Happy 213th Birthday, Haiti!

There are many ways to bring in the New Year. Each country has their traditions and within each country, each family has their own way of celebrating. For Americans, the New Year frequently involves a party or gathering and fireworks...lots and lots of fireworks.

For Haitians, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day has an entirely different meaning. Jan. 1 is their Independence Day. Their preparations would have begun yesterday by going to the market to gather the ingredients, the meat (usually chicken, beef or goat), the many veggies (Haitian pumpkin-more like a squash than an American pumpkin, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, root veggies like yanm and patat, parsley, celery, parsnip, turnips and others), spices (salt, pepper, scotch bonnet peppers, nutmeg to name a few) and the noodles.

The meat will be marinated for several hours and the cooking will begin tonight. Preparing it will be a family affair with everyone pitching in. Families will gather and spend a fun evening and night together as the giant pot of soup cooks.

When it is done, about 3, 4 or 5 a.m., they will all sit down and "drink" their soup. {In Creole you don't EAT soup, you DRINK it.} There is great symbolism in being able drink this pumpkin soup. [We actually call it "Independence Stew".]

As slaves in the 1700's, they prepared this delicacy for their French masters but they were not allowed to have any themselves. After they revolted and declared their independence on Jan. 1, 1804,, they made the soup and relished being able to drink it. Thus, drinking pumpkin soup, or soup joumou (pronounced joo-moo), symbolizes their freedom.

A Miami Herald article expresses it well. "For Haitians, this aromatic meal steeped both in tradition and vegetables is as much about celebrating the future as it is about paying homage to the past. New Year’s Day also happens to be Haiti’s Independence Day, which took place 213 years ago on Jan. 1, 1804."  You can read the rest of the article HERE.

One Last Word

Only 1 1/2 days left in this year. It's hard to imagine but this year is almost over. Would you prayerfully consider making a year-end tax-deductible donation to RMI's ministry? Help us end the year with a boost that enables us to continue to transform lives through partnerships, food aid, child sponsorships, water filters, homes, goats, and so much more! Give a boost to one of RMI's missionaries and appointees! Or perhaps give a boost to RMI operations. Your donation can make a difference. You can give online HERE.

A Haitian Christmas Tradition

A Haitian Christmas tradition are the "fanals". Fanals are miniature, lantern-like homes that are part of Haiti's Christmas tradition. A candle placed inside illuminates the fragile craft and creates a stained-glass effect. The size of either a shoe box or as small as a camera, fanals are often placed in windows to light the way. Many fanals emulate Haiti's yesteryear -- chiefly, the gingerbread homes, an architectural style prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Creole word “fanal” meaning a ‘beacon’ such as a lighthouse beacon or a ‘lantern’ like an old railroad lantern has been applied to the cardboard and colored tissue paper luminaries made by Haitian artists at Christmas. These creations are so striking and memorable that they have more or less taken over the word "fanal". These are most often seen and sold in Port-au-Prince.

Some fanals are simple small houses, while others are larger and more elaborate houses like the one in the picture above.

Some are replicas of specific Haitian monuments like this one.  This monument is located in downtown Port-au-Prince not far from the National Palace.

This fanal is an elborate replica of the National Palace (before the 2010 earthquake).

This is a fanal artist selling his creations.  He’s created some in the form of houses and some in the form of churches.

Fanals are a fun, festive part of a Haitian Christmas.

The Angels are singing

The angels are rejoicing and singing.  Why?  Because 57 people recently gave their lives to Christ in an open air service in Dame Marie, Haiti.  Because 57 people’s lives were transformed that night. 

Pastor Guy Glass of Myakka City, FL was in Dame Marie with his church, Bethany Baptist Church, visiting their C3 partner church.  Each time they visit they hold an open air service in the town square for the people of the community, but this time the deacons took them to an entirely new area.  The service drew quite a crowd.  Pastor Guy shared his sermon through an RMI staff translator, sharing the plan of salvation at the end.  As he prepared to give the invitation, he turned to the visiting team and asked them to pray.  At first it seemed like no one was going to respond.  Then one man came forward.  Then another.  A couple more people came forward, then several more and by the end of time, 57 people had come forward to give their lives to Christ. 

Pastor Guy and the team shared that it was an amazing time – and how overwhelmed they were at the response!  God answered their prayers in a big way.

It was especially encouraging that the next day 54 of those 57 people who came forward showed up at the church to begin their follow-up and discipleship classes.  These folks were serious about their commitments!  And the deacons of the church got right to work.

We at RMI are humbled and excited to be a part of the big picture of transforming lives in Haiti…. lives in Haiti and lives of people on teams. 

One team member recently shared…

“Throughout the trip, teams members and others often asked me if I would come back to Haiti. My answer was always the same: "Ask me when the trip is over." During our time there, I was fairly certain that I would never, and I mean NEVER, do this again. But in retrospect, I realize that God, through moments of great joy and great heartbreak that we all witnessed, changed my heart and my head while in Haiti. I cannot deny the blessings that God has poured out on me since coming home, and I KNOW it is because I did what He wanted me to do. In short, I will definitely be back.”

It’s very special to be a part of God’s work.

Deworming through Hope for Kidz!

The Hope for Kidz (HFKz) Deworming Initiative is one of my favorite times of the year!  It's may be just a small part of our HFKz child sponsorship program, but it has a huge impact. A small portion of the sponsorship funds covers this program. The exciting part is that it doesn't just effect the individual sponsored child, but we are able to treat every child in every HFKz school. We hope and pray that this enables all the students at each school to have improved health and therefore be better equipped to learn! This year, we've been able to include 15,365 people in this program!

Intestinal worms is always an ongoing health issue here in Haiti, yet prevention training and treatment is not complicated! Kids who have intestinal worms generally have poor nutrition (as the worms rob them of any vitamins they ingest), malaise and weakness, chronic cough, lack of focus and concentration and overall poor health. You can imagine how this affects a child's ability to learn and thrive in a school setting!

This past week, we hosted all the HFKz school directors at our office for a general HFKz meeting as well as the annual training and medication distribution for the deworming program. We give them educational materials that teach worm prevention (through good hygiene) and ask that each class receive this training each year. In addition, each student and teacher receives a yearly pill that eradicates any infection they may have. We teach each school director how to run a distribution clinic and they are all required to keep a record of each student who receives medication each year. Each school director is sent home with the medication and supplies necessary to ensure each child at each school is treated.

Worm prevention education and one pill a year doesn't sound like much, but it has a huge impact in a child's life and overall health, leading to a child who has an increased ability to learn. If you sponsor a child through the Hope for Kidz program, thank you for your part in this program that not only affects your sponsored child's health, but the health of all kids in his/her school.

To us, that's a win-win!

Becky
Hope For Kidz Liaison

Merry Christmas

A little something different for this Monday.  Instead of a Haitian proverb, here is a Christmas greeting to share with your friends.

"M swete ou yon jwaye Nowèl!" = I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Pronunciation help: "M swe-tay oo yoh ZHWA-ye no-WEL"