Blog

Goats 4 Haiti is one of the best programs RMI has to provide sustainable income for a Haitian family.  It’s a program that keeps on giving.  It enables families to start a goat business or sell an offspring to pay for medical expenses or other urgent needs. When RMI receives money from a sponsor, the staff purchases the goat (s) and gives them to the beneficiary. RMI provides 6-month follow-ups to monitor the goat’s progress. The first baby goat goes back to the church to pass on to another beneficiary; after that, the mother goat stays with the original owner. After that, they can keep the subsequent offspring. Frequently, the children of the family are usually responsible for caring for the goat, taking it to get water twice a day, and staking it out during the day and night.  They learn responsibility and how to plan their daily schedule around

Even though Haiti, particularly Port-au-Prince, is a mess, RMI is STILL ABLE TO MINISTER!  We are located over 100 miles from the capital, where all the gangs are fighting.  Surprisingly, the southern peninsula, where we are located, is experiencing calm conditions.  Life is going on as usual.  Markets are open, schools are operating, and people are moving about freely.  RMI is ministering without hindrance. On any given day, the SunTech solar team is loading supplies and traveling to make a solar installation.  The Hope for Kidz team is traveling to schools to get kids’ pictures and biographies.  The construction team is jam-packed with several school building projects.  After daily devotions together, the office and depot are humming with activity. The gang warfare does affect RMI, though.  We can’t get the supplies we need, and when we do find them, they are much more expensive.  The vendor who sells them has

Every year, our Hope for Kidz staff have tasks to perform, broken down on a month-by-month basis, to ensure that everything that needs to be done gets done.  From school monitor reports, to picture taking, to Thank You letter translations.  Also, there are Hot Lunch food deliveries, tuition payments for school, parent meetings….. the list goes on. None of this would be possible without the Lord’s blessing and our faithfully committed sponsors.  We say a special THANK YOU to our sponsors for choosing to be a part of our Hope for Kidz family this year.  Whether this is your first year, your fifth, or possibly much longer, we are grateful for your partnership and the faith you place in us to make a difference in Haiti and in the lives of these children. As we enter our 26th year of providing a quality, biblical based education in Southwestern Haiti, we

We are steadfast in our commitment to God-honoring stewardship.  These committments directly impact our daily decisions. Therefore, every dollar is considered to be coming from the Lord himself—entrusted to us by him, through his people, and for his purposes. Therefore, with great expectation of God’s multiplication, we commit to using your donations as directed.  As Jesus did with five loaves and two fish, we do what we do after the Lord has received, blessed, and multiplied the donations from people like you. Therefore, we actively seek God’s guidance in deploying resources, ensuring every contribution directly fuels initiatives that honor Him and advance His mission. All glory to Him. (1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 4:2, Matthew 14:19, Matthew 25:21)

Are you attending a new church due to a recent move? Do you know that folks like yourself are RMI’s best promoters? Many of our C3 partners have come about through those who moved away from a church with a C3 partnership in Haiti to a new area and church.  Because of their love for their Haitian Sister Church and RMI, they connected RMI and their new church leaders, and eventually, their new church became a partner as well. We would love to see your new church partner with RMI to impact a church in the DR or Haiti. We have so many national churches that would love to connect with you and your church. RMI would leap at the chance to share about RMI, the opportunity for a C3 cross-cultural partnership, and the impact this relationship can have on both churches with your leadership. Would you be willing to

We are thrilled to announce two new opportunities for our supporters to deepen their commitment to Reciprocal Ministries International (RMI) and significantly amplify their generosity. We understand that giving is a personal decision, and we want to empower you with flexible ways to contribute to our collaborative mission. These two new giving vehicles, “Double Your Donation” through employer matching and “Planned Giving” through strategic legacy planning, offer unique benefits that can help your contributions go further and create a lasting legacy. Double Your Impact with Employer Gift Matching! Did you know that your generosity could be doubled, without you having to give a single extra dollar? Many companies offer matching gift programs, where they will match charitable donations made by their employees. This means your $50 gift could instantly become $100, or your $250 contribution could transform into $500, all thanks to your employer! We’ve partnered with “Double the Donation”

Don’t wait! It’s time to start lacing up your shoes, pumping up your tires, and getting ready for Hope for Hispaniola, happening this September.  Sign-ups are now OPEN.  Learn more and sign up at Hope for Hispaniola: Walk|Run|Ride 2025! Together, we have an opportunity to make a historic impact!  This is your chance to be a part of something monumental. We’re aiming to raise $625,000 to fuel RMI’s vital ministries in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Every step you take, every pedal stroke, every mile covered will help… establish new ministries in the Dominican Republic launch the transformative Ezra Institute for leadership development rebuild the earthquake-devastated ministry center in Zanglais, Haiti We need YOU to act NOW! 5 Ways to “Join the Movement“. Sign up to walk, run, or ride:  Participate by joining a team and receiving a shareable campaign page. Sign up to walk, run, or ride:  Participate with no

  Tessa is happy to be back home in Haiti after a 10-week visit to the US. While on furlough, she spoke at seven different churches and continued with any of her responsibilities that could be done remotely. Tessa spent a good amount of time visiting with family and friends. One highlight of her trip was meeting her niece, Harper, who had been born while she was in Haiti. She was thankful to be able to attend a close friend’s wedding while stateside as well. As the only missionary on our Haiti field, she has many responsibilities, all while keeping her focus on our Hope for Kidz program. She looks forward to learning new things and continuing to grow closer with our Haitian staff, whom she considers family. Tessa is excited to begin Hope for Kidz travel during the fall.

Schools are on summer break in Haiti.  This means about the same for them as in the US.  Students are taking a break from lessons.  Teachers are relaxing a little.  Our graduating students are embarking on a new adventure to find work or perhaps continue their education in a larger city. Our staff will be receiving final grade reports over the next few weeks and receiving a full update on just how successful this past school year was. We are proud of our students for the efforts they make each day and thankful for our teachers and staff who help guide the way. As we do every year, we pray that our students have a safe and happy summer, and we look forward to seeing their beautiful and bright faces when they return in September.

Missionaries need your prayers. The obstacles they face in bringing the gospel and carrying out their ministry are myriad, and it is only by God’s power that they overcome them. You may not be able to cross oceans or join them in their ministry physically, but your participation as a prayer warrior is every bit as important and needed. Please pray for them today. Don’t know what to pray?  Here are some ideas: Pray that God will open doors of ministry, blessing partnerships and friendships. Pray that they will have boldness to overcome the fear of embarrassment or failure. Pray for their relationship with God, spiritual rest, maturity in the faith, and overflow of the Spirit. Pray for their physical and emotional well-being, health, safety, finances, and stamina in stressful conditions. Pray for the physical and emotional health for their spouses and children. Pray for their emotional well-being, peace, joy,

RMI president, Dan Shoemaker, visited RMI’s base of operations in Cayes at the end of June.  While he went to help his daughter, Dawn Tlucek, pack up her household in preparation for her family’s move to the Dominican Republic, he also went to encourage the RMI staff, see how things are going on the ground, and visit several ongoing projects.  In Picot, he visited with the pastor and the school principal.  They toured the church and school that Compassion International is rebuilding for them.  Compassion is building several MEBSH churches and schools that were destroyed in the 2021 southern Haiti earthquake.   In Policard, he visited their new school construction and had a brief meeting with the principal and pastor of the church.  In Tet Source, he visited the school where a second story is being added to the building.  This will double the school’s student capacity. For any RMI

Jim and April Starkey are on furlough.  That means a couple of months in their home area of Ohio.  Notice that it is furlough…NOT vacation!  They spend almost every weekend speaking at a different church.  They share updates on their ministry, the need for teams in the DR, and how the family is doing.  It’s a rough schedule, but it’s crucial to stay in touch with their supporters and share the urgent need for medical teams to come to the DR. They take care of medical appointments, prepare for the upcoming year of homeschooling, and get some family time (a real boost to their emotional health).  In the background, they continue to attend to RMI business and prepare for their first medical team in September. In July, they will have a special week of family vacation in Tennessee at a place that ministers to missionaries and provides beautiful facilities for