And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:20

                                The Orphans Promise Team with Prit and John

An eleven-member team from Orphans Promise Ministry stormed Haiti on Saturday and Rehoboth Ministries will never be the same! Sunday, the team ministered in the morning service of our mother church in Petite-Anse. In spite of the sweltering Caribbean heat which left our guests looking as if they’d gone for a swim instead of attending church, we had one powerful service! Richard and Linda Baker (longtime supporters) shared from their hearts the vision God laid heavily on them for Haiti’s children. Abigail Anderson (a representative of Orphans Promise) greeted our people as well while Marguerite Evans (from CBN) and other members of the team ministered to the sick. Afterwards, we drove directly to Cormier Plage to unwind. There, the team saw a beautiful part of Haiti and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the beach.

Richard and Linda Baker feeding our school children

Monday morning we were back at the compound to hold a dedication service for the new kitchen and to observe the feeding program in action. After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Richard and Linda Baker handed out plates of food to over 1,000 students, staff, and cooks. The Bakers alone have supplied Rehoboth Ministries with a whole year’s supply of food for our schools while Orphans Promise built our beautiful kitchen. These unspeakable gifts and the love displayed by this team will be replayed in the hearts and minds of our people for a long time to come. After the dedication of the kitchen and a quick lunch, John took several team members to visit the Citadelle – one of Haiti’s national treasures.

Abigail Anderson (Orphans Promise) with two of our school kids

The trip ended quicker than it began and we are now left to savor the memory of wonderful fellowship and times of laughter with our friends from afar. We are incredibly grateful to Orphans Promise and to the Bakers for gracing us with their generosity. Lifeline Ministry also provided a shipment of nutritious food for our students in order to hold us over until we receive a big shipment for next year’s program. Unfortunately, Donna Webb (Operations Manager/CFO at Children’s Lifeline) and Boss Osmy (whose ministry trained our cooks through Children’s Lifeline in Archaie, Haiti) were not able to get a flight into Cap-Haitian and join us for this very special occasion.

As you can see, it took many people to bring this miracle to pass. But, we do not forget the many supporters who began making pledges to give into our feeding program from the beginning. After the program came to a standstill, Pastor Dick and Sandra Stark (Faith Temple, Alexander City, Alabama) and their assembly started giving to help us get it up and running again. Then, there were others like Pastor Matt and Becky Garret (Moncure Baptist Church, Moncure, North Carolina) who said, “As long as you have a feeding program, we will support it.” These and countless others began to send donations in to help our children. Still, it wasn’t enough to pay for the massive amounts of food that would be consumed by our students, staff, and cooks, not to mention making payroll.

Emptied Plates + Full Stomachs = ZERO Hunger

A very special thanks to Terry Meeuwsen, founder of Orphans Promise, who insisted that our schoolchildren needed to eat five days a week. A tremendous burden has rolled off our shoulders. The parents of these schoolchildren echo their profound thanks to everyone involved in this massive undertaking. As I explained to Richard and Linda, “You not only fed each child here, but you lifted a weight off the rest of their family back home.” What a privilege it is to team up with some of God’s choicest servants. Thanks to the help of many friends, all our students ate and were satisfied.