The Rebuilding has begun. Well, we have a LONG way to go, but the gate at the RMI Depot is going back up. This was very important for security. Check out all the hands helping!
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
We Need Your Help!
As reports from the field continue to trickle in, it is beyond obvious that there is a major relief and rebuilding effort that must begin. As an organization that has been working for 30+ years all throughout the Southern Peninsula (South, Grand Anse, and Nippes regions), we, along with our deep national partners, are positioned well to have a great kingdom impact. We want to help. All of our efforts will be done in coordination with local and National leaders and under the authority of local churches. Our effort will be their effort. We will do this together.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
1. Pray for God’s grace and care for His people.
2. Donate generously by visiting our website at http://www.rmibridge.org
3. Share this with as many people as you can.
4. Partner with us! If you are a part of a church or association that would like to partner with RMI in our relief efforts, please call us toll free at 877-764-5439 or email us at info@rmibridge.org.
MORE INFO...
The RMI Team, National and American missionaries, our many church and school partners, our trucks, our equipment, our facilities and our hearts will be fully engaged. As we begin to dig ourselves out, we will quickly begin to do all that God has for us. We can't do this alone. We need you.
-It isn't an exaggeration to say that near 100% crop loss is throughout Southern Haiti. The food needs of the people will be great. We have much food already pre-positioned in some of the most highly affected remote areas. This food will serve well, but millions of meals more will be needed.
-The Mission Center, home to some of our missionaries and the RMI facilities is in need of repairs. All electric lines are down. Many trees need to be removed. Water systems need repair. Roofs are missing. Walls have crumbled. RMI Office office equipment has been lost. Gates are destroyed. The list goes on.
-Many homes, churches, and schools in our local and partnership church communities have lost roofs, and or the structures themselves.
-Many animals have been lost. Access to clean water has been dramatically reduced.
-Our facilities, our trucks, our equipment and our people will all be fully engaged in the effort.
Frankly, we need all the help we can get to do all we can to serve the Haitian people. Will you please join us by prayerfully and generously donating so that together we can honor the Lord?
Thank you for your consideration!! Let's do this together...
Hurricane Aftermath Update
We were able to have a long phone call with Lee Nunemaker this morning. All the missionaries are safe (RMI's and about 30 others from other organizations). The mission center has no water since the system's pipes were broken when trees fell over, roots and all, as well as there is no power. There's no electrical power. All the lines are down on the mission center and beyond and many of the poles are broken off. Six out of 18 missionary homes lost their roofs. The internet satellite antennae was ripped right out of the roof where it was stationed, taking a chunk of concrete with it so they don't have internet. Driveways and roads on the mission center are covered in debris and downed trees.
Yesterday they spent the day just trying to dig out of their homes and carve out paths to get from one house to another to check on their neighbors and offices there on the mission center. All the missionaries are pulling together to take care of each other, and working on establishing some sort of water system, power, and shelter for those who lost their roofs.
We have heard that Benjamin, Benson and most of the other staff have checked in. Some have damage to their homes, and one had a family member struck by flying tin and was being taken to the hospital.
We received pictures of Rob Thompson's yard and property which is posted here in a slideshow format. We are thankful that his tin roof stayed on but were saddened to hear that the other side of their duplex lost the tin.
So many trees are down that movement is almost impossible right now. Benson lives 10 minutes from the mission center but only today was able to find a way to get there. When asked how the roads were, his response, "There are no roads anymore, just trees on top of trees." What we've heard from Haitian nationals over and over is, "The country is finished. There's nothing left, it's no more."
It is hard to wrap our heads around the complete and utter devastation that we are seeing and hearing about just around the Cayes area. We haven't been able to get through to any of our church partners but know that many villages are cut off. Roads and bridges are washed out. Crops and livestock are lost. Homes have been flattened and/or flooded.
Keep praying for our staff as they work on recovery priorities, care for their own families and as they try to get in touch with our partner churches
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Hurricane Matthew makes Landfall in Haiti
As it advanced last night, Oct. 3, Hurricane Matthew pushed east a bit at the last moment with disastrous results. Instead of the eye staying off the coast, it came ashore east of Les Anglais along the southern coast. The devastation is much worse than anyone expected. There is extensive flooding – it is safe to say that the majority of the crops in southern Haiti are gone. Livestock have been swept away. Much of the vegetation is lost, down or stripped bare. Entire villages have been flattened. Mud huts destroyed, thatched or tin roofs torn off, and all electricity is out. Roads are not only washed out but are gone. One major bridge connecting Port-au-Prince and Cayes is gone and the raging river is impossible to cross. Other bridges are washed away as well.
We have heard from our missionaries and they are all safe. Their homes are intact as well. So many trees are down that it’ll take a while for them to dig out and be able to get around on motorcycles or in vehicles. The RMI office is intact as well although several windows were lost and there is water all over the place. A few of our Haitian staff took refuge at the RMI Depot (there are many more we haven't heard from) and are safe. Our huge metal gate to the Depot yard is in the middle of the road. The metal roof over our mechanics shop is gone. Most metal roofs we put over our containers to protect them are gone.
Apparently cell phone service in the south is down and we haven’t been able to get ahold of anyone as of this afternoon (Oct. 4). Tomorrow our staff will try to get assessment reports and once we hear from them we’ll post those updates.
One of the greatest and most immediate needs will be food. You can help us provide that food by donating HERE.
Keep praying for our brothers and sisters in Haiti as they are going through a very difficult time.
Monday, October 03, 2016
A Photo Update from RMI...
Keep praying for Haiti. The next 24 hours are critical. Hurricane Matthew is a slow moving storm which means it will have time to dump even more rain. It has already taken a toll on the southern coast. We've heard from the Les Anglais pastor who shared that at least 32 homes located on the beach have been lost. Reports from Dame Marie are that the roads are flooded and the village is cut off. Downtown Cayes is flooding. Storm surge is expected to be 10-15 feet. The Haitian Government has tried to encourage people to leave their homes for higher ground but it has no means to help them do that. Residents are unwilling to leave either because they have nowhere to go or because they want to stay to protect their belongings. RMI's staff and missionaries are secure in their homes. Continue to pray for their safety. Our hearts are heavy and we are very concerned for our many partner churches as they face the forces of a category 4 hurricane with little defences. Hurricane Matthew's effects are going to be catastrophic.
Sunday, October 02, 2016
A Photo Update from RMI...
Urgent prayers are needed for our Haitian church partners, our ministries, national staff and missionaries - and all of southern Haiti. Hurricane Matthew, currently a category 4 storm, has shifted slightly east, bringing the eye close, if not passing right over the tip of the southern peninsula. We have a number of churches that are right on the water and in that area....Tiburon, Aux Coteaux, Boyer, Les Irois, Dame Marie just to mention a few. Morency is on the beach, and Baraderes is near the water and where 3 rivers come together (the parsonage backs up to one of them) and floods frequently. Many other churches are in the mountains, where the estimated 15 to 40 inches of rain could bring life-threatening mud and landslides. You get the idea! We are very concerned how up to 150 mph winds will affect so many. Haiti is ill-prepared to take such a serious hit. It will make the already existing extreme poverty even worse. The missionaries and staff have been preparing their homes, the RMI office, and other facilities. They have a good hurricane preparedness plan of action, which they are implementing. Most of them live in cement homes. The Partnership Facilitators have already called the C3 Partner churches to let them know what to expect so they can prepare as much as they can and to let their people know about it. Once the storm is passed they'll be checking in with them to see how things went and what their needs are. As we have updates, we will forward them to you. We do have food aid ready to get to the areas of need once the roads are passable.
Urgent prayers are needed as Hurricane Matthew approaches
Urgent prayers are needed for our Haitian church partners, our ministries, national staff and missionaries - and all of southern Haiti. Hurricane Matthew, currently a category 4 storm, has shifted slightly east, bringing the eye close, if not passing right over the tip of the southern peninsula. We have a number of churches that are right on the water and in that area....Tiburon, Aux Coteaux, Boyer, Les Irois, Dame Marie just to mention a few. Morency is on the beach, and Baraderes is near the water and where 3 rivers come together (the parsonage backs up to one of them) and floods frequently. Many other churches are in the mountains, where the estimated 15 to 40 inches of rain could bring life-threatening mud and landslides. You get the idea! We are very concerned how up to 150 mph winds will affect so many. Haiti is ill-prepared to take such a serious hit. It will make the already existing extreme poverty even worse.
The missionaries and staff have been preparing their homes, the RMI office, and other facilities. They have a good hurricane preparedness plan of action, which they are implementing. Most of them live in cement homes.
The Partnership Facilitators have already called the C3 Partner churches to let them know what to expect so they can prepare as much as they can and to let their people know about it. Once the storm is passed they'll be checking in with them to see how things went and what their needs are. As we have updates, we will forward them to you. We do have food aid ready to get to the areas of need once the roads are passable.
Friday, September 23, 2016
A Photo Update from RMI...
We had a special visitor at the RMI Board meetings. RMI's newest missionary appointee, Dawn Shoemaker, stopped by to share her passion and vision for her upcoming ministry in Haiti.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Third Generation Missionary
Meet RMI’s newest missionary appointee, Dawn Shoemaker. She is literally returning to the land of her birth. Dawn is the daughter of RMI president, Dan, and RMI Director of Communication, Debbie Shoemaker and the granddaughter of Herb and Shirley Shoemaker, RMI founders. Dawn was born in Les Cayes, grew up and went to school on the mission center where the Shoemaker family were missionaries for 25 years. She returned to the US with her parents when she was 15. After high school she attended Trinity College of Florida and majored in cross cultural communications and Biblical studies. One of her summers was spent as an RMI intern in Haiti.
Besides growing up as a Third Culture Kid, she has participated in a home building trip to Mexico, a leadership training trip that traveled to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam and a trip to Paraguay using volleyball as an entry point to present the Gospel in public schools.
Dawn began to feel the call of God on her life while she was a child in Haiti. This was strengthened in high school and she chose to attend Trinity so she could prepare for full time ministry.
Dawn will be working with teams, helping them to engage in ministry and evangelism with the Haitian people, helping with hospitality, providing video/photos and stories for our blogs and social media, and assisting wherever the Field Director has need. RMI has many needs and will be looking as to how best to use her skills and passion. She is needed there as soon as possible so pray for her as she begins to raise her funds to be able to get to the field.
She excited to be going to Haiti to minister. She’ll be living and working on the same mission center in Cayes where her grandparents lived and where her dad grew up as well as where she grew up. The maternity clinic where she was born is also located on the mission center. Who would have known that she’d be back as a full time missionary one day?
We’re excited to welcome Dawn to the RMI family! If you would like to be a part of Dawn’s support team you can do that online HERE.
Saturday, September 03, 2016
RMI President has Published an Article
Exciting stuff!! RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, is now a published author! A shortened version (due to length restrictions) of his article was published on churchleaders.com. In the article, What’s Missing in Your Short Term Missions Program, he addresses 4 principles of how to do Short Term Missions correctly - which is RMI's specialty. Check out the article on church leaders.com HERE. The full article can be found on RMI’s website HERE. Way to go Dan!
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