Missionary Candidate Updates

Raising support to go to the field is a challenging time for missionaries.  They must continue with their full-time jobs as well as travel, share their ministry, and work hard at cultivating contacts and supporters that will  be on their ministry team.  That in and of itself is often a full-time job.  It also involves a lot of prayer!

Jim and April Starkey are in that phase of raising their support.  They have been working hard at contacting churches, Bible studies, family, friends and acquaintances.  It has been slow-going but their enthusiasm has not waned.  The boys, Isaac, Micaiah and Ezekiel, are equally excited and anticipating the move to Haiti.  Jim has already finished one online Creole learning language study and he speaks Creole only with their youngest, Ezekiel, who is quickly picking it up. 

They are in need of additional contacts. Do you know of churches and/or Bible studies that would be open to hearing them share their ministry?  Would you be willing to become one of their ministry partners and take them on for either monthly support or by making a one-time gift to their ministry? 

They live in Ohio, but are willing to travel!  They can be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jim.starkey and www.facebook.com/aprilcstarkey) as well as their website, www.toHaitiwego.com.   You can also donate online at www.RMIbridge.org/financial-donations.
 
The recent departure of the Harvies and Suttons have left a void in our Haiti staff that the Starkeys’ skills and talents will fill.  They are urgently needed on the field as soon as possible.  Please pray with us and the Starkeys that their support will come in quickly.

God’s timing is not always our timing - but we are assured that all things work together for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.  Thus we know that the delay in Jeff and Christina Speel’s departure for Haiti will work out for their good.  They were to leave in August but that date has been pushed back to the first week of January, 2019.

In late April, Jeff began to struggle with back issues.  He had back surgeries in 2010 and 2011 and has been good since then; however, issues began to flare up in April with two herniated discs, and worsened going into May.  In mid-May, he experienced disc fragmentation.  On top of this, he got a serious infection (cellulitis), and was hospitalized for nine days.  This was operated on June 1st.  Between surgery and antibiotics, the infection has now been resolved.  In an effort to avoid a third surgery on his back, he received two spinal epidural steroid injections that have helped tremendously to get swelling down.  He is currently under the care of a physical therapist to get his back in better shape in order to get the doctor’s clearance to go to Haiti.

God is still moving them toward Haiti.  Jeff’s physical issues are healing, his back is getting stronger, their home in New Jersey sold and they have moved in with Christina’s family in Speculator, NY. 

Jeff shared, “God is so clearly at work, and we know so many of you are praying!  Doctors are very happy with my progress, and we hope to serve in Haiti whenever I get the green light to do so.  Until then, we’re excited for all the many things RMI has us involved with stateside.  We will start language school online here in the States so that we get a good grasp on the Creole language.  We’ll also be studying from some assigned texts that will better equip us for the field.  We’ll continue to dialogue and meet various individuals/churches, sharing our hearts for Haiti and talking more about the ministry of RMI.”