TCMMY One on One: From Haiti to Hope - Jean Rebecca

Imagine being born in a place where hope seems scarce and challenges are a daily reality. In this episode, we invite Jean Rebecca to share his gripping life story, beginning with his miraculous birth in Haiti. Hear about his mother’s relentless determination to provide for him amidst poverty and threats, and his emotional journey moving to the United States to live with his father. Jean's heartfelt recount of reconnecting with his mother years later brings a profound understanding of how his early experiences shaped his mission-driven life.

Discover the incredible work Jean is doing with Stand for Haiti, an organization dedicated to uplifting Haitian communities through sustainable aid and education. We discuss the challenges his team faces, from combating illiteracy to transforming harmful cultural practices into positive community spaces. This episode emphasizes the deep connection between faith, family, and mission work, and the significant impact of combining spiritual guidance with professional educational training. Listen and enjoy!

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:29

Thank you, welcome back to the All Purpose Pod for an all-purpose life. Wherever you are and however you're listening to the Call Me Mr Uther podcast. We thank you once again for making us a part of your morning, your day and your week. We're your weekly mirror check before you change the world. Today, another one-on-one with they Call Me Mr U the podcast, a good buddy of mine and an incredible man with an incredible story, gene Rebecca is in the house. Good morning, sir. How are you?

Speaker 2 0:55

doing man, I'm doing fantastic. Thank you for the offer.

Speaker 1 1:00

I'm so excited to have this chat. Yes, sir, before we get into that, I just want to shout out all of our viewers and listeners. You guys are growing by the day, it seems, and we actually can call ourselves worldwide. We're actually global. We got people in Africa and Australia Listening to us, and Eastern Europe I'm like what's happening out here. So this is a blessing.

Speaker 1 1:22

If you're listening via audio and you're not really a video person, iheart radio pando, spotify, apple podcast will allow you to hear our show audio. Only four seasons out there, so a lot of archives to go through. And, of course, if you are a video listener video listener and watcher watching us on our youtube channel it's youtubecom at they call me mr you all of our episodes from the past year are out there for your perusal. So we just thank you for your support and all those guys that are financially supporting us. We appreciate that as well. So thank you again. And we are here with Gene Rebecca. All right, incredible story guys. So get your listening ears on. There's On is a lot to hear, a lot to learn, a lot to glean from, and you're going to have fun at the same time. All right, man. So how's the day going so far before we jump into all this stuff. Man, how you doing, man, everything good.

Speaker 2 2:10

I'm doing great man, I'm blessed, I'm alive and I'm in good health. So everything's good, man. Again, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity.

Speaker 1 2:25

You. I really appreciate it and to God be the glory for that I'm trying to do. It's not charity, I'm trying to do a service through this show. I know a lot of folks don't always understand anything. I'm trying to get rich and famous. It's so far from me that if you know me a little bit you know better. Yeah yeah.

Speaker 1 2:39

I'm trying to create platforms for folks to, you know, accomplish some things in their lives and rally us on causes and build them up. So that's what this is all about. This is part of that. I really believe in Stanford, haiti, and I want to kind of get into it. But we had many conversations. I would love for you to kind of give them everybody that's listening a brief overview of your upbringing. What was life like for you early on? Kind of just give a little bit of a peek behind the curtain.

Speaker 2 3:04

So I was born in Haiti. My mom, who I was born in 1979. And at the time, and still today, Haiti has outhouses where you use the bathroom outside pretty much and she was pregnant. She had already lost her, I think two other kids prior to me, and then she was planning I guess the pregnancy went well over nine, 10 months, probably within that 11th month's time, and so she was betting that she was going to give birth to a stillborn baby. So women in Haiti at the time use outhouses. Although they have outhouses, they use these five-gallon buckets by the bedside at nighttime when they have to use the bathroom. That's where they go. So some weird way, you know, she had to use the restroom and, you know, unexpectedly I came out and I was born in a born in a bucket, you know. So I'm kind of her miracle baby.

Speaker 2 4:17

I'm the first born of the family, the family and then, by the age of about five, six years old, she shared this story many a time. So by the time I was about five, six years old, my dad was already in the United States, Florida to be exact, and he was trying to find better living for us. Meanwhile, my mom was just fighting off. You know how she's going to feed me from day to day, how she's going to keep me from being attacked by voodoo voodoo priest, et cetera. So all of those things was plaguing her mind. Those things was plaguing her mind. And then meanwhile she would take me to these prayer mountains to get prayed for and for protection and all that stuff. And one day, while she's at this prayer mountain interceding and praying with me, I was there as well. There was this guy who I didn't know, kind of told her hey, my dad reached out and said there's an opportunity for me to come to the States and my mom had to make the hard decision to kind of release me to my father. So at that point I left.

Speaker 2 5:38

My mom lived with my dad, and that was a hard life in itself because he lost his parents at a young age, when he was 13. And so he had to fetch for himself and he's been fetching all his life. So now that he has a son that he has to take care of, that wasn't something he was used to. So he was out of the house quite a bit, working or just, you know, out and about, and I would find myself either having to fetch for myself or whoever he was with at the time, you know, was that person taking care of me. So that was kind of a bit of my upbringing from the start, Lost contact with my mom for a good while until, like so that's 1986.

Speaker 2 6:29

I moved to the States, in there from 1986 to 1999. By the time I was like 19 or 18, 19, that's when I first reconnected with my mom to get an opportunity to go back to Haiti and meanwhile my dad's in construction. So you know, we're doing the construction. I'm in the construction world, you know, since I was like seven, eight years old doing that and then and then going to school during whenever the school doors was opened and when it was closed, we were, we were in the construction site with the dad. So that was, you know, a bit of my startup. That's incredible.

Speaker 1 7:09

What's that? That's an incredible story.

Speaker 2 7:11

Yeah, and so from that, you know, not having that father he's there, but not really present and active we lived in Boynton Beach, florida, and it was Florida, and it was quite intense and at that time, during that state, haitians were the ones being bullied, so we were the ones being ostracized and what not. We had to kind of figure it out on our own and try to try to kind of, um, figure it out on our own and and try to try to kind of, you know, not, not show fear or however we had to kind of make it persevere I guess you could say yeah, so um, that kind of matured me pretty quick.

Speaker 2 7:58

You know I'm not having a dad around and also also trying to fetch for myself at times. So so we turned to we can turn to, to gang life, to whatever life, and basketball was around, football was around. You know, those were the days I don't know if they still have it you said where, where you play um football on the streets, you know. And of course we didn't have no football fields. Growing up, sidewalk was a football field no question we played football on the streets, man, once you was on the road.

Speaker 1 8:33

It's two-hand touch but when you hit that grass, it's tackle Absolutely. We'll come back to that Florida part. We're going to come back to that. I want to ask you a question about that prayer mountain. Help me understand, chris. Allow me to put me real quick, quick. What exactly are we talking about? We say a prayer mountain. Tell me, if you can, if you know the history on it, how that, what's that about?

Speaker 2 8:51

so. So in haiti, um, there's, there's, there's mountain sides and there's hills and there's flat land as well, and so, um that I there would, there would be services, um, on these prayer mountains, or overnight wakes, etc. So sometimes the mountain is one of those places too. When you don't have anything left, left, you know, you kind of go just release yourself in that mountain and release your hurt, release your pressure, release your screams, your yells, your lamentations. So it was very common for someone to have your regular church in the village, but you know, in those stages of seeking and soaking, you would go to the prayer mountain. Still today they exist.

Speaker 2 9:52

You're very likely to find throughout the day where someone young, old, whatever, either loss of family, loss of job, or a family having eaten for weeks, whatever the case is, you think of the most when the rubber meets the road situation and you have nothing else to depend on. You make that journey to the prayer mile and you kind of just stay there in that lamentation Very common to you. Know, I don't want to say common, but we have it where we have, like these, prayer chapels per se, where it's made available and you can go in and pray. This one is a slightly different because you, whatever the day is night, cold, rain you know there's no, there's no shelter per se. You know the only shelter typically is is the, the cloud or the sky, you know, and the, the complete dependency on God showing up. Wow, that's awesome man.

Speaker 1 11:03

Yeah, you mentioned Florida. It's always a story that kind of makes me smile because it's a small world. We were in Florida in the same time, I think almost in the exact same area, is that right? I think we were in Tampa around the same time that you guys were in. You said Boynton Beach, I think it was.

Speaker 2 11:23

So I grew up in Boynton Beach I think it was. So I grew up. I grew up in Boynton Beach and then I went to school in Lakeland, florida. Lakeland is between kind of sits in the center between Orlando and Tampa. I mean, they're right there. So, yeah, I took some trips to Orlando, of course, many of times, and then a temple as well.

Speaker 1 11:51

So so yeah, for sure, yeah, we were a part of. They had a church in Laker, and so we would go there and minister back and forth. Man, we were so close. It's like this is a small world.

Mission to Support Haiti Communities

Speaker 2 12:02

I think we were. There were probably times, um, because me and you have conversations, so I think there was times that we was in the same room at the same time and had no idea, had no idea. That's incredible to me, that's, that's the crazy part of it. We we was at many of times was at the same room at the same time, receiving the same like dew of God's spirit, you know. And then now here we are on the backside of things and obviously you know there's a relationship there that God was probably stirring up before we even know that.

Speaker 1 12:38

Oh, without question. Without question, You're somebody I value having in my life. So I am very, very grateful. Not because you're doing the episode of this show today, You're doing the interview with me. It's not that I'm grateful for you in my life period. That's powerful stuff to me. I get sentimental about that kind of stuff. Some people don't care about it. Oh, I was going to fall at the same time in the same place. Big deal To me. It's a big deal because I recognize that God is in this. You know, and it wasn't an accident, it wasn't luck, it wasn't an accident, it was a lot of strategy. Yeah, Heavyweight strategy if you will?

Speaker 1 13:13

Yeah, for sure. I want to hear how Stanford Haiti was launched, but I want to ask you first any updates on what's going on with your family? I know this ties into why Stanford Haiti was launched, why it was birthed out of your heart, you and your wife Sylvia's heart. So I don't know how or you want to answer those two questions, but take your time and go ahead and roll with it a little bit. I want to hear how it was launched and how things are at current. That might be the reason why this organization is necessary in the first place.

Speaker 2 13:47

So feel free to kind of interject at any point in time and then, if I get to answer one of the questions, go ahead and remind me. But so this is emotional for me for various reasons. This is emotional for me for various reasons. Every time I talk about it I have an opportunity to mention it because, again, I had lost contact with my mom for a good while, you know. And so again I lost contact at the age of five, six, and it wasn't until like 19 years old. We reconnected, and so all of those years I received letters, I received cassette tapes, et cetera. You know about the conditions, about the situations and all of that stuff. And so hearing her woe stories and these limitations, this stuff that she's having to go through, pained my heart because I was a son, you know that couldn't really do much about her disposition, and so and then I got the opportunity to make that visit in 1999 with my dad for a week and saw my mom for my mom for that week's time and I saw my eyes laid on the conditions and the situations and and so that that kind of crushed me Right.

Speaker 2 15:08

And then me and my wife in our early stages of being married, married and just trying to get by ourselves knew that there was a sacrifice that we wanted to make, you know to, to take out of our own income and go ahead and send that over and provide for my family. But then Haiti remained in our hearts, one thing that I want to kind of make clear right. So there is love for family, there is love for mission, and love for family doesn't always family is not always where mission is, you know, and mission is not always where family is. So it just so happened to be that the love that I have for my family is also the part location where God's given me a mission for and a heart for.

Speaker 2 16:06

Those two don't don't always coincide. In other words, the same zeal and passion and drive that my wife may have for the mission of Haiti in itself, you know, members of my family may not have that same mission. Their heart is survival, you know, and their heart is taking care of like, hey, get me out of this situation by all means necessary. So there's that aspect of things. So I am tackling that, while, at the same time, that God has birthed a mission for not only the family but the communities in Haiti in itself, and so we're having to tackle the same location, but two different missions with two different perspectives. Does that make sense?

Speaker 1 16:57

It does make sense.

Speaker 2 16:58

It does make sense. So, with that, there was some strategic thought that had to go into it, and my wife also had the. You know, we want to support the family, you know, but at the same time, we want to help the people of Haiti as a whole, and one of the things that she wanted to do was start in a possible orphanage when we were financially able to. And then, in our visits to Haiti, we realized throughout the years, we realized well, there's orphanages in Haiti, there's a lot of orphanages. It may not be running efficiently and they may not have the resources, but he doesn't always have. You know, you have pockets of places where there's parents not in the picture, but most of the times, even in the orphanages, the parents are in the picture. They just can't give the added resources or the funds that's needed to allow their kids to receive their education. They just can't. They may not have the jobs, they may not have the resources that they need to function today, day to day. They don't have that. But is there churches in Haiti? Yes, there's beaucoup of churches. Is there orphanages? Yes, is there schools? Yes, the issue is even with the schools. Majority of the schools is private schools, so you may have some. You may have, like the funds, the first quarter to take your child to school and support them in that, but then the other three quarters that's remaining you may not have that, and so you have to pull your kids out until you can generate that funds again. Well, those may not be available until four, five, six years. So you potentially have this child that with a first grade level education but could be in middle or high school. You see what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 19:08

It's a lot of those situations, and so what we did was we pulled back from the need of starting something else that's already started. And the Lord put in our hearts, like, let's create a support system around what already exists, to see how we can help the support system that's already there. And so we would come around. We would rally around the church, you know, and give support to the church. We would rally around the orphanage and then give support to the orphanage, and we rallied around the education, gave support to the education component, and so that's how we started off to go about it. And then we begin to notice loopholes, and in those loopholes we needed to establish our own stability of support system to rally behind these communities. So, for example, one of the things that we did was I work here, I work on the education system in Charleston, and then I'm also a leader, a pastor, one of the pastors in a thriving church of North Palm.

Speaker 2 20:27

So when you look at what works and what we do and what we've done in both the education component, my line of job is to rally a support system around a school based on what that need is. So the school may have various needs, from the dropout rate, the pregnancy preventions, et cetera, you know, or just basic needs that's needing to flood into that school, or bringing mentors and tutors, et cetera, faith-based, and doctors and all of this stuff. Let's bombard and bliss one of your words let's bliss the school, you know, with as much support as possible. Once we bliss the school now let's go in and bliss with my caseload students. Let's bliss these students with the support that they not don't think what we think they need, what they actually need. So I noticed that putting a circle of support system, whether that child can't eat in the morning, you know, let's make sure they have breakfast, okay, making sure we have resources for that. That child needs a mentor. They need a male figure in their life, you know, to build those components on them that they may not have the right male figure in their day-to-day. Let's bring in mentors for that. That child is struggling in math. Let's bring somebody for math. That child needs medical support, you know, get his teeth checked. You know, get his physical, and so the parent may not have the resource for that. So what we've done is bring broken support around the student and around that school to make it thrive and monitor those resources.

Speaker 2 22:23

So, after years of providing that kind of support, now stepping in Haiti and getting broken by what I saw, it's as if, like 1986, still existed. You know, I feel like I was going back in time again and not much has changed. You know the homes built out of stockings and sticks. You know still, kids like myself, what I used to do when there was no food. I'll just. You know we put paper and sand and put stuff in our mouth. You know saying it was bread and water. That was our basic stuff, stuff. So for me to see us how we've advanced as advanced in many parts of our world.

Speaker 2 23:12

But then you have places like Haiti that literacy issues and reading on can't, can't read or write and living off of $2 a day type lifestyle. When you hear it, it does something to your heart. When you're exposed by it, you know when you can smell the condition and when you can feel the condition, when you can see the condition bro. It broke me and it broke my team man and at that point I asked I just asked God. We need a strategy. You know we need this. People are coming in, Missionaries are coming in, stuff are being done, you know, but but we, the people, need to be empowered still at another level, but we, the people, need to be empowered still at another level. So I give grace and honor to what, what has already been done. But, as you know, with any trail that you're blazing, somebody else needs to come in and extend it. So there's moments of duplication, but there's moments of extending, and so we, I felt more called to extending, not duplication, but there's moments of extending, and so I felt more called to extending not duplication.

Speaker 1 24:29

That's a rare trait that we don't see very often. Yeah, there's a part of that story that just hits me, man. I'm going to let you jump back into some more of that. Man, my family's from the US Virgin Islands and from Panama and you'd be surprised maybe you won't be surprised, but a lot of people are when you watch the commercials for all of the tourists that come to Barbados and the Bahamas and stuff, it looks fantastic, man. But there's another side of that promotion that people don't see my great-grandmother, when she was alive, she literally lived in a shack and I don't mean a shack like I can't even describe it. All I can describe. It is just point to what you said.

Speaker 2 25:12

Yeah.

Supporting Haiti Communities Through Development

Speaker 1 25:13

And I lived there with her to visit, and it was dilapidated to say the least. I might as well have been outside to be inside a so-called enclosed structure, and that's how they live. My generation of folks in their 80s and 90s, limited ability to read and write, if any ability at all. It's like people don't understand the plight of what's going on. That's going to be my lead into my next question for you, but I want to give a shout out to all the people who listen to the show, who are watching us right now online and watching us through the youtube channel. Please, if you have any questions for gene in regards to what you heard so far, or maybe perhaps kind of break some myths about what you think about the world situation, the global situation in Haiti, drop your questions in the comment section. We'd love to hear from you and we'll address those as soon as we can during the episode, man. So don't be afraid. Drop your questions and comments here and go ahead, gene, jump back in and finish where you were starting.

Speaker 2 26:11

That man yes, so the conditions, as you mentioned, you know, um, allowed us to, like um, realize that we had to do more. You know, there was just as much um voodoo, um voodoo temples within the hotbed of the community, at the churches, if not even more. You know, and it's what it represents, um more. You know, and it's what it represents as well. You know so, and it's the darkness, it's the, it's the like poverty mindset that that needs, that needs to be broken.

Speaker 2 26:42

You know, and we know, in scripture, one of the primary examples of ultimate, ultimate change is to first breaking down these shrines, you know, to rebuild something of different significance, because every time you walk by it, even if you don't go in it, every time you walk by it, it's creating this, like this is the state of mind that we're in, you know. So, at that point, we, you know so, so at that point, we, we, you know that this is a completely you know I don't want to go on the rabbit trail, but, yes, we purchased a voodoo temple, man, and we broke the voodoo temple down, we placed a playground in this place, you know, while we was in haiti, and and we begin to rally kids and and basically do, if you will, almost like a boys and girls club, you know where we're just where. We're loving on kids, educating kids and then building starting. We started the process of breaking down the burial and then add a new framework to the construction, if you will, to rebuild and reprogram how the mine is operating.

Speaker 1 28:02

This is.

Speaker 2 28:02

Haiti. This is how Haiti's always going to be. So what we did was we was able to bring a support rally, a support system around the community in which we worked with. We built a team there, we have directors, we have staff members and we do educational sponsorship. We provide programs for the seniors in Haiti as well, and we just try to bridge the gap where we can. So we brought what I've seen at work and what God has put in my hands as, hey, this is your responsibility, you know, while, at least in this season. Well, I just duplicated the service that I did at this school. I duplicated those things over at Haiti and within those communities to watch development. That's awesome.

Speaker 2 29:09

We brought both missionaries and we brought folks from the church, you know, to fill with that spiritual side, you know, and break down those barriers.

Speaker 2 29:19

And then we brought the professionals, educators, et cetera that were experts in their fields. You know, because of the relationship, et cetera, they took the trip with me to Haiti as well and we began to create a program and surround those educators in Haiti. That's going to be. That was educating the kids, kind of like some training, et cetera, and so we've been at it for since 2012 now or at least official since 2012 and looking to eventually, you know, have our own, run our own school and maybe in the near future we'll be able to duplicate that school within other cities within Haiti. We've been doing this long enough, where we have somewhat of our own built-in curriculum that service the kids, so that the students, so that way the kid it bridges the gaps from what the students may not be receiving from school, either because their parents can't afford to finish it up or because they're so low academically. We kind of try to bridge that gap. Even if you can't go to school, we'll provide you all, your school, the basics that you will need to continue to function.

Speaker 1 30:40

I got a couple of questions. You answered my questions. You did a fantastic job. Thank you for doing that. I got a couple of questions for you in regard to this now. All right, you with me so far.

Speaker 2 30:50

I'm with you.

Global Mission and Life Reflections

Speaker 1 30:51

So the first thing I want to ask you is not this is something that my voice is going to move a little bit because it kind of frustrates me a little bit but, in my humble opinion, people kind of get callous pertaining to the plights of people outside the country, kind of like, if you don't touch my house and my family, it don't matter as much kind of attitude that bothers me. People talk about charity, like you know, oh, I did a good deed, you don't pat me on the back for what I did, what I gave, what I donated, and people talk about giving back to the community and they do it kind of like, almost like, kind of callously. But I want to ask you two questions about you in regards to all this and the big picture of this, uh, this mission, this movement. What have you learned about yourself? What has Gene learned about himself through seeking of support for Stanford, haiti? What's one or two things you learned about you during this time that you've, uh, embarked on this request for support?

Speaker 2 31:50

Um, that's a good question, that's a good question. That's a good question. Um, wow, so we?

Speaker 1 31:57

got one thing. That's fine. You gotta be true.

Speaker 2 31:58

But oh, I think it's a, it's a life. I think it's not just about it. Okay, you hate it. It's a life question for me because, um, at one point you want to do something, even even again, church is my life, you know, and, and serving people is my life. I say a lot of times that my dad and my brother are in the construction field, and that's what they know. They can build houses and God called me to build people.

Speaker 2 32:31

You know, and sometimes, sometimes, the results, the results can you can be tricked by the results, right, because you want to see the immediate change. That that's not necessarily there, and when that immediate change, when that immediate like gratification is not there, you ask yourself, well, if this is not where the crowd is going and if this is not as popular, if this is not, whether you know, is this something you still want to devote yourself to? You know, is this, is this like? Where's the carrot? You know that you're trying to chase in this Because ultimately, sometimes, what God calls you to, you don't see the immediate results. You know it's years before you know. So, at some point in the process, whether it's ministry, whether it's at the education field, whether it's family, or whether, at some point, you take ownership of your mission and of what you've been called to do, regardless of the fan base, regardless of the investment that people may or may not bring, you know. So, ultimately, I understand that this is dear to my heart, because this is what God has burdened me with, one of the things, these things. So then, the response from the outside is a help. It's encouraging, it's powerful, but it doesn't dictate um, it does not dictate my position, it doesn't dictate how fast or I I'm called to like, zoom in and and allow at this thing, you know, and and hit this thing on. So that's support. If you put some wheels in motion, if I have a couple of people pushing me or somebody holding your arms, does it make it a little bit easier? Indeed, it does, but I can't dictate, and that's a good example of it is this you have Haiti right now, who's in complete chaos.

Speaker 2 34:55

The president was assassinated maybe, I want to say in 2021, I believe and then the country has been in disarray. James has overtaken their country, rebels is ruling and bringing autism, and everybody on the outside has things to say and people on the inside they're having to go through it. I've lost my close brother due to the situation in Haiti. I've lost my cousin and there's been many of us around. We've lost um. We've lost um arts students, I've lost family members, etc.

Speaker 2 35:42

Um people are fleeing um to different parts of the country, leaving all that they've known all of their life and known all of their life, and trying to free their situation. It's straight chaos, you know, while at the same time, you will think. You will think okay, where do we stand with what's going on? These people I can't speak for all of Haiti, but the community in which I'm involved, in the group, the people I'm talking to on a daily basis they're still hungry for change. You know what I'm saying. They're learning to dodge bullets while they move.

Speaker 2 36:25

Any bit of hope that you can give them is fuel for them to continue. So then, that tells me any small doses of resource, words of encouragement, monetary gain, meeting, et cetera, man, it puts a fire on their back to run, you know, and that little seed does so much in their world and they're able to continue. So so I'm not trying to compare or anything like that. I just think about how Jesus moved and how he moved Um it. It didn't matter like what the government was doing what they were saying or not saying what the society was like. He had a specific goal and a specific plan and agenda that he was not deviating from right.

Speaker 2 37:28

So, at that point, as long as the people are hopeful and as long as they're like Gene, let's go, we can run, we can move, we can. You know, let's stop. Right now it's hot, things are crazy for a week or a month, but as soon as things get back on their feet, they're going. So we're rolling, like you know the underground church brother. We keep it moving regardless Pause when we need to and move forward when we need to. But as for the whole of what's going on in Haiti, yeah, it's real, it's intense, but yet there's people moving, man and trying to do their best to see a better Haiti for their country. And those people, man, we don't leave them doing that. We don't. Yeah, so we're good.

Speaker 1 38:18

That's really good, man. I appreciate that answer too. Man, I'm going to ask you one more question about Haiti. They're going to shift a little bit and go into some other stuff that people might not know about you, so go ahead. And one last question on Haiti. In regards, regards to, it's clear that we can't separate you from Haiti. You're in, they'll be linked. In that regard, do you feel like you'd have a heart for nations if Haiti wasn't your home?

Speaker 1 38:43

Like you have a heart to do things like this in other countries. That spark that for you Did that spark that for you?

Speaker 2 38:50

Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, you will notice that a lot of people, well, if you look at the statistics, a's more foreign missionaries in Haiti than actual Haitian missionaries in Haiti. Oh, absolutely, and I know of people that when they leave, they're not looking. I mean, they have different motives, so we'll leave that alone. But, as for me, haiti again is part mission, but I have, I got a global mission. You know, I got I'm too well connected with people, man, that this part of the scripture says you know to be burdened with.

Speaker 2 39:53

Have the, what your friends or the people around you are burdened with, that burden should be your burden. You know what brings them joy, and all of these, brazil, you name all of these items. If anything, if there is a niche, something that we do well, that can benefit, absolutely let's, let's, let's do it, man, and I've had those conversations with, um, various folks, you know, and in their stages and where we're trying to help them, um, and they're even africa, you know, as as every, every street. So there's, there's different. Yeah, absolutely, man, my, my burden is for the nations now, um, it just so happened.

Speaker 1 40:52

Haiti's in our backyard now, absolutely, and with the access that I have, absolutely, I love that I want people to know a little bit more about you outside of what you do. Don't get me in trouble. I don't think I would do that.

Speaker 2 41:09

You're doing good. You're doing good. Now I don't think I would do that. You're doing good.

Speaker 1 41:12

You're doing good. Now, what I want to create here was to have the kind of conversation that you and I have, without all the things that are sensitive in nature, but to have that kind of conversation and let people get to know the person that I know, outside of the official capacity, so to speak. So we'll have a little bit of fun with this. If you have to bow out on certain questions, that's okay. I got plenty more. We're good to go.

Speaker 2 41:39

I'll plead the fifth.

Connecting Music and Cultural Identity

Speaker 1 41:42

That's all right. I won't forget to know you, the man, because there's more to you. I'm hoping that this is a benefit and a credit to you. A lot of people get caught up in people's offices and their official capacity and they never go deeper, because if you stay there, it becomes something that's kind of almost unattainable, something you can't reach the human part, the part that, that real part of how relatable their life is to yours, and you won't turn it into worship and self-glorification. It'll be where it needs to be. So that's why I'm trying to help out with this today. I think you got a lot of qualities that people might want to know about, so I'm going to touch on that. Let's start here. We're having fun today Outside of your spending time with your family. What does Gene do for enjoyment?

Speaker 2 42:38

I love, I enjoy working out and I enjoy playing ball. Man, playing basketball, it still makes me feel young a little bit, you know. So Going out man and playing, so going out man and playing with these young kids, man and building that, and older guys as well, but that's really what I enjoy doing man, that's a regular thing for you.

Speaker 1 43:03

You do that on a weekly basis.

Speaker 2 43:05

I do it on a regular. I do it on a regular. You know, at least once a week I'm playing ball. A couple times a week I'm working out and running. You know, at least once a week I'm playing ball. A couple times a week I'm working out and running, you know. So I don't like as much but the working out part.

Speaker 1 43:20

Who does right On concrete? That's not fun.

Speaker 2 43:26

Yeah, I enjoy the benefits of it, so I do it. But the working, you know it's my way and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 43:40

All right, I'm going to talk about the restaurant.

Speaker 1 43:42

This is your chance to bow out if you want to. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay, but I want to talk about it, but I won't. If you don't want to, we have what I describe to talk about it. Yes, yeah, but I won't. If you don't want to Go ahead, we have what I describe as a spiritual experience. Mm-hmm, you got it Now because of the food and the culture. Yeah, and how we share that. Yes, ain't nothing but good time for us. Break out the oxtails and the curry chicken, the curry dough, and we can go ahead and get down with the rice and peas and snap some Jamaican beef patties out there and put it in that work. That ain't nothing for us. It's easy. Put in the work, even a little pepper sauce. It's going to get it really going. We can do all of that stuff. But the last time we did that together, you had what I would call a spiritual experience when a certain song came on the radio. Yeah, yeah, man, I didn't ask you to talk about that, unless you want to. But it's going to lead to my next question, because it's really relatable to me, because of my background, because I think I've shared some of it. If I haven't.

Speaker 1 44:46

I didn't just love music recently. I was a part of the. I was immersed in the culture. I used to do rap and hip hop. I have fun with it now in the gospel arena rapping and whatnot. But there was some times where I was out there spitting on a different level, not a freestyle. I couldn't freestyle for nothing. Yeah, I was trying to write some stuff down and it'd be fire, but that's what. That's what I was doing then. And so when we hear certain songs come on the way, I know for me my little weakness with the 90s hip hop. I get it do something to me. Yes, in this case, a gentleman by the name of Wyse Cliff came on the playlist and that beat hit.

Speaker 1 45:30

It was on, it was on and popping me and you put our forks down and stopped eating, and I don't know where you and I went to it was on and popping.

Speaker 2 45:43

But obviously, man, there's a lot going on in life. But, yeah, music kind of takes you. It takes you back. You know, you recall, for me, I walk with beats in my head. You know what I'm saying. I walk with melody. Anytime I'm around the house, pretty much, man, the kids are hearing me. You know beatboxing or you know just making some goofy stuff up, or you know singing some kind of song. I don't I'm not claiming to know how to sing and all this stuff, but when that, when the feel good music hits me, it's on. You know, that's, that's, that's my, my jam.

Speaker 1 46:29

But you know how to rap though.

Speaker 2 46:32

Well, well, yeah, yeah, yeah nothing.

Speaker 1 46:34

You do know how to rap, though. Well, yeah, yeah, nothing. You do know how to rap. Where'd that come from?

Speaker 2 46:42

Yeah, we grew up in it. You know where we grew up in hip-hop. Like you said, that era, that 90s era, man the Snoop Doggy Dog, you know the New Yorkers Tupac.

Speaker 1 47:00

Yeah, all those guys. Are we tearing religion down by saying? Are we stirring the religious pot by saying all these things? I'm down for it, but I'm just asking Is that what we're doing?

Speaker 2 47:11

Well, here's what I'm down for it. But I'm just asking is that what we're doing? Well, here's what I'm telling you. That's what I, when I was young, I was listening to that and and it did something to me. You know what I'm saying, so I don't have to hear it, I don't have to like I haven't. I don't go and like select certain songs, I don't listen to any of them, but at the same time, when they pop on, some of them take me back. You know what I mean. And so when some of those songs come on, I mean me and my brother. When we was young, you know he was Snoop Doggy Dogg, you know, and I was. Who was it man, snoop Doggy Dogg? Dr Dre, dr Dre, you know. So he had that skinny, you know, frame and I had that Dr Dre frame. So we would be at the house all the time kind of going back and forth on those songs.

Speaker 1 48:10

I don't understand man. Music is universal man. I've never drunk gin and juice a day of my life, but when that beat hit, when that beat hit, I don't know what happens. Something changes and I don't do anything different. But something happens and I go into a place, a faraway land, I'm gone.

Speaker 2 48:35

Yeah, I don't think again we're talking about it's. Yeah, we're not making it our world. It's not my world, it's not mine, it's just, but it's a part of you. Know again, that culture is a part of you are, you are who you are and to some, to the degree of you know, maturity. You know I'm saying you, you are, I'm, I'm. I'm more matured me now than I was back then. You know what I mean. And so when I'm looking at, when I'm looking at, okay, there are things within the culture that was still good for you. You know what I'm saying. That's a makeup part, makeup of who you are.

Speaker 2 49:24

And so you can't't and I'm not talking about more of the music, just more of the core you can't just throw all that away and say, you know, like it didn't exist, right, right, that it's not, that it's. How do you use that, you know, for the maturity stage of your life? Now you know, and how, how do you, you grow. But I can't, I can't ignore the experiences. To some degree, some of it, yeah, but to some degree you're talking about.

Speaker 2 49:51

You know, wyclef came around the culture around the season where, you know, haitians were being oppressed.

Speaker 2 49:58

You know they were being like getting bullied. And so when he came out, he kind of and he's from Kwade Bukere, the city where I'm from, in Haiti and then you're looking at a guy like that where Haitians supposed to be hush, hush, haitians supposed to be like kind of like in the corner somewhere and don't have anything to say, and this guy is like making making a name for himself and at that time many of Haitians were starting to stand on their two feet and now fighting against you know the bullies, you know, and standing up for themselves. So it gave us a little bit of pride about ourselves that we can go. We can go get some things. You know we can go after life, we can go out after the best things.

Speaker 2 50:42

We're not just second class citizens. You know what I'm saying. So at that point, those songs, to some degree, you know, you put them, it's just a part of your makeup, you know, just like part of your culture. So I say that again with the same side of you know, especially with music this day, you gotta be watchful, because I there's certain stuff.

Speaker 1 51:08

I guess it's different man we ain't talking about today's music, because that's not what we're talking about go to a?

Speaker 2 51:16

um bahama breeze or um a jamaican store or caribbean store, you know, and they're playing back in the day stuff, you, you know, and they have your native tongue and whatnot. It's the groove come out of you. You can't help it. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 51:35

It's hard to explain, man, so I don't think we should even try it. If you know, you know right, it's kind of that simple. I mean you were both part of groups back in the day.

Speaker 2 51:44

Yeah, let's get it straight, man, not on your level, it wasn't on your level. You know what I heard? You was out there, out there. That's not how I heard things.

Speaker 1 52:00

I was sitting down with some real famous people and then I talked about it. It ain't no big deal In New York, it happened all the time. Recording contract that was. That was, yeah, but don't downplay what you were doing. Oh, yeah, yeah, I ain't gonna let you do that part. But what I want to ask you is what happened? What made it? What? Do you ever have a desire to do a recording contract to have a career in music? Was that ever in the cars when you thought they were rapping and hanging with some friends of ours? Did you ever have a desire to have a career in music? Or was that kind of just something fun you were doing as a hobby?

Legacy and Hip-Hop Influence

Speaker 2 52:34

So it wasn't a hobby, because so, just, I don't want to bring it back, but I'll bring it back, just like the Haiti mission. I don't think I'm doing those things because I want to Like there was a need there, there was a gap that needed to be filled. I don't find a lot of joy in asking people for resources or funds. It brings this weird feeling out of me, you know, but because of the situation, I, um, because of what they're going through, um, it's a necessity that I do and and um, kind of like, whatever my feelings or my emotions about it, push that to the side because it's not about me now. It's about what's needed on behalf. So that's where the axing comes. But I wasn't built as an axer, if that makes any sense.

Speaker 2 53:35

When it comes to the hip-hop part of things, the reason I went into hip-hop specifically was because at college at the time, me and a good friend of mine weren't finding anything to do on the weekends that would not get us into trouble.

Speaker 2 53:52

So we was cooped up while everybody else was partying and going out. And now we are on an empty campus and trying to figure out what to do. So he had a keyboard and he started, you know, figuring and trying to, you know mess around with his keyboard and and I try to put some rhymes together. You know, and that's, and he started, you know, figuring, trying to, you know mess around with his keyboard and and I I try to put some rhymes together. You know, and that's, and and he, he started producing and then, before you know it, you know, we we had a little, we had a little a group, you know, and that group end up, end up, um, doing some concerts one, the first christian hip-hop concert at our college at the time. Um, they made the newspaper and then we began to do some traveling and stuff like that.

Speaker 1 54:31

I ain't never been in a newspaper before.

Speaker 2 54:35

Stop it, man. And we began to use that as a tool for evangelism. Evangelism when I lost a good friend of mine and you know the pastor's son, et cetera basketball teammate, you know and found out that he had all of these rhymes and poetry, that he wanted them to come out and he had it in his heart, you know, to put these things out there. But then he had that opportunity and said you know what, let me look at what he has and went to work. I got some of his projects and then worked on, meshed it to what I had in mind, what he had, and then created a dedication album for him and for the family, called, know, call it 24, the final chapter. And then in that you know, the parents, apostle Mark and Patricia Estes, you know, kind of used that, you know, even as an evangelistic tool still.

Speaker 2 55:40

So I was here, I am in Florida, and they was bringing me to Charleston on a regular basis for evangelistic work, you know. And then we would perform these CDs with these CDs, and then from there we would go to like I think we went to Venezuela a couple times as well and do some concerts there. I went to Haiti and did a concert there and but, but essentially they, it became a tool, um, and then, and it became a stage, a moment that that transition, you know um after a while but it was never in my I, I never dreamed of becoming a hip-hop, um any means. It was the tool that god was using to reach, reach, um, the, the people at the time. And then once, once, that once that kind of subsided for me and it was transition time. I kind of knew it, my heart, my heart knew it and I shifted as well.

Speaker 1 56:38

I've asked you to rap since then and you are sweating and your hands are wringing your hands. I'm like this man will answer my question anytime today or not, or what's happening here. I kind of feel like you Did.

Speaker 2 56:51

I ask a question. Good question though, right.

Speaker 1 56:54

I don't know if you did. I think you got to dance around like the late great Gregory Hines.

Speaker 2 56:59

Which question did I answer?

Speaker 1 57:01

I wanted you to rap in a certain opportunity, and that was All I heard was tap dancing.

Speaker 2 57:07

Yeah, I'm tap dancing.

Speaker 1 57:11

I'm going to challenge you right now because we are up against it time-wise. I got five questions. I got to ask I need you to give me some rapid-fire answers. I got to ask them all. I can't leave none of these on paper. I got to ask okay, I got five questions and then we're going to shut it down. You with me? Yes, sir, after five, baby you ready? Yes, all right, cool, all right. So you got a growing household, young children. That usually makes getaways really hard to come by. Absolute favorite place to go on vacation or travel.

Speaker 2 57:44

Whew, wow, I say Florida back home, man, on vacation or travel. Wow, I say Florida back home man.

Speaker 1 57:49

Where I'm going to say Boynton Beach man.

Speaker 2 57:53

Seriously yeah, West Palm, Anywhere, West Palm Lakeland. Back home Again. Got to get back to that food man.

Speaker 1 58:04

I ain't mad at you. We had a discussion about Haitian cuisine before we talked about that. We're both foodies, we love, we got a background in that kind of stuff. If somebody had to be introduced to Haitian cuisine, what's the one dish or one item, food item you would introduce them to?

Speaker 2 58:21

I would or would not? You would, oh or would not? You would oh. Grillo, grillo, complet avec bonon pisé. This is fried either fried pork or fried goat, chopped up in cube size, with fried plantains, right, and then you might have some white rice or rice and beans, whichever you like, and some sauce onion sauce on the side of it. So it is Wow, sounds amazing. Yes, yes, yes.

Speaker 1 58:54

Pronounce it again.

Speaker 2 58:56

Hmm.

Speaker 1 58:56

Pronounce it again.

Speaker 2 58:58

I'm saying guillo, guillo with sauce on it. I'm running busy.

Speaker 1 59:05

I heard there were pork inside there. You know I already know he's, so have you ever seriously considered writing a book on your story? Has that ever been a thought I have? I'm not pushing you, I'm just asking a question.

Speaker 2 59:18

Yes, I have. I have. The time is not set yet, but I have and I most likely will.

Speaker 1 59:28

I love it. I love it. Okay, what do you want your legacy to be at the end of the day? You talk about a lot of stuff. Yeah, man, the most heavy is the heavy question.

Speaker 2 59:38

So we hear this a lot. It's my ceiling, you know, to be the floors of those that I've invested in that my kids will take the baton and run, and not only my kids, you know, but just all that I involve myself in. I feel as if God's called me to build people, as if God's called me to build people, and so those people, you know, if they can spread the gospel and do it with zeal and compassion, man, that's a great legacy, you know, while at the same time, there's also the other part is the physical. I'm going to leave some stuff for my kids, you know. I want to leave some stuff where my kids I want to leave some stuff where they don't have to struggle, like I struggle to make life a little bit easier for them, and to that. That's where my passion is right now.

Speaker 1 1:00:42

I know plenty of folks that personally credit you for their growth and their development. I see your boys and I see them learning how to be men, how to be respectful, look folks in the eyes and greet them properly, and you're teaching your boys right man. So you're off to a great start, Definitely a man of integrity man.

Speaker 2 1:01:04

So I appreciate you so much, man Intentionality is a big of integrity man, so I appreciate you so much, man.

Speaker 1 1:01:07

Okay, man, intentionality is a big thing, man, so so, if you can go ahead and just last thing, just go ahead and share how people can help stand for Haiti and support your efforts there so if you just want to kind of keep up with what's going on or to partner with us or to donate, you can easily easily go to our StandForHaitiorg.

Speaker 2 1:01:31

Our website is org and also you can check us out on Facebook at StandForHaiti. You can also go to our Instagram at CompeHaiti. Compehaiti is K-A-N-P-E, H-A-I-T-I is our Instagram link. You can connect with us there. You can also kind of request partnership or newsletters as well. If you wanted to sponsor a child to go to school, you can do that as well. You can give on the website StandForHaitiorg. You can also give via cash app with the dollar sign Stand for Haiti. Or you can give via Venmo with the at symbol Stand for Haiti as well.

Speaker 1 1:02:18

Absolutely. We're going to go ahead and it's already on all of our socials, at least it should be. We're going to go ahead and definitely share the episode a lot more, a lot of people. I believe you made an impact on their life. I definitely want them to hear what you said today and what you shared. I think we're going to deepen some relationships for you, hopefully deepen some support as well. So I'll be promoting it throughout the course of the day and I'll definitely be sharing the information on how people can support your show, support what, promoting it throughout the course of the day, and I'll definitely be sharing the information on how people can support your show or your show, support what you're trying to accomplish, man. So I'm pretty excited for you and I'm really grateful you could be able to come on today.

Speaker 2 1:02:55

Well, Mr you thanks for having me on the show, man. Thank you for not not only having me on the show, but you hear my heart about Haiti and then just just your relationship and what you're building. So I thank God for your ministry. I pray for increase, I pray for partnerships to come to and attach to, to what you're doing. As well as you're, you're building a strong platform for for Christ and to get things done. You know so. So thank you for the opportunity to for me to share my story. I really appreciate it, man.

Speaker 1 1:03:30

Thank you, man. You and your wife, sylvia are blessings to us, your family and our eyes. I know you've got plenty of family, so we just kind of squeezing in the back a little bit, just kind of clean and get some of the massive love that we know you guys already get, man. But we just thank you for founding this incredible organization, man, and for caring about people. Like I said before, it kind of burned my biscuits a little bit. When people act like you know, it don't matter because it's not touching their house, man, but you're bringing it home.

Speaker 1 1:03:57

I hope and pray the episode does something for the people who think like that and it kind of changes some perceptions, some eyes, some eyes from folks. So I'm going to be knocking on some folks' doors today. I don't normally say that during an interview, but I'm just letting you know what's getting ready to happen. I'm going to be tagging some people, letting people know hey, do you know about this, what you doing? That's getting ready to happen on this day. So I just want you to know that within 24 hours this is happening. But I just want you to know that, man, I appreciate you so much. Man, I love you. You are a blessing to not only the ministry, but to our community too. Thank you for all you do, man.

YouTube Show Promotion and Gratitude

Speaker 1 1:04:32

Yes, sir, thank you all you guys, my pleasure, all you guys that are listening and watching the episode today thank you for supporting us. If you're an audio listener iheart radio, apple podcast, spotify, google podcast is gone so you can't use that anymore, but anyway you listen to our audio podcast. You can find our show all four seasons so far. We're on a YouTube channel at TheyCallMeMrU. Please subscribe to the channel there. Check out our content. We got everything on there, from gardening to Bible teachings to sports shows and interviews. It's life, it's happening. But thank you for your support and we definitely appreciate you being willing to lean into this and have a show like this. So we thank you for that and all your support and we hope you have a great day, gene. Thanks again, brother, we love and appreciate you so much. All right, thank you guys. Enjoy the music. Thank you, take care.