Kendall Moss joins Alex's House - Director of School Partnerships!

Alex’s House is excited to announce Kendall Moss will be joining our team as our volunteer Director of School Partnerships. Kendall will provide leadership and vision to our school partnership program, which will partner US schools with Haitian schools for multifaceted communication exchange.  In addition, she will be serving as a House Parent when she arrives on the ground in Haiti mid-July!

Kendall is an Arkansas native who was born and raised in Jonesboro, AK. She graduated from Arkansas State University with a degree in Public Relations, which she put to good use as the Director of Public Relations for Families Outreach, an Alex’s House Partnering organization that provides resources and grants to families wishing to adopt locally and/or internationally.  As the Director of PR at Families Outreach, Kendall’s responsibilities included planning and leading mission teams to various orphanages, maintaining the website, producing communication pieces and organizing community outreach events.  As you can expect, Kendall will be a great asset and tremendous blessing to our ministry. 

Kendall is the proud aunt of 3 nieces and 2 nephews, and enjoys cooking, cross fit, and Disney World.  When asked what sold her on Alex’s House, she responded, “the selling point for me was during my trip over  Spring Break when I saw that Alex’s House is dedicated to creating passionate disciples of Jesus Christ. We go beyond providing a place to live, food, and an education and go deeper to the heart!” 

Kendall, welcome on board!  If you are interested in the Director of School Partnership or sponsoring Kendall, you may contact Kendall at kendall@alexshouseorphanage.org!

New Water Filtration System Installed!!!

Fact:  1.8 million children DIE every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation.  This amounts to 5000 deaths a day, one every 20 seconds!

On April 20, 2013, on behalf of Water Missions International, Cedar Creek Church (Aiken, SC) and TrueNorth (North Augusta, SC), a team of six traveled down to Haiti to install a new water filtration system.  

This installation had been in the works for months as Cedar Creek and TrueNorth Church raised the necessary $18,000.00 to provide for this system through TrueNorth's partnership with Water Missions International in Charleston, SC!  In God's faithfulness, the April departure date arrived, and the system was fully installed and working properly within 3 days!!! Proper training was provided to our Alex's House staff to ensure proper procedures where followed to ensure the system was maintained and used properly.  

Our new water system will provide long-lasting safe water for our children, our teams and our Kalico community!  What a blessing and source of life this will be for Alex's House -- we can't even comprehend the ministry doors that clean water will open in the community while also quenching the thirst of our Alex's House children. When asked how this system will positively impact Alex's House, Mike Fielder (TrueNorth's Missions Pastor) remarked: "While the obvious one is the financial burden that has been lifted off of Alex’s house, the exciting one is the impact that this can have on the entire community. What I love most about Bill Howard is his understanding that Mercy Ministries and Humanitarian Aid alone have been ineffective in Haiti. I believe very strongly that his vision for creating disciples combined with his vision for community development are the perfect formula for what the country needs. This system will allow Bill unprecedented access for relationship building in the Kalico community." 

We stand in awe of God's continued faithfulness as we trust Him to meet our needs hour after hour, day after day! There is no greater feeling to be in His will following His call while He provides every step of the way while opening the doors and softening the hearts of the community.  God is good! 

On behalf of Alex's House, we are forever grateful for all the generous supporters and prayer warriors that God used to make this possible! 

Alex's House welcomes a new Financial Director to our staff!

I’m so excited to announce that Cammie Hayes has officially joined our staff at Alex’s House as our new Financial Director.  She brings a sweet personality and disposition and is always ready to help. She currently resides in North Augusta, South Carolina with her husband Kevin. She is an Accountant for the City of Aiken, South Carolina, and brings years of accounting experience and great expertise to the Alex’s House family.

Cammie also demonstrated her wonderful leadership skills as she recently served as our Race Director for our very first Alex's House 5K Walk/Run, where she and her team raised over $5,000.00 for our children.  We are already looking forward to next year's 5K in North Augusta, S.C. under Cammie's leadership!

In her spare time, Cammie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, along with her two dogs - Mackie and Jasper. She and her husband attend TrueNorth Church in North Augusta, SC, were she faithfully serves in the infant room weekly along with leading one of the biggest "small groups" at TrueNorth! When asked "what sold you on Alex's House," Cammie responded: "The passion of its leadership to reach the least of  these.  After being apart of what God was doing through Alex's House in Haiti, how could you not be sold?? The smiles and laughter from the children tell a pretty good story."

In His faithfulness, God continues to bring us just the right person at just the right time.  Cammie is a great addition to our team, and we give thanks to the Lord for her willingness to serve alongside of us.    Cammie will be replacing Jennifer Howard, who has faithfully served as our interim Financial Director over the past 3 years until the Lord provided a permanent person for the position.  Thank you, Jennifer, for all the great work and service -- words can not adequately express our gratitude. 

Like all of our stateside staff, Cammie is volunteering her time - serving the ministry of Alex's House out of the goodness of her heart. What a blessing she will be to our ministry, and we look forward to many years together! God is good!

Seeds planted!

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow!" 1 Corin. 3:6

Our children recently started their first garden by planting seeds for tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers and carrots!  Dominique challenged our children to think abstractly by guessing what seed would make a seedling first, second, third and fourth, and how many days they expected it to take before the seedlings appeared.  Our children then made a list of names according to their guesses.  

The next day, our children were asked to make a chart of the number of children that guessed a certain way.  Dominique then encouraged them to graph the information, which was a new concept for all the children. The "best" graph would be displayed as the children waited for the first seed to grow into a seedling! 

Our children were then taught to count the number of days until the first seedling appeared by using tally marks for counting.  Another new concept for our children!

On the sixth day, the cucumber seedling appeared!!!  And, this sweet smile says it alll!

Pray for Alex's House and the areas we serve . . . the fields are ripe for harvest!

Girls just wanna have fun!

"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity!" 1 Timothy 4:12

Many times it has been said that we learn life lessons from children!  Boy, is this true!  Observe children for a day, and you will definitely learn! Over the past year, we have learned a few lessons from local girls stepping up in their peer groups and schools across the United States to take a stand for orphans! 

We have learned that these girls definitely just wanna have fun, and they know how to throw a good party to benefit Alex's House! We have been blown away by their generosity and willing to sacrifice at such a young age. It has warmed our hearts as story after story has come our way! While we have had support among many children of various ages and places, here are few of examples of "cheerful givers" the Lord has blessed us with in recent months! We hope it encourages your heart as much as it has ours at Alex's House!

Matéa (Yellow Shirt)

WOOD-TV8 Interview

Matéa recently celebrated her 11th birthday with sweet friends. She asked her friends to refrain from bringing her a gift, and asked them to consider donating money for our Alex's House kids.  Together, these sweet girls raised $125.00 for Alex's House! Then, the media got a hold of the story, and invited Matea to the local TV station for an interview on WOOD-TV8, where she got to share her passion for the Lord's work at Alex's House publicly.

Mary Michael

Mary Michael rose to the occasion on two of her birthdays - 7th and 8th - to benefit Haiti orphans!   Collectively, she raised over $500.00 plus kitchen utensils for our "Stock the Kitchen Fundraiser"!  

Ansley

Last year, Ansley approached her school principal at Springdale Elementary School in Macon, Georgia to ask if her school could do a "Hats for Haiti Day."  For every child who brought a $1.00 to school for Alex's House, they could wear their favorite hat! Two "Hats for Haiti" later, Springdale raised $544.00! Thanks, Ansley, for your boldness and leadership!

Ashlyn

New Shoes for Haiti

For Ashlyn's 7th Birthday, she asked her birthday party goers to bring shoes for the children at Alex's House to her party! What a sweet blessing from a sweet little girl!

Savannah and Ansley's sweet 13 party!

It only takes a spark to get a fire going!  Savannah and Ansley shared their 13th birthday party and invited their entire 7th grade class from First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia. In lieu of gifts, the kids were asked to donate money to Alex's House! They raised about $800.00 for our children! Happy 13 to Savannah and Ansley!

Lessons learned:   Girls just wanna have fun!! Girls really know how to throw a good party!!!  

Alex's House is gratefully blessed! If you have a cool story to share about your kids helping Alex's House, please send to amyshobbs@me.com!

Freedom Fellowship partners with Alex's House!

Alex's House welcomes Freedom Fellowship of Greer, South Carolina as a new partnering church!

"Helping others discover the true freedom that only Christ can give" has been Freedom Fellowship's mission from its church plant beginnings in March of 2005! Freedom Fellowship continues to meet in a local high school in Greer, South Carolina, and is actively involved in church planting with a local focus in its home state of South Carolina. Since 2005, Freedom Fellowship has financially supported 7 church plants in SC, 1 in Brooklyn, New York, and 1 in Botswana.  

Freedom Fellowship's pastor, Cliff Marshall,  has been following Alex's House for quite some time through his friendship with Bill Howard, our Founder.  In the Lord's timing, Freedom Fellowship's partnership with the church plant in Botswana ended in 2012, which opened the door to begin a new partnership with an international ministry. Marshall explained, "[t]he ability to be more involved than just sending a check every month, as well as the organization of the ministry were two things that attracted us to Alex's House."

Alex's House is greatly blessed by Freedom Fellowship and its desire to partner alongside of us to rescue and raise the children God has called us to in Haiti!

Grateful for Chores!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

God has richly blessed us with a remarkable Life Skills Director, Dominique Levy!  Two weeks ago, she implemented a new weekend chore schedule for our children.  The schedule is written in English and French, which are the languages they are learning to read and write in school.  At first, the children were assigned daily chores, but the children were taking their chore responsibilities too seriously and allowing it to interfere with their school preparations. So, the daily chore schedule was revised to a weekend chore schedule for now! And, we will slowly progress to a daily choir schedule in His timing.

They started with their assigned chores two Saturdays ago and will have the same chores for a month on the weekends. This will give them ownership of their home. Interestingly, our boys seem to be more diligent than our girls in doing their assigned chores. 

Their weekday begins at 6:00 a.m. with daily devotions, then breakfast, school, playtime, homework, and dinner.  And, of course, a daily nap time for the little ones not yet in school! What a difference this has made! Before bedtime, our children gather together and fully engage in "unhindered worship," where "they truly praise our Father," Dominique shared.

Join us in giving thanks to the Lord for this new chore implementation and for Dominique's leadership!