Recent visit to Boyer, Haiti…

Here are some pictures from a trip out to Boyer Church on April 27, 2010. This is the Sister Church of Church on the Cape in Wilmington, NC.

Rob

Visit to Boyer Apr 27 2010

A Visit to Picot

This is a video I shot this past Saturday out a Picot Church.  You will see a quick pan of the Church site, some singing from some ladies in the church for their Sister Church, Trinity Bible Church in Lafayette, LA, and also a greeting to them from Pastor Calixte.

Rob

Little RMI missionaries

Raising up little RMI missionaries….don’t you love it?!

(Tessa and Drew Thompson at their new home in Haiti.)

Cherette Church Visit…

We visited Cherette Church on Saturday, April 24.  Here are some pictures.

Rob

Maniche Church Visit…

We visited Maniche Church on Saturday, April 24.  Here are some pictures.

Rob

Les Rois Church Visit…

We visited Les Rois Church and School on Saturday, April 24.  This is one of the Satellite churches in the Picot district.  Here are some pictures.

Rob

Picot Visit

We visited Picot Church on Saturday, April 24.  Here are some pictures.

Rob

Rob & Becky Thompson have arrived in Haiti!

April 8 Rob, Becky, Drew, Tessa and Braden Thompson arrived in Haiti! It is so great to have them there. (They got there exactly 1 month to the day after their container arrived and was unpacked into their home.) They have been settling into their new home – which means doing repairs, fixing roof leaks, putting up ceiling fans, unpacking their many boxes and bins, setting up furniture and figuring out where everything goes. The kids are having a blast. They love it there and are already using the Creole words and phrases that they’d learned these past months. You can follow their adventures on their blog here. (You can find out what a cane spider is and how many tarantulas they’ve encountered so far.)

They will be starting language study next week. That will be their main job description for the next 2-3 months. Pray that their minds clear be like sponges, soaking it all up, and that they will have clarity of thought. Pray also for the many adjustments they are having to make in this new life.

By the way, it’s pretty cool that they are living in what used to be our (the Dan Shoemaker family) house for 25 years. There are so many memories (for us) in that house...and now they will make their own memories in the same house. Its so exciting.

1st Container of Homes Ordered!

We have ordered our first container of homes!! It's a big step of faith. Each container holds 30 homes. Right now we have 15 homes paid for. Spread the word! Pray! We need 15 homes to finish this container!

The brochure has arrived and is being mailed this week. If you are not on our mailing list, let us know so we can get you a brochure (or more if you want!) to help you share this exciting opportunity!

Hot off the Press!

Homes for Haiti promotional video.

Feel free to use the video to share about Homes for Haiti. Thank you to David Uttley of Luminescent Images who went to Haiti with Dan to make this video! Dan and David grew up together in Haiti many years ago.

For $4,400 you can provide a Home for a devastated Haitian family. It will be culturally relevant; it will give them security; it will give them a sense of normalcy so they can move on with their lives; it will give them Hope for tomorrow! You can learn more here.

Jules has had his operation

Our dear friend and coworker, Jules Gedna, has had his bone marrow transplant. It was his own marrow that was harvested in December. He has nausea, diarrhea and headaches, but that is lessening little by little. He is in isolation due to his weakened system and can receive limited visitors. As he feels better, his spirits are lifted. It is up to God to heal and work in his body now. Pray for him as he recovers!

Introducing….Homes for Haiti

With so many displaced people in Haiti, what can YOU do to help? What can you do that will enable families to begin to rebuild their lives? What would be culturally relevant, give families a sense of normalcy, and security as well as give them dignity?

RMI is excited to introduce you to Homes for Haiti, our Transitional Homes Program. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians who are homeless need more than tents or temporary shelters as they face the rainy season and hurricane season. The refugees that left Port-au-Prince for the countryside need Transitional Homes as well. The families and friends that took them in were struggling to survive before these extra people arrived! To help them truly begin to re-build their lives, they need a home of their own – one that they can trust to not fall down around their heads, one that will give them security and safety, one that will give them a sense of normalcy AND dignity.

RMI consulted national Christian leaders to determine what features would best meet Haitians’ needs. These features were identified by them as being key elements to providing a culturally relevant structure that will enable these very traumatized families to feel some stability, security, and at home.

The Transitional Homes that we are building will do all of that and more. RMI’s Transitional Homes meet or exceed the requirements of the International Hurricane and Earthquake Building Code. The 10 ft x 20 ft home on a concrete slab will have a small porch added to the front as they spend much of their time outside the house. It will have 2 locking doors so they will feel secure as well as have 2 ways of egress from the house. There will be 2 locking windows for light, air flow but also security.

It will give jobs to Haitians as well since we will be using Haitian labor for our production site and assembly team. We are working at hiring several of the newly handicapped that now have new prosthetics as part of our labor team. However we are needing individuals and teams from the US to assist in assembling the homes onsite. RMI will be working with these same national leaders to determine the recipients and sites for these homes.

Each transitional home costs $4400. This cost includes: prefabrication, shipping to Haiti, concrete slab, transportation, labor, placement, assembly in place, follow-up, and a Haitian Bible for every family.

2 ways you can be vitally involved:

1) YOU CAN BE A PROVIDER OF A HOME! You can cover the cost of a home, or you can help with a part of a home.

2) YOUR CHURCH OR GROUP CAN BE A PROVIDER! Ideas of groups who can provide a house: * A church can commit to provide several houses. * A Sunday School class or Bible study group can provide a house. * A business can collect funds to provide a house. * Civic organizations such as a Rotary Club, the Elks or Lions can raise funds for several houses. * Foundations, schools, etc. It is limited to your imagination.

We need your help to make this happen!! We have to have 25 houses ordered in order for us to get our first shipment. Can you provide a house? Can your church provide a house? We want to have our first order placed by the end of April. We already have orders for 5 houses. We need 20 more to place that first order!

And teams, did we say we needed teams to help assemble the homes at their sites? Modular assembly will be done at the Retreat Center, then taken to the site. Several homes can be assembled in one day! What an awesome chance to “get your hands dirty” and your whole body engaged in the Lord’s work ministering to hurting Haitian families!!

You can donate: 1. Online via www.rminet.org, RMI’s website. 2. Send a check to RMI designated “Homes for Haiti”.

For more information (to schedule a team, join another team, get brochures to promote the program, etc.) call 239-368-8390, email us at kim.rose@rminet.org, or visit our website at www.rminet.org.

RMI’s “Homes for Haiti” is not just providing shelter. You are providing a “Home today for Haiti’s Tomorrow”! Let’s meet this urgent need together!

What can 1 person do?

With so many displaced people in Haiti, what can YOU do to help?

What can you do that will enable families to begin to rebuild their lives?

What would be culturally relevant, give families a sense of normalcy, security as well as give them dignity?

RMI has researched those questions and we have an exciting answer!

Stay tuned!!

Learning Haitian Creole for FREE…

Haitian Creole Software BYKI Express now includes all the Deluxe version content! Since the earthquake, BYKI has included all the deluxe content to further the relief effort. Here is the announcement…

Nashua, N.H., January 14, 2010 - In support of the ongoing Haiti relief effort, Transparent Language Inc. is now making its Byki® Haitian Creole language learning software available for free download.
The entire Byki collection of over 2,000 critical Haitian Creole words and phrases, normally available only in the paid Byki Deluxe product, has now been added to the Byki Express software product, which is available at no charge in Windows and Macintosh versions. Byki Express now includes the 10 Quick Start lists of the 100 most useful words and phrases as well as a set of Medical Emergency terminology developed by Voxtec International.
To download the free enhanced Byki Express software for Haitian Creole, visit Byki.com, choose Haitian Creole from the list of available languages and follow the onscreen instructions. In addition Transparent Language has posted all of the Haitian Creole Byki Flash Card lists to Byki.com/List Central for free use online or download.
"The Byki experience has been developed to maximize the amount of material learned for the time spent," says Michael Quinlan, CEO of Transparent Language. "Experience has shown us that relief workers and others will find that they can actually learn a usable amount of Haitian language in transit."

Rob

Rain in Port-au-Prince

“We need to have those sites in order to build something ... better.”

That was the comment of U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes on March 19, 2010. What precipitated that comment was the deluge that over ran a ramshackle tent city on what used to be Port Au Prince’s most exclusive golf course. It had become the refuge for thousands of Haitians who were displaced after the January 11^th earthquake that took an estimated 250,000 lives.

The little village, home to 45,000 people, was engulfed by torrential rains on March 19^th putting the flimsy shelters in peril. Several were swept away by the rushing water. One woman, fearing for her seven children, stayed on one side of the tarp that acted as a wall, trying to keep the water out. "I'm not used to this," she said through her tears. After the sun rose Friday, people used sticks and their bare hands to dig drainage ditches around their tarps and shanties. Marie Elba Sylvie, 50, could not decide whether it was worth repairing damage to her lean-to of scrap wood and plastic.

"It could be fixed but when it rains again it will be the same problem," said the 50-year-old mother of four.

Officials know they must move many of the 1.3 million people displaced by the earthquake before the rainy season starts in earnest in April. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters at the golf course camp Sunday that the people living there were in particular danger.

As the United Nations surveyed the scene, Holmes felt that it was frustrating because they needed the housing sites to construct better housing. Most observers agree that during the rainy season, the greatest need is better housing for those who have found themselves homeless and without resources.

RMI President Dan Shoemaker had recognized the potential problem early on. “Having lived in Haiti for so many years, I knew the rainy season was coming. I could see that the next great crisis would be the tremendous need for transitional housing for these poor folks in the tent cities.

Transitional Homes will be the next great need that RMI will be addressing. As you can see above, the refugees are desperate for something far better than their flimsy lean-to’s. RMI is determined to address this crisis head on. For the last month, the RMI leadership team has been diligently working to come up with answers to that pressing need. They have found several possibilities that would provide durable, cost efficient, but culturally relevant transitional housing for the struggling Haitians. A decision should be made within the next few days. RMI’s desire is to provide “Homes Today for Haiti’s Tomorrow”!

Pray with us as we put together our final plans. We will keep you informed and updated as to how you may impact the lives of our overwhelmed Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ through providing a home for hurting families.

Lost in the Ruins: Haiti’s Best and Brightest

An eye-opening article by Jonathan Katz, found here, tells of yet another challenge that faces Haiti: the loss of a generation of Haiti’s young professionals. It makes you sit back, take a deep breath and say yet another prayer for the future of Haiti. May God provide Christian young people to replace those that have been lost.

Thank you for the encouragement!

"Thank you for helping our congregation at CrossRoad understand that we are called not just to give to the people of Haiti, but to be in relationship with them. Casual giving to soothe our consciences is being replaced by vital action, where our lives are intertwined with our sister church in Tiburon & we now see we have lessons to learn that only they can teach us."

Dennis Owen of CrossRoad UMC, Jacksonville, FL sent us this great word of encouragement. It is affirming to see the essence of RMI’s ministry being grasped and lived out. This is what RMI is all about! Thank you, Dennis.

Sister Church Earthquake Report

Each Sister Church is included in this report which is listed alphabetically.

Abricots Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Yves Renous Mathurin had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Mathurin has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage in Abricot.

4- Several members in the church and in the district lost their kids and family in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Abricot now.

6- Most of the refugees are without clothes.

Anse-a-Veau Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Dieuseul Malbranche had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Malbranche has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage but the old little house below is damaged.

4- Several members in the church lost their kids in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Anse-a-Veau now. Most of them are being fed by the church.

Astruc Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Louinel Guillame had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Louisnel has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church has some cracks on the walls but the parsonage is ok.

4- There are many members in the church that lost their relatives and houses in Port-au-Prince.

Aux Coteaux Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Tatho Romelus had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Tatho has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- No damage at the church and the parsonage but the roof of the school is damaged.

4- A few members in the church lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Coteaux now.

Baraderes Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Leon Bonhomme had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Bonhomme has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage in Baraderes

4- Several members in the church lost their kids and family in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Baraderes now. Most of them are being fed by the church.

Beaumont Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Emmanuel Visene had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Emmanuel has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church but the parsonage is got some cracks.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Beaumont.

Boyer Baptist Church

1- Pastor Louis Sony Nairjuste’s daughter died. Her name was Sonithe. She was 32 years old. She was a business woman and a very strong Christian her father reported.

2- Pastor Sony has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage in Boyer.

4- Some members in the church lost their kids in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Boyer now. Very few of them are being fed by the church.

6- Most of the refugees are homeless.

Camp Perrin Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Borgelin had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Borgelin has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees, and most of them are being fed by the church.

Cance Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Maxilorme Moise had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Moise has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees.

Chambellan Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Benoit had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Benoit has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage to the church and the parsonage in Chambellan.

4- Several members in the church lost their kids in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Chambellan now. Most of them are being fed by the church

6- Most of the refugees are without clothes.

Cherette Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Bientot Salomon had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Bientot has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage but the kindergarten school is damaged

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their kids and relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Cherette.

Corail Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Predelma Dor had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Jean has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church is damaged but the parsonage is ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees Corail.

Dame Marie Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Saint Julien Hyppollite had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Saint Julien has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage have many cracks.

4- There are many members in the church that lost their kids and relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Dame Marie.

Ducis Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jacques Anthony Moise had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Moise has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- There was no damage at the church and the parsonage.

4- There are members in the church that lost their kids in Port-au-Prince.

La Colline Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jacques Destin Dorval had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Dorval has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok but the outhouse and a small house in the yard have big problems.

4- There are members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in La Colline.

Les Anglais Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Marc Dieuseul Jean-Pierre had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Marc has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Les Anglais.

Les Irois Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Sainprival had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Jean has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church, parsonage and school are ok.

4- There are members in the church that lost their kids and relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Les Irois now. Most of them are being fed by the church.

6- Most of the refugees are without clothes.

Maniche Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Enock Jean had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Jean has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees.

Morency Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord Pastor Robert Brunache had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Robert has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees, most are being fed by the church.

Pestel Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord Pastor Sildreric Arisma had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Sildreric has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church is ok but the parsonage has a big problem.

4- There are members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Pestel.

Picot Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Calixte Dorval had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Calixte has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There 4 families in the church that lost their kids and relatives and their lost houses in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are some refugees in Picot.

Port-A-Piment Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Yvon Vertu had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Yvon has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are 8 families in the church that lost their kids and relatives in Port-au-Prince.

Port Salut Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Jean Edert Pierre had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Jean has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their relatives in Port-au-Prince.

Tiburon Baptist Church

1- Praise the Lord, Pastor Oland Lundy had no children die in the earthquake.

2- Pastor Lundy has no house damage in Port-au-Prince.

3- The church and the parsonage are ok.

4- There are a few members in the church that lost their kids and relatives in Port-au-Prince.

5- There are a lot of refugees in Tiburon now. Most of them are being fed by the church.

Notes for the week

#1 – The power is back on at the RMI office in Ft. Myers! We are so thankful for it taking less than a week!!

#2 – Dan and Kim are in Haiti this week. They are researching the next phase of RMI’s relief efforts, transitional housing. They will be meeting with several key people and committees for rebuilding. This is Kim’s first trip to Haiti, so he will have a great opportunity to not only assist in this but be able to meet RMI’s Haiti staff, get to know RMI’s field and see our facilities. It’ll help give him a much better understanding of how things work there.

Pray that they will be able to get appointments with the right people, that RMI would find favor in the sight of these people and committees and that God will give them clear direction.

More details will follow once plans for this effort are finalized! Stay tuned!!

Flooding in Cayes…

RMI Missionary Amy Long wrote…

“From RMI Missionary Amy Long...Please pray for us here in Haiti- Don't know about in other parts of the country but its been pouring here in Cayes since about 9am- the river is overflowing its banks, there's substantial flooding down in the valley below the mission center and houses with water in them. And my heart is breaking for the people living in the Tent City downtown...its in a soccer field and its a very low lying area.”

Keep Praying…

Rob