“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”–Winston Churchill

Everyone loves the joy of being on the receiving end of a blessing. In all my life, I’ve never heard anyone complain about being the recipient of someone else’s generosity. Have you? At times, we’ve all been blessed in various ways by friends who wanted to make a difference with their giving. Today, we’d like to acknowledge a few of those friends who have recently done just that for Rehoboth Ministries.

Jennifer Steimel is one of those special ladies who finds immense joy in giving to others. Upon learning that my sister was coming to Haiti for Christmas, Jennifer selected some beautiful pieces of jewelry that once belonged to her mother and sent them as gifts for our pastors’ wives. I can assure you that these ladies rarely receive gifts at all, much less gifts as nice as these. They do their best just to make ends meet in providing for their   families. Here is a picture of Madame Pastor Délinx sporting her new jewelry. Thank you Jennifer for  taking the time to make these special ladies feel like queens. They will never forget their Christmas gifts of 2014!

A longtime friend of mine learned that Pastor Lefort’s church was in great need of a piano. The piano which his musicians used for the worship services had more keys that didn’t work than did! Thanks to my high school buddy, they are thrilled to have a decent piano again. Not only did Kay gift us with a piano, but she paid the whole shipping cost all the way from North Carolina to Florida.

Another friend read my recent post about the need to close in our front porch to make it a den. Her heart was touched to help us purchase some new windows and a door. Thanks to Sharon, we will no longer have a draft coming into our house! The windows are in and we’re still waiting on the door. I’ll post the completed work later.

All three of these special ladies understand the truth of Churchill’s words. We make a life by what we give. They also have brought joy to our hearts and to others here in Haiti. A special thanks to all our other friends who regularly give into Rehoboth Ministries. They are our silent partners who keep this ministry afloat while looking neither for fanfare nor recognition. We are blessed to have friends who look beyond their own needs to the needs of others.

Phyllis Kimrey

Recently, Prit and I were tremendously blessed by two friends. Jennifer Steimel and Phyllis Kimrey teamed up and raised $275 for Rehoboth Ministries. Prit and I met Jennifer while visiting my sister in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Jennifer and Mary Ann work together and she was giving a demonstration for a jewelry party for Premier Designs, Inc. at Mary Ann’s home.

In talking with Jennifer, I learned that she sees her role with Premier Designs as an opportunity to help others. More often than not, she donates her proceeds from a jewelry party to a nonprofit organization. Jennifer told me that if I could find a hostess for a jewelry party, she would come do the demonstration and donate the proceeds to Rehoboth Ministries. I knew that I was talking with a very special lady.

Jennifer Steimel

I contacted a longtime friend, Phyllis Kimrey, and asked her if she would be wiling to host a party for Rehoboth Ministries to which I received a resounding, “Yes, absolutely!” Since Phyllis lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, it wasn’t too far of a drive for Jennifer to come. Phyllis invited several of her friends and they had a great party. We are beyond blessed to have these two ladies with such big hearts for friends. I was elated to know that Phyllis would receive some beautiful jewelry for her role as hostess. Instead of keeping the jewelry, however, she chose to give it away to some of our Haitian ladies as a gift. When my sister comes to visit us at Christmas, she will come bearing gifts from Phyllis.

Would you like to host a party for Rehoboth Ministries? As long as you’re within driving distance from Jacksonville, Jennifer will come and has promised to give her part of the proceeds to Rehoboth Ministries. We thank the Lord for such wonderful and selfless friends!

Prit and I want to sincerely thank Pastor Mike and Mary Chatt and the members of Rock Church for making it possible for us to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Haiti. Even though Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Haiti, Rock Church provided a huge turkey with all the trimmings in order to make our day special. It’s so nice to be remembered when you’re far away from home.

Also, thank you to Agape Flights for purchasing the turkey and fixings and flying them to Cap-Haitian for us missionaries! As we enjoy our feast, we remember those of you who sacrificed to make it happen.

Speaking of sacrifices, every time we look at our freshly-tiled floors and newly-painted walls, we remember the nine days that Trinity Church invested here by sending a team to help us with construction needs. Here are some reflections of a few of the team members concerning their time here with us. We are so glad God touched your hearts in a special way while you were here. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!

Everyone should take a mission trip to Cap-Haitien, Haiti. The Haitians are a loving, determined people. Prit and Dana Adams, and their son, John, are very dedicated to their ministry in Cap-Haitien. I really enjoyed their fellowship and also interacting with the people of Haiti. The work our team was very fruitful and never did seem like
work. We all left part of our hearts in Cap. I must return someday. – Vic

My experience this year was much different than last year’s. This year I felt like we got to see much more of the normal obstacles in trying to get work done in Haiti: the challenges of every day life just to go to the store to buy tile, the systems that are there and how they have to be maneuvered through to overcome in order to do what would be simple in the States. The weather also played a bigger part this year versus last year. There is no such thing as just plan “A” . We did get plenty of work done with all the challenges though. – Bryan

It was so wonderful to see you & the family again. When we landed at the airport & then drove through the city, it was like HOPE was in the air! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to come serve you & the Haitians. After last year’s trip I felt like I had a dark cloud hanging over me. Several different things were coming against me in my mind & I had let despair set in. But in Haiti again, the Lord rebuked me & he told me as long as I have Jesus, I have hope. In Haiti HOPE was in the air & in the people. This trip took me out of my comfort zone more than last year. I didn’t feel like I was as prepared as I was last year. But the Lord reminded me that I was willing & He honors that. He let me see myself & some other gifts/talents I haven’t used in a while. You &your family are such a blessing & inspiration to me. I love going to Haiti . Something new with every visit. Thank you xoxoxoxo – Kelly

I did not speak much French or French Creole at all, which was a hindrance and an asset at the same time. Instead of talking, I watched. When I was face to face with someone I had to try to express myself through love. It was an entirely different way of communication that I only scratched the surface of, but I think has planted a seed somewhere within my spirit, showing me how to better display God’s love in me. Beyond that, just being able to see the people on the compound and the laborers at work and to play a game with some passing children was a blessing.

I loved our time around the table. It was liberating being free from the usual daily worries and to have it replaced with constant fellowship among believers. I know it made me more open and honest than I would have been otherwise. The real privilege for me came from you and Prit. Hearing about how you both came to Haiti and some of the stories of what you’ve encountered, experienced, and endured was incredibly encouraging and humbling in the best way. You each displayed a relationship with God that showed me ways I could expand my trust and obedience to live with God daily as you do. – Daniel

We are so thankful for the various ministries who make our work in Haiti easier. As we gather around our table, we will especially give thanks for all of you and for our partners in the ministry. Happy Thanksgiving and “thanks for giving!”

What a great week of ministry we have had with MFI Pastors Steve and Kathy Fitzpatrick from San Diego. Steve and Kathy are over Herald of Faith Ministries and missionaries-at-large. Although their home base is in San Diego, a large portion of their time is spent traveling and ministering around the world teaching, training and establishing leaders in God’s Word.

Last Saturday, Steve was the guest speaker for our Bible School graduation and spoke about the call on our lives. Essentially,there were three main points which I gleaned from his message.

1. He gives a call – we are responsible to discover what the call is.
2. He gives gifts – we are responsible to recognize the gifts we’ve received from the Lord, then to stir them up.
3. He gives his Word. We are expected to preach the Word and be faithful with the treasure with which we have been entrusted.

Steve also ministered at our main church in Petite-Anse Sunday morning and at the church at Sainte-Philomène on Sunday night. On Monday, we enjoyed a gorgeous day at the beach together and on Tuesday, Steve ministered for three hours to our past and present Bible School students on the all-important subject of Vision. We have wined and dined on God’s Word and we thank our special guests for such rich ministry. Not only have they ministered in a special way to our people, but to us as well. We shared lots of stories and laughter together. Thank you, Steve and Kathy, for gracing our home with your presence and for pouring yourselves out for our people.

The Lord’s Table Church of Goldsboro, N.C., sent a generous contribution to Rehoboth Ministries recently. This gift enabled us to purchase much-needed sound equipment for our main church in Petite-Anse. Our musicians have been using old, worn-out equipment for well over a year now. Believe me, I know because when I am in Haiti I play the electric piano. The amplifier I used for the piano was on its last leg!

Our worship team was so excited to receive the new equipment, they sent photos of every single one of their members, even the sound man. This is their way of saying, “Thank you Pastor Ken, Pastor Mitch, and thank you to the wonderful members of The Lord’s Table Church for such a wonderful gift!”

Four-Year Anniversary

Four years have now passed since Prit and I returned from Alberta, Canada. On August 31, 2010, I remember leaving Calgary and traveling to Toronto with Prit. It took us the better part of the day to get through the Toronto airport and to finally arrive at the small terminal where we took a small plane to Raleigh, NC. The ordeal was over, but months of recuperation would follow before we would finally return to Haiti.

Again, we say a great big “thank you” to all of you who have prayed us through the journey, but especially to Pastor Richard and Beth Kope, their family, and their church members. We will always be grateful for the great sacrifice you made on our behalf during the most difficult time of our lives.

House Beautiful

Look at the beautiful tile job Brother Rodelin has done in our den and kitchen! We can hardly wait to get back and see the transformation that has taken place to our home. One day our den will become our dining room and our front porch will become our den. There’s no lack of things things to be done on our mission compound. Please come visit us in Haiti and, as we say in eastern North Carolina, “sit a spell.”

Gearing Up

School starts back up on September 8. Parents are striving to scrape up enough money for tuition and uniforms. There’s still time to give to our children’s feeding program! Thanks again to all of you who are consistently giving each month to put a smile on a student’s face.

Kitchen Project

Prit and I offer a very humble “thank you” to the special friends who have responded to the needs regarding our kitchen project. Brother Rodelin is furiously working at this moment to bring our kitchen to a functioning level before we return. The tile has been paid for and is almost completely laid. John told us our dedicated workers have been laboring late into the night in order to get the job done. Boss Luckner is finishing up the cabinets for the second mission house as well as building an island for our main house. Now that the counter has been demolished, we’ll have to have somewhere to work.

Further ahead, we still will need cabinet space for this house as well, but we’re thankful for what has taken place so far. If you would like to help us continue the work, your gift would be greatly appreciated.

Musical Equipment

A special recognition goes to The Lord’s Table Church in Goldsboro, N.C., for responding to our need for a mixer and amplifier for our main church compound in Petite-Anse. We have limped along with a sound system for years that is practically non-functioning. The Lord’s Table has come to the rescue. There are still other instruments and equipment that need to be purchased if anyone would like to help us in this regard as well. Pictures will be forthcoming!

The Main Thing

We listen frequently to the Christian 107.3 radio station here in Fayetteville, NC. Their motto is Keeping the Main Thing, the Main Thing. Of course, by this they mean that Christ is the center of all they do and their intention is to bring him glory.

Here at Rehoboth Ministries, we have certain priorities that help us keep us focused on the main thing. Our main thrust is that of making disciples in the local church for the glory of God. This, in turn, requires the training up of leaders through our Bible institute and planting of churches. The outreach ministries that help alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people also serve as an inroad to demonstrating the love of Christ through action thereby drawing them unto him. Therefore, the majority of our funds are invested in accomplishing these goals. In maintaining the running of five church plants, three schools, a Bible institute, and a feeding program that feeds over 1,200 students, there is little left over for extras such as construction work, sound equipment, and such. For this reason, we greatly value your support in helping our ministry to function more smoothly.

Feeding Program

Speaking of the feeding program, September is just around the corner. Our students will be returning to school soon, eager to learn. However, many of them will come hungry and in expectation of a hot meal. Would you like to help us lift this burden from their parents’ shoulders? If so, please send a check to the address on our website or simply make a donation through PayPal. Again, we are so grateful to all of you who give on a regular basis to feed our schoolchildren.