Reciprocal Ministries International: A Welcome, A Farewell and Notes from the Field

Friday, May 05, 2023

A Welcome, A Farewell and Notes from the Field

Hello World!

Amelia Rose Starkey was born April 12 at 9:21 a.m., weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz. The delivery went fairly smoothly. April had some issues with high blood pressure resulting in an additional hospital stay but it has been resolved.

After several miscarriages and being told they couldn’t get pregnant again, little Amelia Rose defied the odds. April had to spend quite a bit of time bedridden, but both she and Amelia made it to the end in good shape. They are grateful for your prayers and for God’s protection. The Starkey boys are thrilled with their new sister.

Well Done

April 1, Don Forrester (Creekside Community Church, Gainesville, FL) heard the words, “well done my faithful servant” as he entered into the presence of his Lord. Don was one of RMI’s original board members in the late 1980’s where he helped form RMI’s procedures, practices, and policies. He first went to Haiti in 1985 and was instrumental in getting his church to join RMI’s C3 Partnership Program in 1986. His involvement in Haiti changed his life and it became one of his passions. He led many teams to Haiti and became very proficient in Creole. He, his wife, Gabe, and his disabled son, Mark, spent 3 months in Haiti helping receive teams in 1990. He remained active in his church’s Haiti initiative throughout the years and was in the middle of helping prepare the upcoming Haiti team when he passed away.

He also had a passion for animals and was a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. He was the author of several books and articles relating to the parasites and diseases of wild animals.

Don was a humble servant. His quiet spirit, dedication, passion, and leadership will be missed.

Teams Have Returned

We are excited to have teams resume coming to visit their C3 partner churches. So far this year we’ve had 4 teams with more on the books. All 4 teams were great successes with quite a variety of life-transforming ministries being accomplished.

Haiti has been in the news and, as usual, it hasn’t been positive. When you hear about things like this please remember that...

1. Those things are taking place in the capital, and usually in isolated places. These places are more than 120 miles from RMI’s headquarters and the areas where we minister.

2. Our teams’ safety is first and foremost in our minds. We will NOT have a team come in if there are security issues. RMI’s staff keep their fingers on the pulse of what is going on in the country.

3. Use anything you hear of Haiti as a reminder of how you can pray for Haiti. Pray that Satan’s work would be bound and God’s will would be accomplished. Pray for RMI’s staff as they deal with the increasing difficulties of living, working, and ministering in Haiti. Pray Isaiah 40:31 for them “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Food insecurity, rampant inflation, and fuel scarcity still grip the country. Prices have increased on everything from flour to diesel to construction materials. This means that your gifts of food are appreciated. It also means that estimates and projects are costing more. Please be patient as we do our best to provide accurate estimates.

Hope for Kidz has had a good start to its annual sponsorship campaign. Many of the Hope for Kidz coordinators are hard at work contacting previous sponsors and recruiting new ones. Don’t delay when your coordinator contacts you so your child’s education won’t be interrupted.