Three C3 partner churches from the Gainesville, FL, area visited Haiti last month.  The trip enabled 2 churches to check on major projects they are involved in.  The third church attended the dedication of their new church building and school, which was just finished - and the dedication of the new cistern under the sanctuary!  We shared about this in the August 2023 issue of the Ministry Highlights.  They built the church on top of a 13,000-gallon cistern.  The water would be accessed by a solar pump.

RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, joined the team.  They met the RMI Haiti staff, several pastors from the district, and the president of MEBSH at the new sanctuary to cut the ribbon and for a service of dedication.  

What a celebration! Many dignitaries delivered special messages and prayers, and different choirs sang special songs. After the service, they shared a meal together. The church really rolled out the red carpet.

The church, school, and especially the cistern will minister to the entire community for many years!

Team leader Tom and Dan Shoemaker

Field Updates

 Dominican Republic Update:

The Starkey family has been in Santiago, Dominican Republic, for a month. They are officially all moved into their home except for one last shipment from their house in Haiti, which will arrive shortly. They have been working hard on moving in, getting all their accounts set up, phone numbers, and such there in the DR and starting to learn the area. They found a car and will be able to purchase it this week. 

Now that they have moved into their home and are settled, Jim and April spend a few hours each day working on their language lessons. April has also started homeschooling the three oldest boys. Zeke’s school situation is still uncertain and a cause for much prayer.

Please also pray for them as they focus on this part of the ministry now, learning the language to be more effective in ministry there. 

In the coming days, they will have their first meeting with the national church committee that RMI is partnering with and will head out into the country to specific areas to assess the needs and determine how RMI can help.

They are still short on monthly support. RMI sent them down on faith! Pray that God will supply the last bit that they lack. You can give at www.rmibridge/donate.

Haiti Update:

Tessa Andrews took a quick furlough trip to visit family and supporting churches this past summer.  It was a whirlwind trip but refreshing and well worth the time.  She is home now and enjoying being back with her Haitian co-workers and family.  Pray for Tessa as she works in the Hope for Kidz Department.

Andrew, Dawn, and Layton Tlucek are staying in the Ft. Myers, FL area while Dawn grows their twins.  While her pregnancy is high-risk, Dawn and the babies are doing well.  They are fundraising for the Ezra Institute, visiting their supporters, and working remotely while they await the twins’ arrival sometime in December.  Pray for Andrew and Dawn as they work to establish the Ezra Institute.

Continue to pray for Haiti.  The gangs are firmly entrenched, and the Kenyan forces have been ineffective thus far.  We need God to move mountains and break Satan's hold on the country!

A New Team Member for RMI!

It is our pleasure to announce that we have a new RMI Team Member.

We want to welcome Rob Thompson! It's great to welcome a new team member who already means so much to each of us and to RMI. As a bonus, he won't need a lot of training.

Rob is joining RMI as the Director of Ministry Development.  He will be working with our existing C3 partners to encourage them to stay engaged even with the issues in Haiti and will be encouraging them to continue with projects and even to begin planning team trips.  He'll also be working on growing our C3 partnerships in Haiti and our new field, the Dominican Republic.  He will also be working on fundraising and possibly using his field knowledge to assist with development in both Haiti and the DR. He has his work cut out for him, but we know he is up for the task.

In his words…"Although I'm incredibly sad to be stepping away from pastoral ministry at Beacon Church, I'm also ecstatic about my return to RMI. These last 5 years at Beacon Church have been wonderful. As I reflect upon this move, I'm reminded of my love for the church; it is God's chosen instrument to bring glory to himself. I've been serving the church in a variety of ways for the last 28 years. My return to RMI is simply a continuation of my work for the church. I truly believe that God has incredible things in store for us as we partner together for the gospel and for the building and strengthening of the church. Together, the church, His hands, and feet, we are witnesses here in Galloway, NJ, and throughout the United States, and to the ends of the earth."

You can contact Rob through his email at rob.thompson@rmibridge.org.

Introducing the Ezra Institute

The Ezra Institute School of Leadership is RMI’s newest initiative.  We have been committed to child education for years through our Hope for Kidz Child Sponsorship Program.  The Ezra Institute is aimed at high school graduates who have demonstrated leadership potential and been vetted by their spiritual leadership.  The goal is to equip and empower students to lead in their church, workplace, and community through a Biblical worldview.

The Ezra Institute desires for students to Learn It, Live It, and Lead It (Ezra 7:10). First (Learn It), they will get a relevant and quality education that elevates their walk with Christ, leadership skills, and vocational skills. Secondly (Live It), students will be mentored by mature local leaders. This will provide the opportunity to practice what they are learning as they engage with their local communities.  Finally (Lead It), after completing the program, students will be equipped to be godly disciple-makers, trained leaders, and skilled employees. The Ezra Institute’s foundational curriculum emphasizes multiplying and empowering others through Christ to bring transformative change.

Ezra will be located at RMI’s headquarters in Cayes, Haiti.  During the 2-year course, students will participate in courses such as The Person of Christ, early church history, New Testament Survey, and Old Testament Survey to help them develop Biblical Christ-centered living. 

Students will also take courses such as Biblical Leadership, Leading like Christ, Biblical Ethics, and Modern Leadership from a Christian Worldview to help them become impactful leaders of integrity. 

Lastly, students will learn vocational skills from courses such as Administration, Management, Business, Ethics, English, Computing, and many others.

We are very excited about the opening of the Ezra Institute.  RMI’s Director of Adult Education, Dr. Andrew Tlucek, will be the chief “driver” of the Institute.  God has been preparing him for many years for this and he’s eagerly anticipating the start of the school year.

The Ezra Institute will be funded by generous donations from individuals and churches alike! If you would like to be a part of this incredible opportunity to develop Biblical leaders who will impact Haitian society, please join us in this endeavor. There are several ways to do so through

Student sponsorship

School projects

General fund

​​We need your prayerful support! 

If you feel God is leading you to help with funding the preparation of Haiti’s next generation of leaders and the Ezra Institute, you can do so at www.RMIbridge.org/donate.  Feel free to share the Ezra Institute’s new video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdtvwmlZPZY.

Important Information and Field Updates

*Important Information*

RMI is NOT leaving Haiti; however, we are expanding into the Dominican Republic (DR).  This means that RMI will be in both countries, covering the island of Hispaniola.  We’ve received word of some confusion on this, so we wanted to ensure everyone understands what is happening.  The Starkeys were ministering in Haiti, but RMI has asked them to move to the DR to pioneer RMI’s work there.  They have embraced this move and are very excited about this new opportunity.  Ministry in the DR will be unique.  Over 1 million Haitians live there, providing opportunities to minister to Haitians and Dominican Christians.

Dominican Republic Update

Last month’s Ministry Highlights shared many of the steps the Starkeys are going through to move from Haiti and the US to the DR.  God has gone before them, and things are coming together in a timely manner.

Pioneering a new work is a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. The Starkeys have intimate knowledge of how RMI operates in Haiti, giving them a framework from which to work. However, we know that only some things will work exactly as they do in Haiti. The DR is a very different culture with a different standard of living.  

RMI already has top-notch partners in Nelson Paulino of Casa Misionera Mission House and the Baptist Convention of the Dominican (BCD).  Both will give us invaluable insights into the culture and what will work and what won’t.  They can point us in the right direction regarding congregations with which to start C3 partnerships.  They will be able to help with some of the nitty-gritty details of establishing RMI in the country, such as renting an office, providing translation help, setting up the office (furniture and equipment), helping RMI understand any legal issues that we need to know about, finding staff and translators, figuring out which guesthouses to use for housing teams -- and so many other issues.

The Starkeys have been working hard to raise the additional support they need.  As of the beginning of June, they have  47% of their monthly support needs and 63% of their one-time needs. They urgently need to raise the rest of those funds. Would you please consider helping them with a monthly gift and/or a gift toward their moving expenses?  You can give to their ministry here: www.rmibridge.org/donate.  They are praying that they’ll be able to get to Santiago in August so they can get settled by the beginning of school around the first of September.

Please pray with us for their support so they can get to the DR in a timely manner!

Haiti Update

This month, Tessa Andrews is on furlough in her home area of northern Florida.  Pray that she’ll be able to relax and recharge as she is with her family.  Also, pray that she’ll have good visits with her supporters and supporting churches.

Andrew and Dawn Tlucek are on furlough and plan on visiting supporters in Washington state, Idaho, Chicago, New Jersey, and Florida.  They celebrated Layton’s first birthday.  Their travel schedule isn’t set yet because they just discovered they are pregnant with TWINS!  Morning sickness is getting better, however, multiple births are now regarded high risk.  Thus, their plans are being adjusted.  We also want to congratulate Andrew for finishing his PhD!  He’s now Dr. Andrew Tlucek.

Jim Starkey had a successful trip to their home in Haiti and was able to pack and close up their house there. When the Starkeys arrive in Santiago, they will be able to fly the things they need in the DR via Agape Flights directly to Santiago.

Airlines, both international and domestic, are flying again.  Everyone is breathing a sigh of relief about this positive development.  The new government is in place, but the gang activity has not changed. The police are out-gunned and out-manned. A lot of hope and expectations are being put on the Peacekeeping Force that has just begun to arrive.   Pray that their presence will make a difference.  Haiti needs desperately needs peace.  The country needs to be opened back up.

Several months ago, we had 6 containers of food delivered to the port in the capital.  This food was to be used for our Hot Lunch Program and food aid for needy families.  They were unable to leave the wharf due to the roads being blocked by not one but several gangs.  Unfortunately, at one point, gangs overran the wharf, and one container was looted.  A few weeks later, arrangements were made to put 2 containers on a barge, take them around to a port closer to Cayes, and then truck them to our facilities.  The final 3 also came by barge several weeks after that.  We are very thankful for God’s protection for those 5 containers.  It increased the cost significantly, but enough food is available to provide those hot lunches and finish the school year.

Hope for Kidz Haiti Update and Dominican Republic Update

 Hope for Kidz Haiti Update

Frantz Desire, RMI’s Hope for Kidz Supervisor, writes, “We thank God for His grace and mercy upon the HFKz ministry. It is great because God allowed us to help many kids go to a hospital and get medical care this year.”

Frantz shared, “There have been a lot of testimonies and gratefulness that have been received from the parents of the kids that we were helping. For example, I will pick up some names in the list to share some details with you. First, we have Marvens Joseph, this child is in Picot. The situation was very difficult for him and his family. He was hit by a car while he was going to school. His family was not able to take him to hospital. We sat down with his mother and arranged to send him to the hospital.  It took about three months for him to recuperate, and he came home using a cane to walk. Now he is well, and we say thanks to God for that.

For the second one, we have Bitchy Chery. This is a child in Beaumont school.  She was struggling with her vision and was not able to attend school classes so many times. We sent her to Brenda Eye Hospital here in Cayes, and after some treatments, her eyes are doing well. She was very excited and her mother was very happy for this opportunity that HFKz gave to them. They all say thank you very much to the sponsor and to the RMI staff.

For the third one, we have John Peter Vante. This child is in Les Anglais school. He was facing appendicitis issues that were very painful for him. Because of that, he had lost some school days. His mother was crying when she was talking to me because her family didn’t have any money to take John to the hospital. Hope For Kidz sent John Peter to the hospital in Cayes. He got the surgery, and now he is doing well and continuing with school. What a blessing to serve the Lord through this ministry. This family was very grateful to God first and to RMI.

For a fourth one, Judeson Dume. This child is in Barthe school in the district of Cance. According to the Pastor from that school, Judeson had fallen down from a tree. He broke his left arm, and he was having a very hard time. According to Pastor Fravien, Judeson’s family is very poor and couldn’t even take him to the hospital. The family testified if RMI wasn’t able to help them with Judeson, he wouldn’t be going to school. God made the provision, and they are very grateful. We have sent the child to the hospital, and he had surgery two times in that arm. Pastor Fravien was happy, Judeson and his parents were also happy, and they all said thank you very much to RMI.”

Your sponsorship and participation with kids in the Hope for Kidz program make a real, tangible difference in their lives - not only in educating them but in helping them with major health issues.  Now is the time to renew your sponsorship or start sponsoring a child!

Dominican Republic Update

Jim and April Starkey had a successful trip to the Dominican Republic (DR) in May. Nelson Paulino of Casa Misionera Mission House (one of RMI’s partners in the DR) was fantastic in giving them a tour of Santiago, finding a realtor, scoping out houses for them to look at, and providing translation help—so many things! Thank you, Nelson!!

Jim and April found a nice home in a good neighborhood and were able to sign the rental papers. After a week there, they feel like they have a rudimentary knowledge of the city. Knowing where they’ll shop for groceries, supplies, appliances, and furniture will be a big help.  

They were also able to visit and enroll their youngest, Zeke, in a local English Christian school.  April will homeschool the other 2 boys.

Jim will be going to Haiti this month to pack their house. They plan on only taking their personal belongings to the DR and buying the appliances and furniture they need locally, so they won’t have to send a container.

In the meantime, April is busy packing their belongings in the US for shipment to the DR.  It’s a challenge to anticipate what they will need as they set up a house and settle into their new lives there. But the unknown is quite a bit easier since the DR is quite developed—it’s a second-world country compared to Haiti, which is a fourth-world country.  

Agape Flights, the mission aviation ministry that brought the Starkeys their mail and some supplies in Haiti, also flies into Santiago. This means that if they need something from the US, Agape can fly it in for them. What a blessing.  

Jim and April have been studying Spanish online as well as having a Dominican to help tutor them in person.  By all accounts, it has been going very well!  They have also been teaching the kids Spanish.

The Starkeys have been working hard to raise the additional support that they need.  As of the beginning of June, they have  44% of their monthly support needs and 46% of their one-time needs. They urgently need to raise the rest of those funds. Would you please consider helping to support them with a monthly gift and/or a gift toward their moving expenses? You can give to their ministry here:  www.rmibridge.org/donate.  They are praying that they’ll be able to get to Santiago in August so they can get settled by the beginning of school around the first of September.

Please pray with us that their support comes in and they will be able to get to the DR in a timely manner!

Hispaniola - A New Era for RMI

 

Haiti Update

Haiti’s capital has been mired in gang-fueled violence, kidnappings, and instability for several months.  Right now, there is cautious optimism for the country as they have actually been able to install a presidential commission to begin to try to bring order back to this chaotic situation. The task ahead of this 9-person commission is huge. They have to somehow curb the power of the gangs in the capital, help usher in an international security force to bring back long-term law and order so that they can organize elections to elect a new government which then would take over as the official government of Haiti.  They need our prayers.

RMI, in the midst of these things, continues to function normally for which we are very thankful. The south continues to enjoy overall peace and security. Our team is out every day going all over the peninsula as they carry out their responsibilities for Hope For Kidz, the Hot Lunch Program, construction projects, solar installations, church visits, and more. Our biggest challenge is acquiring the supplies we need for all the projects since it is quite a challenge for businesses to bring supplies into the country and get them to the south. The prices of these items continue to skyrocket due to the economics of supply and demand. 

At the beginning of the month, our biggest challenge was that we were running out of food for our Hot Lunch Program.  We had 5 containers of food stuck at the wharf in Port-au-Prince, the capital.  One of them was looted by gangs, which left us 4. Food for the Poor, a partner ministry that helps with the containers, was, by a miracle, able to get two of the containers on a barge, take it around Port-au-Prince to a port in the south and we were able to get them from there. This was a great PTL for us as it enabled us to finish out this school year’s feeding program. However, we need prayer that we will be able to get the other two quickly as there are many needs for food aid.  We thank the Lord that, after being stuck abroad for many weeks, Benjamin and Benson were finally able to make it back to their families through several different convoluted paths. Continue to pray for our staff as they minister to their people.  

Tessa Andrews continues to help oversee the Hope For Kidz Program along with Frantz.   It is that time of year to renew your sponsorship or if you are planning to start sponsoring a child, this is the time to do it.  Don’t delay.  Contact your church’s Hope for Kidz coordinator to get the process started.

Dominican Republic Update

Not only are we partnering with the Baptist Convention of the Dominican, (BCD) but we have been working with a Dominican mission called “Casa Misionera Mission House”, founded by Nelson Paulino. His ministry is to develop and mentor college students into biblically oriented leaders. He has been a friend of Dan Shoemaker, RMI’s president, for many years and has been the one who has helped RMI begin the process of establishing ministry in the DR. He is excited to see RMI moving in this direction as he is very aware of the many needs within the Haitian and Dominican communities and churches. He and his students have been an invaluable help by planning our exploratory trips, setting up interviews with Haitian and Dominican pastors, helping translate for our team, and introducing us to the BCD.  

 

The city of Santiago, in the north of the country, was determined to best fit us. It will be within a couple of hours from many potential ministry sites. It’s international airport has several flights to Miami daily.  Agape Flights also services ministries in that area. The cost of living is lower than in other cities.  As well as several good English-speaking schools meet the Starkey’s needs. Many other agencies are in the area, providing a good support base on many levels. 

 

Jim and April Starkey and their 4 kids are excited about moving to Santiago, hopefully in August.  April will homeschool a couple of the boys, with the third attending a local English-speaking school.  

 

The Starkeys face a higher cost of living. This, along with moving expenses, means that they need to raise more funds to be able to function well there. RMI has determined they need to raise $1800 more in monthly support and $14,500 in one-time expenses. This will include travel to the country, purchase and shipping of major items to set up a home, housing deposits, and more. This is an urgent need as it will not be possible for them to go without this funding. Would you please consider helping to support them with a monthly gift and/or a gift toward their moving expenses?  You can give to their ministry here: www.rmibridge.org/donate.

Would you and your church want to be a part of helping to pioneer this new ministry with RMI?  We are looking for several churches to send a team to help us begin our work with several Haitian churches in the fall of this year as well as the spring of 2025. Please contact Jim Starkey if you would like to consider this great opportunity.  His email is Jim.starkey@rmibridge.org.