The Moses' are in Texas

Saturday Debbie Moses sent this update:  "left Ft Pierce, FL yesterday at 1:30pm. Arrived in Sanger,Texas at 5:00pm today. Whew! Fast trip with 5 animals, 2 kids and almost 4000 lbs of cargo.  GOD is so good!"

They are currently staying with Debbie's dad.  What a great dad to take them, the 2 cats, 3 dogs and all that cargo in!  Pray for them as they look for a place to live and get settled into their new life.  It's hard to make an international move and start all over again from scratch.  Pray that all the pieces will fall into place as they rebuild their household, the girls get into school and they all adjust to living with full time electricity, running water and Walmart again.  :)

On the road to Texas

Dan and Rob met the Moses family in Ft. Pierce, FL yesterday, Friday, and helped them load their stuff into their rental van and truck.  Leaving Haiti was hard and bittersweet, but they were in good spirits and excited about starting a new chapter of their lives and continued ministry with RMI.  They hope to arrive in Texas Sunday evening. 

The Moses family is on the plane

And so are all of their belongings, their animals, and their suitcases.  Today they fly out of Haiti on MFI's DC 3 (Missionary Flights International).  A tropical wave has been going through the area, which has resulted in their last 2-3 days being very rainy. 

Their long, steep driveway partially washed away and they had to rebuild it so the truck loaded with their stuff could get out and on the road to meet them at the plane.  Even so, the truck almost tipped over and it took 2 tries for it to get up the rebuilt, muddy, slick driveway.  Their stuff got wet, but we're not sure to what extent.

A DC 3 trip is quite an experience.  Cargo of all sizes and shapes as well as the animal crates are strapped securely down.  Only enough seats are added for the exact number of passengers that are on the plane.  It is not known for its amenities!  There's a port-a-potty in the back tail area.  It's loud and the trip is over 5 hours long.  But God uses MFI and these DC 3s in such a vital way!  They provide mail, purchasing, cargo, shipping and transporting services for over 300 missionaries. 

[We personally used MFI's services for over 20 years.  We received mail, packages, cargo and even Thanksgiving turkeys via MFI.  We flew into Haiti with them numerous times and were evacuated from Haiti twice on MFI.  Our final flight out of Haiti was when we moved 3 years ago...all our belongings, animals and suitcases!  We appreciate them and their ministry so much!!]

Once they land at MFI's base in Ft. Pierce, Florida, they will spend the night there.  Tomorrow their belongings will have to clear customs before they can claim it, load it up and hit to road to Texas.  RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, and RMI's VP of US Operations, Rob Thompson, will be meeting them there in Ft. Pierce to help them load their stuff and touch base with them before they leave.  They hope to arrive in Texas Sunday.

Pray for them.  They will be bone-tired!  Pray for them also as they start down this new path that God has laid out for them.  Billy will still be doing his US Sister Church Partnership Coordinator job with RMI.  They will still need your support!!

RMI in Haiti Interactive Map

I have been working on this map for a little while.  This is a map that contains the approximate location of RMI’s Sister Churches in Haiti as well as some other points of interest.

This map needs the collaboration of others for locations and pictures. Some locations are quite accurate, others are not.  Some pictures have been added, but many more can be added.

You will want to click here to truly view the map and make edits.  Have at it…

Rob

View RMI in Haiti in a larger map

Change is in the air: The Moses Family is moving to the US!

RMI Family,
As part of a restructuring for the good of RMI and the Sister Church Program, the RMI Board of Directors is excited to announce that Billy and Debbie Moses will be moving up to the United States so that Billy can continue to serve with RMI as the US Sister Church Partnership Coordinator from here in the United States.  Among other responsibilities with RMI, he will continue to remain your main point of contact related to your Sister Church Partnerships.  Gary McLaughlin will continue to serve in Haiti as the Haiti Sister Church Partnership Coordinator.  Please join with us in prayer as we continue to work out all the details with the Moses (timeline, raising of finances, home location, job descriptions, etc.).

This is not a decision that has been easy.  RMI has appreciated the ministry of the Moses in Haiti immensely.  However, after much thought about the needs of RMI and examination of many variables, as well as considering what would be best for the Moses family, this decision has been made for the good of all involved.  The Moses are excited about this new path the Lord is placing in front of them.  Continue to pray for them as there are many decisions to be made as shared above that will impact them as a family.  

(A note from Billy: All though we are sad to be leaving Haiti, Debbie and I are very excited about the new chapter that God is opening in our lives. Please continue to pray for us as the next couple of weeks will be very stressful and taxing as we tell the RMI Haiti staff goodbye, try to sell house hold items, pack, and travel back to and through the U.S. There are exciting times ahead as well as many challenges. Thanks for all your support in prayer, finances, and friendships. Please continue with that support.  We are going on faith that God will provide funds for our move.  One time gifts would be a huge help in this endeavor and we would appreciate your prayerful consideration in giving to this financial need.  Should you be able to help, please send your gift to RMI designated, “Moses Move”.  Thanks so much.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any question, or comments.)

Rob Thompson
VP of Operations
Reciprocal Ministries International

Jules Update #3

Dan and Jules during Dan's June 2009 visit.

Pastor Steve Buerer of Schuylkill Valley Bible Chapel, Schuylkill, Penn. drove over 7 hours one way to visit Jules this week for a couple of days.  He sent this update to us:

I arrived in Malden, MA in the early afternoon on Monday but Jules and Martha were not home. I finally made contact with them and learned that Jules had been taken to the emergency room that morning.  I found him lying in the hallway of the emergency room in severe pain.  For the past four days he has not been able to keep any food and has basically stopped eating.  I believe that his situation is very serious.

They did a CAT scan of his abdomen and didn't find anything unusual.  He was sent home with a prescription for pain and one for antibiotics.  I finally got them back to their apartment at 8:30 PM.  Jules was exhausted by then so I went to my motel.  I'll go back this morning for a couple of hours and then leave for home around noon.

Jules desperately needs prayer and encouragement.  We read scripture and prayed together, talked about old times, and laughed about some of our adventures (remember Jules and the donkey lady on the bridge?).

Both Jules and Martha are scared and alone.  They have no Christian friends in the area and no church to minister to them. Please encourage the RMI family, especially the Sister Churches, to reach out to them with prayer, phone calls, letters, and visits when possible.  This is a man who faithfully ministered to all of us for so many years. Now it's our turn to minister to him.

God Bless,

Steve

We appreciate Pastor Steve's thoughtfulness, helpfulness and ministry to Jules!!  I talked with Pastor Steve and Jules after receiving Pastor Steve's email.

Jules needs 3 things:

1.  Above all he needs your prayers.  He faces so much right now and feels very alone.  Pray that he will feel God's presence and comfort.  Pray for the doctors that are treating him, that they will be able to help help deal with the many issues that he has (the chemo, pain, diarrhea, not eating, the cancer, his back, etc.).  Pray that he will find fellow believers to visit and uplift him.  Pray as he decides about when to return to Haiti.  Pray about their financial situation.  Pray for Martha's visa issue.  They need an extension on it so she can stay with him.  Pray that Martha can keep her job in Haiti.

2.  He desperately needs your encouragement.  As Pastor Steve said, "This is a man who faithfully ministered to all of us for so many years. Now it's our turn to minister to him."  Cards are nice, but even more meaningful would be personal letters to him.  First tell him who you are, when you went to Haiti (or met him) and what sister church you visited so he has a reference point.  Express your appreciation to him for what he has done for you and what he means to you.  Share scripture with him.  Recall fun incidents and times you had together.  Pray with him through the letter.  He knows he is gravely ill, but don't pepper him with questions about his illness.  Please don't share "cures" or special diets with him.  It just wouldn't be helpful to him in his current circumstances.

His address is:

Jules Gedna
150 Sammett St
Malden MA 02148

You can also call him.  Remember that he tires quickly, so keep it to a minimum.  The guidelines listed above are the same for a phone call.  He really doesn't want to talk about his illness.  He would enjoy both - phone calls and letters.

His phone is:  321-217-4165

If you are thinking of going to visit him, be prepared to be helpful (driving them wherever they need to go, picking up food or medicine, etc.), to be upbeat and encouraging and to stay at a local hotel.  The townhouse where they are staying is very small!  Be sensitive to his level of fatigue.  He's so polite, he won't come out and say that he needs to rest.  Please call me before you go so I can give you additional advice and counsel.

Pastor Steve was able to make contact with former MEBSH President Chavannes Juene who has relatives in the Boston area.  His wife, Madame Chavannes, has arranged for a Haitian pastor to visit and they are working to help Haitian believers contact Jules and Martha (the folks where he is staying are Christians).  He does have Haitian friends come by from time to time.  We are thankful that this source of encouragement is in process so their local Haitian network can help uphold them!  They need it so much. 

3.  They need financial help.  Even though the hospital is covering his medical treatments, there are many, many expenses that they are incurring that they need help with.

For financial gifts:  Make your check out to RMI and include a note designating it for the RMI emergency fund, for Jules Gedna.  Do not send him checks directly as it is very difficult for him to get them cashed.   RMI is waiving any administration fees for this account at this time.  All funds will go toward his expenses and will be forwarded to the family. 

Feel free to share this with team members - anyone who may know Jules.  We need to flood him with appreciation letters!  Let him know that he is loved and cared for.

Thank you for your participation with Jules.  We are thankful that he has all of you as friends.