RMI Missionary Amy Long wrote…
“From RMI Missionary Amy Long...Please pray for us here in Haiti- Don't know about in other parts of the country but its been pouring here in Cayes since about 9am- the river is overflowing its banks, there's substantial flooding down in the valley below the mission center and houses with water in them. And my heart is breaking for the people living in the Tent City downtown...its in a soccer field and its a very low lying area.”
Keep Praying…
Rob
The RMI building was hit by thieves again last night. They did not get into the building, but they stole the power cables from the transformer to the building. This time we were able to diagnose the problem immediately…if there’s no power cable, there’s no power! The police have been called and things are in process to get it repaired but it will take days. It’s hard to imagine why they are targeting this particular building (other than Satan wanting to derail our operations), this is a huge buried cable that goes under a paved road. They have to pull it through a conduit which has several curves and corners. It is no easy task and takes special equipment. It was a tough repair last time, too. Pray for the landlord – the last time cost him thousands and this repeat event is a hard blow to handle.
This greatly hampers RMI’s operations! Relief efforts are still ongoing, planning for the next major stage is being done but we all need to be working there at the office to facilitate things. In the meantime, all calls are being routed to my cell phone and we will be working from home. We'll do our best to stay on top of things, but if there's a delay in our service or response to you, please be patient and keep trying!
Pray that this time out of the office will be less than last time (which was more than a week).
This is Drew Thompson, son of Rob and Becky Thompson. They will be moving to Haiti with RMI in March. For more information about Rob and Becky, visit http://bit.ly/bT86jQ.
Today marks 1 month since the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince. Amidst the tragedy, God is at work. One church leader said that a wind of revival is sweeping the country. For the first time, carnival (Mardi Gras) has been cancelled – it was to start on Tuesday. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday have been declared a time of prayer and fasting. Church leaders called for these days to be set aside and the government was in agreement…did we say that God is at work?!
There was a moment of silence observed at the time the earthquake struck, 4: 53 p.m. Today most people were not on the roads, but in churches (if they are still standing), on street corners or at home in prayer.
Today was a day of repentance, asking God to forgive, Saturday will be a day to pray for the country and the government, and Sunday will be a day of thanking God for His mercy and grace and love.
Churches are having special services throughout the weekend. Radio stations and TV stations are airing some of these services live. It seems that God has inspired this national three day fast. Pray that God will answer His people with a miraculous outpouring of His love. Please join with the Haitians in seeking God's mercy Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The only way to start the healing of Haiti is by spiritual revival.
This is what they can do!
Thirteen first graders at Southwest Florida Christian Academy, Ft. Myers, FL worked extra chores and collected money to give to Haiti earthquake relief. They raised $65! An anonymous donor added $100 to honor their efforts, bringing their total gift to $165. I was able to go their class to share with them about Haiti and the earthquake. Here they are presenting me with the check and with some pictures that I left with them to show the earthquake effects, a young survivor and relief aid being delivered.
Their teacher, Debbie Fulwider, shared that as they visited their church’s mission booths 2 days later, one of the missionaries asked the class if any of them would be interested in being a missionary. She said, “Almost the whole class threw up their arms and said that they wanted to go to Haiti to help.
I pray that we are growing up a generation to help spread the gospel around the world while serving others.
Your organization and the people of Haiti will be in our prayers! Thank you for all you do to help others.”
It is so cool to see how their young hearts were touched. They gave generously and God used them. With their gift, RMI was able to give food to a handicap school in Cayes that has 12 in-resident students. What a ministry for this new generation to have.
Missions Conference Rob & Becky Thompson and Dan and I were invited to be a part of our church’s annual missions conference this past week. It’s a large church….and the conference is large and 5 days long. Kim Rose, Kent Commons and I scurried intensely for a couple of days getting the display and other things ready (the earthquake has kind of taken precedence over everything else). Then I had to attend events by myself until Dan arrived, mid-way through the conference.
Dan returned from Haiti late Thursday night, Feb. 4. I was happy to have my hubby home again, but there has been no rest for the weary. He had to jump right into the conference as well as answer phone call after phone call.
We had breakfast yesterday, Tuesday, with the folks who brought down the additional supplies to be flown in Friday (they drove all the way from Arkansas and were on their way back home). What fun to hear their stories of God’s provision of these supplies to them so they could give them to Haiti through RMI!
Dan is to be the chapel speaker next week at Trinity College of Florida, Dawn’s college. We were there for their missions conference in the fall. They want a first-hand report on how things are going in Haiti. [I guess I’ll go along – I do have a daughter that’s needs visiting :) ]
Dan’s time in Haiti went well. He was able to go to Port and make several significant contacts for food aid. He was actually given 600 bags of rice, 150 lbs. of beans and 5 gallons of oil to take back with him. On way back to Cayes, he stopped at the Zanglais church (Zanglais is where RMI’s Retreat Center is) to give the pastor this food to help feed his people. The pastor had tears in his eyes as he said, “It’s a miracle. This morning I got up and wondered how I was going to feed all these people. And then you show up with food! I have over 1,000 people (refugees) in this area that need food. It’s a miracle!”
Through one of those contacts, RMI is now making weekly trips into Port to get a truck load of food relief to distribute in the Cayes area. This is a significant development and will be a great help to the refugees!
Our alma mater, Columbia International University, has a great synopsis of various alumni who are helping in Haiti. You should recognize the first alumni featured. Click here to find the article. We couldn’t ask for better publicity!
While Dan was in Haiti this last trip, I had fun attending an alumni gathering at the home of a CIU Board member (and personal friend) who lives in Ft. Myers. After the dinner, CIU Chancellor, George Murray, wanted to have a special prayer for Dan & Haiti. He turned to me & asked "How can we pray for Haiti?" A million things ran through my head but nothing came out of my mouth. How can you narrow down all the needs (physical, spiritual, emotional, educational, governmental) ...of the Haitian people to 1 thing?
That God would use this disaster in Haiti to bring people to Him was all I could come up with. I felt a bit silly being speechless after sharing so much about Haiti earlier in the evening!
The state of things in Haiti and RMI are very fluid these days. It is much like a large river. It rushes in flood stage and we feel like we are drowning. It ebbs and flows. As time goes by needs change and new opportunities appear. All that said, I am doing my best to keep you informed on what is happening.
Some of the 9,000 lbs of medical supplies has gotten into Haiti, but there is still some left at the airport. Another load of orthopedic equipment and supplies was delivered this week. The leftover supplies and the new shipment (together now total 7,000 lbs.) will hopefully be flown in on Friday, Feb. 12. Pray that that is able to take place. So many options and plans have been made for these things and most of it has fallen through. It’s been a daily volley of phone calls all over the country to keep it going. Herb and Shirley have been the point people on this effort and have done a superb job.
Medical personnel are still helping in the Les Cayes area, working at either the General Hospital, the Cite Lumiere Hospital or the mountain MEBSH hospital, Bonne Fin.
Medical supplies and other relief aid is coming in through the Methodist Habitat of the Bahamas straight to Cayes. We had hoped they would be able to help us get the 7,000 lbs. of stuff down to Cayes, but it proved too great a task since they only fly 6 seater planes.
The RMI missionaries and staff in Haiti continue to work in relief aid 24/7. They’ve done a superb job and we are proud of them! RMI vehicles and trucks continue to transport relief aid of all sorts from the airport to distribution points on the mission center and then on to it’s needed destination. They have also helped with 3 trips to transport refugees from Port to a MEBSH youth camp in the Cayes area that has become a refugee center for the next 3 months.
The RMI guesthouse is in constant use these days for medical personnel, mission executives doing assessment tours and even a stray reporter or two! Often RMI provides a translator and transportation to their various destinations if possible.
Calls have come in from all over the US. A public school in Pennsylvania wants to collect funds and put together hygiene kits for refugees. Doctors and nurses continue to call in to offer their services. Men have called to let us know their availability for construction when the rebuilding takes place. Rotary clubs are asking how they can help [Dan is speaking to some members of the Southwest Florida Rotary Club today, sharing what the Cayes Rotary Club is doing and fielding questions as to how they can be involved!]. Local reporters have interviewed both Dan and I, not once, but 2 and 3 times. Thirteen first graders at a local Christian school did extra chores and collected $65 for Haiti. They asked me to come and talk to them. They were very proud to present me a check for Haiti relief.
Keep tuned to this blog and RMI's website for the latest ebbs and flows!
Gary and Marilyn McLaughlin were able to visit Jules in December.
He underwent heavy duty chemo treatments 3 times a week in preparation for his bone marrow transplant. Two days before his bone marrow transplant, a lump was discovered on his neck. After a lot of tests, they found that it was an infection. He was given heavy antibiotics and seems to be better.
He met with his doctor last week and the decision was that now that the infection is gone, he must undergo another 4 weeks of chemo before any transplant.
Pray for him….
* He must go to these chemo treatments by public transportation. This means going from their apartment to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, then after the bus ride from that stop to the hospital. After the treatment, then they have to reverse the process. And all of this in heavy snow [remember these are Haitians who do not like the cold!] and not feeling well. Occasionally friends give them a ride, which is a welcome relief.
* He and Martha are “hanging in there”, but they still struggle with boredom and feel isolated and homebound.
Their phone number is 321-217-4165. Phone calls are a very real encouragement to them.
Please be assured that if anything new develops, we will keep you up to date.
Our conference call seemed to be a great success. If you joined us, thank you for your involvement!
Dan gave a great presentation of the current issues, future planning, and spiritual insight into what God is doing through the church in Haiti!
If you missed it, you can listen by visiting our website at www.rminet.org.
Rob
Dan returned to Haiti today. He flew in with a volunteer pilot via the Bahamas. He will assist our RMI missionaries in delivering food aid as well as go to Port to see what he can do to find more medical and food aid from the myriad of agencies that already have supplies on the ground there. He wants to let the “powers that be” know that supplies and aid are needed in the south.
The Ft. Myers NewsPress has a follow up article on RMI! You can read it here. We’re grateful for the continued coverage of RMI and it’s ministry.
Things have been crazy around the office. God has brought many, many new contacts and people who want to help. Some have medical supplies they want to give, some have planes they are making available for our use, some have funds they want to send, some have doctors & medical people they want to connect us to. Some great things are in the works to get 9,000 lbs. of medical supplies to Cayes! It’s truly amazing to feel the heart of Americans all across the country. Even in the midst of personal hardships, they are giving funds and are willing to help the Haitian people in any way possible.
A big thank you to RMI missionary, Amy Long, for designing this image. 
Don’t forget the conference call tonight! See the previous blog post for details.
Microsoft Translator has recently added Creole to their list of languages. Check it out here.
Rob
Dan Shoemaker, RMI President, will be hosting a conference call on Saturday night, January 30th, at 8pm EST. Dan will be calling from Cayes, Haiti. He will be giving an update on RMI's Earthquake Relief Effort (Progress so far, Current Issues, Observations, Short and Long Term Plans).
Everyone is invited to listen in! Spread the word!
Instructions and notes...
In addition, you can always visit RMI's website to donate to our relief effort or for access to constant updates via our Blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
An unexpected “side effect” if you will of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince and all the media attention there, is that all of a sudden everyone worldwide suddenly is aware of Haiti’s existence and of their poverty and need for help. We have been ministering there for over 20 years and found that most people we encountered in the US didn’t even know where Haiti was, much less any details about it. Haiti has never been the “hot topic” or trendy subject in missions. Haiti was blamed for spreading AIDS in the 80’s. The US government even refused to recognize Haiti as an independent country in 1804. It was very far from people’s minds. Haitians that are in the US, in general, haven’t wanted to admit that they were Haitians. When we encountered them, in a store for instance, they’d say they were from the Caribbean or “the islands”. They’d almost never say Haiti unless they heard us speak Creole to them.
Now, it seems, the earthquake has given them an identity, it has validated them as a people. Haitians worldwide are proudly saying, “I’m a Haitian”. From NFL football players, recording artists, authors and artists, to the grocery store clerk or lawn care man, Haitians are coming forward and publically holding up the Haitian flag. Never in the history of man has a mass effort been made to help Haiti. The telethon that was recently held for Haiti was on 85 stations and was televised worldwide. It was surreal to switch from channel to channel and see Haiti cared for. Wow!
These photos were posted by a friend on Facebook. They show that Haiti is on the minds of people as far away as Thailand and Asia.
It’s just so cool to see this. But its heartwrenching that it took a major disaster to do it.
You have seen Haiti on the news as it is now. Here is a link to the side of Haiti that is never shown. Most of the photos are of Port-au-Prince as it was, but is now gone. They are beautiful. I’ve never seen a collection like it. It is well worth your time to check them out.
Saturday was another jam-packed day for Dan. He spent the day with a journalist from the Panhandle of Florida, a doctor and a pilot. He took them on a tour of the general hospital, a tent city and the mission hospital. Dan was interviewed on camera by the journalist and was able to share the needs of Haiti.
Dr. Bill, Medical Director of the mission hospital, and a 15 year old amputee patient.
Visiting the mission hospital. The patient has one leg in a cast and one that is pinned. The hospital has no orthopedic pins, so the missionary doctor, Dr. Bill, improvised and made what he needed with rebar (construction rebar!).
A young patient at the mission hospital.
Visiting the general hospital in Cayes. It is so crowded that they are using a catholic eyes, ears, nose, throat clinic to house additional patients.
Dan and Dr. Leger (in the red shirt) explaining things to a visiting doctor who is also a pilot and had flown himself in to work for a week.
He was also on the phone a lot! Plans for the team from Southwest Florida didn’t come together as needed for Monday, today, but things are still being worked on for them to get to Cayes soon.
Communications are so difficult in Haiti. Calls were going back and forth here in the US as arrangements were discussed. When Dan or Dr. Bill, were needed, we would contact Amy, Gary or Marilyn by Instant Messenger (they have satellite internet). One of them would then send someone after Dan and/or Dr. Bill who would go to Gary’s house to use their Vonage phone. Sometimes the phone would work, sometimes it wouldn’t. Just communicating with the states can be a full time job!
Sunday Dan flew to Nassau and then on to Ft. Lauderdale. He was, in his words, “one tired puppy”!
Today he met with an international aid organization in Ft. Lauderdale to explore partnering with them.
Then he came home! Wow, what a trip – and there’s so much more to do in Haiti. Keep up those prayers.
Today has been another busy day as we have fielded calls from many different corners of the US. Here are some things that we are working on:
* A Orthopedic and Trauma team from a Ft. Myers hospital is ready to leave for Cayes on Monday. We are joining our efforts with a local church, the local hospital and a couple of other ministries to make this happen. They sent a plane and Doctor team to Port last week and another one left today. This is yet another one, but it will be going to Cayes.
* US Sister Church, CrossRoads United Methodist of Jacksonville, FL is putting a team of doctors together as well as gathering medical supplies to send in.
* A longtime friend of RMI and her father drove a huge U-Haul truck to Ft. Lauderdale packed with medical supplies. Herb and Shirley Shoemaker met them there where they had to unload it, weigh everything, repack it onto pallets and prepare it for shipping to Cayes. 9,000 lbs. of supplies will be flown in via Methodist Habitat of Bahamas, the same planes that Dan went into Cayes with on Wednesday.
* A company in Pennsylvania who manufactures trauma equipment has already flown into Port with doctors and supplies and is now working on putting together supplies for Cayes.
* A number of churches have taken up special offerings for Haiti relief and those monies are starting to come in.
Wow! The list could go on and on. We are excited to see God supplying Haiti’s needs through so many different avenues.
Dan has been busy in Haiti as well. Through the relief funds, RMI has :
* given food to a AIDS patient feeding program
* sent food to the MEBSH churches in Port-au-Prince
* given food to local Cayes MEBSH churches who are feeding refugees who are now living in their buildings.
* given food to the local Rotary Club who are feeding patients at the local government hospital (2 meals a day!)
* given food to 30 local families who have taken in extended family & friends who are refugees.
Here are some pictures from this morning:
Dan with the hospital director and some of the hospital staff at the government hospital in Cayes.
At the general hospital. The lady in the foreground grimaces as her incision is cleaned. She lost a leg as a result of the earthquake.
Gary McLaughlin takes time to comfort another lady who lost a leg in the earthquake.
A makeshift stretcher – talk about uncomfortable!!
Dan helps a Rotarian unload a bag of rice. Beans and oil were also a part of the food aid.
Oil, rice, beans and sugar was also delivered to an MEBSH old folks home.
Keep praying – the need has only begun. We appreciate all of you!
This so cool! I just got a call from a local spanish newspaper. They are coming tomorrow for a face to face interview, take pictures and everything. They want to know all about RMI and what we are doing there. [I sure wish Dan were here to do it! He’s so good at this kind of thing!]
Dan's days have been full. After his arrival he took some of the medical supplies into Cayes to a private practice doctor. A Haitian TV station was there to record the delivery and they interviewed Dan as well as the doctor. How cool is that?
He also delivered the supplies that he brought in personally and they were put to immediate use.
He has been by one of the tent cities and he's met with our missionaries & staff, MEBSH leadership and all the Cite Lumiere missionaries.
Communications are very difficult and spotty. The main method of communicating is via satellite internet. We’re thankful that is functioning very well. The RMI staff is working to get information on all the Sister Churches and pastors of those churches. I know everyone is anxiously waiting to hear how their churches fared, but be patient, it will take time. It’s hard for us here in the US to imagine a world without cell phones, texting, or the internet. Haiti was just getting into the 20th century (not even the 21st!) and this has knocked them back into the stone age in many respects. Thus, an extra measure of patience is needed.
We should be able to get some pictures from Dan for you tomorrow!
This is a day of updates!
Haiti was awakened with another earthquake this morning at 6. The 6.1 quake toppled many structures that had been severely damaged a week ago. This one was centered about half way between Cayes and Port...closer to Cayes than last week's quake. It would have been felt at several sister churches. Pray that the earth would quit moving & shifting!
Dan has arrived in Cayes! He was able to go in via the Bahamas and Bahamas Methodist Habitat who are flying small 4 & 6 seater planes into Cayes with medical relief supplies. He is there to assess the situation, meet with our missionaries & Haitian staff and help them organize for the massive relief aid that will be coming in.
The reports are that there is a crush of refugees flooding the southern peninsula. Since fuel is gone, they are piling 4 on motorcycle taxis or walking. Many are people that are going back to their hometowns, but there are also many that just had to get away from the capital. School has been cancelled in the country. Many churches are using their school buildings to house refugees. Soccer fields and many empty flat pieces of land are becoming tent cities. Food is already scarce in the Cayes area. The sick and injured have overwhelmed the one government hospital, 2 mission hospitals and the one Haitian doctor (in private practice) in Cayes. The medical supplies that are being flown in from the Bahamas are going to these 4 places and being used up in just 2 days.
MEBSH is reporting that none of it’s pastors were killed, however, a number of them have lost children who were studying in Port-au-Prince. It is safe to say that every person in the country has lost a family member or friend in this disaster.
We are excited to see the response of God’s people. One US Sister Church has given over $30,000! We’ve had calls from all over the country, from Canada and Jamaica expressing care and concern for RMI, their Sister Churches and Haiti. We’ve already been given 100 lbs. of medical and surgical supplies and Dan took that with him to Haiti today. Another huge load of medical supplies is on its way here in a U-Haul truck from Arkansas! Wow, we are overwhelmed at what has been happening.
We have gotten some medical volunteers, but not enough to form a team yet. Do you know of anyone who would be interested? Spread the word!!!
Also, check out the latest article from the Ft. Myers NewsPress that was just posted! It's great to get RMI's name some public exposure locally. Pray that God will use it to bring in more funds. You can read it here.
Former President Bush said it best the other day, “Just give money, that’s the best thing, that’s what is needed.” I’m glad he just came out and said it. He’s right. Relief aid can’t happen without money. Please pray that God will continue to work in people’s hearts and the funds will come in so we can meet these enormous needs.
