They prayed, planned, packed, moved, traveled and raised support for several years. Their container arrived before them, was unpacked by the RMI staff and put directly in the house that was waiting for them. [For those of you who have been to Haiti in the last few years, their house was formerly RMI’s Guest House and temporary RMI Haiti office.]
Lee, Tina, Daniel and Josiah have started language lessons, which will take about 3 months. RMI firmly believes that having a firm grasp on Creole is key to having an effective ministry, thus they are taking care of this first before getting directly involved in ministry. Tina is making preparations for homeschooling the boys in a few weeks and Lee will slowly be eased into his position as the C3 Partnership Coordinator overseeing 30+ C3 Partnerships. This recently created position will increase the effectiveness of the C3 Partnership Program through improved communication and oversight between C3 Partners. It will greatly ease the work load of Haiti Field Leader, Rob Thompson, allowing him to focus his time and energies on running the RMI Haiti field.
And they’ve added a new family member: Tobi the dog. A mixture of several large dog breeds, he’s a huge but gentle giant. He came from another family who returned to the US but he’s already loyal to them and a good guard dog.
Tina summed things up this way: “Five years ago, Lee and I took a short term missions trip to Haiti that has changed our lives forever. Today, we live in the house that, at that time, was the guesthouse in which we stayed. We are surrounded by new friends from around the world, are learning a new language, and trying to take in all that we can of the Haitian culture. Some days all of this is easier to comprehend than others but all six of us are adjusting well to the new reality in which we live. Five years ago, we couldn’t imagine this life, now we can not imagine it any other way.”
