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(Click on the photos to
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enlarge.)
Bob and Anthony's Newsletter -- December 2006
Bob and Anthony in Haiti
Christmas is here! Welcome again and a Merry Christmas to all the Christian brothers
and sisters that read this and are concerned about the lost in Haiti. May God richly bless
your lives and you deeply abide in our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the final newsletter. I really have enjoyed writing them and do hope you have
enjoyed reading them. I further hope that God has used this to increase your interest in
the spreading of the gospel of Jesus in Haiti. I know I have said this before but it is worth
repeating (at least it is in my humble opinion), that the preaching or furtherance of the
gospel of Christ is the most important thing you or I can ever do in our lives. As Paul said
in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” There is
nothing more important in this world than the gospel.
Last month, I got to try out my Creole Genesis material on a Bible class at Limonade. The
church at Limonade is only about 6 miles from the school. It is administered by Julien
Pierre Antoine, a 2003 CBT grad. Julien is a great Christian, a great guy, and a cool
friend. Anyway, I taught the class and it went great. Teaching kids is fun because you are
allowed to be a kid to keep their attention. So when I lie on the ground as I describe Adam
losing a rib (but gaining a wife) or run screaming out of the building because of a snake
(the Genesis story, not a real one), I get some pretty weird looks from the adults, but the
kids seem to love it. I know I love doing it.
Down on the ground…! it’s a water beefalo, no, it’s a giant toad with hair, no it’s
…Mudman! The rainy season is typically November, but it started this year about mid-
October. The road that I use in my river walk has turned to a colossal sea of mud.
Eventually it dries out, usually from the sides to the center. The pix here show me after the
mud pit ate one of my shoes and I lost my balance. By the way, the watch is still working!
We were visited in November by Lynn Griffith and Stan Lowery, both from the Hillsboro
Church of Christ in Nashville. Stan is a minister in the church and Lynn is a coach and
phys ed instructor at Lipscomb. It is my first time to meet both men, although I had been
corresponding with Lynn for almost a year now. They are both really great guys, especially
when they took Anthony and I out to dinner at the Mt. Joli. They were down here to visit the
church at Bor de Mer Limonade. They also visited Fonrose’s congregation at Lamolair
(that’s French for the molair if you need to know). While they were here, there was a
baptism of 2 women from Fonrose’s other congregation at Cadouche. Neither Stan nor
Lynn had ever seen a Haitian baptism before so they got to witness it, photo it, and video
it. After the baptism, we went over to Fonrose’s and Mureia fixed everyone an incredible
meal. We eat well when visitors are here! Finally, we took Stan and Lynn over to the
orphanage to see Ron, Dianna, and Samyel. Samyel is the 9 year old munchkin that is so
good at capturing hearts. He has the Griffith family’s in the palm of his hand. They sent
Samyel all kinds of toys and pictures of a previous visit. It was sweet watching him get all
these presents. He is 9 years old and has never experience gifts like this before. Samyel
is one of the newest orphans at the orphanage. They found him wandering the streets
drinking out of a ditch. He had been beaten and still has the scars. However, you wouldn’t
know it by his attitude. He almost always has a constant smile.
How many American Thanksgivings do you think we celebrated this year in Haiti? If you
guessed zero or even one you’re wrong! All the blanc (white) missionaries got together on
the other side of town and had Thanksgiving on a Saturday. At left is a pic of Ron and
Dianna from the orphanage there. Then, 1 ½ weeks later, we get a care package from our
own Chesapeake (MD) Church. This was a total surprise but one we definitely
appreciated. Smashed taters (and boy were they smashed!), chicken, dressing, veggies,
and sugar free cookies! The 3 of us ate great. Three of us? Who is the 3rd? Well,
Anthony and I have been adopted by Alex Previl. Alex is the 10 year old cousin of Luckson
Previl. Milton and Holly Eckhart and Melissa Jung pretty much adopted Luckson. Luckson
is now at Harding University doing well and hoping to go to Med School and return to Haiti.
Since it worked so well for Luckson, Alex decided to give it a try. Alex is a fantastic kid and
we love having him here, although I seriously doubt if he will ever go to Harding.
We also just had a great seminar on expository sermon prep by Rudy Wray. Rudy lives in
Portland, Oregon and is a world traveler and ambassador-extraordinaire for SIBI. What is
SIBI you ask? SIBI is the Sunset International Bible Institute out of Lubbock, Texas. They
are renowned for turning out great preachers, including our very own David Dirrim. We
adapt much of their curriculum in the Bible School here.
Rudy’s seminar was great. I got to participate in much of it. I learned a lot and can’t wait to
put his material into practice. He really showed how to start with a Biblical passage, do an
outline, convert that outline into a theological outline, and finally into what Rudy calls a
sermonic outline. Not simple stuff, but Rudy did a fine job in explaining it to all of us.
Anthony and I went to another wedding, right here at Galman! The preacher from the
church at Opeche, Jean Romel, was married on Saturday December 9. It was a great
ceremony and we loved having all the people come. Jean Romel is a graduate of the 3rd
class of the CBT. Most of his class was here to celebrate with him. One who was not here
was Wowo (Osnel Revnus), but he had a wedding at his church at San Michel, so that is
why he couldn’t make it.
Speaking of Wowo, Anthony and I went to his new church in Madeline on Sunday,
December 10. It is a new church for those living in the Madeline area, which is about 3
miles from the CBT and 1 ½ miles from the Orphanage church at Petit Anse. It is one of
the newest churches around. I got to preach my last sermon in Creole. Nobody fell
asleep! OK, maybe a few naps here and there, but very little snoring.
Party time in Haiti? You got it! On Friday, December 15, we threw a bon voyage fet (party)
for ourselves. We wanted to officially say goodbye to all the grads and the Galman
church. Over 100 people were there. Sister Marie and Sister Filo (Jackie Pierrot’s mom)
cooked forever for this. But it was great. We loved seeing everybody who had helped us
with our stay here. I wished I could take them all back with us, but they won’t fit in the
suitcase. Click here for some party pix.
John Painter, Paul Hesse et al from The Mountainside Church of Christ in Albuquerque, got
here safe and sound on Sunday, December 17. We took them to the Maizre Church of
Christ to see Phillipe and Oliver Bolivar. Oliver graduated from the first CBT class and
Phillipe graduated from the second class. They are holding a gospel meeting all week. We
barely get to say hi to them before we leave. We spend Monday at the orphanage with
them. Later, they will go to Ranquitte and see Guy and Francio. Click here for some pix of
JP's group at Maizre.
So what now? Anthony and I have lived in Haiti for almost 1 year. What have we learned
and how have we grown? What are the memories we will take back with us?
· I have a much better understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote in Philippians
4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
· We have learned that you don’t need TV or the internet to be happy.
· I have experienced the joy of walking outside the compound and greeting, playing,
and joking with all the people outside, which is a joy unmatched by any sporting event.
· I discovered that the Haitian people need driving lessons.
· I also discovered that God used the Haitian people to teach me patience (an ongoing
lesson).
· We learned what it means to share as we watched kids who are desperately poor and
hungry give what they had to others just as poor as them.
· Haitians taught us how to slow down and take life easy. They showed us that people
come first, not jobs or other distractions.
· I learned how frustrating it can be to not have all the answers as I held a woman with
3 kids whose husband left her for another woman. Haitian women are strong and normally
they don’t cry. This woman, Marie, did, because she saw no way out. All I could do was
hold her and tell her was how beautiful she is and how much God and I loved her. We also
helped her with money for food and for one of her daughters to go to school.
· I have also learned what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor as yourself. I am not
there yet, but I’m on the right path and I have the best teacher.
· And while I will never find the words in English to express it adequately nor ever
completely understand it, I love the Haitian people tremendously.
Again I thank you for reading these newsletters and having a heart for the Haitian
community. They indeed are a gentle and beautiful people. They need our help and as
Americans, we are in a position to help them. What did John say about love in his first
letter (3:16-18)? “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions
and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” He was
serious. We should be too. For those whom God is leading to donate to the Haitian
Christian Foundation, please send your checks to:
HCF
402 Cypress St., Ste-511
Abilene, TX 79601
And while we do need your money to help the Bible School operate, again I encourage you
to consider a visit next year. Its one thing to write a check, but it is completely different to
invest your time and come over and meet the students and graduate preachers. Get to
know them. Worship with them, eat with them, talk with them, understand them, walk that
mile in their shoes (that is if they have shoes). You will find that they too were made in the
image and likeness of God. I think that means we’re related!
Pray for us. Thanks and God Bless!
bob
and sisters that read this and are concerned about the lost in Haiti. May God richly bless
your lives and you deeply abide in our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the final newsletter. I really have enjoyed writing them and do hope you have
enjoyed reading them. I further hope that God has used this to increase your interest in
the spreading of the gospel of Jesus in Haiti. I know I have said this before but it is worth
repeating (at least it is in my humble opinion), that the preaching or furtherance of the
gospel of Christ is the most important thing you or I can ever do in our lives. As Paul said
in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” There is
nothing more important in this world than the gospel.
Last month, I got to try out my Creole Genesis material on a Bible class at Limonade. The
church at Limonade is only about 6 miles from the school. It is administered by Julien
Pierre Antoine, a 2003 CBT grad. Julien is a great Christian, a great guy, and a cool
friend. Anyway, I taught the class and it went great. Teaching kids is fun because you are
allowed to be a kid to keep their attention. So when I lie on the ground as I describe Adam
losing a rib (but gaining a wife) or run screaming out of the building because of a snake
(the Genesis story, not a real one), I get some pretty weird looks from the adults, but the
kids seem to love it. I know I love doing it.
Down on the ground…! it’s a water beefalo, no, it’s a giant toad with hair, no it’s
…Mudman! The rainy season is typically November, but it started this year about mid-
October. The road that I use in my river walk has turned to a colossal sea of mud.
Eventually it dries out, usually from the sides to the center. The pix here show me after the
mud pit ate one of my shoes and I lost my balance. By the way, the watch is still working!
We were visited in November by Lynn Griffith and Stan Lowery, both from the Hillsboro
Church of Christ in Nashville. Stan is a minister in the church and Lynn is a coach and
phys ed instructor at Lipscomb. It is my first time to meet both men, although I had been
corresponding with Lynn for almost a year now. They are both really great guys, especially
when they took Anthony and I out to dinner at the Mt. Joli. They were down here to visit the
church at Bor de Mer Limonade. They also visited Fonrose’s congregation at Lamolair
(that’s French for the molair if you need to know). While they were here, there was a
baptism of 2 women from Fonrose’s other congregation at Cadouche. Neither Stan nor
Lynn had ever seen a Haitian baptism before so they got to witness it, photo it, and video
it. After the baptism, we went over to Fonrose’s and Mureia fixed everyone an incredible
meal. We eat well when visitors are here! Finally, we took Stan and Lynn over to the
orphanage to see Ron, Dianna, and Samyel. Samyel is the 9 year old munchkin that is so
good at capturing hearts. He has the Griffith family’s in the palm of his hand. They sent
Samyel all kinds of toys and pictures of a previous visit. It was sweet watching him get all
these presents. He is 9 years old and has never experience gifts like this before. Samyel
is one of the newest orphans at the orphanage. They found him wandering the streets
drinking out of a ditch. He had been beaten and still has the scars. However, you wouldn’t
know it by his attitude. He almost always has a constant smile.
How many American Thanksgivings do you think we celebrated this year in Haiti? If you
guessed zero or even one you’re wrong! All the blanc (white) missionaries got together on
the other side of town and had Thanksgiving on a Saturday. At left is a pic of Ron and
Dianna from the orphanage there. Then, 1 ½ weeks later, we get a care package from our
own Chesapeake (MD) Church. This was a total surprise but one we definitely
appreciated. Smashed taters (and boy were they smashed!), chicken, dressing, veggies,
and sugar free cookies! The 3 of us ate great. Three of us? Who is the 3rd? Well,
Anthony and I have been adopted by Alex Previl. Alex is the 10 year old cousin of Luckson
Previl. Milton and Holly Eckhart and Melissa Jung pretty much adopted Luckson. Luckson
is now at Harding University doing well and hoping to go to Med School and return to Haiti.
Since it worked so well for Luckson, Alex decided to give it a try. Alex is a fantastic kid and
we love having him here, although I seriously doubt if he will ever go to Harding.
We also just had a great seminar on expository sermon prep by Rudy Wray. Rudy lives in
Portland, Oregon and is a world traveler and ambassador-extraordinaire for SIBI. What is
SIBI you ask? SIBI is the Sunset International Bible Institute out of Lubbock, Texas. They
are renowned for turning out great preachers, including our very own David Dirrim. We
adapt much of their curriculum in the Bible School here.
Rudy’s seminar was great. I got to participate in much of it. I learned a lot and can’t wait to
put his material into practice. He really showed how to start with a Biblical passage, do an
outline, convert that outline into a theological outline, and finally into what Rudy calls a
sermonic outline. Not simple stuff, but Rudy did a fine job in explaining it to all of us.
Anthony and I went to another wedding, right here at Galman! The preacher from the
church at Opeche, Jean Romel, was married on Saturday December 9. It was a great
ceremony and we loved having all the people come. Jean Romel is a graduate of the 3rd
class of the CBT. Most of his class was here to celebrate with him. One who was not here
was Wowo (Osnel Revnus), but he had a wedding at his church at San Michel, so that is
why he couldn’t make it.
Speaking of Wowo, Anthony and I went to his new church in Madeline on Sunday,
December 10. It is a new church for those living in the Madeline area, which is about 3
miles from the CBT and 1 ½ miles from the Orphanage church at Petit Anse. It is one of
the newest churches around. I got to preach my last sermon in Creole. Nobody fell
asleep! OK, maybe a few naps here and there, but very little snoring.
Party time in Haiti? You got it! On Friday, December 15, we threw a bon voyage fet (party)
for ourselves. We wanted to officially say goodbye to all the grads and the Galman
church. Over 100 people were there. Sister Marie and Sister Filo (Jackie Pierrot’s mom)
cooked forever for this. But it was great. We loved seeing everybody who had helped us
with our stay here. I wished I could take them all back with us, but they won’t fit in the
suitcase. Click here for some party pix.
John Painter, Paul Hesse et al from The Mountainside Church of Christ in Albuquerque, got
here safe and sound on Sunday, December 17. We took them to the Maizre Church of
Christ to see Phillipe and Oliver Bolivar. Oliver graduated from the first CBT class and
Phillipe graduated from the second class. They are holding a gospel meeting all week. We
barely get to say hi to them before we leave. We spend Monday at the orphanage with
them. Later, they will go to Ranquitte and see Guy and Francio. Click here for some pix of
JP's group at Maizre.
So what now? Anthony and I have lived in Haiti for almost 1 year. What have we learned
and how have we grown? What are the memories we will take back with us?
· I have a much better understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote in Philippians
4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
· We have learned that you don’t need TV or the internet to be happy.
· I have experienced the joy of walking outside the compound and greeting, playing,
and joking with all the people outside, which is a joy unmatched by any sporting event.
· I discovered that the Haitian people need driving lessons.
· I also discovered that God used the Haitian people to teach me patience (an ongoing
lesson).
· We learned what it means to share as we watched kids who are desperately poor and
hungry give what they had to others just as poor as them.
· Haitians taught us how to slow down and take life easy. They showed us that people
come first, not jobs or other distractions.
· I learned how frustrating it can be to not have all the answers as I held a woman with
3 kids whose husband left her for another woman. Haitian women are strong and normally
they don’t cry. This woman, Marie, did, because she saw no way out. All I could do was
hold her and tell her was how beautiful she is and how much God and I loved her. We also
helped her with money for food and for one of her daughters to go to school.
· I have also learned what Jesus meant by loving your neighbor as yourself. I am not
there yet, but I’m on the right path and I have the best teacher.
· And while I will never find the words in English to express it adequately nor ever
completely understand it, I love the Haitian people tremendously.
Again I thank you for reading these newsletters and having a heart for the Haitian
community. They indeed are a gentle and beautiful people. They need our help and as
Americans, we are in a position to help them. What did John say about love in his first
letter (3:16-18)? “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions
and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” He was
serious. We should be too. For those whom God is leading to donate to the Haitian
Christian Foundation, please send your checks to:
HCF
402 Cypress St., Ste-511
Abilene, TX 79601
And while we do need your money to help the Bible School operate, again I encourage you
to consider a visit next year. Its one thing to write a check, but it is completely different to
invest your time and come over and meet the students and graduate preachers. Get to
know them. Worship with them, eat with them, talk with them, understand them, walk that
mile in their shoes (that is if they have shoes). You will find that they too were made in the
image and likeness of God. I think that means we’re related!
Pray for us. Thanks and God Bless!
bob
| Madeline Church |
| Julien and kids |
| Mudman |
| Lynn and Stan |
| Thanksgiving |
| Alex |
| Rudy Wray |
| Jean Romel's wedding |
| Farewell party |
| Mountainside group |