Wishing a Rainbow for Haiti

My heart is heavy...so heavy I am finding it difficult to get much work done this week. I have had the privilege to travel to Haiti many times over the years. I have met so many wonderful people in Haiti...both Haitian & American. This week's earthquake has caused devastation that is beyond comprehension, even for individuals who have traveled & spent time in Haiti. This country & her people live on the edge of existence...there is no room for error...the balancing act between life & death is precarious even on a good day. We are thinking about and praying for friends & family who are still unaccounted for tonite. Our family includes the Haitian families of our two sons adopted from Haiti. It is difficult to explain to such small boys what has happened. Thanks to the many friends here in the US who have sent messages to tell us they are thinking about our family and those we are connected with in Haiti. Many have asked how they might help. Our contacts are all saying the same thing: send money. It is too time-consuming and too difficult to send material goods. I have included some links that you can go to if you have the heart to contribute. My best advice is to give to those organizations who have had a presence in Haiti for years and those who will help with medical care & children. There are many good people working hard everyday and especially now to make a difference for children & their families.

I have posted a few photos from my trips there. These are all from the Port au Prince area. It is a beautiful country with incredibly strong & resilient people. I don't know how I would pick myself back up after a disaster like this, but I am confident that they will. Until they can, I will continue to pray for a rainbow of help & hope for them all.

My last visit with Pierre's birth mother in Port au Prince.

Heartline Ministries - they work with women & children. Some friends of mine are missionaries with this group. You can see their blog updates on the what is happening right now in Haiti at: www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com

World Wide Village - an umbrella group that helps with many areas in Haiti. The Livesay Family also helps with this organization.

Partners in Health - A medical group run by Dr. Paul Farmer. Extremely well run and has a strong permanent team in Haiti.

Hope for Haiti - another medical missions group that has a strong permanent presence in Haiti. These folks help a lot of children.

Hearts with Haiti - This organization helps with a group home for children with disabilities and two homes for street boys. Their main home & guest house collapsed during the earthquake. The children are all accounted for and safe. The director was injured but is receiving care. They will need a lot of funding to get the resources they need to care for all of the children.

Lastly, the group I have worked with over the last few years is Angel Missions Haiti. We provide medical services to children through a medical visa program, through partnerships with numerous orphanages and with a new surgery center that was due to be opened in April 2009. The status of our center is unknown at this time. We will use any funds we receive to support our partner organizations we are already working in Haiti at this time.

Are You North America's Cutest Family???

Synergy Photography are participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org) This important non-profit group provides photography services to families whose newborn babies are stillborn or terminally ill. These precious children will never come home from the hospital, but through these photography services families will forever have images they can cherish. We have a local chapter that provides services to UVa., Martha Jefferson, AMC & RMH. This Model Search is their main fundraiser each year and we are thrilled to be participating. So, here is how you can help...

Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it! Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives a new car!

Model Search Special:

$50 entrance fee includes a 45-minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org).

Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc’ and international recognition.

Call 540-820-3759 now to enter your family in this exciting contest.

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.

Happy New Year

The New Year brought some big news to our house! My eldest daughter, Kelly had the wonderful experience of being proposed to by her sweet boyfriend on New Year's Eve. This clever young guy planned it out carefully and brought her back to the place where they met & fell in love...the University of Virginia. After dinner at a trendy restaurant in Charlottesville, Taylor took Kelly to see The Lawn all lit up for the holidays and proposed to her on the steps of The Rotunda. Very Romantic! Needless to say, we are all giddy and so excited for the two of them.

Before heading back to Mississippi (where Taylor is stationed for training...he is a pilot in the US Air Force), they stopped back by the house for a quick visit. Kelly really wanted to take some engagement photos as Taylor will not be back in Virginia between now and the wedding this summer. This was our one chance to get some portraits that we can use in the Reception Book. So, we all braved the incredibly cold temperatures (19 degrees and windy) and went for a walk down by the river. It was really fun despite our toes freezing! We also took some studio shots to balance out the cool snow photos. They both did a great job...especially Taylor who did a superb job ignoring the fact that it was his future mother-in-law on the other side of the lens.

Hope you all like the sneak peek! Kelly, I'll show you the rest when you get back later this month :-) We love you both!