Under 20 hours and counting…..I thought it might be helpful if I provided a short bit of information on our team and our objectives as we move toward launch in the morning…
- Angela Quinn – Give Hope Co-Founder/Board Member and original instigator of our family’s involvement in Haiti. This is her 8th trip to Cambry…knows every kid, every mama and they all know her. Go-to person for anything you need to know….compassionate but persistent leader…rumored to have usurped the title of “Supreme Commander” from her father….name is pronounced Ahn-gee-lah at Cambry.
- Dr. Dane Kovach – Give Hope Co- Founder/Board Member and orthodontist/dentist extraordinaire. Fifth or sixth trip to Cambry plus a multi-year stint in Papua New Guinea and multiple trips to other third world countries to serve our Lord. Bringing complete new mobile dental unit to allow filling teeth at Cambry and other sites. Father of four and seeking another to be adopted from China next year.
- Dr. Will Caldwell – Give Hope Medical Director and Board Member. ENT Surgeon who is on his second trip to Cambry and who lived in Africa for a time. Driver behind the rescue of Loren’s in June of this year who Give Hope brought to Charlotte from Les Cayes for life saving surgery at Presbyterian Hospital. He will be using this trip to plan future Give Hope medical direction in SW Haiti. Father of twin girls.
- Bill Caldwell – Bill is Will’s father and is also on his second trip to Cambry. Mission work may be working out to be Bill’s second (but unpaid) career in retirement. Bill was on our January trip and was invaluable in our construction and ministry efforts. By the way, Bill would tell you that this work pays better than any job you could ever have.
- Josh Owens – Josh is on his second trip to Cambry and is currently in a gap year between college and medical school. A bit of a prodigy who graduated high school at 16 and college at 19, Josh and his family have attended our church for 20+ years. Josh and his father, Tim have designed the Aquaponics systems we will be building at Cambry. Josh will be staying on for 6 more weeks when the rest of the team returns. During that time he will not only insure the successful start up of the Aquaponics system but will also tutor and mentor many of the Cambry kids and even some of the teachers there as well. It is our hope that Josh will be instrumental in helping the teachers to use the Aquaponics system to teach applied math and science to the Cambry students.
- Randy Braswell – Angela’s uncle and my brother who is on his third trip to Cambry. Extremely popular at Cambry with all the kids and staff. A career in construction led to his current role at Compact Power as Product and Rental Specialist for which he travels the US and Canada. Father of four and grandfather of four. Can do anything with whatever is available…no one could have a better friend.
- Abby Coble – Abby is the oldest of Randy’s four children and is on her first trip to Cambry. Abby has a very successful career as a leader in a marketing business called “Thirty One”. She has two children and brings sunshine into any place that she’s in. So happy that Abby and Randy are getting to do this together.
- Scott Roberts – On his first trip to Cambry. Long time Director of Sales at Southern Shade Tree Co. Father of boy/girl twins and son of Tom Roberts who is also on the trip. Scott also owns a tree farm in Chester SC where he grows shade and ornamental trees. Extremely ingenious guy.
- Tom Roberts – Scott’s dad on his first trip to Cambry. Owns a large cemetery business in PA. Talented architect/designer of sheds over Aquaponics tanks. I have been hearing about Tom from Scott for many years and can’t wait to finally meet him.
- Trish and Kerri Gareau – Trish is on her second trip to Cambry. An engineer by training, Trish can organize and get things done just right and on time. She was a tremendous blessing to Give Hope and to Lorens when he was in the hospital as she worked for Novant Health at the time, which allowed her to keep an eye on things and support Loren’s mother Marie. Trish took her son, JT, on her first trip and is taking her daughter, Kerri, on this one. The whole Gareau family are great supporters of Give Hope and always show up to help with whatever the project is at the time. We are very excited about having Kerri on this trip and know that she will have lots of adult support from everyone.
- Sonda Harris – Sonda works with Dr. Dane in Mt Airy and will be assisting him in the dental efforts in Haiti. She is on her first trip and is an absolute fireball who is a joy to be around. Sonda has been incredibly helpful in gathering supplies for the trip and is pursuing a grant on behalf of Give Hope to support our ongoing Aquaponics plans.
- Jimmy Tabolsky – Jimmy is Dr Dane’s brother-in-law and is on his first trip to Cambry. Like Josh, Jimmy is a whiz who has done extremely well in school and will be an asset wherever he is being used.
- Tristan Craven – Tristan is on his first trip to Cambry but is no stranger to the mission field. Tristan was on the mission field with Dr Dane in Papua New Guinea and will bring a unique perspective and lots of experience in the field to our team. He joined our team in the last week to fill in a spot for someone who was unable to go at the last minute. Looking forward to seeing what The Lord has in mind as He works His will in this change of our plans….but not of His.
- Staci Bacon – Staci is on her second trip to Cambry (third to Haiti). She is a nurse and mother of one daughter. Staci lives in Charleston SC and at least one of her Cambry trips included Angela and Dr. Dane. They both say “she rocks”! Can’t wait to meet her…
- Debbie Whitesell – Debbie is on her first trip to Cambry and can’t wait to meet Theodore who she has sponsored for the last year. Debbie is Director of Business Applications for the IT team at Compact Power Equipment Inc. She has a teenage daughter and has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to help Angela with all the pre-packing and pre- trip planning. Debbie is a terrific team member at Compact Power and will be fabulous at Cambry.
- Brian Adams – Brian is on his first trip to Cambry and was introduced to Give Hope by his father, Graham Adams, who is a long time friend of mine. Brian owns a solar power business and has been instrumental in planning how the Aquaponics system will be powered by solar. He decided to join the team to see the project all the way through and for the opportunity to serve the Kingdom in Haiti.
- “Rajue” Braswell – Former Supreme Commander of Give Hope mission trips now reduced to consultant on Haitian affairs and liaison with ESMI. If you have any questions on how any of this happened, please see Ahn-gee -lah….
Our objectives…
- Lots of dental support to the kids and the community…at Cambry, Darivarger, Big House and LaSavanne
- Prepare the Aquaponics site…build a shed over the fish tank…assemble the tank….install the solar power and complete basic wiring and plumbing.
- Do medical checks on the kids at Cambry, Darivarger and Big House…plus plan the medical thrust of the January and June trips.
- Identify certain kids with leadership ability and develop a plan to invest extra time and attention into these young people to prepare them to lead by example as they begin to help others. We hope to take some or all of them with us as we serve off site during this mission.
- Teach a VBS class on The Fruit of the Spirit to the kids at Cambry…plus meet with each “family” to encourage them and deliver their sponsor’s gifts.
- Hold a “backpack party” for the kids where they receive backpacks and shoes especially for them.
- Meet with the Cambry “mamas” and provide them some special gifts and encouragement.
- Launch English classes in the new high school curriculum at Cambry and set up the tutoring and mentoring plan for Josh Owens.
- Make it to the beach on Friday afternoon to relax with the team…
Dear Lord,
Please bless our team with safety and with your favor on all that we say and do. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you alongside this team that you so thoughtfully hand picked to serve together.
RB