RMI’s 2009 Christmas Party

Kim and Barb Rose were gracious hosts for RMI’s 2009 Christmas Party.  Thanks, Kim & Barb, for the use of your home, the good food and the even better fellowship.

Rob & Becky Thompson, Dan & Debbie Shoemaker, Charlotte & Mel Zegers (Charlotte is one of RMI’s faithful volunteers!).

Herb & Shirley Shoemaker, Mary Anne Cosper (Deb’s mom who is living with us for several months) and Barb & Kim Rose.

Barb & Kim Rose and their son, Mason.

Dan & Debbie Shoemaker

Dawn Shoemaker (a freshman at Trinity College of Florida) and her PopPop, Herb Shoemaker.

Goodbye Rob & Becky!  Their container is packed and gone.  They left for New Jersey (and 2 feet of snow) the next day.  Their time in the RMI office is finished and their departure for Haiti is fast approaching!

The end of an era!  Bittersweet but exciting at the time time.

Merry Christmas from RMI!

Food for the Widows

Recently RMI was able to obtain 600 cases of pre-mixed food from Food for the Poor.  Five Sister Churches participated in covering the cost.  Pastor Jim Bry, the pastor of one of those churches, Second Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ asked Dan to go with him to help hand out the 150 cases of food aid that his church covered.

He and Dan were in Haiti last week Dec. 16-18 (yes, it was a very quick trip!) to do this.

Pastor Jim, Dan and all the guys unloading were all smiles.

Each widow & widower received enough for 108 well-balanced, nutritional meals.

Pastor Jim was excited to be there in person to show his church’s love and care for these widows and widowers.

Going home happy!

Pastors Jim Bry and Yvon, Dan Shoemaker, 3 RMI Haiti staff men and 3 district pastors in the church yard after the Port-a-Piment distribution.   The rest of the cases of food (130 cases) will be distributed in the district with some of their most needy families.

If you want to see more pictures, click here.

The other 4 churches’ food was delivered this week.  These Haitian Sister churches felt God’s love to them in a very real, tangible way through this food!

Dan is in Haiti

Pray for Dan as he is in Haiti for 3 days. He went in with Pastor Jim Bry of 2nd Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ. They went to hand out food aid that Pastor Jim's church bought for their Sister Church. It should be an exciting day!  Photos will be forthcoming once they get back.  It’s special to be a part of helping our Haitian brothers and sisters where they hurt.

Jules & a bone marrow transplant

Dan talked with Jules today and learned that he has started the process for his bone marrow transplant.  The first phase is for him to receive some heavy chemo therapy.  This past Thursday (Dec 3) he underwent a procedure that placed a valve in a vein in his neck that will be there for 2 months.  He stayed overnight in the hospital for observation and went home on Friday the 4^th.  They are now giving him heavy doses, much heavier than before evidently, of chemo that is causing him much more side effect issues. 

He goes to the hospital now 3 days a week for a couple of hours a day for his chemo treatment and then goes back to their efficiency apartment.  This will go on until his transplant.  They have not given him a date yet but we are guessing they will probably do it in January sometime.

He takes 42 pills a day.  Dan joked with him that he doesn’t need meat now that he gets to eat all these pills!  (Jules really loves meat!)  With the stronger chemo now he is finding it more difficult to eat regular food as he has a tougher time with nausea, etc. 

He sounded encouraged though.  Please pray for God’s intervention and healing for him.  What a great testimony this would be.  Thank you for your participation with him in this. 

Excellent Board Meetings!

Thank you for your prayers for RMI’s semi-annual board meetings last week.  Thursday and Friday RMI’s Board came together here in Ft. Myers.  Our board members are encouraged to include their spouses in the meetings and we were happy that all but one were able to attend.  They add a great dimension to the meetings, asking insightful questions and participating in the discussions.  We welcomed a new Board member, Tim (and Trish) Osborne (Trinity Bible Church, Lafayette, LA).  They have been friends of RMI for about 20 years (ever since their kids and our kids were very small), so they have the perspective of many years of history of being on teams and involvement through their local church.  Tim is Trinity’s missions pastor, so he comes with a worldwide perspective.  They jumped right in with a real desire to understand RMI further and be an active member of the board.  They are a great addition!

Another new item was Kim Rose’s participation.  He was there with Rob, learning the ropes of presenting the financial reports, answering questions, discussing budgets, etc, as our new VP of Ops.  Again, another excellent addition to RMI’s administration.

And it was Rob’s last board meeting as VP of Ops.  I’m not sure, but I think I heard a big sigh of relief from him when the final closing prayer was said Friday afternoon!  We will miss him and his valuable input. Yet at the same time we look forward to having he and his family on the field in Haiti. 

We really feel that with these additional personnel and new initiatives that were introduced and approved at the meetings, we are poised to surge forward into the New Year.  The one thing lacking is finances!  Yes, it’s a big “thing”, one that was the subject of much discussion at the meetings since giving is down significantly.  We really need you to partner with us in asking the Lord to bring the funds in in the next 3 weeks, before the year’s end, to reach the matching grant challenge.  It is so important  to enable RMI to not only finish the year in the black, but with some reserve to jumpstart things in the New Year.

Can you do something now toward this need?   RMI's Ways to Give will help you do this right here!

Double your Investment: Matching Gift Given to RMI!

RMI has been in the business of making an eternal impact on Americans’ and Haitians’ lives for over 20 years. That translates to thousands of people on both sides who have been ministered to and encouraged through the ministries of RMI. We literally could not be  doing this without YOU! Your faithful, consistent prayers and your faithful, consistent financial support. Since RMI is a faith-based mission, we count on individuals and churches to support our missionaries, ministries and the RMI International Office.

Plainly put, the recession has been difficult for RMI. We have cut back our operations back to the bare bones. Each of our staff wear several hats. But we still are falling short financially.

God has placed this need on a group of donors’ hearts. They want to see RMI finish this year strongly. They have given us a $10,000 matching gift challenge! In other words, if we can raise $10,000, they will match it with an equal amount. We need your help to accomplish this! Would you prayerfully consider how God would have you respond to this?

Just think, whatever you give, your money will be doubled! There are few investments that will not only double your money but result in an eternal impact! This gift of $10,000 can become $20,000.

Giving to RMI has been made easier. You can donate online or set up a monthly bill pay with your bank. Go to RMI's Ways to Give to set that up.

Help us meet this challenge by the deadline of Dec. 31, 2009. RMI wants to finish this year well; heIp us to continue making an eternal impact on lives.

Giving Suggestions:

The past year has been one of tremendous challenge for everyone. Economic conditions have made it necessary for most to make careful choices about how to spend, save, and give their resources. For many, the final month of the year is a time to share with others. Now, more than ever, you may find that time spent considering how to make your gifts can help you be a better steward of your charitable dollars. By giving in the most effective manner, you may discover you can help others in ways you never thought possible. Here are some ideas that may be beneficial as you consider your charitable plans this fall.

Enjoy tax savings

Those who make charitable gifts may wish to structure the amount and timing of their gifts to make the best use of tax incentives that remain available this year. With proposed changes in federal tax laws, giving this year may never save you more.

The higher your tax rate, the more your gifts will save you. If you are subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT), you may be surprised to learn that charitable deductions serve to reduce the amount of both the regular income tax and the AMT. Remember that only gifts made by December 31 can help reduce the amount of taxes you owe next April.

Deciding what to give

* Cash. Charitable gifts are most often made in the form of cash and checks. When you itemize your tax deductions, gifts of cash may be used to eliminate federal income tax on up to half of your adjusted gross income (AGI). You may enjoy state income tax savings as well.

* Securities. Giving securities (individual stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares) that are worth more than they cost can bring additional tax savings. Gifts of such property are generally deductible from income tax at full current value if owned for longer than one year, and can be used to offset tax on up to 30% of your AGI. In addition, no tax is due on any gain, as could be the case in the event of a sale. Giving securities also frees up cash for other purposes or to diversity investments.

10 Noteworthy things about my life

RMI missionary, Amy Long, has a great blog that you should check on a regular basis!  She gives a fantastic view into her life as a missionary.  Some of it is lighthearted, some of it is moving but all of it is insightful.  In addition to being an artful writer, she is an accomplished photographer.  You will see some great pictures that she has taken.  Her blog can be found here.  Her Nov. 10 blog was about 10 noteworthy things concerning the current status of her life
in Haiti:

10.  I’m wearing a sweater, because its chilly, in Haiti.

9.    My head comes to a slight point on top, making it difficult to fulfill my dream of carrying things on my head, in Haiti.

8.   I used to refuse to eat leftovers but now I eat them almost every single day, in Haiti.

7.  For the first three months I lived here, I had fresh tomatoes  straight out of the garden pretty much  
     every single day.  For the last two months, its been avocado,   
     straight from the tree in the yard, pretty much every single day. 
     I guess that's one of the benefits of having someone else 
    responsible for growing things in your garden, in Haiti.

6.  I have been waking up with out an alarm clock almost everyday
     for the last few weeks at 6:48am.  Strange things such as
     this happen in these parts.  This gives credence to the
     statement, only…in Haiti. 

5.  I have been sharing my space with mice.  I found evidence that
     they had eaten some of my crackers;  and they had a party in my 
     closet.  So I set a trap and caught one. Suzanne set out another 
     trap, and we caught another.  And she caught one in her room as
     well.  Another trap is set for tonight.  This is the most     disgusting thing that has happened to me (SO FAR), in Haiti.

4.  I officially have internet access at my house.  This will help me
     stay in touch with friends and family.  It will also make it easier
    for you to keep in touch with me, in Haiti. 

3.  On November 21, I leave for the town of Picot to spend two
     weeks living with a Pastor and his family.  This is to immerse 
     myself in Creole.  I hope to come away from the experience well
     versed in the language.  This will help me immensely, in Haiti.

2.  Jesus might be coming soon.  Because signs an wonders abound. I have found a supplier of Diet Coke, in Haiti.

1.  I waited five long months for my four wheeler to arrive.  It was
     finally released from customs and was transported to Cayes on
     Saturday.  Now, if the keys were only here, in Haiti.

 

Pray for Amy.  She is in Picot (#3 above) in 2 weeks of language immersion!