Report of Tropical Storm Isaac Damage to our Partnership Communities…

We have now been in contact with almost all of our Partnership Churches, Schools and Communities.  With the various terrain here, mountains, valleys, plateau’s, and low lying areas, as well as the location of rivers and ocean shorelines, the damage was quite varied from place to place.  The rain continued for long periods after the “eye” of Tropical Storm Isaac passed.  Extended periods of rain always causes problems.   Gardens are so quickly damaged.  Here are the reports.  Further information will be collected as we are able, and will certainly be available upon request.

Please join with us in praying for the Haitian people!

Abricot - It rained a lot. but no damage.

Anse d’Hainault - A lot of wind but everything is fine.

Anse-à-Veau – Everything is ok.

Astruc - Only crop damage because it rained a lot.

Aux Coteaux - Everything is fine, no damage.

Baradères - Pastor has reported significant flooding in the town.  The road to Baradere is cut off. Many people had to evacuate to other areas, and some have lost animals.  As far as we know, there has been no loss of human life.  The pastor’s house is currently a shelter for about 45 people.  8 families plus his own.  3 of these families lost animals, and 2 of these families lost their rice crop.

Beaumont - Only crop damage.

Boyer – Everything is fine.

Camp-Perrin - Rained a lot, but everything is ok.

Cance - No problems.

Chambellan – Chambellan Church are doing well, but Satellite Church, Source Chaude, has reported major damage.  3/4 of the roof of the Church blew off in the wind and it is the same for the parsonage of that Church.  They had a large mud slide in the area as well.  Crop damage has been reported.

Chardonette - It rained a lot and they have experienced crop damage and loss of animals.

Cherette - They lost a lot of Bananas, and garden.

Corail – Everything is fine.

Côte-de-Fer - Pastor Robin is not in the area due to his wedding, but we were able to be in touch with a church member. We are told the town was flooded, with water inside houses, but not inside the church property, church, or Pastor’s home. Some members in the church were affected by the flood. There were no animals lost, but there was crop damage, specifically plantain trees. These plantain trees came down with the wind.

Dame-Marie – No damage.

Desriveaux – Unable to reach pastor at this time.

Ducis – 3 families lost their gardens.

Fon Deron – Crop damage.

La Colline – Unable to reach pastor at this time.

Les Anglais - The river is so high trucks cannot cross it and some crop damage.  Everything else is ok.

Les Irois – No problems.

Lièvre – There is some crop damage and a few families lost their gardens.

Maniche - A lot of crop damage, especially plantains.  Many trees are down and road is very difficult now to get to Maniche.

Morancy – Unable to reach pastor at this time.

Pestel - The Pastor at Pestel Church said that the storm hit the area pretty bad. Houses fell down, loss of animals, and many families stayed in the church during the weekend.  The Church fed them and they're still looking for help from the pastor and the deacons. For the families that lost their houses they'll have no place to go.

Petit-trou – Crop damage reported.

Picot – Some crop damage, but they are doing well.

Port-à-Piment - The pastor at Port a piment Church said that the town was flooded, water got into many family’s homes. They have many supplies that got wet, like beds, food and other supplies.  No loss of houses, animals or people.

Port-Salut - It rained a lot in Port-Salut. The town was flooded and some Church families lost their animals, houses and crops. Over 30 people stayed at the Church and they're still at the Church right now at this moment. They're being fed by the Church.  

Now their biggest concern is that school will start in early October.  These families affected the most are going to really struggle without gardens or animals.  They seem to have no hope for  this coming school year.  They have no place to stay since their homes were nocked down.

Source Baptiste – It rained a lot, but things are ok.

Tiburon – No damage.

Information collected by the RMI Team.

Provisional Report on Tropical Storm Isaac Damage…

Reports are coming in from our Sister Churches.  As additional reports comes in, we will post them.

General Statement - Tropical Storm Isaac passed to the East of all of our Partnership Communities.  The heaviest wind and rain was on the East of the storm (toward Port au Prince).  Therefore, our Partnership Communities were spared from more serious damage.  Of course, this means that many to our East were hit, especially those living in tent/shack communities still from the earthquake.

Having said this, after the eye of the storm passed, heavy rains fell throughout the South, Grand Anse, and Nippes regions, the regions where our Partnership Communities are located.  We are hearing reports of swollen rivers, and the flooding of the most vulnerable low lying areas.  Higher and generally less vulnerable areas have not been affected.

Baradere – Pastor has reported significant flooding in the town.  The road to Baradere is cut off. Many people had to evacuate to other areas, and some have lost animals.  As far as we know, there has been no loss of human life.  The pastor’s house is currently a shelter for about 45 people.  8 families plus his own.  3 of these families lost animals, and 2 of these families lost their rice crop.

Cotes de Fer -  Pastor Robin is not in the area due to his wedding, but we were able to be in touch with a church member.  We are told the town was flooded, with water inside houses, but not inside the church property, church, or Pastor’s home.  Some members in the church were affected by the flood. There were no animals lost, but there was crop damage, specifically plantain trees.  These plantain trees came down with the wind.

You can read a “initial report from the Haitian Government by region” here.  Geographic notes:  Comments for the South, Grand Anse and Nippes are related to our Partnership Communities.  “Petit-Trou” is 20 minutes from Anse au Veau.  Some of our Partnership Communities are mentioned. 

To see an interactive map with everything related to RMI, including the path of Isaac, click here.

Again, as other reports come available, they will be posted.

Rob

RMI has mobilized to provide aid in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaac

RMI is already mobilizing to provide immediate relief in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaac. Due to our 30 plus years of experience with hurricanes, we know what the impact will be on the south of Haiti therefore we are working on a preemptive basis. Also, we know that many churches will be interested in helping with relief, thus we want to inform you of RMI’s relief plan so that leadership can be discussing possible involvement, even over this weekend. Check out the following post on CNN this morning (Friday).

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/24/us/tropical-storm-isaac/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

Right now the center of the proposed path takes it ashore at our base of operations in Les Cayes and is supposed to go right over the southern peninsula, impacting the majority of areas where RMI and MEBSH minister. This means it will be going right over all of our Sister Churches in Haiti! This tropical storm/hurricane will have hurricane force winds and drench Haiti with 8 to 20 inches of rain. Those living in tents will be severely affected as well as the torrential rain and very high winds will severely impact crops, kill much of their livestock, and limit immediate food availability. Mudslides, major flooding and road washouts can also be expected.

HELP US PROVIDE 2000 CASES OF FOOD TO THOSE IN IMMEDIATE NEED!

Food availability will become a major crisis very quickly as most Haitian families gather and/or buy their food on a day by day basis. Many families will not have food stocked up, their gardens will have been washed away, and even if they have money for food, it will be very hard to get until outside areas are able to send food stocks to the impacted regions. This could take up to several weeks, depending on how badly roads are washed out, when mudslides are cleared away, etc.. Once it does arrive, it will be very expensive and unaffordable to the poor.

Right now we have about 2000 cases of food on the ground for our school hot lunch program. However, our goal is to IMMEDIATELY provide 2000 families with kids with a case of food in the areas that are in the most distress after the passing of the hurricane. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO DO THIS!

Would you help us provide 50 cases at $25 a case (10,800 meals for only $1250) to a Sister Church for distribution? Would your church help provide 100 cases (21,600 meals for only $2500)? Our desire is to be able to provide each of 20 badly impacted Sister Church areas with 100 cases of food each. Unfortunately, we simply can’t give these cases away. We have to be able to replace them for our Hot Meal program. By faith we are already ordering 2 more containers to replace these cases. So the more money we raise, the more cases we are able to provide. We are also looking into getting a container quickly for longer term aid.

If you are not able to give toward 50 or 100 cases, any amount ($25 sponsors a case of food) will help and will go toward this relief response. Thank you for whatever amount you can give! (Donations under 50 cases will be directed to the neediest areas. 50 cases or more can be designated for specific areas.)

You can give by clicking the “Donate Now” button on this email. You can go to our website (www.rminet.org) and donate. Or you can send a check written out to RMI, and sent to: 5475 Lee Street, Suite 301, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971.

FYI: The pre-prepared packets are a packet of rice-based food that, when cooked, will provide 6 meals full of all the vitamins, minerals, and protein needed to combat malnutrition and hunger. It looks and tastes like Chicken Rice-A-Roni. It provides far more nutrition than simply rice and beans. A case of these packets contains 216 meals, enough to provide a family of 6 a good meal a day for a month. The cost is less than .12 A MEAL or $25 a case. This simply helps us to cover our costs of acquiring the food, shipping, customs, transportation, and distribution.

If you have any questions, please call the office at 239-368-8390.

8,000+ miles later

Do the Thompsons look happy to be heading home or what?! Their summer deputation took them through 19 states and 8,000+ miles. They really enjoyed their time visiting friends, family and supporters. They presented their ministry many times, had a little bit of time to enjoy a swimming pool or two and tried some new foods in Louisiana. The kids did great visiting in many homes, meeting new friends and traveling long distances. They returned to Haiti today, August 20. Pray for them as they return, that their transition back home will be smooth. Watch for a full report on their BLOG and Facebook.

A Beautiful Reunion of Friends

Two-thousand-and-five. That’s the last time the Village Church had come to visit their Sister Church in Ducis. For a variety of reasons they hadn’t been able to visit Haiti. But in 2012, they knew it was time to return and both churches were extremely excited about being reunited.

The VIllage Church Ladies, Angie, Linda, Connie, and Danielle, with Madame Pastor Moise.

Monday afternoon the team had already been in Ducis for 3 days. Team members John and Connie sat and chatted in the church yard with some of the kids after a meeting. As they chatted, an young lady appeared at the gate and proceeded to head straight for them. She walked with intention and had a big grin on her face. “I recognize that face…who is that?”, Connie said out loud. At that same moment, John’s gaze settled on the young woman and right away he knew who she was. “Katelyn!”, he exclaimed. And they ran towards each other and embraced. It had been 7 years since they had seen one another. Connie too ran to her and they hugged. It had been so long and yet they had not forgotten.

On Friday August 3, a team of twelve left their homes in Chicago to spend a few days with their Sister Church in Ducis, Haiti. Saturday, when the team arrived at Ducis, whether they had been before of were here for the first time, they were greeted like family. Warm hugs and kisses and lots of smiles filled the church yard. For those visiting for the first time, they felt immediately at ease. For those returning, they felt immediately at home.

The week was filled with the traditional RMI Sister Church activities; the Deacons Meeting, Ladies Tea, Hope for Kidz meeting and Sunday evening service. And in additional to those activities, the team hosted a men’s meeting, took a tour of the local market, visit two satellite churches, and spent Wednesday morning visiting shut ins and widows, delivering a box of food for them and praying with them.

At the Ladies tea, it was a reunion of the ‘sisterhood’. They worshiped and prayed together, ate together, and even had balloon races. It was a riot to see the little elderly ladies running down and trying with all their might to pop those balloons. Everyone had a great time! The Village Church ladies asked the ladies of Ducis for specific prayer requests (whether ministry related or personal) and before the meeting ended they shared in a time of prayer. It was a beautiful way to end their time together.

The ladies of the Village Church praying for the ladies of Ducis church.

The men’s meeting had a similar format to the ladies tea. They shared a message, some songs, refreshments and then they engaged the men in balloon races. Again, laughter ensued as the men tried with all their might to pop those balloons. There wasn’t a solemn face in the room.

The men from the “Kaleb” group (the men’s group) in Ducis.

Monday and Tuesday morning, despite the rain, the team was able to visit two of the of satellite churches in the Ducis district. They were welcomed with open arms and even invited back to one of the Pastors house’s (his house wasn’t located on the church property) where the team was offered coconuts. It was a fun experience for all; some of whom have never had fresh coconut before.

Danny, Pasquale and Danny going for it!

The team also spent a lot of time playing with the kids; football, basketball, and jacks. And they even learned a new game called “Lago”; which required guessing in which hand was the rock, and then chasing after the kids if you chose incorrectly.

Some of the girls playing jacks. These girls were pros!

It was a great week for the team, being reunited with their Haitian brothers and sisters and the team has already challenged themselves to keep in contact with their sister church and visit on a more regular basis. Even though seven years had passed in between visits, God’s presence was evident and the bond was clear. This was a relationship who ties couldn’t be broken. God reminded us that He is a redeemer of all things including relationships and what man would consider lost time.

(Right) Jeff met his sponsored child and encouraged her to continue working hard in school.
(Middle) Angie was hanging out with the kids, laughing, and playing games.
(Left)Danny met the girl his parents have sponsored for many years. She is the Pastor’s daughter.

Hope for Kidz Hot Meal Program: Ready for Another Year

What do the numbers 1260, 45360, 181440, 42322, 21.16 all have in common?

The 2,763 children who will be fed every day during the week as part of the Hope for Kidz Hot Meal Program.

1,260= the number of boxes of food
45,360= the number of packs of nutritionally balanced, rice based food in those boxes
181,440= the combined number of meals all of those packs can provide
42,322= the number of pounds of food
21.16= the number of tons of food being provided

The container was delivered to Cayes early this morning and a group of men set to work unloading the large truck. In total thirteen men spread themselves out and formed a chain, each passing a box of food to the next until it reached its final destination inside the office where the food is stored. There the food will be stored until it is delivered to the participating schools. The number of schools receiving food has increased from 12 to 13. Deliveries start on September 2 in preparation for the school year, which starts on October 1.

(Above) Container at the former RMI Office, which is now used as storage for this food.

(Below) The guys working as a team to get the container unloaded quickly and safely.

In the container, the guys move the food from the front to the back….then they pass it to the guys on the ground….

who pass it to the guys in the first room……

who pass it to the guys in the back room where the food finally reaches its destination.