19 days to go...

So i have been living at the Stawarz for about 2 weeks now. i only have 19 days left until i leave and about 16 days left at Bea & Shawn's. i'm getting really excited, but at the same time feeling as though i have lots to do beforehand and am not making any progress. ever get that feeling? anyway its been fun living here. sometimes i think when you live with people thou you forget to make space for quality time. i havent been around that much and feel like i havent got to spend much quality time. however its been fun living with the cute married couple and i'm feeling really at home here! and depsite the puppy training...i love living with a dog.

so christmas is pretty much here and its been really overwhelming for me this year. my church has been doing this advent conspiracy thing(www.adventconspiracy.org)where people are donating money to build a water well in a village in africa and we have been promoting not being so consumer driven, but more relational and worshipful ya know. long story short i'm ALL bout it, but its hard when you are up against so much that tells you gifts gifts gifts, buy buy buy...so its draining. i mean shopping is draining to begin with for me. I love thift store/vitage type shopping, but oh put me in a mall or somewhere more coporate and i feel absolutely exhausted.

i have realized over the years that this is way i can do well living in a developing country because the more options you give me the more overwhelmed and frustrated and indecisive i am. I NEED SIMPLICITY!!!!

Hope you all have an incredible holiday season. i hope your cups are overflowing with love and laughter! <3 <3 <3

the transition begins

So it is sunday and tomorrow i am not going to work. its a little weird, but from here until i leave i'm without a job. however PRAY i have a LOT of tasks that i need to do before i leave. i want to read...and i have a LOT to read. what else i have to organize and finalize details for Haiti. and of course praying and spending time with the people and places i love.

anyone that wants to do lunch let me know...because i can! i will fit you in! send me an email or give me a call and we'll make a date :)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

closer everyday

can you believe i only have like 6 weeks left, its getting closer everyday. its crazy. my last day at cfca is on the 7th and i am so excited for a month to read, rest, hang out, focus and be me in kc without a job taking up most of my days. i hope to be really intentional about prayer and people and enjoying what i love here! i'm also moving in with the newlyweds! Bea and Shawn are being so generous and letting me stay with them while i have a month left. i would stay in stilwell with my parents...but it is very far from jacob's well, all the little coffee shops and places that i will miss so much. so my residence will be at the stawarz, but i'm sure i will be in stilwell often as i love my fam!!!

well its turkey day and i need to get ready to go be with the fam, but i am thankful for all of you and the many blessings you bring to my life.
LOVE LOVE LOVE...T

bittersweet, but for the best!

For those off you who dont know...the first week i am in Haiti will be the regular mission trip that i have taken in the past. i will be in a small village called bercy i think its about 25 miles from PAP. I will be going with about 15 other people including my mom,dad & sister! on the way to the airport they were going to drop me off in PAP with Dorothy and my family was going to get to see where i would be living. however dorothy's daughter-n-law is pregnant with Dorothy's first grandbaby. long story short she is going to be in the states most of the month of january. i am SO excited for Dorothy to have this opportunity...however it is a little bittersweet for my family because they really wanted to see where i will be staying and volunteering. GOD is so wonderful though, because it is an amazing chance for dorothy and in reality the time i have invested in Haiti and the Haitians i know are in bercy. i think in Dorothy being away i will get to stay in bercy for another week. i am really excited about that because i love that community there. so although it is a bit sad for my family...God probably knew my heart would really be sad to only be in bercy for one week and He definitely knew Dorothy needs to see her new grandbaby. so it seems to be working out for the best!!!

God bless,tash

roommate

"Two young women will be living in the house with us for the next several months. Dannae is coming from the U.S. in mid-October to teach at a nearby school. She will share a room with Natasha Taylor who will come in January to work with me for 6 months. Check out her blog. I am REALLY looking forward to her coming." -Dorothy

so i have been meaning to tell you if i already havent i am going to have a roommate while living with Dorothy. i'm excited to have another woman in the house who (i think) is close to my own age. not that it matters, but i was worried for awhile about not having any social interaction with fellow peers because we all know how i love to socialize. But this roommate is just another way that God shows me he will provide.

its getting closer and i am getting more excited everyday. i cant wait for what God is going to teach me through Dorothy, the children and it all.

hope you are all doing GREAT! Oh and just so you know i am done working at CFCA soon. My last day will be Friday December 7th and then i will have a month to hang in kc with all my loved ones, finalize details, move out of the lil apt. that i truly love and has been such a blessing. So please feel free to call me and we can do lunch, or something :)

life...

i sorta am in a reflective mood, yet not really knowing how to explain what i'm reflectin.

life is funny sometimes, hard often and beautiful always despite the pain or the situations. i hope i can remember this while in Haiti.

i am blessed with so many wonderful people in my life, even if relationships go through times of struggle there is something to be learned, ya know?! conflict is hard, but communication and honesty is what makes relationships work. its not always easy thou...

i hope that while i am in Haiti i can really do well in terms of communicating what i am doing and experiencing. i hope that i also do well about keeping in touch with everyone too.

i am praying for you all and love you all. i will miss being in kansas city with my peeps. you know who you are :) :) :)

T

change of plans

So i know i have been talking about this benefit concert for a LONG time now...but i came to the conclusion last night that i am not going to do it.

i have been sick for the last week or so and i am really tired and overwhelmed. last night i was suppose to have a meeting with people that wanted to help and as i understand why people didnt show...only Beatriz, my mom and mike showed up. i had been contemplating for a few days whether or not i should really do it, but i feel like last night i realized that it isnt really worth the amount of energy.

i thank everyone for all their support and willingness to help, however after talking with Bea and spending a lot of time in prayer i realized that its just too much right now. i would need 4 people to oversee teams and then more volunteers underneath them...plus lots of things to start asap because we would have only had a month to pull it all together.

i realize that any fund raising i can do will be great for Dorothy and the kids, however God has provided abundantly. i have gone far beyond my set goal of raising 3,500 in fact with ALL your support i have 5,000 dollars. THAT IS AMAZING!!! therefore i feel like i am good financially and instead of trying to pull an event together quick and be stressed out...i'm just gonna be me in KC while i am here.

the other thing that made me really want to have this benefit concert was the idea of having SO many of the people i love in the same place before i left so that i could give you my contact info and spend time with you before i left. however its a lot of work for a going away party...so long story short i'm not going to do the benefit concert anymore.

My mom, Bea and mike suggested doing it in December after i get back so that people can hear and see what i did while i was there and what their money, prayers and LOTS of support went towards. so hopefully when i return you will still be up for helping out with an event.

thanks for understanding, being SO supportive and many blessings in my life.

GOD BLESS, tash

METTING FOR CONCERT

Hey everyone...i'm going to have an informational/brainstorming meeting this coming week for people who want to help out with the benefit concert.

i'm thinking either monday or tuesday night at the starbucks off westport road and broadway. probably around 7:30pm i hope people can come to we can start getting this thing more into place.

call me if you have questions. i'll try to send out an email friday to tell you which day for sure.

thanks for everything!
LOVE LOVE LOVE as always

God is good

So after i wrote about my fears of isolation and no social interaction God answered my desires. i was emailing back and forth with Dorothy about logistics stuff and then she wrote me about how she knows i will need social interaction and such. the new house she is renting has room to entertain and not disturb the children. The church that I will be attending with her and the children is a walk away and there are many young adults there that she feels i will become good friends with. :)

with this new house there is going to be a lot more space and i will actually be getting my OWN room...until another apportunity came up and she presented it to me...apparently there is a woman who has worked in Haiti a few times that Karl(the paster at Dorothy's church) knows and she needs a place to stay for reasonable rent. so i will be having a roommate.

at first i wasn't so sure about the roommate thing because i really wanted this journey to Haiti to be one that stretches me. when i lived in jamaica for the summer i had christina. and although i love her dearly and learned so much there, i always had a sidekick so to speak. i mean we volunteered at the same place, lived with the same family, had the same classes together and travelled together. it was a wonderful experience. however with this trip to Haiti i wanted to be stretched more...know that i dont need another person for support. that my strengh would be through God and that I would become a lot more confident in my abilities.

but after much thought and prayer i have realized that GOD IS GOOD. He has seen my desire for social interaction and relationship with peers and provided. this roommate and i wont be doing the same thing constently and i am SURE i will learn from her as every roommate i have had before. in fact for me to tell dorothy i dont want a roommate would be selfish i feel. i mean the rent from her would be an added income to help with things. plus it would be another hand to help around the house and love on the kids.

so to sum it up i'm not too worried about having no social interaction anymore. i'm excited to have new friends and more people to help me practice my haitian creole.

however dont think that means i dont want emails, comments on this blog, myspace, facebook and mail because I DO!!!! you all have to keep me in the know about your lifes and what is going on in KC!!!! plus i will miss you all a ton!!!!

love love love you all!

Benefit Concert!!

So i am in the works in planning a benefit concert! GET EXCITED!!

It is going to be November 3, 2007 at Jacob's Well

(Sorry sis its your b day, but its the only time j.well had space available)

Just giving you all a heads up! I would love for everyone and anyone to come!

and there is also lots you can help with!!

let me know
LOVE LOVE LOVE

it's been a long minute...

So i as you can tell i haven't written in forever...

Bea and Shawn are married, i turned in my last day info at work and Haiti is going to be here before i know it. its seriously only 4 months away.

craziness!!! well as of the past few weeks i have been getting kinda of anxious. not necessarily bad. i have just been thinking about how much i love socializing and being around my friends/peers. how i LOVE to dance, have a glass of wine, watch a movie, hang out...

i started to get claustrophobic or worried that i wouldn't make it in Haiti. i mean i am not going to really be around my friends, or for that matter many people my own age. i wont get to go see movies, have a glass of wine with a friend or eat tacos at margarita's on taco Tuesdays. or go to church at Jacob's well on sunday...i will miss it so much...

i know that in my heart God has confirmed that this is what i am suppose to do and i have wanted this for SO long....but i guess I'm a lil scared people will forget me, I'll miss out on all the fun...I'll get bored serving and be overwhelmed.

I'm sure to an extent some of this will happen, but its just jitters and in all reality i could never give this amazing opportunity up for a movie and some chocolate (btw I'm a chocolate addict). i was concerned and still a lil nervous that i wouldn't get any play time and socializing. however i know that the children there will light up my life everyday, that i will learn more than i am prepared for and that kids play too...kids play MORE...is jus a lil different.

so in short i am calming down a bit with my fears and realizing the blessing in this opportunity. THANKS TOO EVERYONE THAT HAS LOVED ME AND SUPPORTED ME AND CONTINUES TO DO SO!!!

I'm out!

sun!!!

its been awhile since i wrote anything so i thought i would! :) oh and there is a few things of importance...

i received an email from Dorothy this past week and wanted to ask you all to pray. there as been an outbreak of some sort of flu like virus and has killed many children in orphanages around port-au-prince. thankful it hasnt come to the children she is working with, but keep them all in your prayers. from the children to the aid workers to the community. everyone...

besides all that how is life everyone? things are going well for the most part here in good ol kcmo! the fund raising as slowed down a bit, which is okay i guess i mean i have been working on other stuff...like figuring out how to make a bachlorette party amazing and trying to be in the sun whenever i can!!!

well gotta get back to work as always...love you all
T

dates...

so i have been trying to figure out a date that works for the benefit concert and let me tell you its not going so well. between weddings and band schedules and my own crazy life its seems that it may not happen until october...but thas ok. we will just have a fall brawl kinda thing! it'll be fun and give me more time to make it SO freakin awesome!!

however i will try to have a bake sale or have cookies on sale or something between now and october...because i feel october is SO far away...even thou it really isnt that far.

anyway i hope you all had a fabulous weekend. the weather was SO amazing!!! anyway i better get back to CFCA workin' but just wanted to say hello and inform peeps that the benefit concert might not be for a while.

God Bless...

YEAH!

Everyone i posted pictures!!!

i am still figuring out this internet blog stuff so if its not so organized i apologize.

to all who helped me at the yard/garage sale...again i thank you. I COULDNT OF DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!!! SERIOUSLY...

i hope you like the pictures. my next fundraising event wont be until september 8th. i will be having a benefit concert so stay posted for more info as it gets closer.

i am waiting until then bc my bff is getting married in august and i wanna be more available to help...plus the LORD is amazing and i have already met my goal. however i would love to raise more.

raising more only means i can stay longer if i want after the 6 months or i can donate more money to help dorothy and the children. either way...its a huge blessing. so keep up with the encouraging and giving spirits. i know the Lord with bless you all.

LOVE LOVE LOVE & GOD BLESS!

mountains beyond mountains...

I received and email from Dorothy today and it is always so good to hear from her! she reminds me of how time will pass and i will be in Haiti before i know it! Dorothy has a few initiatives that she hopes to work on this coming year so i will have a lot to help her with. in Dorothy's words "I would like to start 2 new initiatives in my neighborhood: 1) screening expectant mothers for HIV to direct them into programs that will try to prevent their babies from getting the virus, and 2) educating Haitians about birth defects, specifically spina bifida, as almost all the children with spina bifida die, and providing folic acid and prenatal vitamins as appropriate."

With these initiatives i am trying to read more about AIDS and medical problems facing Haiti. i have realized lately that i can get through books quickly if i listen to them on cd while at work! therefore i just finished the book Mountains beyond Mountains about Dr. Paul Farmer (who is an amazing Doctor who has done phenomenal things in Haiti and in the world of medicine). Dorothy is suggesting that i be reading up on AIDS, especially about mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) and on spina bifida so if you have any suggestions please feel free to post them!!

I am continuing to get more and more excited for the next journey. I haven't really been scared at ALL to go except once and in that moment i remembered that no matter what i encounter there God will never give me anything i cannot handle. He is my king and my father...so I'm alright. i meant shoot I'm doing this with Him. i couldn't without. So no worries...only blessings.

thanks again. and seriously next time i'm with my laptop and having internet i will get pictures on here!

LOVE LOVE LOVE...

update...

So WOW...God is so good. Not only did Jenee's column in the star bring out tons of people, but reminded me of how GOOD people truly are. what a blessing. i am so indebted to all who helped me, from my mom and dad dealing with my stressing, from jenee who wrote the article, to pierce and Rachel who did the lemonade stand, to kristin, janette, sarah beth and kate...and of course my sister, mom & dad...i seriously couldnt of put it all together without you. to everyone that came out and supported, gave words of encouragement, donating and got stuff from the sale i am SO thankful! i cannot even express what an amazing weekend filled with joy and blessings it was. God is constently affirming that He wants me to go.

as of right now i am over half of what i need to raise and i have only been raising for 2 1/2 months or so. i am speechless. i have so many more months before january 2008 when i leave and iots so amazing. the more money i raise the more beneficial it is for Dorothy and the children so if i pass my goal of 3,500 thas even better. i am so humbled, honored, blessed and speechless. thanks you...EVERYONE!!!

I hope to put some pictures up on here soon so you can see pictures of dorothy, past trips to haiti...and the yard sale.

better get going now...
love love love...

Praise God!

So God is continually confirming to me that He will provide and that He knows I have a heart for Haiti! I am so excited to join Dorothy and the work that she is doing there. As of right now I almost have half of what I need to raise! PRAISE GOD!! My thanks to all the support can truly not be put into words...i am beyond humbled and oh SO grateful!

thanks so much...keep the encouragement up...it means the world to me. YOU ARE ALL THE BEST!!! <3 <3 <3

I hope to see you at the yard sale.

May 18-20! 4427 Genessee KCMO 64111 (scroll down for more info)

GOD BLESS...

GARAGE SALE...

OHHHH OHHHH....

AND DONT FORGET ABOUT THE YARD SALE/GARAGE SALE!!!

I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE....

just cause...

Today i sent out a text to people to let them know about this site, i hope people received it and are taking a look. I would loved to get comments if you have ideas for fund raising or anything!

I continue to be so excited about the blessings and support so many are giving me in preparation to go!

today a coworker gave me information on a coffee shop in kcmo that is dedicated to helping Haiti and has fair trade coffee. how freakin great is that! they also have art that is sold to support missions and programs to help Haiti. the blog is kafekiskeya.blogspot.com you should all check it out if you are around it. the address is: 3326 E 12th St KCMO

anyway i have to get back to work at CFCA- cfcausa.org (my current job)!

have a absolutely BEAUTY FULL day!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE...

for Clerification

In case some of you reading this blog havent heard or received my fundraising letter...

I thought i would catch you up to date. I am in the process of raising money to go serve in Port-au-prince, HAITI with a women i met in 2004. I have been too Haiti 3 times and everytime i go back it is harder and harder for me to leave. therefore i have decided to go volunteer with Dorothy Pierce. She has established an organization there that helps infants and todlers that are in intensive care, meaning they have AIDS, are malnourished, have malaria amoung many other things. She rents a small house and has haitian nurses that work with her. it is temporary care so it is not like an orphange...its more like a clinic to nurse kids back to health and connect them with doctors, etc.

anyway i am so excited and know that God is already doing amazing things through Dorothy and the progam...so it is a blessing to get the chance to live in haiti, serve the people of haiti and learn more than i can imagine.

well i better go...if you have any questions...please, dont hesitate to ask!

GOD BLESS!
LOVE LOVE LOVE...

YARD SALE!!

I am having the yard sale this month to continue in raising funds to go to Haiti! I have received many donations of things to sell and I am grateful to all!

It's going to be May 18-20, 2007. Friday and Saturday it will be from 9:00am-4:00pm and Sunday 10:00am-3:00pm!

The location...my sister's wonderful home 4427 Genessee KCMO 64111

I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE...

Wow...

So its only taken me FOREVER to get this blog stuff going because well the internet (i cant lie) intimidates me. I have been a journal writer for years, but putting my thoughts and experiences out there for everyone to see kinda scares me. i also have always been a person that isn’t all about punctuation and proper sentence structure so if the majority of my blogs are stream of consciousness please just bare with me its just the way i write especially when i am reflecting. i want everything to be honest from the get go because going to Haiti and serving with Dorothy is more than likely going to be the most challenging, rewarding and biggest learning experience of my life. i don’t need to be worried about if my blogs are great i just want a way for all the many amazing people that have blessed and supported me the access to know what is going on while i am there. i cannot thank each of you enough in supporting me to help the people of Haiti, to really love and make a difference in the world. I am so excited for what is ahead and the blessings God has bestowed upon me...it is overwhelming. i am also trying to be very proactive about preparing my heart in the months to come...

this is my first post...hope it wasn’t too incoherent.

I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ENCOURAGEMENT, PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!

God bless...