How It Started
Pastor Kinston – Coconut Leaf Church
In 1999 I, Rosemond Louissaint, a native of Haiti, went on a mission trip to Haiti. I was interpreting for Missionary Lillie Broadfoot during this mission trip. There were forty-five pastors present. Pastor Kinston told me that among the forty-five Pastors there, his church was in the worst condition. He told me that where they worship God, people pass and laugh at them when praying and singing because of the condition of their church. At times the congregants would duck down because they felt so bad about the condition of the church. Nevertheless, they loved God so much they kept on worshipping Him. I agreed to visit his church on next Tuesday, but the Holy Spirit told me to go the same day. I knew that I had to follow the holy spirit’s move and go today. Pastor Kinston’s church in Ennery, Haiti, was simply a church made of coconut leaves. When I visited Pastor Kinston’s church, I said to myself, “God’s house should never look like this.” I called for Pastor Kinston’s family, we held hands, and prayed for God to bless them. At the time, I did not promise anything to them, I simply prayed for God’s blessings on them. On Tuesday of the next week, I returned to Pastor Kinston’s church and brought food for sixty-five families.
Before I left Haiti, I said to myself, I would never go back there, I would only go there when I wanted to go, but the Lord dealt with me when I came back to Vallejo. God kept dealing with me to go back and help Pastor Kinston and the people in Ennery, Haiti. I asked God, “How can I do this when I do not have any money?” God spoke to me and said, “To those you speak to will give you the money.” I asked God, “Who would believe me?” God spoke to me again and took me back to how he brought me to America. He let me remember all that He had done for me. I then told God, “If you say so, I have nothing to lose.” Although I was excited, afterwards I was afraid and wondered what have I gotten myself into. I began to share with another minister what God wanted me to do he agreed and would pray for me. My wife and I presented a proposal for a Haiti Mission at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church to Pastor Flowers. He agreed and the church voted to have a Haiti Mission Ministry.
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church along with other contributors, helped to buy land to build a church on. We first put up a temporary tin structure.
After building a tin structure, I told Pastor Kinston to dig the foundation for a permanent church. I did not know where the money would come from, but I continued to trust and believe in God. We continued to ask for donations and the Lord blessed us to build a beautiful church.
God was true to his word.
We also built a school where we offer a free education for children in grades Kindergarten to 5th grade.
God, through the donations of many, has blessed us to continue to keep up the needs of the church as well as pay for six teachers and a cook. The children receive hot meals for lunch.
I knew that I wanted to do more for my people in Haiti. God moved on my heart to apply for a 501(c)(3) so that I could seek donations from many sources and have non-profit status. In 2006, God blessed us to receive nonprofit status as the Brother Helping Brother Haiti Mission Inc. My wife and I continue to work with the Haiti Mission at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, as well as direct the Brother Helping Brother Haiti Mission Inc. We look forward to the many things that we believe that God is going to do.
Through the help of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Haiti Mission, Vallejo, California, God moved on many to give donations to build a church. A school was also built to help educate the children. God moved upon Rosemond to start the Brother Helping Brother Mission so that God could do even greater things for those in need.