When thinking about our wedding and about how blessed we are, we both desired to use this opportunity as a way to help others. This need, in Shaka Dara, is one that has been pressed heavily upon our hearts.

We’d love to invite you, as a wedding gift to us, to partner with us in giving to the people of Afghanistan.

Jessica & Lee

*We are using the Spendyourself site as a vehicle to gather the donations that will go directly to Sozo International.  Please click on the one of the shirt sizes to the right, and you will be able to enter the donation amount of your choice, which will be processed through Google Checkout.

The first time I can remember meeting Frank I felt like I was meeting a drunk Richard Nixon. He had a refined manor about his speech and the waves of his hair fell perfectly in place. He wore nicer clothing than a typical impoverished urban dweller and always wore a slight smile on his face when he interacted with people. When he would reach out to shake my hand, he would look me straight in the eyes as we spoke. In another life, he could have been a business owner or military leader or Billy Mays. He oozed confidence and genuine interest in the people he was talking with. But between his mental illness and his regular devotion to alcohol, his speech would often come off the tracks, until it became unclear what the conversation was even about.

I would see Frank every few weeks and the story was usually the same thing – confident speech, kind face, drunk Nixon.

A few months ago though Frank moved into our little community on Jefferson Street. He had been sober for a couple of weeks and was tired of living in the uncertainty of homelessness. He was tired of the alcohol. He was lonely. In the hurricane of addiction, he had finally stepped into the eye and could see clearly “This is not what I want out of life.”

Frank’s life, which had been ruled by unrestrained freedom for so long, was now ruled by the guidance and discipline that Christian community brings. He had other men waiting for him when he woke up in the morning, other men who were on a similar journey towards Jesus and putting their lives back together, other men who asked simple questions like “How are you today?” and “How old were you when Jerry Abramson became mayor?” He had other men to sit with him and help him understand the Bible, and encourage him not to choke another person even when they deserved it, and to listen to him wonder aloud, “I really want to be a preacher some day.”

After a couple of months here, we received a letter from a counselor who Frank had spent time with for the last couple of years. The counselor told us, “I’ve seen more change in Frank in the last two months than I have in the last two years. I am amazed.”

I am convinced that when a community builds its foundations on the real living person of Jesus, that they will be drawn upwards and inwards in ways that bring healing. There is great strength in good friends – friends who keep showing up to love us, who are willing to tell us things we don’t usually want to hear but that we need to hear, friends who laugh at our corny jokes or teach us laugh at ourselves.

Frank would tell you in his own dignified speech that his strength is coming from Jesus. I hear him talk like this all the time. He talks about how he wants to “do God’s work” and is being patient and enjoying where God has him right now. And for now, I am glad that I get to come to work every day and have a strong man look me in the eyes and shake my hand.

For someone whose life is in crisis because of homelessness or addiction, we cannot simply stop at relief. Their life has become unmanageable. Chaos has become the norm. They need more than a few bucks or a place to crash for a night. They need deep friendships and community. They need a life and heart transformation. Like all of us, they need Jesus Christ.

Jefferson Street Baptist Center’s Fresh Start program exists for these very things.

100% of the profits from the sale of this Spendyourself shirt are used to bring hope, healing and restoration to the homeless of Louisville by funding the Fresh Start program.

This t-shirt is about Christ transforming the homeless and hurting. It is about God setting us free from our cages and making us into new creatures.

Jefferson Street Baptist Center exists to extend gospel-centered mercy to the homeless and hurting of the greater Louisville area. JSBC’s Fresh Start is a 6-month Christ-Centered, grace-based, disciplined and structured program which offers men a practical experience in a safe and comfortable environment and is designed to assist men who are struggling with life dominating issues.

Jesus Christ alone brings true transformation. Like the phoenix, we are meant to die in order to be reborn. For the men who are a part of JSBC’s Fresh Start program, most have spent many years trying to do life in their own way and on their own terms. But like the phoenix, they must die in order to be reborn.

The Fresh Start program is about more than just making good citizens of the United States. It’s about Christ bringing new citizens into the Kingdom of God. The community that surrounds men during their time in Fresh Start includes Christian mentors, urban missionaries, biblical counselors, biblical teachers, life skill teachers, the local church and other men in recovery. It is about Christ working through community to bring transformation to the homeless and hurting.

For more information on our Espere shirt, please click on the following link.

The San Francisco earthquake of 1989 was at the same time of day as the Haiti quake, and was of the same magnitude. Over 200,000 Haitians died. EIGHTY NINE San Franciscans died. How could that be?

Simple. Most of Haiti’s buildings wouldn’t meet required inspection codes in the US. The roofs simply fell flat onto the occupants. Is this the fault of the Haitians? Not at all. The infrastructure is of a low grade because of the extreme poverty. The poverty exists in large part, not because the Haitians haven’t made a strong effort to develop their country – it exists because to develop their country, the Haitian government reduced trade and agriculture tariffs to secure International Monetary Fund loans, and to attract foreign investors. The unfortunate result? Foreign privatized agriculture practically wiped out local rice farms, and when the competition was gone, prices were raised up to 141%. Exploitation, plain and simple.

The pressure being placed on rich foreign countries (profiting from Haiti’s poverty) is making a difference though. Just this month the G7 countries unilaterally forgave Haiti’s debt. Haiti still however, owes a staggering amount to the International Monetary Fund. While progress is being made, the poor are still suffering, day by day. You can make a difference.

Friend, this is a nation enslaved in debt, and because of this disaster, it’s not certain they’ll ever recover. You can help. Buying a Haiti shirts directly helps the poor. At a time like this, where their future looks so bleak, you can make a direct difference. The proceeds of this shirt go directly to our partners on the ground, in Haiti and fund relief efforts for the suffering.

If you’ve already bought a shirt, we sincerely thank you! Please share this link with like-minded people who want to make a real difference.

To read more about the work being done in Haiti, please click here.

Walking into an unfamiliar place.   Not knowing what to expect we anxiously awaited to see what the owners would say.  God has been preparing the hearts of our team for quite some time to step out and take on another club or two.   The only way to be able to start serving in a new club is to GO into the club and ask.

So Sarah, Hannah and myself decided to take Friday evening to visit some clubs. Just simply praying for God to open doors is one thing, but believing God will open doors is a completely different story! Then watching God open the doors is literally the most humbling moment I personally have been able to experience.

We visited one after another and realized very quickly we needed to have male escorts in all of them. We were immediately turned away if we did not have them.

We kept trying different clubs until like I stated before God literally opened that door for us.   We walked up to the front door of one particular club and a man walked out right as we walked in.  We walked in and up to the bar.   The first thing out of the bartenders mouth was “since you ladies don’t have escorts, I’m going to need to ask you to not talk to the customers while you’re in here”  enough said, I thought.  We ordered some cokes and sat down at a table.  It wasn’t terribly busy, a few of the girls came over and talked with us and the first things out of their mouths were “what are you all doing in a place like this?”   I guess we had big signs on our heads that clearly stated this wasn’t our typical hang out.

One girl, J came up to us and wanted to know each of our names.  She was a really sweet young girl.  We told her our names,  and she quickly told us that HER mother was the OWNER of this club.  My mouth almost dropped to the ground, I thought wow Lord, you couldn’t of been more clear with this one.   We told her we would like to talk to her mom.  Her mother is not only the owner of this club, but a bartender/dancer.   It was heartbreaking to know and see a mother and daughter doing this for a living.   So we talked to the owner, J’s mom – PH about coming in and serving in that club.

PH is going to be thinking about it and told us she needed a day or two to think about it, she almost lost her bar last week because of the economy she stated.   So PLEASE keep this in your prayers.  We are heading back into that club to hear her decision on Sunday night.   Prayers are very much appreciated!!

Now you may be wondering, so then what happened with the one you did get?

Let’s just say God has a sense of humor that’s a lot funnier than I am and HE has led us to the largest club in Louisville. It was quite intimidating when we pulled in the parking lot.   We didn’t know what to expect, or where to even go.

When we approached the front doors there were legit, microphones and everything, bouncers outside the club.  Sarah and I  immediately recognized the bouncer.   C, the bouncer was the original bouncer at our very first club we ever went to.   He got to know us and truly became very respectful to us.   C, told us we had to have an escort and once again we did not have that.   So i just told C that we wanted to actually just talk to the general manager if we could and ask if we could do the same thing we did at his old club, in this club.

He said  ”yeah for sure, come with me!”  My mind was racing with just how incredible awesome God is, at this point.   The actual owner of this club came and got us and we went to his office, where we told him what we were wanting to do.    We noticed that they have food there, so we knew that was probably not an option.  He quickly agreed.

So we presented to him that we’d like to come in once a week and have a pampering night for the girls!    He thought we were crazy!   After some intense back and forth, he agreed to let us come in next Friday!  But said he wanted to know what the dancers response was before allowing us to come back after Friday.   I could hardly believe my ears!!!    You will!!!!  Oh my goodness, I wanted to scream, drop to my knees and praise God, right at that moment!   But then I knew he would definitly think I was crazy!

So we asked if we could see where we would set up.  He took us to the dressing room and told dancer A to show us around.   There were probably a dozen girls in the dressing room.   We went in, introduced ourselves told them what we were going to do!   EVERY SINGLE dancer was beyond EXCITED!!!    I would have to say that was also a God moment, because it already let’s us know how they are going to respond!  They are very excited to have us.

So many many things to pray for!

We know the Lord will provide all of our needs.   Since this not a cooking/serving food club.   We are in some quick need of getting some supplies for these women.
Please see what our needs are and if you can help contact me asap:
New Makeup (clean out your closet, drawers, if you have never worn makeup)
Makeup sponges
Makeup brushes
Curling Irons
Brushes
Hairspray
Nail polish
Lotions
Flat Irons
Bobby Pens

We get to have the dancers undivided attention during this time.  It will be a much more intimate approach to loving on these women.   We are so excited to get to share what God’s beauty is truly like.
God made each of them beautiful and we are thankful for the opportunity to let them know of their beauty both inside and out.

Serving an amazing Father,

Rachelle Starr & The Scarlet Hope Team

We ate Dominoes under the awning of the Coconut Hotel in Port au Prince, and discussed everything from inner city ministry to social justice, church politics to t-shirts, and sweatshops to college basketball. The problems of Haiti were a recurring topic.

They asked me my opinion on Haiti’s most pressing needs, specifically in the area in which NWHCM works. My response was the lack of trees/erosion along with access to clean water. In many ways the two topics are interwoven. Trees and water go hand in hand, and I think this idea is portrayed in the shirt that they put together (pictured above). Without trees desertification of arable land becomes an issue. Without trees, erosion will pollute not only drinking water sources, but also the ocean, driving off fish that are an essential part of the Haitian economy and diet. Polluted water sources, or the lack of water sources in general, cause a myriad of diseases and other health issues. In a country where children die from the dehydration caused by diarrhea, clean sources of water are not things to be taken lightly. The lack of drinking water also hits the Haitian home economically. Many people are forced to buy clean water by the jug or bucket, others pay expensive medical bills at government hospitals for illnesses that could have been prevented by access to a clean source of water.

If one dug deep enough would they find that there are other underlying factors that contribute to the lack of clean water and trees in Haiti? Most likely, and so a holistic ministry that teaches responsibility and respect is crucial in this work to help Haiti. We have yet to see the long-term results from the disastrous earthquakes that hit Haiti earlier this month, but one can almost guarantee that they will affect every aspect of Haiti life, including access to clean water as well as food production.

The folks over at Spendyourself have put together a shirt the proceeds of which all go to support NWHCM. They have already raised a large amount of money for the purpose of buying equipment to drill wells for some of the remote areas in the Northwest. Since the earthquake they had to call an audible at the line and are now diverting some of the funds from the shirts towards earthquake relief as well. This has been a long process that started with a trip to Haiti and some great conversations between the people at Spend Yourself and the staff and leadership from NWHCM. Where the story ends is another question.

The word on the shirt “espere” is the Creole verb for “hope.” The implications/interpretations of the word in reference to the shirt seem limitless. As an organization we hope that Haiti can pull through this disaster. We hope for a Haiti in which people have access to clean water. We hope for a Haiti that reflects the natural beauty and fertile mountainsides that it was once known for. We hope for a Haiti in which people are treated fairly and with respect by citizens within the country and the global community. We hope for a Haiti that will continue to see growth in the body of believers, one in which the global body will show solidarity with, not as all-mighty, benevolent Americans or members of the first world, but as the body of Christ being the body of Christ (I think I stole that phrase from someone).

Essentially, we hope for Haiti the same things that we hope for our own lives and those around us. We can no longer ignore the people living from the margins, living in the parts of the world that are only discussed during times of war and natural disaster. The reality is that these people not only live the moments that we periodically see on CNN but they also live in the expanse of years between the disasters that make it on the news, and sometimes those normal days are harder than the ones that garner international attention and aid.

It is a big message for a t-shirt right? Nevertheless it is a message that we cannot afford to forget, not for Haiti or for any other group of people as well.

-Curtis Rogers

(Curtis is currently on staff with NWHCM and serves on the ground in northwest Haiti)

For more information on how you can help those in Haiti, please click here.

The funny thing about natural disasters is their ability to bring light to dark situations. Unless you have been in a cave, you have witnessed in some form or fashion the catastrophe that hit the island of Haiti last week. Thousands upon thousands of people are left dead due to a 7.0 earthquake and numerous aftershocks. Buildings collapsed, homes where shook to the ground, the earth split, mountains crumbled; burying men, women, and children. The country of Haiti and it’s citizens will never be the same…I HOPE.

You see, two days before the earthquake people in Haiti were already dying. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, with a government that is barely stable, and a population that has lived in despair for so long they have forgotten the word espère, which means hope in Creole. Two days before the earthquake, Haitians lived with little to no safe drinking water, no food, or housing. Two days before the earthquake Haitians hesitated to name their children and rarely celebrated a birthday until the age of five because, well, many children do not make it to that age…That was Haiti two days before the quake…and it will be Haiti two years after the earthquake unless…

Unless we embrace the light. This earthquake, much like the hurricane that brought awareness to the destitution that littered New Orleans, has awakened the world to suffering of many in Haiti. What happens after the wreckage clears will then, and only then, define Haiti’s next path. Without a reckoning emerging from the wreckage Haiti will fall back into the darkness. So we, Christians, we humans, must respond. We can no longer turn a deaf ear and blind eye to the atrocities that happen less than six hours away.  And we cannot wait for another earthquake,  tsunami, or whatever disaster to bring light to the darkness. The last time I read the Good Book, I believe it said that that was our job. Join us in bringing espère back to Haiti.

-C Harp

For more information on how you can help those in Haiti, please click here.

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Even more so now, Haiti is in need of our help. For the immediate future, you can order this shirt, and all of the profits will go to NWHCM to help relieve suffering as a result of the earthquake and work toward providing northwest Haiti with access to water.

About the shirt:

The shirt contains the word Espere, which is Creole for hope. Northwest Haiti is the poorest region of the country and many people in this region have to walk for hours at a time to access clean water.  Due to the extremely hard ground, past attempts to drill in the area only resulted in broken equipment.  We are excited to report that a sizable donation was made last month to fund the purchase of the correct equipment, which means we can get started on the water systems as soon as we have the funds. With this equipment in place, we aim to partner with NWHCM to bring clean water systems to Northwest Haiti as well as provide education on the systems. However, due to the traumatic situation in Haiti presently, funds will be also be made available to the emergency earthquake relief fund at NWHCM. They are on the ground with medical support and are committed to serving those affected by the disaster.

Original Story behind the shirt:

Most of us live in a filtered world. That is to say that the simple things we are so abundantly blessed with are not considered a blessing, but more like something that we expect. For most of us, accessing water is as easy as the turn, twist, or adjustment of a knob.

Those of us who live in this filtered world rarely consider the possibility that there may be some place, somewhere, where clean and safe water does not exist. There could be a world in which to drink means unavoidable sickness is coming. There could be a heartbreaking world where there is no way to properly hydrate, or bathe a child. The consequence of this is a world where children between the ages of one and five do not have a birthday celebration because all odds say he or she will die sometime before their fifth year of existence.

There are developing countries all across the globe where clean, safe water is only a dream. There are 1.1 billion people in the world without safe water. That is one in every six people on the planet. According to UNICEF, 19 million children die each year from diarrheal diseases related to unsafe drinking water. That is one child in every eight seconds.

There is a world where a mother and her children have to wake up on a daily basis and travel two and a half hours for water that will most likely make them sick. In fact, this world is not far from the filtered world of the United States.

Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. It lies roughly 680 miles south of Miami, Florida, literally in the backyard of the United States. The exciting thing is that there are people who are doing something about the water crisis in Haiti. Northwest Haiti Christian Mission has been immersed in the nation and culture of Haiti for years. Many people through NWHCM have dedicated their lives to holistically recognizing and meeting the needs of the Haitian people. One of the most crucial needs in Northwest Haiti is that of clean and safe drinking water.

Through the purchase of this shirt you will have the opportunity to join NWHCM in providing water to the masses in Haiti.  All profits from the shirt sales will go directly towards installing clean water systems in the area and educate those who use it.  In doing so, you are rebuilding Haiti by giving the country its most needed resource – water.

Photos above from Andy Olsen Photography. Thanks Andy!