Riverside prayer service before Baptism

You are my hiding place; You shall

preserve me from trouble;

You shall compass me about with songs
A WORK OF THE SMITH-ULYSSE FAMILY IN HAITI

of deliverance. Psalm 32: 7

July - August 2012 Dear Friends and family, The past two months have been very full. The Lord has been so faithful and very present. Our family remains in Michigan awaiting the birth of the new baby soon but Pastor Ulysse was able to spend 6 weeks in Haiti in July and August. Upon arrival in Haiti in July, Pastor Ulysse found his mother very ill with malaria and our truck broke down. The first day he was in Haiti he borrowed a vehicle and took his mother for help. After spending several hours at the hospital seeking help for his mother, he spent several more at the mechanics shop. The Lord has given his mother, Venicia, a healing touch but she does still have several other health concerns. We appreciate your prayers for her. During the weeks Pastor Ulysse was in Haiti he was able to spend a lot of time visiting homes, praying with people and ministering at the church. He also participated in 3 wedding ceremonies and he was able to start the legal process for Redemption by Grace Ministries in Haiti. With much prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit, Pastor Ulysse was able to obtain our provisionary authorization in one day! This process usually takes several months and up to a year but the Lord intervened and touched the hearts of the officials and they processed the paperwork the same day. This is a big step for us as it allows us to continue ministering while being in good standing with the Haitian government. The process is far from finished but we are blessed to have gotten this far. On July 27 , we received word that we would need to move the church from where it was on a property that belongs to another organization. We had a few days of uncertainty because we did not have another location to move the church. Over the weekend Pastor Ulysse held a meeting with the people of the church explaining the situation at hand. The people voiced their support and said they would help but we did not know what this meant. One lady in the church came forward and offered to rent us a piece of property but we didn't know the price. Her husband said the church could gather for worship under the trees in his front yard temporarily and the wood, tarp and tin from the church could be stacked in his back yard. We saw things coming together but there was still so much to be done. On July 29th two young ladies from the church were baptized in the river near the church. A beautiful service was held at the riverside early that morning before the regular Sunday worship. It is such a blessing to see these young ladies pledge their lives to Christ. The day was bittersweet as the congregation thought this would be their last service in the humble tarp church building for
th

Notes of Praise
Pastor Ulysse had a successful and safe trip to Haiti in July 2 new converts were baptized Nivard Holiness Church has been relocated with the help and support of the local people The legal process for RGM in Haiti is started and recognition has been obtained. The RGM website is up and running

Points of prayer
Nivard Holiness Church and the new converts A spiritual awakening that will allow more souls to be freed from the power of Satan Melinda during the rest of the pregnancy and the new baby due in September Venicias health Financial support for the ministry Funds to pay for the rental property for Nivard Holiness Church Gods direction and guidance as we seek His will for ministry in Roche Plate (Wsh Plt)

an indefinite time. The Sunday worship services were to be the last the church would share in the building. The next services were scheduled to be held under the neighbors trees. Early in the morning on July 30th, Pastor Ulysse was summoned to the church. When he arrived at the church he found several people already hard at work. People of all ages, children, teens, adults and elderly had gathered since day break to start the hard work of clearing a place for the church on the property that had been offered for rent; a field full of weeds and thorns but they were busy clearing it to make a place for their church. Another group was at the church busily uprooting the humble tree stump benches to be transported. A group of some of Haitis poorest, many with not a bite of breakfast but willing to do whatever they could to protect their church and keep the ministry going. When Pastor Ulysse walked up, the lady who had offered to rent the property said, "Pastor you can use the property now; you can pay me the rent as soon as you can. We can't let the church suffer. You can put the church up right away." He could not really find any words to answer her or express his gratitude for what she was doing. What a sacrifice. That field represents the food that would feed this woman's family over the next months and she was willing to make the sacrifice so the Lord's work can go on; willing to trust that she would receive the rent in time to care for her family. Her husband is a carpenter and he was busy at the church, dismantling the things he built less than a year ago so he could transport them to the new location (everything had been built secured into the ground to keep them from being stolen). By noon that day, a large area had been cleared at the new location to allow the church to be put back up. Pastor Ulysse had nothing to offer, the people were hungry, they were thirsty, the sun was hot but they didn't let that discourage them. Pastor Ulysse stood in amazement as he watched them break for 'lunch' and quietly walk to a stack of sugar cane that one of the men had cut from his nearby field. This was to replace their main meal of the day, a stick or two of sugar cane and right back to work. Finally, Pastor Ulysse was so overwhelmed by the generosity and will of the people that he stepped way to call home and tell us what was going on. We listened and then the tears came as we heard of the sacrifice, the love, and desire of these people to keep the ministry moving forward. The following day, people came from all over the little community of Nirvard to help move the church building itself. Originally we thought that we would have to pay a team of carpenters to tear it down and reconstruct it but the people said, No, we will not tear down our church. We will carry it to the new location. So they gathered, pulled the nails that held the rafters and roof to the posts and proceeded to carry the roof to the new location. It was hot, the roof was heavy and the sun was bearing down as they lovingly lifted and carried the church to its new location up the road.

Moving the church yes, there are people under it!

The response of the local people was overwhelming; many came to help who werent even part of the congregation and some came that dont attend church at all. Differences were put aside as the community came together and cleared the property and then carried the church to the new location! Those who are part of the congregation have not been saved very long, just within the last year since the church has been there but already they have caught a vision to serve and give all they have to the Master. Please help us pray for the people of Nivard and for the family who so sacrificially made the property available. Just a few days after they made this commitment, their house was broken into and they were robbed; the man, Michlet was beaten and their adult son, Ata was shot in the arm. The robbery was unrelated to their involvement at the church but they are quite traumatized by it and would really appreciate your prayers. The first $100 of the rent money for the property has already been donated. Once we are able to raise the remaining $500 we will pay this gracious family who have sacrificed their food garden and Mr. and Mrs. Michlet gave to the Lord instead. In August, Pastor Ulysse visited an area called Roche Plate (Wsh Plt) to see about the need for ministry in that area. When he arrived he found that there is a need for a church and there is no school other than a little shanty. There are no clinics nearby to service the people and the local river is the source of water for bathing, laundering, cooking and drinking etc. There is no electricity and the people live in desperate conditions. The area is often flooded with heavy rains during rainy season or when the hurricanes come through so food is a problem for the people as well. Not only do they hunger physically but they are also hungry for Jesus. That day 100 scripture cards were handed out and a service was held at the roadside. This community has been our hearts for several months now. Please help us pray about what the Lord would have us do in the community of Roche Plate. Thank you for your support and prayers. Blessings,

Pastor Massenat, Melinda and Massenda Ulysse and Patricia Smith

~Living everyday by His grace~

Website: www.redemptionbygraceministries.org E-mail: mnmulysse@yahoo.com Financial Support can be sent to: Hilltop Chapel 11700 Spring Arbor Road Concord, MI 49237 *Include a memo designating the funds for Haiti Ministries

Riverside baptism service Nivard Holiness Church

Witnessing to the people of Roche Plate

Preparing the new site for the church building

People of Nivard community moving the church

Nivard Holiness Church at its new location

Mr. Michlet and his son, Ata, who was shot in the arm

Be sure to visit our website: www.redemptionbygraceministries.org and see the blog page for updates, photos and videos. Feel free to leave your comments.