Shelley In Haiti - Our founder’s memoir!

Wish it were longer!

That's my complaint...that the book only took me two days of my vacation to read (and two days of neglect to home and family)! Other reviewers had said they read this with tears-in-their-eyes from cover to cover and I have to agree. I have such a heart for Haiti and that may have caused me to already be vulnerable when I picked the book up, but reading Shelley's experience...a woman not so different from myself until she herself went to the island...gave me an absolutely different and deeper understanding of Haiti. And not just the problems in the country, because we all can see the "problems" if we turn on the news or type "Haiti" on a news-website. No...Shelley is able to give us such a perspective from so many different individuals, both Haitian and non-Hatian. I support an orphanage such as she spoke of; while the one I partner with sprung-up after the earthquake, there are still children coming in as a result of the poverty...and yes, some of those mothers work in the very orphanage their babies are being raised in! Aside from the hope Shelley gave me for this people, she also gave me hope for myself. Perhaps I'll not be at the head of amazing companies like Papillon Marketplace or organizations like Apparent Project, but I can do SOMETHING...so long as I just start at a somewhere and for a something where I see a need.

absolutely loved reading this book. Shelly's genuine transparency really helped me to connect with the realities she was describing. It is hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes when you've never been there. This gave me a much more clear picture of the work that is being done in Haiti and the difficult challenges that seem impossible... But God. I also appreciated her willingness to admit that she didn't get it right the first time and had to learn by trial and error. I love her teachable Spirit and willingness to get past her own preconceived ideas. I also appreciated her shining a light on how hard it is to face the reality that it is not possible to help everyone; you need to just focus on the ones you can help. By doing that many many lives are being changed.

A MUST READ

This book is nothing short of amazing, raw, vulnerable, heart wrenching, and eye opening. It gives such a real look into the lives of people living in poverty and the impossible choices that they face. It also brings such Hope that there are people out there carrying the heart of God and are willing to do the hard things to see the fulfillment of “on earth as it is in heaven”. This is a must read for anyone who has a heart for fair trade, orphans, the poor, those who want to make an impact, anyone who grew up in “church”, and basically everyone else. This is a quick read that won’t disappoint!