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Stories and Ministry Highlights

Have You Prayed for a Missionary Today?

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,

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RMI President Visits Haiti

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

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The Starkeys are on Furlough

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

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The Power of Connection: HaitiConnect in Action

Beautiful things are happening through our HaitiConnect initiative. In a season where many U.S. churches have been unable to visit their Sister Churches in Haiti due to travel limitations and security challenges, HaitiConnect is breaking through the distance — one virtual call at a time. These calls are far more than just a video chat. They are reunions! Smiles spread across screens as pastors, leaders, and church members greet one another, pray together, and share how God is at work in their churches and communities. The conversations are rich with encouragement and gratitude, as both sides witness how the partnership is still very much alive. The benefits are immediate: Personal Connection: Face-to-face interaction reminds both churches of their shared mission and deepens relational bonds. Mutual Encouragement: U.S. churches hear firsthand how their support is making a difference, while Haitian churches are reminded they are not forgotten. Real-Time Updates: Churches can

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Sharing is Caring

We’ve all heard that lovely phrase, “Sharing Is Caring”!.  But what does that truly look like in our everyday life?  We teach children to share their toys, crayons, and even finger food snacks when they are little.  Sisters can share clothes, shoes, and jewelry with each other.  As adults, we share our faith with others.  We can share a meal with family and friends. In Haiti, the principle is the same: Sharing a school bench, a pencil for lessons, or even a spoon at lunch if someone forgot to bring theirs.  Younger students share hugs and smiles in the play yard.  Older students share the workload when helping with food deliveries or carrying water. You can also share our Hope for Kidz program!  Our program is open to anyone who can help a child in need.  Education is such a vital part of our ever-advancing society that adults without the

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Hope for Hispaniola: Walk|Run|Ride 2025

Get all the details HERE You can change the course of history. That sounds a bit epic. Yet we believe this truly captures what we’re about to do together. You can be a part of something that we’ll one day look back on as truly historic. Will You Join the Movement?:  We’re asking you, and an army of people, just like you, to Walk, Run, or Ride to raise funds to fuel RMI’s ministries on the Island of Hispaniola—in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  The funds raised will go directly to fund RMI’s 2 year campaign.  Together, we will firmly establish our ministry in the Dominican Republic, launch the Ezra Institute to develop leaders, and rebuild the earthquake destroyed ministry center in Zanglais, Haiti, to support future teams. What is Our Goal:  Our goal is to have 25 participants in 25 locations.  This means 625 total participants working together to accomplish

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Food Price Increase

  Feed My Starving Children, our food partner, has decided to suspend shipping containers to Port-au-Prince until at least August.  This is due to the increased insecurity and gang activity in the capital.  Consequently, our staff has worked with them to identify alternative shipping routes.  Unfortunately, the new shipping process will increase our delivery costs by about 34%.  That is forcing RMI to raise the price of a box of food from $45 to $50.  The increase will take effect immediately. On a positive note, three containers have arrived within the last 2 weeks!  What an answer to prayer!  

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More than Concrete: Deep Impact

Concrete. Rebar. Sand. Blocks. – These are the basic building materials behind nearly every construction project we take on. But don’t be fooled—there’s far more to these projects than just materials and labor. Watch below as Benson Joseph—RMI’s Haiti Director of Operations and Project Manager—shares how construction projects are catalysts for deep, lasting transformation in Haitian communities. Have questions or want to explore how your church could get involved in a construction project? Reach out to Benson directly at partnerships.haiti@rmibridge.org.   https://youtu.be/WGVreIdsWt8 Active Projects – Policard School (6 Classrooms) – Thank You Nebraska EFC Partnership Churches and Anonymous Friends –  Pictures Fond Deron Blocks – Thank You Fellowship Church Recently Finished Projects – Rousseau School Renovation – Thank You Antioch Baptist Church – Pictures: Phase 1 | 2 | 3 Source Baptiste Storage room and kitchen – Thank You First ARP and Kelly Family – Pictures: Phase 1 | 2 Boyer School –

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Delivery Day

How important are deliveries to you? Our society is quite dependent on deliveries, to the point that we can designate a special day of the week as Amazon Day. We have apps that help us order food directly to our door. Groceries too. So many things in our lives can be brought to us in a most convenient way. Our Haitian families have a much different view of “Delivery Day”. Pictured here is a school receiving a delivery of food boxes that will later be prepared for their lunches, as part of our Hot Lunch Program. The students are eager to participate in the unloading process, and many hands make light work. These students and their families understand the value of these boxes and are excited to be a part of Delivery Day.

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The DR Needs You!

There is a huge need in the Dominican Republic, and RMI is working alongside local churches and medical doctors to find ways to serve and love the people. Haitians, especially, are in fear of getting much-needed medical treatment because of the risk of being deported. Other Dominican communities are in need as well. We want to support them and help where it’s most needed! These teams can include medical personnel in various positions as well as non-medical personnel. Reach out to us at partnerships.dominican@rmibridge.org for more information. Please help us spread the word, as we are trying to bring as many teams this fall and winter as we can to help with this great need. Download Medical Trips Info Sheet

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Catch a Greater Vision

Recently, RMI President Dan Shoemaker, along with Andrew and Dawn Tlucek, spent a week in the Dominican Republic (DR).  Each one had a list of specific goals to accomplish, questions that needed answering, and partnerships strengthened. It was a week worth its weight in gold.  They were able to sit down with the leaders of our national partners at the CBD (Dominican Baptist Convention) to further get to know each other’s heartbeat for ministry.  They also heard Andrew’s explanation of the Ezra Institute and his vision for how it could prepare young people to be capable, knowledgeable leaders of integrity.  The CBD president and vice president shared how RMI could support them and help reach their people. Dan was also able to share RMI’s ministry with a training school in the capital.  We hope that this school will produce quality graduates for RMI employees in various positions.  They are a

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A Leap of Faith

For almost 40 years, God has been transforming lives through the ministry of Reciprocal Ministries International (RMI). Together, we have witnessed God’s faithful hand in every chapter of our story. Now, we believe it’s time to take our next step, a giant leap of faith. We are thrilled to introduce VISION | NEXT, a campaign designed to help prepare RMI for an even greater season of impact in the years to come. The VISION | NEXT campaign exists to increase RMI’s capacity for life-changing Gospel work in the US, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. VISION | NEXT is more than just a campaign; it’s our declaration of our unwavering commitment to the transformative power of the Gospel in the context of long-term, cross-cultural church partnerships. We believe the Lord has charted this course. He has given us a bold vision for what is next. We’d love for you to join

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RMI Launches New Website

We’re happy to let you know that RMI has launched its new website!  We believe this will help you—and many others—engage with and partner through RMI more effectively. Check out our website HERE. We continue to focus on bringing people together in cross-cultural partnerships.  We believe that, in partnership, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus more effectively.  Together, we are changing lives in the US, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how we can partner together, please send an email to info@rmibridge.org or call 239-368-8390.

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