Our Mission
ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
We desire to work together to build communities physically and spiritually in Haiti & Jamaica.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
People cannot be placed on a to-do list and they are not a project to be completed.
We do not dictate to the national leaders what or how projects should be done in our community. Instead, we work alongside our local community to bring about change in ways that are culturally appropriate. We seek to empower, encourage, and equip those in our community who are already working and leverage our networks and resources as available. We invest, teach and disciple as we have the opportunity and do not pass up a chance to point others to the love of Christ. We are in community together and we desire to love Jesus, love Haiti, and love Jamaica together.
WHAT IS A KONBIT?
Ask a Haitian what a "konbit" is and they will instantly light up and proudly share with you the meaning because it goes back to their roots. A konbit is a term used to describe when a group of people come together to accomplish a project in their community. It is a term that embodies the solidarity among the Haitian people and the desire to do whatever one can to help their community advance. The payment for their hours of work is usually a meal and a strengthened sense of community and pride in the work being done. It is a beautiful thing to witness and it speaks volumes about our brothers and sisters here in Haiti. It is in this spirit that we launched Konbit and this is what we desire to reflect in our work alongside Haitians and now Jamaicans. Jamaicans, as well, appreciate the focus on their projects as we partner in the THEY are doing.
WHERE WE'RE LOCATED
Our 1st location is in a town south of Port-au-Prince called Gressier. Lafferonnay, our neighborhood, is right off the main road on the ocean side of Route National 2. Although we are only 18 miles from the airport, it usually takes about an hour and a half to get to our house on a good travel day. Most of our ministry is based in Gressier, but we have partnered with organizations in other parts of Haiti. Our 2nd location in near Monneague, St. Ann, Jamaica. Our neighborhood is up on a small mountain and overlooking local rural communities.We are a 2 hour drive from Montego Bay, East across the coast and then inland.
WHO WE ARE
THE COLEMAN FAMILY
Kris and Rachael Coleman met at school, Rockford Masters Commission, in 1995 and were married in 1997. In over 25 years of life together, they have served as Youth Ministers and a bit as Associate Pastors. Their heart for God, discipling, and living life with people has dominated their everyday life since before they met. Ministering to the lost and broken in America was their collective heartbeat long before God called them out of America. In 2013, God called their family to serve in Haiti, and then Jamaica. Their ministry in Haiti began in May 2015 when Kris, Rachael, and their 3 children, Anna, Levi, and Lydia, moved there to live and work. Kris, Rachael, and Lydia moved to Jamaica in 2021 after evacuating Haiti in 2020. Konbit is a natural expression of their desire to minister like Jesus in an organic and community-driven environment.
JEFF & PAT FANGER
Jeff and Pat have been married for 36 years and enjoy life with their sons Connor and Cameron, Cameron's his wife Joy, and their beautiful grandson Peter. Together they have over 70 years of experience in business, management, and education. God has been working in their lives for many years and preparing them to love and disciple others. It has been a journey full of short-term mission trips that have resulted in a call to part-time service in Haiti and Jamaica today. God wonderfully orchestrated events to place them with Konbit and to serve alongside the beautiful people of Konbit and the communities they serve. They love Haiti and the Haitian people and know that God has blessed them with this opportunity to share the love of God and the truth of the gospel which has been so generously poured into them over their lifetime. They are looking forward to jumping into ministry in Jamaica in the coming years.
