes the space welcoming for the other artisans who come to work.

Renande quickly masters the basics of rolling recycled cardboard beads. Now she's ready to move on to something more advanced. She loves learning to make new products. These versatile key chain bracelets are just one of the newer products she mastered this summer. She also learned the art of crafting hoop earrings and lanyards.



Renande is saving the money she makes through The Haitian Bead Project. She hopes to attend a professional school one day so she can get a job as a secretary or an accountant.

Day 5 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Suselaine Marius

The following story is part of a 12-day series featuring 12 artisans who are part of The Haitian Bead Project. This blooming business helps offer a hand up to women living in rural Haiti. They use recycled cardboard and paper to handcraft beautiful jewelry and products to sell around the world. 

Suselaine Marius dreams big.

She is part of The Haitian Bead Project cooperative in Pignon, Haiti. She currently manages a little storefront owned by her family, where she sells cold drinks, cell phone minutes and select groceries. She is an entrepreneur in her own right. In the afternoons, when she's not fetching cold drinks for customers or typing in codes for cell phone users, she passes the time rolling recycled cardboard beads.

Suselaine says she wants to save her money from making jewelry to one day build a hotel in her home town. She wants the hotel to have a restaurant. She grins wide just thinking about serving visitors from all over.



Suselaine also has a big heart.

A few years ago she decided that she was going to act on one of her dreams. She adopted a little girl named Jessica. Suselaine did not worry about being a single woman in rural Haiti. She knew she had the family support. She had confidence she could provide love for a little one in need.

Today Suselaine uses her earnings to send Jessica to a local preschool.



Suselaine became a master this Fall at making Christmas star ornaments.

She started making a new style of long necklace, bracelet and earring sets with chunky beads in bright colors like turquoise and red.

Suselaine is not afraid to dream and put her creativity to use achieving those dreams.

Day 4 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Angeline

Angeline joined The Haitian Bead Project in Savanette in 2011. She became a leader right away. She quickly learned how to cut the recycled cardboard for perfectly-shaped beads and roll the cardboard onto the skewer.

After a few meetings, she was teaching others the art of making recycled beads. She is a fast worker and her jewelry is made with the utmost quality.



Angeline shares that one of our dreams is to finish her college education in accounting. After a few months of saving money she made from making jewelry, she was able to return to school. Now she splits her time between schoolwork and creating jewelry for the project.



This past summer Angeline mastered a new product - the key chain bracelet. This unique key chain is attached to a stretchy bracelet enabling people who need to access a few special keys throughout their day to wear the key chain on their wrist or arm.



Angeline has one daughter. She loves being a mother. She is also an active member of her church, the Evangelical Church of Savanette. She sings in the choir. On Sundays you can hear her angelic voice  scraping heaven.

Day 3 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Madame Emile

Madame Emile struggled when she first joined the group of artisans from Pignon.  Her fingers fumbled over the skewers and glue. Her beads were lopsided at best. Her eyes betrayed her.

Despite poor eyesight, she persevered.

Some suggested she cut the cardboard for the group or help sort supplies but Madame Emile was determined she would roll beads and string jewelry like the other women. She would not be discouraged. This mother to five grown sons and grandma to a long line of grandkids throughout the island would not give up.

She enlisted some help from one of her oldest granddaughters and together they figured it out. After six months of trying, Madame Emile's beads started to improve. Her bracelets and necklaces began to sell. She had a little extra money that enabled her to get eye surgery.



This fall Madame Emile and granddaughter Betsy learned how to make Christmas stars to sell for the Christmas season. Madame Emile crafted the beads while Betsy strung them on thin wire and formed them into the star shapes. The two were a team.

Madame Emile even offered her jewelry to friends as gifts. Her knew skills have offered her a sense of dignity and sprouting creativity.



In Haiti a married woman goes by her husband's first name. Madame Emile's husband, Emile, was recently diagnosed with cancer. She rolls beads today with a new purpose: earning money to help with his medical bills.

Despite a few failed attempts, she finally mastered the art of making earrings. Her face speaks pride.

Day 2 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Linouse

Linouse was one of the first women to arrive when we started The Haitian Bead Project in the small mountain town of Savanette.

Linouse found a seat in front. She was eager to learn. After only a few lessons of how to roll the cardboard strips onto a skewer to form the beads, Linouse's fingers were flying.

Today, she is the queen of the classic necklace or short necklace, delivering more than 100 for quality inspection this past November. She has an eye for color and precision.

In October 2012, she was named the new Group Leader of the Savanette group of artisans. Since she lives next to the Evangelical Church of Savanette where the artisans meet, she's always there unlocking the gate and preparing the room for the others who will come. She leads by example, making quality beads, showing up consistently and praying for the group to start meetings.



In her free time, Linouse is singing in the church choir or playing with the kids in the neighborhood.

Her fellow artisans make her giggle when they reveal she is engaged to be married. Linouse is saving her money for the wedding.

However, Linouse's dream is not to spend her earnings on herself but on others. In a recent interview, she shared that she plans to save some of the money she makes through The Haitian Bead Project to share with people in her church who are in need. She wants the creative gifts she's been given to bless other Haitians too.



Linouse is the new Group Leader of the Savanette group of artisans. She helps with quality control of products and always encourages the other artisans in her group.[/caption]

Day 1 of 12 Artisans of Christmas: Meet Genise

For the next 12 days before Christmas we will be featuring the stories of 12 of our friends from Haiti. They are all artisans for The Haitian Bead Project started in 2011. They are learning how to turn trash into treasure by making jewelry from recycled cardboard beads. They each have stories of transformation and God's grace. Our desire is to encourage all of you this season with these gifts from God.


Meet Genise. Genise was one of the first artisans to join the Pignon group of The Haitian Bead Project.

When Genise first started to learn how to make Haitian beads, she sat quietly in the second row. Her belly bulged round and pregnant. Through the weeks she gained the skills to roll recycled cardboard beads and create beautiful jewelry.

Genise explains the dire situation in rural Haiti. Life is about survival. Women struggle to find food for their children. Pregnant mamas must scavenge to find nourishment. She has accepted that her husband must live in Port Au Prince to get a little work and send money to his family in the mountains.



Genise is one of our group leaders for the artisans in Pignon, Haiti.

Genise and Ronel survive by having Genise live with her in-laws. Her husband Ronel is the firstborn son of Dartiquenov and brother to Walquis. The whole family has been instrumental in the Evangelical Church of Pignon and the ministry connected with Christian Friendship Ministries.

Genise fits right in.

She is a leader in her own right. She makes quality beads and serves as a patient teacher to others. She is responsible and consistent in coming to the meetings of The Haitian Bead Project cooperative. In November 2012, she was asked to be a part of the leadership group.



Dorina Gilmore loves on Genise's daughter, Esther in Pignon, Haiti.

Her little Esther was born in January. Like her Biblical namesake, she is a little one defying odds. Her cheeks are round and her eyes so bright - a sign in Haitian culture that she is smart and well-nourished. She is her mother's delight.

When Genise smiles, her whole face lights. She shares her dream of one day earning enough money through The Haitian Bead Project to build a little home for her family.