JULY 2017 MINISTRY UPDATE

Hey friends! There's been a lot going on with Matchlight Records and we wanted to give you a little update! 

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RIVENSON DIGE ALBUM RELEASE
Rivenson Dige's album officially released on iTunes on May 18, 2017, making him one of the first artists to bring professionally recorded Creole worship music to Haiti! The album is an incredible collection of songs coming out of his church, Centre de Vie, in Les Cayes, Haiti, most of which were written by Rivenson. We exclusively streamed the songs on SoundCloud leading up to the album release and received more than 5,500 plays in 28 different countries!

You can now purchase the album on iTunes or through our store! We've also made the album available digitally for free in Haiti, and we've been sharing this with as many people in Haiti as possible. So far the response from other nonprofits in Haiti has been very positive. It's incredible to see this dream of bringing recorded worship music to Haiti come to life and we are already seeing what a hunger there is for this type of music! 

So many people sacrificed, prayed, and supported us financially to make this record possible and we can't thank you enough! What an honor to work with Rivenson Dige, producer Tedd T - who made this album sound incredible! - and GoServ Global, Ken DeYoung, and Conwell Larson to make this a reality.

RUTH FRANCOIS RECORDING IN NASHVILLE
We were able to arrange schedules to get Ruth Francois to Nashville in May to start recording her new EP! Ruth not only has an amazing voice, but she also has an extraordinary work ethic and ear for how she wants her music to sound. She is determined to bring a new sound of worship to Haiti and we love it!

We're super excited (and blessed!) to be working with some incredible producers on this album: Tedd T (for KING & COUNTRY, Unspoken), Benjamin Backus (for KING & COUNTRY, We Are Messengers, I Was The Lion), and Mark Campbell (for KING & COUNTRY, We Are Messengers, I Was The Lion). 

We'll be sharing more as this progresses. We believe God is going to use Ruth's music in the most amazing ways!

HAITIAN RADIO
As word gets out about Rivenson's album, we keep learning about more and more ways to share this music. Rivenson has been interviewed by several local radio stations in Les Cayes, Haiti who are playing his music. We've also become aware that there are online Haitian radio stations based out of the US that stream to the world. We are in the process of exploring this further and finding ways to connect with these stations. We've found that Haitian radio stations are typically not genre specific, so they play all types of music (rock, hip hop, pop, etc.). This could present a huge opportunity for Rivenson's music to reach a largely secular audience. Please pray for favor as we explore new options in radio and that God will use this to reach a new audience!

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • That the Holy Spirit would take Rivenson's music to every part of Haiti and use it to help bring revival to this nation
  • That Rivenson's album would have an incredible reach and influence through radio, both in Haiti and through online Haitian radio
  • That the need would be met to cover the outstanding expenses for Rivenson's album
  • For anointing on Ruth's album and that we will raise the additional funds needed to complete this recording
  • For Rivenson's ministry at Centre de Vie and for Ruth's ministry with Haiti Teen Challenge, Hope Outreach International, and Rendez-Vous Church

Thank you again for your continued support of Matchlight Records as we work to reach the nations with the transforming message of the Gospel through music!

THE MAKING OF KENBE PYE JEZI

Ever wonder how a song comes together? The truth is every song comes together in its own unique way, and there are times when the Holy Spirit just orchestrates the whole thing in a moment. That's exactly what happened with Kenbe Pye Jezi (Hold the Feet of Jesus).

The day before this song came together was our first day of recording and strange things had been happening. Our producer Tedd T's computer and electronics started overheating and weird messages were popping up on the computer screen and our phones. His external hard drive was so hot it almost burned your finger to the touch. Anyone who's been in Haiti in the summer knows it's HOT! And we thought maybe this was causing all our electronics to act up. We knew if this didn't get fixed, it could jeopardize our entire week of recording.

We took a break, turned on every fan we could find, and found a frozen package of bacon (yes, bacon!) that we wrapped in a towel and put underneath the hard drive to try to cool it down. Anyone who's been to Haiti also knows you have to be RESOURCEFUL! Haha. But it just kept getting worse. So we rallied the worship team and asked everybody to pray. They decided to come in the room and worship and pray together, so Rivenson got his guitar and they all started singing and praising and praying. And by the time they finished the second song, all the electronic issues were fixed, our phones were back to normal, and we realized what we thought was the heat was actually the enemy trying to take out the whole week of recording by messing with our electronics.

We made the decision right then and there to start every morning with praise and worship. Just in case the enemy thought he might want to try anything else, we wanted him to know Who was in charge.

As we were getting ready to start the next day out with worship, we asked the worship team what they were going to sing. Rivenson's casual response was, "I don't know, but I think it's gonna be good, so you might want to record it." Sometimes you just know the Holy Spirit is going to move.

"I remember that morning of recording," Rivenson Dige recalls. "We started with a time of worship and prayer with my guitar. Suddenly the Holy Spirit took over and gave me a melody. I started playing the chords He put in my spirit, and it just took off from there."

Everyone started worshiping as they felt led, and soon Tedd started adding some beats and a bass line and it just kept building from there. Everyone in the room realized we were witnessing something special. Have fun watching as this spontaneous worship session turns into a hip hop song:

After the moment was over, everyone had to break out and write down their raps while they were still fresh in their minds. Later in the day we recorded those raps individually and Tedd made it all come together. By the end of the day, the song was finished and we knew this one had to go on Rivenson's album.

The final version of the song includes parts from everyone on the worship team. And Pastor Rivenson's rap is actually Psalm 23! We hope you have as much fun listening to this song as we did making it! To God be the glory!

Check out more videos like this on our YouTube channel, and find all lyrics, translations, and chords on the Resources page. Rivenson Dige's album is available for download on iTunes or for purchase through our Store.

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: AVEW MAP MACHE

Avew Map Mache (Walking With You) came out of a time when my family was suffering and we couldn't even meet our essential needs. We were praying and expecting miracles everyday, even for having what we needed to eat. At the same time, the enemy was trying to take me out from the plan of God, using any kind of temptations and attractions to try to distract me and lure me away.

But I knew that I was called by God, that He wanted to use me, and that He would provide. Even though the challenges were tough, God kept me in His presence. I knew that nothing would be better than what He has for me and my family. By being connected with God, my heart said: “God, avew map mache (I will walk with You).” God gave me this song to help keep my focus on Him.

 
Avew Map Mache
Ke
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete o non, non, non
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete
Kouple 1
Souvan, lavi a konn vle menen mwen ale
Mwen di avew map mache, sou ou map apiye
Gen anpil fwa, pwoblem yo konn vle bare chimen mwen
Men m pap konte sou a m we,
Map konte sou Bondye
Ke
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete o non, non, non
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete
Kouple 2
Le wout la nwa, lm pa takon kisa pou m fe
Mwen di avew map mache , sou ou map apiye
Lm pa we anyen, sa pa vle di w pa egziste
Se nan ou mwen jwen lavi
Mwen gen tout sam bezwen      
Ke
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete o non, non, non
Avew map mache
Sou ou m’apiye
Avew map kanpe
Mwen pap janm rete                  
Bridge
Menm si gen gwo dlo, ta gen gwo van
Anyen pa ka fwennen mwen
Paske ou fem you pwomes :
Ou va toujou ave m  
Walking With You
Chorus
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
And I will never stop oh no, no, no
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
I will never stop
Verse 1
Here again, the world is tryin to pull me in
But I’m walking with You, I’m leaning on You
So many times, problems try to block my way
But I don’t trust what I see
I know what I believe
Chorus
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
And I will never stop oh no, no, no
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
I will never stop
Verse 2
When the path is dark / and I don’t know what I should do
I’ll hold on to You, I’m leaning on You
I don’t have to / see You to know that you exist
In You I have life
In You I’m alive

Chorus
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
And I will never stop oh no, no, no
I will walk with You
I will lean on You
I will stand with You
I will never stop
Bridge
The water’s rough, the wind is strong
But I’ll keep holding on
You’ve made a promise to me
You will be with me

This song is meant to be a declaration that we will never stop walking with Him. Walking with God is a real journey of faith, of trusting in Him and His promises even when we can’t see Him. No matter what life brings, God promises to always be with us and walk with us along the way!

 
 

Rivenson Dige's album is available for download on iTunes or for purchase through our Store. Check out all lyrics, translations, and chords on the Resources page.