

SOULFEST 2018 GUEST SPEAKERS









Lexidan "Lex" Edme
is the President and Co-Founder of MOHI. Born and raised in Haïti, Lex attended the Royal Caribbean School of Ministry in Leogane. He was a school teacher, director and preacher, prior to moving to the USA. Lex currently directs all operations for MOHI in Haïti and is the overseeing pastor for the churches there. With a deep understanding of Haitian culture and politics, as well a gift for leading people, he is a strong leader and very well-respected in the communities where MOHI is working. Renee's background is in business and ministry. Together they raised two children (much of the time in Haiti) and are now proud grandparents.
Angie Shepherd
is a physician assistant working in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. She was raised in the Methodist church and has always had a relationship with the Lord, for as long as she can remember. She experienced her first taste of medical missions as an elementary aged Girl Scout volunteer, serving at a free clinic in rural Appalachia. Many years later, she joined a disaster relief team headed to Haiti after the earthquake of 2010, and was hooked on serving overseas. After several years of service with Bless Back Worldwide and Mission of Hope International, she responded to God's calling to move to Haiti and live full-time for a year, running the medical clinic at MOHI. She now lives in Daytona Beach, Florida, with her two rescue dogs, Shenzi and Fwenky.
Hakine LaTouche
pastors the MOHI church in St. Etienne, Leogane, Haiti. He is deeply loved and respected by his church, as well as his wife and daughter. Pastor Hakine also serves on the leadership committee at MOHI, where his counsel has been very valuable.
Esther Plastridge
has been serving the Lord in education and missions for over 30 years. She has held training session for Suday School teachers in over 60 churches in New England and has served as the superintendent of Sunday School. She has done missions work in Romania, England, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. She created a VBS curriculum for the DR which was presented to the Superintendent of the West Indies for use in Cuba. She developed the Leadership Conference that is still taking place annually at MOHI in Haiti. It started with 25 people and has grown to include as many as 700 pastors and church leaders. She has served as a board member for Women Mentoring Women and Messiah Ministries Bible College.
Carlos & Rita Pereira
pastor the Evangelical Church of Fall River. They minister in both English and Portuguese and
have decades of experience in cross culteral ministry.
Kevin & Tammy Groder
After pastoring for 20+ years, Kevin & Tammy moved to Haiti where they put their individual skills to work (IT experise, sewing, medical assisting, ministry training, preaching, organizing and leading teams, creating fun and laughter everywhere they went...). You may recognize them from their years of service here at SoulFest, too!
Doris Buckley,
MEd; A.B.D. Mom of three: Olivia (13), David (16) and Maddie (18 ) Married to Todd since 1995 Doctoral Student at the Van Loan School at Endicott in Beverly, MA Head of School, Koinonia Early Childhood Center since 2003 Part-Time Professor of Psychology and Education, Northern Essex Community College since 2002 Previously a Youth Pastor (I am still in recovery) I fell in love with the people of Haiti during my very first trip several years ago. I knew then it would forever have a piece of my heart. I have led trips several times, most recently in February of 2018. It is such a blessing to see all that Mission of Hope is doing on a daily basis to bring food, shelter, medical care, education and most importantly hope and the love of Jesus to those in their communities. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of this organization.
Cheryl "Chel" Finn
Cheryl “Chel” Finn is the wife of Charles, Mom to Mary, Theresa, Sarah and Andrew, and Gramma to Joseph. She has been involved in EMS since 1979, and became a paramedic in 1985. She currently is the Program Coordinator for all of the CAAHEP Accredited Emergency Medicine Programs at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, MA where she has provided direction and formation to hundreds of EMT’s and Paramedics for the past 23 years. Chel continues to work in field as a Paramedic at Milford Regional Medical Center, and for Community EMS. She will be writing curriculum for Disaster and 3rd World Paramedicine as part of her Sabbatical project during the fall 2018 semester. Chel was the founding team leader for Team G3 that began shortly after the Haitian earthquake in 2010. G3 is an organization that leads predominantly medical mission teams to serve at Mission of Hope International and in other areas of the world. The G3 Mission is to serve medically where needed, being mindful of the dignity of each person, while recognizing that the gift of healing is entrusted to us by the Father to be shared. We humbly seek to become Jesus’ hands and feet to a hurting world. In her spare time Chel enjoys being with Charles, singing, playing guitar, composing songs, travel, hiking and camping. She is a frequent speaker/musician at church services, retreats and conferences. She looks forward to sharing insights on medical missionary experiences with you!
Alain and Alexis
Alain and Alexis Michel are the daughter and son-in-law of Lex and Renee Edme. Alexis was born in the US and raised in Haiti. She and Alain, a Haiti native, met in Massachusetts where Alain attended college. Their story is one of many twists and turns of how God brought them together. They are now married with a son, Alante. They are releasing their Podcast, The Michels, in early 2019.