Home for Haiti Photography Sale

You can read the purpose of this trip and why we are raising funds here.

Leave a comment with the photo name and size you want and a way to contact you. 

Sale ends October 28th. 

Please share this post with anyone who may be interested in helping out. Thank you for all your support!

Frozen Tranquility
8x10   $30
11x14  $40

Covered Bridge
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Sunset Reflections
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Curricuck Lighthouse
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Wild Horses
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

At the Starting Line
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Pelican Posts
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Summer Day End
8x10  $20
11x14  $35

Calm Waters
8x10  $20

Strings of Freedom

 There’s a park nearby that has a kite festival every year. The colors and shapes of kites are incredible. Drivers passing by on the highway are treated to a sky filled with these wonders. I remember my attempts to fly kites as a kid. Of course, all I ever had was the cheap plastic kind with Rainbow Bright or some other silly design. I definitely didn’t have a treeless hill to fly it on and more often than not after the first time the line got tangled in the trees, the fun was over.

But I do remember one time…

I think I was around 10 years old perhaps, out in an open field. Finally, the kite caught the wind and began to soar higher and higher. My dad showed me how to let the string out enough to let the kite continue to climb with control so slack in the line wouldn’t make the kite lose altitude from or worse yet come crashing down. The string kept going out all the way to the end which was tied to the handle I was holding onto. And I held on, staring up at the small sight of the kite floating up against a blue sky.



I never once questioned why the kite was attached to a string – that’s just what makes it a kite. How else would you make a kite fly?  

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (NIV)

God wants to set us free and we balk against doing things His way; seeing it only as something to tie us down. We want the perks without the rules and regulations, the grace without the discipline. Is freedom really “no strings attached?” 

When I threw my kite into the air, it fell right back to the ground. If I had gotten the kite into the air and then cut the string, the kite would have fallen back to the ground. Or if my dad hadn’t tied the end of the string to the handle to secure it, the minute the string ran out the kite would have floated away and eventually crashed to the ground. Are you getting the point?  

 
A kite cannot fly without the tension in the string. We cannot continue to fly higher and soar if there is any slack in our connection with God.

True freedom lifts us up and lets us soar. This world will try and keep us flattened to the ground or tied up in the encroaching trees, whatever those obstacles might be in our lives. We must live in the freedom of the open field with the tension of life as a Christ followers in order to soar the way God intended us to. Then, we can float against His great big sky of grace, anchored to Him who has a firm grip on our string.

Adventures with United Airlines

...a new reality show beginning last fall.


First I want to say that the customer reps (except 1 or 2) that we have dealt with have been kind and as helpful as they could. The issues seem to stem more from company management and policy.

Before I begin, let me refresh your memory on the highlights of our United Experience last year.

UNITED ADVENTURE - SEASON 1

Because of United’s inability to accept a Canadian credit card, I booked my plane ticket, JD’s and Joshua’s (at a later date). When JD and Joshua show up at the airport, JD was informed that her ticket had been revoked…a while ago and the computer showed a refund had been requested. Um… I didn’t get a notice or a refund on my credit card. So with minutes to spare, a new ticket had to be purchased.

Meanwhile, our 4th team member’s flight is delayed, as a part for the plane has to be sent from somewhere else. She arrives in D.C. just before we begin boarded for Ghana.

But wait… this plane has the same issue and will now not be leaving until the following afternoon.

Get hotel and food voucher from United and proceed to wait several hours (not exaggerating) in the Nov cold in clothes meant for African weather for the hotel shuttle. Get to hotel and wait another hour only to find out the hotel is full and we must go to a different hotel. (Did I mention it’s now very early morning) Finally get in our room about 3 am.

Fast forward 2 weeks once we are home, I begin the process of trying to get my refund for the revoked ticket. I called and ended up in India or Bangladesh or something. Every time I was given different information and still no refund. I was getting nowhere. After a month of giving United a chance to make it right, I simply disputed the charges on my credit card. Meanwhile, JD sent a message about our experience on Twitter requesting it be passed along.

Shortly thereafter she received a call from the US customer service director. While I think we should have gotten some 1st class free flights anywhere, we did end up with $400 vouchers for each of us to be used within 1 year.


UNITED ADVENTURE - SEASON 2

We decided to use our vouchers for a trip to Haiti. Since I was going to be in Canada and booking the flights with my credit card again (fingers crossed) it made sense to do it then.

Call #1:
We got the names, addresses, and flight information into the system. She was unsure of how to process the paper vouchers and trying to get help from a manager. Somehow the phone was disconnected while we were on hold. Houston we have a problem… the number on file to call back was JD’s work number and JD wasn’t at work.


Call #2:
This was one of the few reps who did not provide us good customer service, we’ll call her Bad Day Diva. We had no information, but having been on the phone for an hour already we did not want to start at the beginning again, especially not with Ms. Diva. Luckily, JD was able to check her work voicemail and get the confirmation numbers the rep. had left. (That was a Godsend, because typically you can’t get a confirmation number without credit card information and we hadn’t gotten that far) We decided to hang up with this woman and try again in the morning.


Call #3:
My man Paul. After I explained the situation he told me he was new… only worked there 35 years. Oh he tried and tried to make those vouchers work. He changes the expiration date on the reservation to give us an extra 5 days. This was another godsend. Then he says, “Did anyone mention that you need to convert these paper vouchers to electronic ones?” Ummm….. no. That would have saved us some phone minutes. I get online and he shows me what to do and he tells me there is a whole department that deals with the vouchers. He knows something in that department so he’ll transfer me to that person. Except… Not in the office. He tries to transfer me to the main number and it isn’t working. I take down the number and hang up.


Call #4:
Electronic Voucher Department…. I’m sorry the number you have dialed is no longer in service.


Ummm… didn’t we get these vouchers to restore our faith in United? How is this making us want to purchase from them again?

(3 days in now)

We get the vouchers scanned and go thru the online process of converting them. Oh wait… first I have to take a PDF of the voucher and make it super tiny to attach.


Your voucher has been received; it may take up to 72 hrs to receive your electronic voucher.

...... waiting.....

3 days later… electronic vouchers arrive! HALLELUJAH we have progress!

(6 days of trying to book these tickets…. Beginning to wonder if this is a sign we aren’t supposed to go…)

Call #5:
We’ve got the confirmation numbers. We’ve got the voucher numbers. He puts them in and finally – IT WORKS!!! Magic Mike. Yes, JD actually called him that on the phone. Awkward silence for a moment and then he moved on. He graciously agrees to even waive the $75 of phone booking fees. Give him the credit card number…

I knew it was going too smoothly.

It kept trying to convert my card to Canadian funds because JD’s address was in Canada. Even when he changed the billing address to mine, it still wasn’t working right.

But 3rd time was a charm. And finally the tickets were booked.

This should the end, right? But that wouldn’t be any fun now would it???


A few days later I checked my credit card balance and something didn’t seem right. There was $50 in phone booking fees and JD and Jillian flights were charged twice. I was dreading the call I was about to make – fearing the worst and having flashbacks from last year…. Did I have the strength to do it?

Call #6:
Rep was very understanding and refunded the $50. Magic Mike probably just forgot – there was a lot going on and back and forth between 2 reservations it was an easy oversight. She assured me that the 2nd set of charges wouldn’t go through but she would note the account just in case I had to call back (NOOOOO!!!!!) but she was certain I wouldn’t need to. 20 minutes and it was taken care. Record setting phone call. (And thankfully the 2nd set of charges are gone)


And now we prepare to go, praying that United planes don’t take as long to get off the ground as it does to book a ticket.


Lord, please we are praying there is not a part 3 to this story.

Now You're Going Where??

Thanks to our United Airlines nightmares adventures last fall, we had some free dollars to spend on flights this year (a whole new adventure… stay tuned). Due to various limitations this year and the fact that the Ghana project was immense, we decided to serve on a smaller scale this year.

Where:   Haiti

When:   Mid- November

Length:   4 days 

The Project:   Funding the repairs/rebuilding of a home for a family in desperate need

The Cost:  We are estimating the cost of the project between $800-$1000. Plus an additional $1000 for our travel and in country expenses. We know that God will provide exactly the right amount just like he did for Ghana.

I must confess that this isn’t a trip I would have picked on my own. Send me pretty much anywhere in Africa and I’ll be packed in minutes. I sorta know what to expect there. I have an idea of where the dangerous places to avoid are. Haiti? I know nothing and due to the absolute poverty of the whole country there is very little I can do in the way of preplanning. No pre-booked hotel rooms or rented vehicle to pick us up.

This trip feels different. This trip isn’t really about me serving, it’s about me being stretched.

This trip is ALL about faith. It is learning to let go of my control and simply lean back and rely on His. For 4 days, I will trust him to keep me safe. I will trust him with my emotions. I will trust Him to lead me to the places and people He wants me to learn from… to see what He needs me to see.

Please be in prayer for this trip, our safety, and for the fundraising. We only have a few short months to plan and raise the funds necessary to make improvements to the house for this family and restore hope and dignity. If you feel led to contribute, please use the paypal button at the end of this post or on the sidebar. If you do not have paypal and still wish to contribute, leave a comment and I will send you information on ways you can help. Donations are tax deductible.

Even more than that, will you pray for my heart between now and when we leave.

(and happy 250^th post to me)


Donations through the paypal button go directly into our project (Worldwide Relief of Children in Captivity)fund at Interlink Ministries.

Irving Nature Park

My last day took us on our final nature adventure, Irving Nature Park. 

I wonder if I am the only one who thinks it odd that the oil company Irving, who is pumping pollution into Saint John's atmosphere, owns a nature park. A good faith measure, I guess. 

Regardless, it's a beautiful peninsula of land of forested coastline, beaches and salt marsh. It was a few hours of time for just my bestie and me, away from the reality of my approaching departure. 

 Salt Marsh
Those aren't mountains in the distance it's fog

There are many trails within the park. We walked a few portions, but I would love to go back someday and walk the whole perimeter trail. There is just something about being outside, away from everyday life that brings a peace and re-centers the soul... filling it.

Camouflaged Insects

"I was here"

And then I wasn't anymore... 

The Zoo

For the past 3 years, not only have I had the best times with my best friend, but also with her kids. 2 years ago (August 20th, 2010)  I met them all for the first time. 

Boy have things changed in just 2 short years!

Brandon: 

Before I met you all I heard about was how snuggle-y and loving you were. Yet when I met you, you were the most reserved around me. It wasn't until one day you said, "When Tia comes home again, she'll have to meet Sergei" that I really knew you that you accepted me as part of the family. Now, I love knowing who you are becoming as a man. The way you are taking on the responsibility with your job. (I wish you would put some of that same effort into helping your mom out in the house, too) I loved every hug and laugh we shared. And I love knowing that you are wearing your special sock in the picture above. I hope you know that I will always be here for you, if ever you need me... 

Josh:

There has always been a special place in my heart for you from the very beginning, even before I met you. You are the kid with the tough guy exterior but a super loving and sensitive heart. I never had a brother, but if I did I would want him to be like you, kind and caring but bad-ass enough to protect me. I believe you would do anything for someone you really cared about. Not only have I seen through that outer armor, I've experienced it. Watching you in Ghana was like seeing beauty unfold. You came alive Josh. Maybe those changes are still unfolding and will be for years to come. That one afternoon when we talked while you played Minecraft is one of the moments of that trip I will treasure forever. I hope someday I will get the joy of sharing more overseas adventures with you. It makes me feel so loved that you even cracked a smile for this photo :) 

Jillian (in jeans) and my feet

Jillian:

My new fellow boobie cohort! You bring such joy to people's lives. I know this year has been hard for you, perhaps in ways you don't yet really understand yourself. You are leaving behind the little girl years and beginning to enter the next phase of growing up. I pray you will dig deep and grow in maturity and responsibility. I've already seen a tremendous change, but I know you can do more. You have such creative talent. Keep practicing and learning, whether in nail art, or hair, or sketches... God has given you a gift to use. The greatest gift He's given you Jillian is your heart. Always keep it focused on God and the plans He has for your life-  it's going to be A-mazing! I see a joy in serving others in you and I pray that our upcoming trip to Haiti will give you a chance to love others with that special love and joy only you can give.


All my love.... Your Tia

Geocaching Adventures

“Some guys like a girl who gets dirty.”  

(me on the hike back from a cache)

If that’s what you like, then welcome to my geocaching experience.

I had been exposed to geocaching back in May in the OBX with my fun and fearless bestie. While that was sort of like Intro to Algebra – these 2 weeks were like AP calculus!

Here are some words to describe the adventures…

Sweaty, grimy, soaking wet from head to toe, eaten alive by mosquitos, poked & scratched, thorns and pine needles, mud, cemetery, determination, stealth, and plenty of memories…. All for a piece of paper to sign.

Yep, I’m that crazy.  Not for the paper but for the challenge and the adventure and mostly the company.

If you’ve never experienced what I am talking about you’ll just have to get out and try it… now that I’ve done such a great job of selling the idea to you. 

The things is, I’ve never been good at finding things. Not change on the ground or the puzzle piece that fits right in ‘that’ spot. I didn’t think I’d be any good at this either. And truth is… in a sense, I’m not. The easy ones are usually the ones someone else sees first. They just bring me along for those calculus ones where someone thought hard about how and where to hide the bugger. Those cachers who are really crazy. I apparently know how to think like a crazy person ;)

In 2 weeks, we found around 50 caches – most of them moments, memories, views and places I will carry with me for years.

I think I passed the test!