Video communicates it better

It’s difficult to communicate what being on a team to Haiti is like, what kinds of things you see and experience as well as how it affects your life.  It’s hard to show all of that in pictures because you can’t capture the sounds and “feel” of the moment. 
Video is much more effective.  Recently Kristopher King of E Video Productions went with a group from Calvary Baptist Church (Pemberton, NJ) when they visited their Sister Church in Dame Marie.  He spent the week documenting the trip.   Upon returning home he faced the challenge of editing 25 hours of footage and 600 photos. 
Kris has done a great job putting these videos together.  They are broken down into 6 parts, 1 for each day.  Be warned, though…they are not short, but they are worthwhile to watch.  If you want to know what a trip with RMI to Haiti is like, if you want to know what you’ll see, hear and experience or if you have gone on a trip and want to be reminded of the things you went through and what God taught you while you were there – then set aside some time and watch as this team from New Jersey goes to their Sister Church to transform lives ---- and finds themselves transformed in the process.
This is part 1 (10 minutes).

Credit: Kristopher King, E Video Productions

Part 2 can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6o6Hd4gPHg.  21 minutes
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVOQrflp2ts.  15 minutes
Part 4:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYVUzCTWfg.  9 minutes
Part 5:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGKt1K8G5KU.  19 minutes
Part 6:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHI6USC7oL0.  10 minutes
Thank Kris, for this labor of love and your willingness to be used of God.
(We’re going to be featuring this again so those who miss it can have a chance to see it.)

Pastors Meeting 2013

For several weeks now, the Florida office has been unveiling the new RMI strategic plan and marketing materials to the public in order to communicate more effectively who we are and what we are working towards in Haiti. 
Last week here on the field in Haiti, we met with the pastors of our Sister Churches, a couple of the pastors wives, and even pastors from some of the satellite churches in order to do the same unveiling for them.  Forty-five people crowded under our back porch to hear about all the new and exciting ways RMI is growing and the strategic plan we have to lead us into the future. 
It was a great time of sharing with them ; the new plan and strategies were received with much excitement. 
Pastors were introduced to our new staff, Mannou, Frantz, Pierre Rony and Patrick (a former Hope for Kidz staff). These men are being trained as team facilitators and will eventually be leading teams on their own, just as Benjamin, Benson and Perguens do now.  Rob shared a devotion with the group.  He also revealed the new strategic plan to them.  Benjamin talked to the pastors about sister church visits, the good job they’ve been doing, as well as ways they can improve for the future as we work together as a team.  Benson shared with them about the Hope for Kidz program.  Pastors were given a chance to share, ask questions and give feedback.  It was a great time of collaboration as we talked about RMI’s vision for the future and about all God is doing in and through our C3 Partnerships. 

The meeting was closed with a great meal prepared by the Guest House Staff, Madame Ti Jean, Didine, and contract staff Emilye.  (There are no pictures of the meal- we were all too busy eating!)
it was a great day of sharing, listening, and uniting our hearts and minds together, motivating one another towards the future; a future with more partnerships, more kids in school, more hungry folks fed, more houses built, more people serving their community, giving sacrificially, and living out the gospel in tangible and practical ways and most importantly more lives transformed by the power of Christ. 
More pictures from the meeting can be seen here (Do you see your Sister Church Pastor in the crowd?!)

Discipling the Nations

A few months back, the young adults at Crossroad studied the habits of a disciple of Christ.  When they begin planning for the trip to Tiburon, Haiti and for the Youth Conference that would take place, they decided on the same theme; Habits (Abitid in Creole). 
 Monday morning before the team could even finish breakfast youth were already lining up outside the church!  Excitement was in the air.  The team put last minute details in place and opened the doors to the waiting youth; and in they flooded!  Upon registering each attendee was presented a bible.  Over the two days, close to 300 bibles were given out! 
Participants came mostly from the area, including youth from the local Church of God.  When given their bible, they were given the choice of a French or Creole Bible and through out the conference, anytime a scripture was read, volunteers were asked to stand and read out loud, reading from both the French and Creole Bibles.  It was all about getting them into the habit of using the word of God as a tool.  The young folks loved the chance to participate and sometimes raced to be first to the mic.

The youth from TIbruon lead the worship and got the crowd motivated everyday and then the team members led the sessions, each leading one; each talking about how to grow as a Christian and the different aspects of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. 
During the two day conference, the youth were taught six ways to grow as a Christian: Hear God, Read the Bible, Fast and Abstain, Meet with Other Believers, Tithe, and Serve One Another.  They were also given some practical applications for each of the six habits. 

As part of the conference, Crossroad Church provided lunch to every participant so that all three hundred (plus) young folks had a good meal to keep them strong and energized.

Before the conference started on Monday, the team spent the weekend hanging out with their Sister Church Family, meeting with the Pastor, visiting some of the kids they sponsor in the area, and visiting a satellite church not far from the church itself.  For Pastor Lance, Crossroad’s Pursue/Go {Missions} Pastor, as well as some of the other team members who had never been to Haiti with RMI, it was a chance to better understand the partnership, to see the ministry in action, and to fall in love with their Haitian brothers and sisters in Tiburon. 

The rest of the pictures from the week can be seen here.