All Things New!

When the Bible Training Institute of Grand Goave honors its first graduating class in June 2019, it will be quite a blessed milestone for the Destin family.

“There are almost no words to express what that first graduation is going to mean to our family,” Neecole Destin says. “I’m going to be jumping out of my skin, and if I’m jumping out of my skin, just imagine Willio [Destin]. In God’s providence, this has been what his life has been about for the past 10 years leading up to this graduation, the first of which we hope of many.”

It has indeed been a labor of love for the Destin family for nearly a decade, and now the fruits of their labor are beginning to ripen just as other notable changes occur for the More Than Bread ministry.

Among those developments is an increased focus on outreach that the organization hopes will boost support and lead to financial sustainability for years to come. More Than Bread now has a completely revamped website that includes student bios and more information targeted to current and potential supporters. The Destins are proud of the new site that they say looks “polished and clean.”

“I am well pleased with the new website,” Willio says. “It’s very exciting. It allows our supporters to see what the Lord is doing, even though they’re far away from us.”

Neecole says the revamped site is a truer reflection of the MTB ministry itself, and an important tool to communicate its message with its international supporters.

“I’m proud of the work that’s happening at the school and proud of Willio and the staff; the students are proud of the school,” Neecole says. “I just like how the website is representing that.”

Another development for MTB includes a newly formed stateside execution team which partnered with a team of graphic designers and oversaw the creation of the new website. The former Facebook page is still active — although enlivened with new photos and more frequent posts — and a new Instagram page is forthcoming.

Chief among the new developments, however, is the upcoming graduation, set to take place June 21-23, 2019. Lukne Mestine, Enock Senevil, and Jeudi Bernard are expected to receive Bachelor in Theology degrees as they become the first-ever graduates of the Bible Institute of Grand Goave. The ceremony promises to be an emotional experience, to say the least.

“I am super excited about the graduating class because these brothers have been with us for five years,” Willio said. “During our short history in Haiti, I’ve known these guys and I’ve seen their growth.”

The graduates are emerging from diverse ministerial areas that represent the entire student body: a senior pastor, an assistant pastor, and a Christian education department leader who all serve in local churches. Willio describes them as godly, family men, all of whom are dedicated husbands and fathers. He says their completion of the course and the reputation of the school will give the churches in their communities confidence that their leaders are committed to living and teaching God’s word.

This first graduation will occur just five years after the Destins arrived in Haiti, and they are very excited to see MTB’s vision come to fruition. Willio sees the graduation as a turning point in the ministry and is thankful for the support that has led to this moment.

“The vision has been embraced even though we’re not in the U.S.,” Willio says. “Through our close friends, family, and supporters visiting us, it has allowed them to embrace the vision even more. As they get involved, it means it’s not only us promoting More Than Bread and promoting pastors to be trained in Haiti.”

Amid these years of challenges, joys, and growth, the grace of God has enabled the Destins and the MTB students to accomplish a great deal at the school. It is clear, however, that there is much more work to be done, both in Haiti and stateside.

More Than Bread supporters play an important role in the current phase of the school and beyond. Specifically, supporters are being encouraged to think of anything they can do to raise funds for the first graduation and the long-term goal of purchasing land for a new campus, Willio says.

His hope is that current and future champions of the ministry will continue to “Pray, give, and think of ways that you can connect other people to our ministry and other things you can do to raise support.”

Karsten BarnesComment