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The Pledge Collective initiative to support VISION | NEXT is in full swing.  Emails have been sent.  Letters in the mail have been received.  Please join us by pledging, giving, and praying for the Lord to move his people.

What is it?                             Through the waves, over land, through gang-infested roads, somehow God brought this container of food from the port in Northern Haiti to RMI’s headquarters in Southern Haiti.  What an answer to prayer!  Children’s lunches are now guaranteed!

You’re Invited to Join Us! Visit Haiti or the DR with Rob Thompson or Dan Shoemaker. Yes, with one of us! We’re planning a trip, but we’d love a team to join us. Come to the DR to minister and explore future ministry opportunities. Come to Haiti to reconnect, to minister, and to explore future ministry opportunities. Request a Trip Date to let us know you’re interested! Sept. 11-16, 2026 (DR and Haiti) Oct. 2-7, 2026 (DR) Nov. 6-11, 2026 (Haiti ONLY) …or Request Your Own Date

Yes, Haiti has a flag day.  It is regarded as a major holiday in the Haitian calendar.  Every May 18 you will see Haitian flags everywhere.  There are parades and services.  Haitians are very proud of their flag and their national identity.  May 18, 2026, is the 223rd anniversary of the Haitian Flag, a powerful symbol of their freedom, resilience, and unity as a people. [By the way, June 14 is American flag day.]  

The Haiti calendar is filling up, and we are so happy to see these churches reconnect with one another.  Seeing the relationships grow is an affirmation of what God is doing in Southern Haiti.  What do teams do while they are there? Greeting one another Sharing a meal together Touring the town together

One unique aspect of the Hope for Kidz Program is the fact that you can actually meet your child.  If you visit Haiti as part of a team, our staff will help you meet your sponsored child.  It’s a special privilege, and one not usually offered in other child sponsorship programs. What an encouragement to the sponsored child, the child’s family, and you as a sponsor!  If you can’t be on a team in person, you can send a small gift with someone on the team.  It’s a win/win situation.

Our recent outreach has hit mailboxes and inboxes, and we are deeply moved by how the RMI family is responding. This season is a true exercise in leaning on the Lord; we’ve stepped out in faith, trusting that He will provide in ways that exceed our imagination. We have a significant journey ahead to reach our finish line, but we serve a God who is more than able. We’re asking for your partnership. Status Update: May 4, 2026 Current Pledges & Gifts: $213,803 Total Goal: $1.3 Million (by 12/31/26) Remaining: 83.55% Pledge Now to Give Later  |  Donate Now

RMI’s Board holds its meetings twice a year.  Last week’s meetings were ones that needed celebrating with fireworks!  We welcomed 2 new board members.  Heather Peterson from South New Jersey is our first-ever woman board member.  She is the widow of our recent chairman of the board, John Peterson, who passed away in November of last year.  She is very happy to carry on her family’s legacy of involvement with RMI since 1980. We are very honored to have her experience, wisdom, and love for RMI.  We also welcomed Dave and Julie Antioho from the Chicago area.  Dave is a long-time friend of RMI and was on RMI’s first-ever team in 1979. He and Dan have been friends since that time. He has helped engage 2 churches as sister churches with RMI and has been a staunch supporter of RMI over these years. Another reason to celebrate was the election

The Ezra Institute is pleased to share that the initial steps for providing meaningful learning and education in Christian living and growth, Biblical leadership, and professional development have begun in the Dominican Republic! Our prayer, this fall, is to provide 2 to 3-day conferences to the church body in meaningful ways to pastors, laypeople, and young adults that elevate their ability to be impact makers for Christ. The Ezra Institute will teach on many different topics, including sermon preparation, developing leaders within the church, and financial responsibility. If you, or someone in your church, is passionate about teaching, encouraging, or mentoring, please reach out to Dr. Tlucek (andrew.tlucek@rmibridge.org). He would love to partner with you to elevate the body of Christ for greater impact in the Dominican Republic.

An annual event you may not realize is part of the Hope for Kidz Program is the deworming that takes place in every school.  Kids receive a Christian education, shoes, books, and uniforms as part of the program, but deworming is aimed not just at the kids in the program but at everyone in the school (teachers, principal, and the kitchen crew).  Worms are very common in the general population and cause considerable illness, resulting in missed days of school and work.  One pill is all it takes to get rid of the worms.  Such a simple solution! Usually, an RMI staff member uses a color aid to teach everyone about worms, what they are, what they do to their body, how a person can be infected, and how to prevent the infection.  After this teaching, they administer the medication. Caring for the body by providing annual deworming makes a

They came from faraway Nebraska to reconnect with their C3 partner church in Policard, Haiti.  The children of the Policard school and members of the congregation greeted them outside town and formed a parade as they walked them into town and into the church.  It was a fine homecoming!  Here is a video of the welcome. An open-air service, a visit to a satellite church, home visits, and a fun get-together for the kids were just a few things that filled their days.  Here is a video featuring their home visits. IBC Airways brought them safely to Cayes in Southern Haiti.  Their planes are smaller (holding 30 passengers), and they only fly several times a week — which is why they are booked months in advance.  As you plan your trip to reconnect with your C3 partner church, you’ll need to plan quite a bit in advance. The team from

A missionary’s life is not a 9-to-5 job.  It’s a lifestyle.  Their ministry includes raising their kids to follow Jesus.  It includes being active in their employees’ lives.  There are homeschool moms’ outings and family outings to explore their country (beaches, waterfalls, caves, botanical gardens, etc.).  The Starkeys in the DR have recently gone with their homeschool group to a camp near the Dominican Republic’s highest mountain for a day of fun activities.  They also recently visited the DR’s oldest tree (a kapok tree), which is just 12 minutes from their home.  The kids got to climb on the huge roots, estimated to be 1,000 years old. And making your home available for church activities, such as baptisms.  The Tluceks’ (also in the DR) home comes with an outdoor pool.  The church they are attending asked to use their pool for a baptism.  What a blessing to host their church

We’ve shared about VISION | NEXT.  Here’s an update! Right now we see extraordinary new opportunities for Gospel impact.  To accomplish all that God has placed before us, we’ve developed our VISION | NEXT campaign to fully fund… Haiti Staff Support, New Ministry Initiatives, and Office repairs due to the earthquake Zanglais Ministry Center Rebuild that was destroyed in the earthquake Dominican Republic Ministry Launch to establish new C3 Partners with Gospel Impact. Ezra Institute to train young biblically oriented leaders and professionals We know can do far more together than we could ever do apart, therefore we’ve created THE PLEDGE COLLECTIVE. We aren’t looking for just a few people to carry the entire burden. Instead, we are looking for an army of people to join together, pledging to each fill a manageable role for the next three years. We have a goal of raising $1.3 million by the end of this year. We