New Depot/Kitchens Built for Hot Lunch Program

School starts in a matter of weeks in Haiti.  Sponsors are giving regularly meaning that kids are getting their uniforms made, and books and other supplies are being purchased.  The one-year anniversary of the 2021 earthquake is this month (August 14), meaning that many schools that were damaged or destroyed are meeting in very temporary, make-shift classrooms.  Besides destroying the classrooms, the earthquake also damaged or destroyed the schools’ storage depot rooms, where the food was being stored. 

Schools that participate in RMI’s Hot Lunch Program are required to store the food that they receive in a closed, secure store room that will keep the food dry and free from 4-footed rodents.  After the earthquake, RMI’s Haiti leadership visited each church and school and made a comprehensive list of everything that was damaged or destroyed.  They saw first-hand the extent of the devastation.  They noted that the majority of the depots were destroyed.  As they visited the schools, they saw that the conditions for preparing the food were not adequate.  Most of the kitchens were simple lean-tos, covered with tin.  They were open to chickens, dogs, and cats wandering through.  This was not appropriate either.

For the past several months RMI has been addressing these issues by constructing small buildings that will house the food depot and a kitchen that will be secure and dedicated to the Hot Lunch Program.  The RMI construction staff designed a building that can be replicated in all the locations (that’s why all the pictures look like they are the same building while, in fact, they are in different locations).  Several have been finished and approximately 11 are in process.  Earthquake funds were used to build these buildings, but as Benson Joseph, RMI’s Director of Haiti Field Operations said “we ‘elasticized’ the money and made it go further so we could add the kitchens to the buildings”. 

When school resumes, these schools will have excellent facilities to securely store their food as well as prepare it for the kids.  We want to thank all the donors that have given to the earthquake fund.  This is just an example of the many rebuilding projects that are taking place as a direct result of your gifts.

A Week in the Life of a C3P Team

 As the team from Kimball Evangelical Free Church, (Nebraska) arrived at the church, they saw construction was going on at the church’s school.  This was their first official visit as a Sister Church for the Dagout Baptist Church and their purpose on this visit was to get to know their church on a deeper level (they’d visited before, but not as an official Sister Church).  The community was participating in any way possible.  They saw women carrying water to the barrel that would be used to make cement.  But what really moved their hearts was one young woman who was wearing a t-shirt and skirt with leggings under it and a hard hat.  One of the team members sprung into action and helped her with her job.  Other team members picked up shovels to help stir up some cement.  It was a spontaneous time of working shoulder to shoulder (Zephaniah 3:9) with the community.

On Sunday they were able to worship with the Dagout church.  Their sanctuary was heavily damaged in the August 2021 earthquake so they’ve built a temporary wood and tin structure to meet under.  Kimball presented the church with 2 banners.  One was filled with the outlines of hands and signatures.  This was their gift to the church.  It was hands and signatures of Kimball church members.  The other banner was empty.  Later in the week, Dagout church members were able to outline their hands and sign their names.  This banner is now hanging in the Kimball church to remind them to pray for their brothers and sisters in the Dagout church.

The team also met with the pastor and deacons of the church.  It was a sweet time together.  Meeting in the temporary structure just brought home some of what the church has been through and what their future looks like as they try to rebuild.

The Dagout church has land on which they are trying to establish a fruit orchard for the benefit of the church and the community.  The team was able to plant coconut, mango, and other fruit trees alongside the church members who are in charge of that project.  It will take time to reap the benefits from this endeavor, but the results will be sweet (pun intended)!

Handing out boxes of food and praying for some of the church’s shut-ins extended the team outside of their comfort zones.  This pastor was overjoyed with the gift of several boxes of food to distribute to some of the neediest of the needy in his congregation.  The team was able to experience carrying the boxes the old-fashioned way to get to some really out-of-the-way homes.  One home was the parents of one of the deacons.  They are elderly and not in good health.  While being dedicated Christians, they cannot get to services.  After visiting with the team, they were given a box of food, and Anderson, an RMI staff member, prayed for them.  What an encouragement it was!  Even though it rained and they got back soaking wet, they loved every moment of being out there, visiting with the Haitian people in their homes and being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Last but not least was the open-air service.  This was held in an open market area in the village, located at a crossroad.  Another “out of their comfort zone” experience.  But the angels are rejoicing from new believers that made decisions after the service.  The whole team was able to pray with this gentleman as he asked the Lord to be the Lord of his life.

All in all, it was a great trip.  We are so happy that most teams are able to return to Haiti!  Don’t delay getting your church on the team calendar!

Faith and Commitment Rewarded

Antioch Baptist Church, Gainesville, FL is a new C3 partner and were the first team of the year.  Due to issues in Haiti, their visit had to be put off some, but they remained committed to the relationship and God rewarded that.  Their Haitian partner church is Tet Source, situated in a valley in the middle of the southern peninsula.  The team of 8 arrived ready to minister, interact with their brothers and sisters and help repair the back wall of the church which was damaged in the 2021 earthquake.  They found that the Tet Source believers had the same goals.  

The team felt that the Tet Source church ministered to them and encouraged them in their walk with the Lord.  They enjoyed playing with the kids and working together as one on the repair project.  

They stated that they returned home changed people.  Welcome to the family Antioch!

RMI President Meets with New MEBSH Leadership

At the beginning of this month, RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, flew to Haiti to meet with the newly elected MEBSH President and the MEBSH Executive Committee.  They were all elected in December.  The president’s term is 5 years.  These pastors are men of God and will be leading MEBSH.  It’s a very large denomination with approximately 450 churches.  They have their work cut out for them!

We’ve appreciated their partnership with us over the last 40+ years.  It’s been a blessing to RMI to have their leadership, wisdom, and participation.  

Dan with MEBSH President Pastor Lusson Napoleon

Dan with the new MEBSH Executive Committee

Dan was also able to participate in a number of other meetings.  He spoke at the RMI staff morning devotions and at the Wednesday night missionary Bible study.  He met with Andrew, reviewing plans for a project that he is working on.  He met with the virtual team.  This is the team that is taking videos and pictures, then putting videos together to send to churches.  

He spent time with his daughter and new son-in-law, Andrew and Dawn Tlucek.  It was special to stay in their home and have some time with them.

Happening this Month: Hope for Kidz

 This month is one of the busiest for the Hope for Kidz department here in the US.  Hope for Kidz Haiti staff spent the fall and winter traveling to every school to take pictures of the kids, get each of their profiles, and check on the schools.  Once that was done, they entered the data and sent the info to Hope for Kidz US where the pictures were printed and put into plastic sleeves.  The profiles were printed, matched with the pictures, and boxed up by churches.  These boxes of pictures and profiles were then mailed to each C3 partner’s Hope for Kidz coordinator.  Included in the boxes are additional resources for the coordinators such as advertising posters, bulletin inserts, videos, and other things to help promote the program.  It’s a labor-intensive process, especially when you consider that there are over 3,000 kids in the Hope for Kidz Program.

Once the coordinators receive their boxes, their work will begin in earnest.  They will be working to contact the sponsors in their church about renewing their sponsorship (s) for this coming school year.  The coordinators will also be recruiting new sponsors for the new kids in the program.  These coordinators work tirelessly to make sure all the details are kept straight, contacting sponsors, keeping their churches updated on what is happening in the program, and recruiting new sponsors.

This is where you come in!  Once the Hope for Kidz Coordinator gets that box and contacts you, it will be time to renew your sponsorship.  “Hope Today for Haiti’s Tomorrow” is indeed what your sponsorship means to these kids.  Going to school gives them Hope for their tomorrow.  If you don’t yet sponsor a kid - now is the time to start!  Contact your church’s Hope for Kidz Coordinator to see what children are available for sponsorship.  Or call RMI at 239-368-8390. 

Who or What is MEBSH?

You may have heard (or read) us talk about MEBSH.  Mission Evangélique Baptiste du Sud d’Haïti (MEBSH) or The Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti is RMI’s Haitian partner church association.  While they are not associated with a particular Baptist group in the US, they are baptistic in theology and practice.  They are the largest church association in Haiti with 450+ churches.

We work under their umbrella.  All the churches that we minister to are MEBSH churches. They provide representation in the country for our missionaries and legal status for RMI.   Legally, all of our Haitian staff are employees of MEBSH and all of RMI’s physical assets (land, vehicles, etc.) are in MEBSH’s name.  This protects RMI and our ministries as well as if all foreign agencies were required to leave Haiti, none of our assets would be seized.  All of this is protected by contractual agreements with MEBSH.  By partnering with MEBSH, RMI, and our US churches are guaranteed that any facilities built or land purchased is owned by MEBSH and not any one person or pastor.

In the 1920s, West Indies Mission (later to be named World Team) sent missionaries to Cuba.  They founded the Cuba Bible Institute.  The missionaries, students, and graduates of the institute ministered to the Cuban and Haitian sugarcane workers.  Many were saved and churches were established.  But in the early 1930s, the Cuban president at the time kicked out all of the Haitian sugarcane workers.  Most were deported to southern Haiti.  There these simple men began sharing the Gospel and churches were formed.  These men felt that they needed formal Biblical training and asked West Indies Mission to come and establish a Bible school.

In 1936, 3 American and Cuban missionaries began to work in southern Haiti and in 1937 they opened a Bible school in Les Cayes. On Christmas Day, 1958, MEBSH and World Team launched Radio Lumiere, a network ultimately of 9 radio stations, including a radio station, studio & television station in Port-au-Prince. In 2013, MEBSH had 488 churches with over 60,000 members and an estimated affiliation of over 200,000 regular church attenders, making it one of the largest Protestant denominations in Haiti.  MEBSH also has one member church in the Dominican Republic and another in the Dutch sector of Saint Marten.

The MEBSH operates numerous educational, health, and development institutions in Haiti:

413 primary and secondary schools

University Lumiere, consisting of eight colleges

Two seminaries: Faculté de Théologie Évangélique Lumière in Cayes and one in Port-a-Prince

Bible institute: Institut Biblique Lumière in Cayes

Full-service hospital: Hôpital Lumière in Bonne Fin

In-patient clinic: Centre de Santé Lumière in Cayes

School for the Deaf

Integrated Rural Development

Trade Schools

Well drilling

Mahanaim Youth Camp

Pastor Alnève Emile

From 2012 - 2021, the president of MEBSH was Rev. Alnève Emile. Under Pastor Alnève’s direction, MEBSH joined the Baptist World Alliance and the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship in 2013. MEBSH is also a member of the Protestant Federation of Haiti and the Evangelical Council of Haitian Churches.

In December 2021 Pastor Alnève’s tenure finished and Pastor Lusson Napoléon was elected.

MEBSH holds an annual 5-day convention for the encouragement of their churches and members.  This convention draws 10-12,000 people.  In 2019 they celebrated their 80th anniversary.

Pastor and Mrs. Lusson Napoléon

RMI has been blessed to have a partner like MEBSH. They provide great, well-trained, and mature churches/leadership with which to engage. They hold their pastors and leaders accountable when needed. They provide good counsel to our staff. They have been a great partner in ministry, enabling RMI and its US partner churches to, hand-in-hand with its churches, impact hundreds of communities with the Gospel. This is the Church in action.

Picking up the Pieces

Twelve years ago today, January 13, 2010, was a day that tens of thousands of people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti had to begin to pick up the pieces of their lives.  At 4:53 the afternoon before, the ground shook and life was never the same again.  Although the real toll will never be known, some estimates are that 300,000+ people died.  Many more were left jobless and homeless.  The Haitian White House and many other government buildings were destroyed.  Schools and businesses were also destroyed.  The devastation was beyond comprehension.  Yet one night following the earthquake, as reporters were making their nightly on-air updates, the sound of thousands of voices could be heard singing hymns.  God's people thanked Him for sparing their lives.  With an unknown future in front of them, they praised God for His blessings.  What a testimony!

We at RMI will not forget that day in history.  Many of the pieces have been picked up.  Most of the debris has been removed.  Some people rebuilt, some returned to their hometowns in the country.  Emotionally they are picking up the pieces.  

Even though they were shaken to the core, many give praise to God for His provision, His graciousness, and goodness.  May we learn from their example. 

A Challenging Dilemma

RMI faces a challenging dilemma.  The August 14, 2021 earthquake damaged the RMI office in Cayes and destroyed the main building of the Zanglais Ministry Center.  The RMI office is the nerve center of all our ministries in Haiti.  The partnership facilitators, Hope for Kidz team, Field Leader, Director of Operations, and missionaries all work out of this office.  The many other programs (water filters, food aid, goats, SunTech, home building, and agriculture) are administered from there, as well.  Many cracks and signs of structural stress showed up because of the earthquake and the many aftershocks.  The staff was afraid to work inside the building until a structural engineer inspected the building.  As a result of his findings, 40 metal braces are now stationed throughout the building in strategic locations, giving the staff confidence that they are safe working there.  Quite a bit of repair is needed to restore it.

Cracks on the outside of the Minister Center 
kitchen door.  This damage is on every 
door and window.

The main building at the Zanglais Ministry Center was built in 1980.  It houses a large kitchen, 2 dorm rooms (a capacity of 12 for each room) each with a bathroom and 2 showers, a master bedroom, and a large wrap-around covered porch where the meals were served.  For many years, this building stood alone (with the large gazebo) as team after team used it when they arrived and after their Sister Church visit before they went home.  The hotel rooms on the hillside were added in the 1990s.  Currently, it is the hospitality center for our teams.  Teams are received there before they leave for their Sister Church visit. 
When they return, they spend time at the Ministry Center for debriefing, rest, and reflection before they head home.  Retreats for mission groups are hosted there as well as RMI sponsored pastor, couples, and youth retreats.  It was just a few miles from the epicenter of the earthquake.  Large cracks and fissures are now visible along the rooflines, the support pillars, and around each window and doorway (inside and outside).  Due to the extensive damage to the building, it has been deemed unusable and will have to be torn down and completely rebuilt.  

Every air block at the top of the kitchen has
cracks or have already fallen out.

Our dilemma is how to pay for the complete rebuilding of the Ministry Center building and the office repairs.  Both buildings are the core of RMI’s ministry in southern Haiti.  We can’t emphasize enough how essential they are to the ministry!  We NEED these buildings.  Complete estimates of the cost of each building haven’t come in yet, but at the very least, we are looking at $150,000.  To date, we have $70,000 raised.  You can see we still need a significant amount of funding.  

Would you consider making a special gift toward this rebuilding?  Go to www.rmibridge.org and click on the Earthquake Care and Recovery Fund Donate Now button or mail a check to RMI, 5475 Lee St. Suite 301, Lehigh Acres, FL  33971.

It's the Giving Season

 

Haiti is still feeling the effects of the 7.2 earthquake and aftershocks last August: Homes damaged or destroyed, animals gone, comfort and security lost.  RMI is offering five impactful essentials that are immediately available.

TWO SOLAR LIGHT BULBS: These bulbs charge during the day to provide light at night. 

BACKPACK WITH SCHOOL SUPPLIES: School backpack stuffed with notebooks, pencils, pens and more. 

GOAT: A goat provides a family with means to help them nutritionally and financially. 

METAL ROOFING SHEETS: The 6 sheets will repair earthquake damage in most homes.

SOLAR POWER SYSTEM FOR HOME: This system can charge electronics, run lights and fans at night. 

Ordering is simple - you can order online by visiting our website: www.RMlBridge.org and click on the Christmas Gift box. You can also place your order by mail or telephone. Toll-free 877-764-5439 or 239-368-8390.

PRICE LIST 

Solar Light Bulbs, pack of 2 -$50 

Backpack with School Supplies -$80 

Goats-$140 

Six Metal Roofing Sheets -$65 

Solar Power System -$500

Remember, all gifts are tax-deductible. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

GivingTuesday

#GivingTuesday is an opportunity for you to stand up for the causes that matter most to you.
RMI has a very specific need for you to consider as you make your GivingTuesday decisions.

As you know, RMI has had to cancel teams for the 3rd year in a row. This has never happened in our entire history. The need for teams is urgent. It is urgent because Haitian C3 partners need the encouragement of the Ministry of Presence, seeing, hugging, spending time face to face, and ministering to one another. Life has gotten tougher due to the political instability and the August earthquake that severely impacted each and every region in southern Haiti. The need for teams is urgent because the earthquake damaged or destroyed many of the C3 partner church buildings and most of the schools. These brothers and sisters need the help of rebuilding teams.

We would love to welcome teams backs, but unfortunately, we've had to cancel teams through March of 2022. Canceling teams was not our first choice, but it was the right choice. We know the hardship this causes the Haitian churches, the US churches, and RMI. RMI loses the income that teams bring in the way of their MED (in-country costs) and their project costs. Not having teams causes serious financial shortages for the ongoing ministry of RMI.

This Giving Tuesday, would you consider a significant gift to RMI to help us overcome the hardship on the ministry of having lost this year's teams? Your gift will help RMI continue to provide for the Haitian employees that depend on RMI to be able to care for their families. We also need your support to be able to continue to provide the services needed to help our schools, churches, and programs like the Hot Lunch Program, feeding 11,000 kids a day, to be able to function and thrive. Your gift will truly impact not only the lives of the RMI employees but thousands of others as well. Thank you for your kind consideration of this request.

You can give online HERE. Please designate your gift to "RMI Ministries". You can also call RMI at 239-368-8390 to make your donation. We appreciate you being a part of making an eternal impact in Haiti.

Earthquake Phase 2: Rebuilding

Phase two in the recovery process is helping people start to rebuild / repair their homes.  We have purchased over 3,000 sheets of metal roofing and these are now available for sponsors.  The roofing material is $65 for 6 sheets.  This will provide a more permanent solution for people to care for their families’ safety and security.  It also will close up holes in the roof to protect their belongings from rain.  These things will help bring some normalcy to their lives; it will allow them to begin to focus on other things that might need repairing.  

Equally important, it will be a visible reminder that God saw their need, heard their prayers, and provided those pieces of roofing material. 

This church received enough roofing material for 6 families.  It was laid out in the church building and the 6 families stood in front of their gift.  There were big smiles all around as well as quite a few thank you’s.

This man has received his gift of roofing materials and is very happy to unload it with a smile and spirit of rejoicing. 

It may be a long walk home, up a mountain trail, or down into a valley, but what a blessing it will be to his whole family.

You can sponsor these roofing materials by going to www.RMIbridge.org and clicking on the “Donate Now” under the earthquake icon.

Teams are Returning

We are happy to say that teams are returning!  At the first of the month LifeHouse Church from Delaware went to encourage their church in Aux Coteaux and in the middle of the month McGregor Baptist Church from Ft. Myers, FL will be coming to visit their church in Cote de Fer.  After the COVID quarantine and the earthquake, it’s been quite a while since teams have been able to come.  The Ministry of Presence is real - just being there, visiting their homes, standing with them in their circumstances, crying, and praying with them speaks louder at times than swinging a hammer.  Being there for someone can sometimes bring hope when all seems hopeless.  The time for work teams will come soon and those teams will be such an encouragement too.  Having someone working alongside you also brings hope when your world has been turned upside down.

The church greeting the team after the service

Making a home visit and praying with
them despite the pouring rain

Helping a family cover their house with
a tarp the team just gave them

Helping clean out the school building for the first day of school

In November there are 2 teams and one in December.  This means there are open weeks on the calendar for more teams.  Come join us!  Let your C3 partner church see you being willing to minister and be active in your relationship.  They need your presence with them more than ever!

Most of our missionaries have returned as well and jumped right into ministry.  Dawn (Shoemaker) Tlucek will return with her new husband, Andrew, this month.  They are both eager to get to work as well.  Dawn will be continuing with her job of helping teams plan their trips, going out with teams, and working on the virtual missions team.  Andrew will be going out with teams, working with the Haitian staff in a variety of capacities as well as continuing to work on his dissertation for his doctoral degree.

Make your reservation for your team's visit as soon as possible.  Don't miss this opportunity to practice the Ministry of Presence and stand with your brothers and sisters.  You can see the team calendar and begin that process by going to www.rmibridge.org/tripcalendar.

Recovery Efforts Continue in Southern Haiti

HOW CAN YOU HELP RIGHT NOW?

RMI’s most urgent need is funds…specifically because it provides us speed and flexibility on the ground to respond as necessary.  It sounds blunt but it is the reality we are living with right now.

$35 feeds a family 1 hot meal a day for a month - a priceless gift at this time

$75 provides a family with a water filter - clean water to ward off disease and illnesses

$65 provides a family with a large tarp - temporary shelter to give them a place to sleep and protect their belongings from the elements

The need for prayer cannot be understated!  Our staff has worked 24/7 for weeks and continues to serve selflessly.

Go here to donate towards any of these needs.

RMI continues to respond to urgent needs at a feverish pace.  Aid supplies arrive at our depot, via airlift or truck from Port-au-Prince, are stored in secure containers, then working with local officials and our staff, needs are assessed and our vehicles are loaded and taken to specific villages (with armed guards that we have hired due to the looting of relief trucks) and distributed.  Every day multiple vehicles go out loaded, return empty, and get loaded for another run.  It's a heavy load and responsibility for our staff, but it's one that they have done an amazing job of.  We are very proud of them, and appreciate their loving service to their own people.

Loading a vehicle for another run of food aid

Receiving a shipment of tarps

Recently one of our staff pointed out something that they have found to be true about RMI.  "The people know that if RMI receives things, it is going to touch them."  Many have heard of organizations that have sent supplies and aid and it has sat for years - and the people never receive it.  Yet they know that if RMI receives things, every bit of it will go to help others.  That's a reputation that we hold dear and will continue to uphold.

It will take many years to rebuild what has been lost.  The people of southern Haiti and RMI need your help!  Please consider donating to these very specific needs.  You can do that here.

Massive Earthquake hits southern Haiti

August 14 at 8:27 a.m., a massive 7.2 earthquake hit southern Haiti.  The epicenter was located in the middle of the mountain range near the town of L'Asile, very near to the Zanglais Ministry Center.

It is the country's strongest earthquake in 179 years since 1842 - stronger than the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake.

The destruction is widespread across the entire southern peninsula. No community was spared clear out to the farthest tip of the island. There are many landslides across the road that leads into the mountains to go to the other coast as well as the main road that leads west to the tip of the island. Bridges are damaged and many are impassable. In Cayes and Jeremie most, if not all, stores and businesses have been heavily damaged or destroyed. In general, the infrastructure that southern Haiti had is badly damaged and severely crippled.

Benjamin observed that "It was the grace of God that it happened at the right time...people were up and out of their houses, schools were not in session and churches were not meeting". And it is true, had it happened at another time or day, schools and churches would have been full and the death toll would have been drastically higher. In the midst of the indescribable destruction, something to be thankful for.

BAD NEWS:

Unfortunately one of the aftershocks caused quite a bit of damage to the main building of the Zanglais Ministry Center. The damage is severe enough to render that building unsafe and unusable. This building houses the dorm rooms, the kitchen, and the eating area. The hotel rooms on the hill are in good shape and usable. A temporary, outside kitchen is going to be built so we can host groups. NGOs are inquiring about using it since there are no places to stay in Cayes.

There have been regular, strong aftershocks. As you can imagine, the people are traumatized and nerves are frayed. They are afraid to go inside concrete structures and they are sleeping in their yards or out in open areas. Tropical storm Grace brought heavy rains and wind, bringing mudslides and flooding, creating more heartache.

Picot church - almost every
church looks like this!

Getting supplies from Port-au-prince has been severely impeded by gangs that control areas of the town and road that leads south. NGOs and government officials have negotiated a one-week truce with them to let supplies, containers, and personnel through. Pray as a convoy of containers and other vehicles will be going through that area in the coming days. RMI has 3 containers of food that will be a part of that convoy. It is needed now more than ever! Pray for its safe arrival.

RMI staff have been incredibly busy. They are sending out teams to visit as many of our C3 partner churches as they can get to. They will be taking pictures as well as gathering reports on how each church fared. We will forward these reports as they come in. We do know that every one of our partner churches has been affected.

Picot school - almost every
school looks like this!

MEBSH, the local church association that we partner with, is reporting that more than a quarter of their 400 churches and schools are destroyed and probably more than that number are heavily damaged.

God has uniquely prepared RMI for such a time as this. We have a good fleet of vehicles to move people and supplies. The water truck and earthmover are in much demand. Not too long ago, we installed an underground gas tank. This will sustain us for a while. We have a large staff that can help as we partner with many NGOs.

The solar power system is working very well, providing electricity for the office, the internet, the conference room (giving it a/c!) and the garage. We have opened the conference room to NGOs if they want to come, use the internet, plan, or even just take a breather. We have already hosted and facilitated a DART (Disaster, Assistance, and Response Team) as they evaluated the level of destruction, the condition, and the needs of the hospitals and clinics. We are making ourselves, staff, facilities, and equipment available to as many NGOs and groups as possible to be able to greatly expand our impact all over south Haiti.

Our hearts are so broken for dear Haiti. The devastation is hard to wrap our minds around. RMI's missionaries are anxious to return and get involved in the recovery efforts. Tessa has returned, the Starkeys will go home in a couple of weeks, the Nunemaker's shortly thereafter and the Tlucek's are finishing their deputation at the end of September.

At this point, we are not accepting teams until the fall. We know that many folks want to visit their Sister Churches, but we need time to get through this initial recovery phase before we would be ready to host a team. Your Sister Churches would love to have you visit, but with so much destruction they won't have the facilities to care for you. We will be organizing specialty teams (construction, medical, etc.) in the future.

HOW CAN YOU HELP RIGHT NOW?

RMI and Mission of Hope partnering
together to distribute earthquake aid

One big immediate need is for food (remember those 3 containers of food that coming?). Currently, RMI has 2,000 cases of food available. You can go here to purchase food. Each case is $35. At this time we are unable to provide any volume discounts. You can designate your Sister Church, but not individual families, or leave it undesignated for use where it is needed most.

Another very important and effective way to help is through financial donations. We need funds to facilitate our recovery efforts. This is vital to our service to the Lord throughout south Haiti. You can donate here.

You can donate to your Sister Church as well. They can use your assistance in this way now.

RMI and Mission of Hope delivering
supplies to Bonne Fin Hospital

It may sound trite to just ask for funds. But it is what we need most! This is really how you can help. Share this with your friends, your church, even at work. RMI is your conduit to make sure that your funds will be used as designated. We are your boots on the ground.

The need for prayer cannot be understated! We appreciate your involvement with us in this horrific disaster.

You can find the most up-to-date information and activities on our Facebook page here.

Staff Planning Meetings

After 18 long months, RMI’s Staff Leadership Meetings were finally able to take place face-to-face.  COVID prevented face-to-face meetings, so Zoom meetings had to suffice.  As we all know, those kinds of meetings only provide a limited amount of communication, brainstorming, and in-depth discussion.  At the beginning of this month RMI Field Leader, Benjamin Altema, and RMI Field Director of Operations, Benson Joseph, were able to come to the RMI office in Ft. Myers, FL.  They met with RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, and RMI Vice President of Operations, Kim Rose, for one and a half days.  They discussed ongoing ministries and plans for the future.  

We are incredibly grateful to God for providing such capable, talented, godly, and trustworthy men to lead RMI’s Haiti field and the ministries there.  They both lead with insight, integrity, commitment, and complete dedication to RMI.  Each one has come up through the ranks and has a great grasp of the inner workings of RMI’s ministries.  They aren’t afraid to speak their minds and make hard decisions.  We appreciate both Benjamin and Benson!

In addition to the planning meetings, they were able to attend the Global Leadership Summit with Dan Shoemaker.  GLS is just one way that RMI continues to enable our staff to grow and learn, making them better leaders.

A New RMI Missionary, a Wedding and Furloughs

 This summer has already been full of activity for RMI!

A New Missionary and a Wedding

RMI welcomed a new missionary to the family in May.  Dawn Shoemaker's fiance, Andrew Tlucek (pronounced Tuh-loo-check), joined RMI.  He and Dawn went through the full 1.5-day orientation.  Going to Haiti as a missionary had been in his life plan before God brought Dawn and him together.  His training has been with that purpose in mind.  He has a masters and is currently working on his doctoral thesis.  Being a Haiti missionary kid, he has a solid knowledge of the country, the culture, as well as the creole language.  His natural leadership abilities and training will be an asset to the Haiti field.  Welcome to the RMI family, Andrew!

On June 26, Andrew and Dawn were married in Nampa, Idaho.  His grandparent's backyard was turned into a beautiful wedding and reception venue.  Andrew's parents, who are missionaries in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, were there to help with the planning, and his many aunts, uncles, and cousins (he has 33!) pitched in to help decorate, prepare and serve the food, DJ the reception, and clean up.  It was a fun evening and many of the 200 guests commented on how it seemed that God prepared Andrew and Dawn for each other. 

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Her history of growing up in Haiti and currently being a missionary there meshed with his parents going to Haiti as missionaries when Andrew was 15.  They arrived there in May 2006, the same month that Dawn and her family moved to the States - when she was 15.  His family's mission has used the Zanglais Ministry Center numerous times over the years, but he and the Shoemakers never crossed paths.  

It wasn't until both Andrew and Dawn joined Eharmony about the same time in late 2019 that they found out about each other.  To make a long story short, God worked throughout 2020 to actually bring them together and they were engaged on Feb. 13, 2021.

After their honeymoon and some time in Nampa to pack up Andrew's belongings, they will be on deputation, speaking in churches and visiting supporters in Washington state, and the Chicago, Tampa, and Ft. Myers areas.  Going from a single missionary's support to a couple's necessitates their raising additional funds.  They plan on returning to Haiti at the end of September.  Pray that these extra funds will be raised by then.

Furloughs

RMI's missionaries are on the move as they are on furlough during the summer months.  Tessa is in her home area of northern Florida.  The Starkey family are in their home area of north central Ohio.  The Nunemakers are in their home area of southeastern Pennsylvania.  All of them are using this time to visit family and supporters, speak at their supporting churches and get some R and R.  They should all be back in Haiti by the end of the summer.  If you are wanting any of them at your church, feel free to contact the RMI office and we'll put you in touch with them.