Good bye for now, dear friend...

Tomorrow (July 24) will be two months since my friend, mentor and boss, Tim Dortch, passed away. In some ways, it feels like it was just yesterday he was giving me a hard time...about everything. And other days, it feels like a million years since I've seen his grin or shared a laugh with him.

If you never had a chance to meet him, I'm sorry for you. If you did have the pleasure, you will likely never forget him, and his passing has left a hole in your heart as well. 

Tim with Madam FoFo, her daughter and grandson.
This precious baby has hydrocephalus; Tim was instrumental
in coordinating the initial treatment of his condition.

I met Tim in June 2012, on my first trip to Haiti. I'll admit, my first thought was, "Are you kidding me? Is this guy for real?!" He was like Larry the Cable Guy and Billy Graham rolled into one person. Let that soak in for a minute...

And as I got to know him, I came to understand -- yes, he was indeed "for real." He was for real about enjoying life and laughing with friends. He was for real about his love for his family and his pride for his daughter. He was for real about loving people and pointing them to Jesus Christ. He was for real about living a life sold out for his Savior -- a life that looked absolutely crazy to most people. 

He took chances to help people, often putting himself in harm's way. He learned new skills to bring relief to people seemingly forgotten by so many. He often adapted the American way of doing things to accommodate culture and produce the best end result to help the greatest number of people.

But most of all...he just loved Jesus.

And because he loved Jesus, he loved people. His passion for the people of Haiti and the Dominican was contagious. Countless Americans have traveled home from that beautiful place ready to sell the farm and move to the Island of Hispaniola to do just what Tim did naturally...love God and love people. 

Tim's FAITH was an amazing witness to everyone he met. He lived it daily. His choices reflected a belief in a God bigger than we can imagine. Until I met Tim, I'm not sure I truly understood what faith LOOKED like...how it acted...how it responded to scary choices.

I remember one specific phone conversation with Tim about a year ago. I was wrestling with the decision to leave my academic appointment at Mississippi State and take this leap of faith to partner in ministry with HMM. I confessed my fears to him about "giving up" my benefits and my retirement and taking a significant cut in pay...as well as my fears about fundraising for the salary for my new position on the HMM staff.

He chuckled a little and asked, "Are you gonna take it with you to heaven?" 

Silence. 

"God is calling. Whatcha gonna do?" 

Silence...and then tears. 

His gentle way of calling me out was painful and humbling...but so needed. Friendship is like that sometimes. The perfectly timed call. The perfect words spoken. The kick in the seat of the pants we need to get going.

Tim Dortch was a good friend. 

While I was only blessed to call him "friend" for a short time, he made an eternal impact on me and countless others. I cannot imagine the loss his wife and daughter and other family and friends who have had him in their lives for much longer are experiencing.  

The hole is big. And the pain of loss is deep. It feels like it's never going to end. 

But I am grateful for the peace that comes in knowing Tim is rejoicing now. He is undoubtedly rigging things in heaven with ridiculous amounts of duct tape and teasing all the angels relentlessly. I pray he is pleased with the progress HMM is making as we work to carry out his vision for the Promised Land in Haiti and for the ministries in the Dominican. When I get frustrated or tired or just wonder if what I'm doing is having any impact for the kingdom, I think about Tim and his legacy...and I just keep on keepin' on. 

I am certain my dear friend heard those precious words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!" as he entered those beautiful gates May 24, 2014. Until I see you again...

Tim Dortch, Anse-a-Pitre, Haiti : December 2013

I will not panic. I will not panic.

We are one week away from our fundraising deadline. After much prayer and number crunching, we set a goal of $25,000 to off set the salary I gave up when I resigned from the MSU Department of Communication and went on board with HMM in June. 

(I will not panic. I will not panic.) 


We are about $10,000 away from that goal and there are (ONLY!) about seven days left for churches, groups and individuals to respond.

(I will not panic. I will not panic.) 

As I think about the last few months, there have been many opportunities for me to panic and somehow, God has provided the calm just as I felt it would overwhelm me. Satan uses my over-planning, over-scheduling and must-have-control desires to make me doubt this decision...almost daily.

But, I think that's typical when we say "YES!" to something big for God that pulls us out of our routine and comfort zones. Satan knows we long for comfort and uses that desire to lull us to sleep, make us complacent. But God knows He can be gloriously revealed when we obediently follow Him out of our comfort zone and allow Him to stretch and refine us for HIS use. 

(I will not panic. I will not panic.) 

I am being stretched and refined each day. Some days, I admit, being stretched and refined is NOT what I'm interested in...I'd prefer the curled-up-on-the-couch-in-my-pjs-with-a-big-bowl-of-ice-cream kind of comfort. Just being real, people. 

But I'm being challenged to let go of my desire to control things and let Him be revealed in a big way through HMM and through my contributions to this ministry. I am being challenged by all the juggling of having multiple jobs and the exhaustion that accompanies late nights to get everything done. I'm being challenged by the conflict I feel because I want to DO more but know I am already stretched (too!) thin. 

So, whether we meet our goal or not, I'm confident He will provide. He's promised that...

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Therefore, I will not panic. I really will not. Really. 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:6-7

And I will not understand the peace He will give when I give these last few days of fundraising to him...

What have you said "YES!" to that's stretched you and made you uncomfortable? 

Watch this amazing story of "YES!" by one of my Noonday sisters and swoon over her precious babies from Ethiopia (Get your tissues!)!

Fotolanthropy Film: "Gloriously Ruined" from Fotolanthropy on Vimeo.

The First Two Months

Wow! I wrote today's date and realized today is my two-month anniversary to have joined the Hispaniola Mountain Ministries staff! It's gone by so quickly and I have enjoyed every minute of it (Well, almost every minute. There were those two hours on hold with Paypal that one day...). I spoke a few weeks ago to a Sunday School class and afterward, a sweet man came up with a twinkle in his eye and said, "It's a shame you're not more passionate about what you do!' LOVE IT!

Sharing with the Louisville Emmaus
Community at their July meeting. 

I have traveled to several different churches and organizations sharing the work of HMM and its ministries in Haiti and the
Dominican Republic. I am so encouraged by the compassion others show for these countries and by their willingness to partner - both financially and prayerfully - for the Haitian and Dominican people. There is much to be done and much needed to get it all done; I am grateful for the doors God has opened for more to join the effort.

Our family is quickly approaching our fundraising deadline (August 15) and we are nearly to the halfway mark. While my natural instinct is to panic and start double-guessing myself and this decision, I am certain God is going to show up BIG in these next few weeks. Many people have asked how they can come alongside our family in this journey, so here it is:

1. Pray. Pray daily for our family as we adjust to being a two-ministry family and learn how to juggle  those demands. Pray for the people of the Dominican and Haiti, that they might see God's love in an undeniable way through the work HMM is doing in these countries. Pray for HMM to continue to have the resources to provide relief and grow its ministries. Pray for me to have focus (and energy) as I develop the communication and fundraising aspects of this growing non-proft.

2. Give. You can establish a recurring gift or make a one-time donation to HMM online anytime. We'd love for you to consider partnering with our family by designating your gift for my salary support. We are trying to raise $25,000 by August 15 to help offset the 1/2 of my salary I gave up when I left my academic appointment. (Read this blog post if you're not sure what I'm talking about!). If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation, click here to get started!

3. Schedule a Presentation. I am scheduling visits with churches, men's and women's organizations, civic clubs, sororities and fraternities...You get the picture - any audience willing to listen to the HMM story! Contact me to schedule a visit at laura (at) gohmm.org to set up a visit!

4. Volunteer. HMM has trips to work in the Dominican and Haiti year-round. If you'd like to experience the mission field for yourself, please let me know and we can work with your church or organization to schedule a trip or partner you with another team. We will also be hosting special events throughout the year and will need lots of state-side volunteers!

So, there you have it! This is how YOU can partner with us! And we are so incredibly grateful to all those who have already done one - or more - of these things!

PS: To all my girls - you can always host a Noonday Collection trunk show or purchase from my website to help, too! That is totally WIN-WIN-WIN! Help our artisans...Get great accessories...Help support my family! YAY!