Complicated but great weekend

We had a great but complicated weekend! Driving 2 vehicles Dan & I visited college friends, Rich and Crissy Greete, in Lecanto Friday (who knew there was a Lecanto, FL?..it’s very small – in central Florida’s horse country). Saturday midday we attended a surprise 50th wedding anniversary celebration for friends in Dunellon (Again – who knew there was a Dunellon, FL?, it’s about 30 minutes away from Lecanto).

I don’t know how they did it, but this 50th celebration & renewal of vows was kept a surprise from our friends, Stan and Joyce Romano!  It was very special to see all the people (60 or so) from the many eras of their lives and to hear of their steadfast love for each other and for our Lord.  They have served each other and the Lord so outstandingly for so long.  May we be able to do the same!!

Dan and I are only half way there!  Our 26th anniversary was in March.  God bless you, Stan and Joyce!

Saturday p.m. we went to Ocala for a supper Haiti gathering. Sunday we shared Homes for Haiti with new Sister Church, Christ Community. They raised enough money for 2 homes!!!  (And this is a small, fairly new church!)

After a Haiti lunch, Dan drove north on 75 to Chattanooga to deliver Rob Thompson's van to one of their supporters who bought it. He then flew to Dallas and will be home tonight.

I drove south on 75 to see Dawn perform with Trinity's drama team at her church in the Tampa area. We had a nice Thai supper and I slept with her in the dorm. After breakfast out, I continued on home. It was definitely weird making that trip with Dan, but not with him and then each of us going in the opposite direction on 75 away from each other!

It was great to be with everyone!

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 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. It’s 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.

Homes for Haiti from Luminescent Images on Vimeo.

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!