Self Care Made Simple.

September & October 2021

Tremors of Hope in Haiti

At 08:29:09 EDT on the morning of August 14th, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Haiti is not a stranger to devastating earthquakes, and might be one of the places on earth where hardship is easiest to find. While we haven’t spent a lot of time in Haiti, this beautiful island still holds a special place in our hearts. Our third son, Samuel, was baptized in Haiti when we visited our friends there back in 2015. Haiti is a beautiful place, Haiti is a hard place. When we first heard of the devastation of the earthquake, we knew we wanted to help in some way, though we weren’t exactly sure how. I reached out to a few friends, and just a few weeks ago, some of our dearest friends, David and Andrea Quinn connected us to a need they had recently become aware of, and we felt it would be the right place for us to invest the Good for Others portion of your Rooted purchases.

You may remember hearing about the Quinn’s from our March blog post, their family lived in Haiti for a number years and were instrumental in starting the Our Lady of Rest home for the elderly there which we have been able to support. When I connected with David about this supporting a need in Haiti, he was quick to share with me about a project that one of their friends Beata was working on. If you read the story of the good work done in March, you might remember that Beata manages the home.

Beata Odney (her friends call her Bea) really is an amazing woman, and one of the hidden heroes of that whole ministry to the very poor elder community.

Mother to two beautiful children, Jean Gabriel & Maria Goretti, she comes from very humble beginnings in the small impoverished village of Oso. Bea followed opportunities which had her living in the capital city of Port-a-Prince for a number of years before ultimately landing in L'Asile to seek what God wanted for her. Bea had a desire to evangelize and serve others. After living in L’Asile for about a year, Bea came to know the Quinn’s and company who were serving in L’Asile with a Catholic organization. This was the beginning of some beautiful friendships and mutual collaboration in serving those in need in this community. Despite the challenges Bea faces in her own life, she has a heart for the elderly and the youth. She would visit the elderly who were home bound to pray with them. So when David and Andrea felt called to start the Our Lady of Rest Elderly Home, they approached her to be the director of the home! After some discernment she agreed to join the team. She and her new husband now run the home's daily operations and care for up to 16 residents.

One thing that is remarkable about this humble hero, is that Bea’s heart to serve others seems to be an ever-deepening well.

After the devastation of the August earthquake, Beata wanted to do something to help her home community. The small village where she came from is off the beaten path, and as such isn’t in the front of any lines for international aide or relief, so she took matters into her own hands and started raising funds to help rebuild her community. We are so honored to know of Bea’s project to provide metal sheets to rebuild the homes of at least 14 families from her home community. We feel it is a great privilege to partner with amazing people like Bea to bless folks who find themselves in desperate need.

At the end of this month we will be dedicating 10% of all sales from October and September along with the “tips” you have made to support Bea’s effort to rebuild her home community of Oso and to help families who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the help Bea is coordinating. Isn’t that amazing!

So tonight when you pump your lathering Revive Face Wash or apply your rich creamy Renew cream, you can pray for Bea and the beautiful people of her village. Or if you have been on the fence about trying a new essential oil or stocking up on some bath salts, know that this month any Rooted purchases you make will benefit our island neighbors to the south. Thanks for making all of this possible!

Let’s keep the goodness flowing. Help us to spread the word about Rooted For Good. If you love our products, please share the news with your networks, friends, family, and on your social media. There is so much good we can do together, and who knew all-natural skincare could be a means for making the world a better place!