UCI Board

Our Haitian board determines the main needs of the area and where to direct UCI’s resources. They determine the budget and project list as they are Haitian nationals who know and care about their community's long-term needs. The U.S. board has been with UCI since its inception and are dedicated volunteer Christians from a variety of denominational backgrounds who desire to pray for UCI’s mission and help keep all things accountable to God. Their main objective is to support the Haitian board and ensure U.S. accountability. 

The U.S. and Haitian boards meet for an annual retreat and the U.S. board members are committed to visiting UCI in Haiti once a year. UCI hopes to one day provide a way for more Haitian board members to visit the supporting churches in the United States.

Haitian Board

Eliberne Pierre

Eliberne Pierre
Supervisor of Construction

Supervisor of Construction​ including all buildings on UCI property; houses, latrines, and cement floors in the community; churches and school buildings​. Eliberne is married to Dimancia and they have 2 children, one of whom graduated from the agronomy program at UCCC. Eliberne is an active member of the Caiman Worship Center and a strong community leader.

Justin Mompremier

Justin Mompremier
Supervisor of Financial Affairs and Primary School

Supervisor of Primary School​ and Financial affairs. Justin is the board member that handles the day-to-day cash flow. He also ensures the teachers are meeting the national standards of education and UCI's standards for spiritual formation. He is married to Dieula and they have 8 children, 2 doctors that graduated from UCCC’s medical program, 1 pastor who graduated from UCCC’s theology program, 1 studying biomedicine, and 2 studying agriculture, and one that has graduated with theology at UCCC.​ Justin is an elder of his church, sings in the choir, and is on many community committees.

Gabriel “Lamour” Mompremier

Gabriel “Lamour” Mompremier
Supervisor of the University

As supervisor of ​the ​UCCC ​University, Lamour oversees dorm life at the university, helps with disciplinary issues, and verifies that our accreditation requirements are met. He also works with Eliberne to evaluate which families will receive houses, floors, or latrines in the community.​ Lamour is married to Dieudonne, and they have 4 children (one of which is studying nursing at UCCC.  Lamour is a member of the Worship Center of Caiman and an advocate of our community local soccer team.

Saul Louis

Saul Louis
Supervisor of Agriculture

As Supervisor of Agriculture, Saul Louis oversees projects including tree nursery, drip irrigation gardens at nutrition centers, motorized pump irrigation gardens, animal husbandry, and teaches the practicum for the agricultural department of the university. Saul is dedicated to teaching all about the importance of agriculture and inherent Christian economic principles that need to be followed. He is married to Evenie and they have 3 children. Saul is an elder and in charge of the evangelism ministry of his church.

Lanyo Fenix

Lanyo Fenix
Prayer Warrior

UCI's Prayer Warrior. Seventy-nine year old Lanyo has started each morning praying with all the workers at UCI, Monday through Friday, for the past 8 years. He wants all UCI ministries to be covered in prayer. Lanyo has been instrumental in casting the vision for the university and the addition of the secondary school. Lanyo is married to Sulfise and they have 5 children and 7 grandchildren. Lanyo has been an elder at his church and has sung in his men's choir for over 36 years.

Pastor Phederme (Elfis) Accilien

Pastor Phederme (Elfis) Accilien
Pastor

He and his wife Esperanta have 4 daughters and 2 sons and one grandbaby. He started the church in Lapila in 1991. Elfis is the newest board member and is passionate about pastoral training and community development. He is responsible for prayer and helping with the nutrition centers.

US Board

Jason & Whitney Farver

Jason & Whitney Farver
US Board President & Board Member

Jason and Whitney Farver are high school sweethearts who have been married for 20 years and have been blessed with four children.

Jason and Whitney first took a mission trip to the Pignon, Haiti area in 2011 and were drawn to the people and the country. On their first trip to Haiti, they visited UCI for a Sunday worship service with a UCI tour to follow. They immediately fell in love with God’s work at UCI, the mission and the hearts of JeanJean and Kristie. This excited and encouraged them to see God moving so evidently in this area.  

Since their initial visit to Haiti, Jason and Whitney have felt called to return each year.  They have enjoyed leading mission teams to UCI and partnering with the ministry through their service on the board of directors.  

Jason and Whitney joined the UCI board in January of 2016 and are excited to share their time, talents, and treasures to move the ministry forward as God directs! 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

- Ephesians 2:8-10

Joel King

Joel King
US Board Member
Lead Pastor at Trinity Church of Sunnyvale

I was born in Casper, Wyoming and was blessed to be raised in a Christian home. My father was raised in an orthodox Jewish home, but became a follower of Jesus through the Christian Businessmen’s Association. The faith of both my parents had a profound influence on me and I devoted my life to ministry at the age of eleven. I started college attending Biola University in 1988 and ended up graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a major in Sociology and a minor in Women's Studies in 1993. I then worked in a home for teens recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.

In 1996, I married my best friend, Lyn. We have four adopted children, Brittany (born 1999), Jesse (born 2001), Hailey (born 2002), and Troy (born 2003). I have worn many hats in my 25 years of ministry including custodian, children, families, small groups, and discipleship ministries.  I started my current ministry as Lead Pastor of Trinity Church on January 1, 2011. 

I have been blessed to have been part of the UCI ministry since 2008. I have led teams there for three different churches and my entire family has also traveled to Haiti to partner in the ministry. It is an honor and a privilege for me to be part of such a mighty and miraculous work of God.

Jim & Marcy Ryken

Jim & Marcy Ryken
US Board Member

Jim and Marcy Ryken live in Ames, Iowa and attend Christ Community Church. They have been married for over 20 years and have five kids – Taylor, Grace, Delaney, Bennett, and Jonathan.

God placed missions in the center of our hearts through the Perspectives class in 2007. Perspectives changed the way we thought about the world and changed how we lived. That year we also took our first family mission trip to Jackson County Kentucky.

 Our family’s first trip to Haiti was in 2012 as part of Grace’s homeschool class project. We have since traveled to Haiti at least every year and have led three teams from the Ames area. These trips have all been memorable and amazing.

Some highlights from our Haiti life include taking blond-haired Jonathan when he was only four; having Taylor find her calling as a nurse while serving alongside a doctor in Haiti; and connecting the Ames community to the Leger School in Lobo Bohoc through Christmas gifts, school lunches, and building projects.

​Initially, we felt a strong calling from God to help establish a connection between believers in the Ames area and UCI in Caiman. We are blessed by God’s faithfulness in realizing this vision. We have had the opportunity to help mobilize and mentor short-term trips.

​Marcy and Jim joined the UCI board in August of 2016. They are excited to serve UCI in this leadership capacity in addition to leading teams on short-term trips.

Eli & Molly Paulsrud

Eli & Molly Paulsrud
US Board Members

Eli and Molly Paulsrud reside in Cherokee Iowa, where they are raising four children, living on a family farm, and are active in their church and community. They were first introduced to UCI in 2012 through a mission trip with their church. They didn't know it at the time, but that first trip would change their lives. They immediately fell in love with the country of Haiti, the people, and the ministry of UCI. It was their first experience with overseas missions and it quickly sparked in them a passion to be more involved with UCI and partner with missions all around the world. They have returned to Haiti every year since and enjoy leading teams and sharing with others about what God is doing through the ministry of UCI.  

In 2016, Molly took over as our part time-treasurer and in 2017 took on a larger role to become our US Managing Director. She loves working with teams, helping JeanJean and Kristie however she can from the States, and serving in Haiti as much as she can!

Eli and Molly are excited about the work that God is doing through the ministry of UCI, and are blessed to partner in this work by serving on the board of directors.  

Pat & Diane Oehler

Pat & Diane Oehler
US Board Members

Pat and Diane Oehler have been married for over 30 years and have 2 daughters: Natalie and Michaela. They both grew up in Manchester, Iowa, and they currently live in Cedar Falls.

Diane’s first trip to Haiti was with Youth for Christ when she was in her early 20s. As with most people who serve in Haiti, she left a piece of her heart there and for years, had desired to go back. In 2001, they moved to Cedar Falls when Pat took a position at Orchard Hill Church. A few years later, Orchard began taking mission trips to Haiti. Diane joined the team and has gone almost every year since.

In 2009, the Oehlers took their first trip to Haiti as a family, at which time the love for Haiti infected the rest of the family. In 2014, Pat and Diane began leading the trips to UCI. The Mission Team at Orchard Hill Church considers UCI to be one of their global strategic partners.

When asked what draws Pat and Diane to their commitment to UCI, their answer comes quickly. “JeanJean and Kristie have such a big vision for the future of Haiti through the transformative changes God is accomplishing through the ministry of UCI. Their hearts are sold out to Jesus and their love of the people of Haiti is contagious. We consider them to be good friends and desire to help their success continue.”

Pat and Diane were honored to join the UCI Board in 2018.  

Jack & Kallie Griffin

Jack & Kallie Griffin
US Board Members

God blessed Jack when he chased Kallie down a street in San Francisco after church in 2018, and then married her 1 year later. 

Before meeting Kallie, Jack’s first visit to Haiti was in 2016, where he was born again after God gave him a new heart for Christ while worshiping in the UCI church. On the last day of his trip, Jack was able to play soccer with some local youth and visit a rundown field with JeanJean. 

Since then, Jack and another UCI servant, Zach Corral, have fundraised for new fields, education needs and youth camps where they coach soccer, share the Gospel and encourage the next generation of Haitian leaders. Kallie first visited in 2019 and helped lead a ministry for the soccer team’s families with diapers, toys, and prayer. None of their experiences would be possible without the selfless support of JeanJean and Kristie.

Jack and Kallie now live in Lone, California where they attend Cornerstone Church with hopes of God gifting them children soon and they look forward to serving UCI and Haiti for years to come!

"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” 

- Revelation 19:1