ViBella-- It's a Beautiful Life

I have a wonderful opportunity to partner with an organization in Haiti to do a fundraiser for my nutrition mission work. As many people may already know, I do not receive pay for my work. My daily living expenses come from donation money. In December, I went to an event in Haiti that featured all different kinds of arts, crafts, jewelry, and clothing that were being made in Haiti by the Haitian community. I fell in love with the work being done at ViBella, an organization that hires women to create beautiful pieces of jewelry (many of the pieces feature the recycled plastic bottle beads or metal bottle caps). The pieces of jewelry were so unique-- something I felt belonged in a boutique. I couldn't stop gooing over the delicate little hair-clips, the feather earrings, and the strands of beads.

When I returned home from Haiti for Christmas break, I made my mom order all her christmas gifts off the website. We were pleased with the purchases! At that time, I also decided I wanted to try fundraising for my mission through a different way...so I reached out to ViBella about their fundraising options. I thought it would be a great way to further impact the lives of women living in Haiti... giving them an income to support their families... while also bringing beautiful pieces of Haiti to those who know me or know about my mission work here. 

From Here....

The ViBella wall of Fame! It was fun to see the pieces become more advanced with the increased skill the ladies had obtained. 

...to here.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit the ladies at ViBella. They were all very sweet! One of them is even expecting a baby soon! When they had found out I was a dietitian, they were all amazed by how many Haitian foods I could list. After looking around the facility and chatting with their manager, I was  called over to the table of ladies. They asked me what I eat in Haiti... they were really interested. Maybe someday I will be able to host a nutrition class for them!! 

Two of the ladies at work! 

Work in Process! 

Finished pieces ready for shipping!

Love this wall of art! These are the demos for how to color the plastic for the beads! 

This was a great opportunity for me to see the work that my mission is also supporting through the fundraiser. You see-- every purchase you make, I only get 30%. The other 70% goes to support these women and towards improving the community in-which these women live. I figured this would be a great way to support the efforts of other organizations in Haiti, while also supporting my own mission--bringing nutrition education and access to balanced eating to the people in Haiti. 

I have left the fundraiser as an "open" fundraiser-- meaning it has no end date. The reason for this is because the 30% that comes to my mission will be used to help with my travel expenses over the next (few) year (s), covering my professional credentials, as well as supporting nutrition education and programming in the Haitian communities in which I serve. As my year-long stent of living in Haiti is quickly dwindling away (I am going to graduate school this fall), I know that I will be returning to Haiti several times over the course of the year, and I have big visions for programming, education... and maybe some business (es) that will need funding. 

Concentrating!

Modeling her half finished work for me!

So it's simple. Just check out the website: http://www.vibellajewelry.com/ and if you see something you like and buy it--just put my name "Kristina DeMuth" in the memo at check-out! 

I thank you in advance for supporting me, supporting the ladies at Vibella, and making the world a little more beautiful! :) 

some of my favorite pieces!

Called to Serve

I wrote in my diary about going to third world countries to plant seeds and to teach people to grow their own crops for food. This was long before I knew I wanted to be a dietitian and long before my aunt and uncle founded Healing Haiti. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end. - Ecclesiastes 3:11

During my high school and college years, I forgot about the diary entry I had written.. forgotten about the plans God had placed on my heart. It was during these years that I was facing one of the lowest points in my life and was ready to give up. But God wasn't finished with me yet. He had bigger plans for me. I vividly remember the day when He spoke in the depths of my heart. I was sitting in a church service and tears began to fill my eyes as I realized how broken I was, yet a passion inside my heart told me that I must live so that others may also live. Six years later, and I am living and doing things I never thought imaginable. In 2011, I embarked on my first mission trip to Haiti and was broken WIDEOPEN. My whole world flipped upside down, and upon my return home from Haiti I came across the entry I had written about planting seeds in third world countries. I was in complete udder shock. Here I was a senior in college at The College of Saint Benedict, just about to complete my nutrition degree and applying for dietetic internships... and living out the plans God had placed on my heart years ago.

My passion for Haiti became ever stronger after this recollection, and I returned back for a three-week stay in the summer of 2011.  During this time, I had the opportunity to work beside our Haitian doctor and to observe the sick kids in Haiti. God spoke on the depths of my heart again. I left Haiti that summer wanting to do more... wanting to use my gifts and talents for something greater. I knew that good nutrition and clean water could provide better immune systems and reduced medical complications for these kids… and I wanted to do something about it. In the fall of 2011, I was asked by Healing Haiti to look into nutrition supplements for the kids that were about to move into Grace Village, and this is when I had the opportunity, through the grace of God, to start my nutrition work in Haiti. In January of 2012, I traveled to Haiti to do nutrition assessments on all of the kids at Grace Village. I plotted all of the kids on the World Health Organization growth charts, and began the Medika Mamba program for those that were underweight for their age and height. Upon returning home, I continued to track the Mamba kids' heights and weights, continued to work with Print 4 Change on purchasing supplements, and determined which kids had reached a good weight for age and height to discontinue supplement use. It was during this time that I also completed my dietetic internship with The U of MN and The Emily Program and passed my boards to be a Registered Dietitian.



Traditionally, the next step would be to seek out job opportunities, however, God has called me to mission work. He has called me " to plant seeds and to grow crops" in Haiti, and on such perfect timing!! The aquaponic farm is in the process of being built, the feeding center is just getting on it's feet, and there is a great need for nutrition support amongst many of the kids we serve through Healing Haiti! There are so many wonderful opportunities to use my nutrition related skills and knowledge to serve those in need. Over the course of the next year, I am planning several long-term mission trips to Haiti to work at the Feeding Center at Grace Village, to provide nutrition education to the Haitian staff and children, as well as to continue to working on our Medika Mamba program to help reduce the rate of malnutrition in Haiti.

I have been so incredibly blessed with the gift of time, education, and support from friends and family to be able to serve a world in need with my nutrition related skills and knowledge. While this opportunity comes with great joy and excitement, there are financial burdens to support my mission and time spent in Haiti since I will not receive an income for my services. Any support you can give me through either prayer or financial contributions towards my mission will be greatly appreciated!! You can be assured that whatever blessing you provide for me, either financially, emotionally, or spiritually, will flow right through me to the people I will encounter in Haiti!

Thank you so much for your generous hearts! I am so incredibly blessed to be able to have this opportunity to live out the calling God has for me.

May we always seek to bring Him Glory!
-Kristina DeMuth         
Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Advocate for Healing Haiti

To support my mission within the mission of Healing Haiti: http://healinghaiti.org/pages/SupportKristinaDeMuth