Pastor Robert Brunache, Pastor at Morancy Baptist Church made a short visit to the office this week dropping off a couple things. One of those things was a letter for Sunrise Community Church, his Sister Church in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
Standing with Rob, he holds the letter in his hand. The letter is currently being translated and will be sent to Sunrise once its done; so be on the look out for it in the coming weeks!
Thanks to a generous gift from their Sister Church, Church on the Cape in Wilmington, NC, the Boyer Baptist Church in Haiti has a new motorcycle. Pastor Sony will be able to use the motorcycle to go back and forth between Boyer and Cayes as well as many other places that were difficult for him to reach before. Before Pastor Sony came into the office last week to pick up the motorcycle, RMI’s mechanics had done a thorough inspection and tune up, adding oil and gas to get it ready for the road!
Here he is sitting on the new motorcycle!
Church on the Cape, thanks for supporting RMI and for loving on your Sister Church!
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The RMI Board has been hard at work for 2 days!
We love and appreciate each one of them! They love RMI, guide us, hold us accountable, are wise and insightful. They are very hands on and connected to RMI. We are very grateful for their service to the Lord through being on RMI’s Board.
This is what the Simon Church looks like most every day during the week. Just below the church, the street is busy enough but not terribly crowded and the church yard is empty and the doors are shut unless a service is going on.
But every year, for 5 days in April, it explodes with activity. This activity is because of the MEBSH Annual Convention.
The Convention has a dual purpose; It is a chance for the MEBSH Executive Committee to meet with all the pastors from all over the southern peninsula as well as it is an opportunity to encourage the church as a whole and evangelize the community and even other parts of the world where Radio Lumiere, the radio station associated with MEBSH, is broadcast. Pastors and their wives, deacons, lay leadership and anyone else with the means to come descends on the small community of Simon once a year. They come from just about everywhere; Port au Prince, Morency, Tiburon, Barades, Beaumeau and the list goes on. Local citizens all throughout the area open their homes to the convention guests and can have as many as 50 people sleeping at their house, in their yard and any where else on their property they can find! Vendors and merchants stock up and fill their shelves with lots of extra goodies. People from all over bring their merchandise and set up little makeshift stands all up and down the road. You can find everything from candy to fritay (fried snacks like plantains, veritab and akra), to songbooks and Bibles, to sandals and suits to just about anything in between. The air is electric and commerce is booming.
The first service of the Convention starts on Wednesday night at 6pm. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5am-7am there are prayer services, from 9am-11:30am a Bible study each day and a service from 2pm-4pm which is dedicated on Thursday to the youth, on Friday to the children and on Saturday it is an ordination service for those pastors who have taken and passed their ordination exam while in town for the convention. Every evening from 6pm-9pm there is an evangelistic service. The last service ends on Sunday morning around 11:30am. Tents and benches fill the church yard and several big screens are set up to project the service outdoors for those who can’t find room inside.
Students serve as the ushers and help find seating, direct traffic, sell programs (for 5 gourdes each) and even hand out tickets for the vehicles so that those who drove (some cars and LOTS of motorcycles) can claim their vehicle. Choirs come from MEBSH churches all over the southern peninsula and sing special music. Each year, Pastor Wilfrid (Rob, Becky and Amy’s Creole teacher) writes the convention’s theme song, which he teaches to the congregation, and which is sung throughout the convention. At each evangelism service local phone numbers are broadcast for anyone interested in making a decision for Christ to call and talk with a pastor who will share the gospel with them and many decisions for Christ are made every year. The convention is broadcast on local television stations, on Radio Lumiere all over Haiti and even other parts of the world, and it is streamed on the internet at Radio Lumiere’s internet site. It’s a big deal!
This year’s theme was “Turn Your Face to God” and was based on the scripture Isaiah 42:15. It was estimated that over 16,000 people attended this year’s convention. That’s 16,000 extra people cramming into the small area known as Simon. That’s a lot of people! Every year during the convention, pastors come by the office to visit while they’re in town and this year we had a meeting with them just to go over some things we have been working on.
Many of RMI’s Sister Churches sent choirs; Dame Marie, Cance, Morency, Camp Perrin, Picot, Port au Piment and Beaumeau were all represented this year. At least 15 decisions for Christ were made using the phones and countless others heard the gospel, some for the first time. This year someone very important in the community made a decision for Christ. This can potentially affect the entire community of Cayes in a very real and dramatic way as the Mayor of Cayes was in attendance and accepted the Lord! The community is still rejoicing in this news! Some of the RMI staff housed visitors for the weekend: Rameau said he had more than 45 people at his house (and its not that big of a house!) and Ti Jean said he and his family stayed in 2 rooms and the rest of the house was given over to as many as 40 guests! One of the families who received one of RMI’s Homes for Haiti homes waited to move into their house until after the convention so that they could use their home for visitors. They had more than 30 youth from one of the brigades staying in their new home!
A few months ago, the MEBSH Executive Committee called a meeting with all the missionaries asking us for our input, trying to decide if the convention should even be held this year. In the year since the earthquake so many things had happened, cholera was a big fear and the runoff election results were set to be announced sometime around the time of Convention. With the lack of adequate restroom facilities and good sources of water, the fear was that with the influx of that many people, it was very likely that cholera would make its way into the area. And with the memory of November’s post electoral rioting fresh in everyone’s minds, there were some who questioned the wisdom in having the convention this year. And on top of that the land was dry and in desperate need of rain and everything was dusty. But those fears were unmerited and God, in his wisdom and sovereignty, met each of those needs head on. Days before the convention the election results were given and the country rejoiced. A campaign to educate people on protecting themselves from cholera has proved successful, make shift public restrooms and places to shower were put in place and the Red Cross set up a cholera unit in the church yard just in case they were needed.
And within just a matter of days of Convention, a gentle rain was falling from the sky.
Pastor Maxilorme just left the RMI office with a smile on his face and a check in hand. Its the money Great Valley Presbyterian sent to help their Sister Church at Cance with a project to put fans up in the church. In addition to the few fans the church already has, the new fans will be a blessing as they help circulate the air on those hot Sunday mornings (and many other times) when the church is filled with people!
Pastor Maxilorme said they had a great Easter Service with lots of extra people in attendance. Pray for those who were there who have not yet accepted Christ. Pray that the message of the risen Christ will continue to resonate in their hearts in the coming days and that they will come to a place of repentance and acceptance.
Here Benson stands with Pastor Maxilorme in the RMI yard.
Pastor sent this message to show his gratitude for the generous gift of money for the fans, “Good morning my brothers and sisters. I want to thank you so much for the great partnership we have together. Thank so,so much. We had a great Easter Service yesterday.”
We recently visited the school at Ducis. This is one of the locations which is currently receiving meals as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program. Here are some pics from the visit.
School Director Nesly Joseph and Pastor Anthony Moise
Inside the storage area where the food (and many other things) are stored.
The food is prepared in a large pot called a chodye and is cooked over an open flame.
Pastor Anthony wanted to share this: “We want to say thank you so much for the help you give the children with food. It allows them to have a hot plate of food every day they are at school. This helps them work harder and perform better. This makes us so happy. We are praying that God will fill you all with his blessings.”
You can view all of the photos from that visit in the RMI Picasa Web Album
Through the Hope for Kidz Sponsorship program all of our Sister Churches are making a difference in a real and tangible way. On behalf of all the schools who are receiving food as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program thank you for your continued commitment to RMI, to the Sister Church Program, to the Hope for Kidz program,and to the children of Haiti
Marilyn is hard at work in her office preparing Hope for Kidz packets and the information the Sister Churches need to get all their kids sponsored!
Here Merry (Hope for Kidz Staff) and Ruth (a fellow missionary) are putting the Hope for Kidz Child Profiles together to send out to the US Churches.
The Child Profiles were sent out to the States yesterday and should be arriving in the RMI office in Florida within the next few days. Be on the lookout for your packets along with lots of other great information and promotional materials to arrive within the next few weeks. The Child Profiles have been redesigned and some new promotional materials have been created so we’re excited about sharing them with you. We’re also excited about how the program is expanding and growing.
Here is a great resource to help you promote the Hope for Kidz program within your church. It’s a Power Point presentation designed for you to share with your church and any other potential partners who might be interested in the Hope for Kidz program. You’ll need to sign up for a slideshare account to download the file, but its free and really easy to use. Clicking on the link will take you directly to the file where you can follow the instructions for downloading.
Thanks for all you do for the children here in Haiti through the Hope for Kidz program!
Here are some recent pictures from La Roche au Pont, which is in the Picot district. This is one of the locations which is currently receiving meals as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program.
Inside the kitchen area where the food is prepared.
Treated water is available for the students to drink.
Pastor Jeune stands with the food inside the storage area.
Pastor Jeune said this about the program, “We are happy because of the way you are helping us. We are praying that God will continue to give you good health to continue working, Thank you so much for your help. It is a good work you are doing. Our country needs your help. May God bless you.”
You can view all the pics from this visit on the RMI Picasa Web Album.
Through the Hope for Kidz Sponsorship program all of our Sister Churches are making a difference in a real and tangible way. On behalf of all the schools who are receiving food as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program thank you for your continued commitment to RMI, to the Sister Church Program, to the Hope for Kidz program,and to the children of Haiti.
Gary and the Homes for Haiti staff headed to Leogane early this morning to put up two more houses. They left Cayes around 3am this morning and arrived in Leogane around 7am. They are currently working on one site and will most likely finish the first house and start on the second one this afternoon!.
Here are a couple pictures from a trip two weeks ago. All of the pictures from the week can be viewed in the Reciprocal Ministries Picasa Web Album
The original blog post is here.
Please keep in your prayers the families who are receiving these houses. Please keep the Homes for Haiti staff in your prayers as they work on the houses and for traveling mercies on the road as they return Thursday.
While in Baradere last week, the team visited a town in the Baradere district called Gran Boukan.
To get there we took about a 20-25 minute hike beside the river and through a wooded area along a some times rocky path.
Once there we boarded a motor boat called Welcome Holy Spirit
which led us through a channel
out into the open ocean.
We had about an hour journey across the Caribbean sea until we reached the dock of the ocean side town of Gran Boukan.
There we did a short church service and a few activities with the members before we boarded the boat again, traveled back across the ocean, back into the channel, back onto dry land and took another hike back to the church.
Lots of fun was had! It was a great time of ministry, fun memories were made by all (team and staff alike) and we got to take a little cruise out into the Caribbean to boot!
Keep checking back over the next few days for a full report from the week!
Check out some recent pictures from Bousquette, which is in the distirct of Les Anglais. This is one of the locations which is currently receiving meals as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program.
Pastor Museau and his wife.
The building where the food is stored.
Inside the building.
You can see these and one additional photo in the RMI Picasa Web Album.
The Pastor shared this with RMI Staff member Ti Jean when he was in Bousquette to visit the school, “Everyone in the church wants to say thank you for the support you all give the children with the food you send. We are playing that God will bless you abundantly.”
Through the Hope for Kidz Sponsorship program all of our Sister Churches are making a difference in a real and tangible way. On behalf of all the schools who are receiving food as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program thank you for your continued commitment to RMI, to the Sister Church Program, to the Hope for Kidz program,and to the children of Haiti.
Have you been praying for RMI’s missionaries, national staff and home staff?
In recent weeks the Rob Thompson family have faced a number of issues…5 1/2 yr. old Drew had an issue with a very swollen eye (undetermined cause, but it has happened before); Tessa and Braden have had bouts of fever that come and go; Rob continues to struggle with an undetermined intestinal / stomach ailment that has gone on for over 2 months. Several rounds a different kinds of meds have not taken care of it. The doctor is not sure what the cause is. Pray for their health. Being sick on the field is not fun, especially when the illness drags on and on with no diagnosis.
Several of RMI’s national staff have been ill:
Both Benjamin’s and Benson’s wives are pregnant and have been very sick, requiring stays in the hospital for dehydration.
Marie France and Carline (the Thompson’s cook) have in the hospital due to severe colds and the flu.
Have you been praying?
Recently Rob, Gary and several the national staff took a motorcycle trip over the mountains to check on several Sister Churches, gather reports, etc. During that trip Rob had an accident as he rounded a curve. Thank the Lord that he had a lot of protection on. Besides being shaken up, some road rash and being sore all over, he did not suffer any broken bones or other injuries. He was able to drive the 3 hours home.
Pray for our staff as they travel over unpaved mountain roads and rough terrain to carry out the ministry.
US staff need your prayers too!
This is the season for missions conferences. March 25-27 Dan and Debbie were in Hollywood Community Church in Hollywood, FL. Dan gave a great missions challenge as the opening keynote speaker on Friday the 25th. Throughout the weekend there were opportunities to share at the men’s breakfast, ladies’ luncheon, children’s Sunday School class and during the main service on Sunday the 27th. [One unfortunate event: the RMI vehicle was broken into-window smashed in- and Debbie’s purse was stolen. Thankfully no cash was in her wallet and appropriate steps were taken to cancel cards, etc. Locks at their home and the RMI office have had to be changed since her keys were in her purse.]
The next weekend, April 1-4, Dan and Debbie were in the missions conference at 2nd Cape May Baptist Church of Marmora, NJ. RMI’s Food for Haiti was the theme of the weekend. After Dan’s presentation an 11 yr. old boy asked Debbie if it was ok to give $1 for Food for Haiti. “Of course”, she said. He ran over to the collection jar with his dollar. When he returned she asked him how many meals he’d bought at .12 cents a meal. After calculating it in his head, a huge smile spread across his face as he said, “8!” He thought a moment then said, “Cool!”. The next morning someone showed them a Facebook post that he’d received on his Facebook page. It said, in part
“Went out to dinner with my son tonight, ended up buying over 800 meals. Yes 800!
No lie. After the earthquake in Haiti a hurricane destroyed much of the farms and food supply. An organization called " RMI " has put together a program " Food for Haiti " to help those in need. The food, not money, goes directly to the hungry…”
His friend also gave a link to RMI’s website. The church has committed to collecting 200 cases of food for their Sister Church and the surrounding area. God is good!
This coming weekend, April 8-11, Dan will be at Hope Evangelical Free Church in Springfield, IL then will be traveling straight to Cincinnati and Cleveland, OH for meetings with area churches, donors and organizations. Pray for the many speaking engagements that he has, contacts to be made and for his health (he’s been fighting a bad cold & cough).
That’s 7 days he has been home in 3 weeks!
Haiti needs your prayers!
The elections are finally over and a new president has been announced. The general populace are pleased with the outcome, resulting in no protests or roadblocks and relative peace. The incoming president has no political experience. Pray that he will really have a heart for the people and the ability to bring about the changes that he said he would make. The issues are complex and there are no easy nor quick answers. But a president that is interested in what’s best for his people and not himself can make a lot of difference.
We appreciate your prayers! They are essential and vital to RMI’s missionaries and staff and our ministries. Thank you!
As part of our Hope for Kidz Sponsorship program, we feed Kidz. Lots of Kidz. Each child in the Hot Lunch Program gets a hot meal every day of fortified food. Right now, RMI is unloading a container of 19 tons of this food to be delivered shortly to the schools in the program. We love what we get to do!
Sponsor a child here.
See more pictures here.
Dear Hope Evangelical Free Church family and friends,
Pastor Emmanuel Visne, the pastor at your Haitian sister church in Beaumont, sent a letter to your congregation giving news of the recent activities of his family and of your sister church.
In the letter he shares news of how God protected his daughter during the earthquake and how God is continuing to provide for her now. He tells about his motorcycle accident and his current condition. He also shares news of some construction projects, news of the school, and news of an outreach in which the Beaumont church participated, in which 4676 decisions for Christ were made!
You can read the letter in its entirety here.
We snapped a photo of Pastor Visne with RMI Director Rob Thompson on a recent visit he made to the office.
There are also some additional photos that Gary took while on a motorcycle ride last weekend which can be seen on our Picasa Web Album, here.
It’s amazing to see how God is at work in the Beaumont Church!
