Blog

 This summer has already been full of activity for RMI! A New Missionary and a Wedding RMI welcomed a new missionary to the family in May.  Dawn Shoemaker’s fiance, Andrew Tlucek (pronounced Tuh-loo-check), joined RMI.  He and Dawn went through the full 1.5-day orientation.  Going to Haiti as a missionary had been in his life plan before God brought Dawn and him together.  His training has been with that purpose in mind.  He has a masters and is currently working on his doctoral thesis.  Being a Haiti missionary kid, he has a solid knowledge of the country, the culture, as well as the creole language.  His natural leadership abilities and training will be an asset to the Haiti field.  Welcome to the RMI family, Andrew! On June 26, Andrew and Dawn were married in Nampa, Idaho.  His grandparent’s backyard was turned into a beautiful wedding and reception venue.  Andrew’s parents,

GOOD NEWS!  RMI is opening up for teams starting in September of this year.  Here are several significant things that have changed to make this possible.   1.  Covid testing (required to get on a flight going to or leaving Haiti) is now available at the Bonne Fin Hospital in south Haiti.  There is also a “home” testing kit available that satisfies travel requirements.  That test kit is available in the US and can be purchased and carried to Haiti to use when you leave.  2.  There are flights available from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes so we don’t have to drive through the capital.  We are doing this due to the insecurity and political tensions there.  Currently, the south is free and open.   3.  Haiti has opened and has resumed close to normal activity as a country.  4.  RMI staff feel comfortable in hosting teams in-country.  However, for these teams to

 For years we have had water issues at the Zanglais Ministry Center.  Many different solutions have been tried to fill the cisterns.  We have drilled several wells, however, they have not produced water.  None of these have been long-term solutions.  God has provided the means to purchase a 5,000-gallon water truck.  The water will be taken from our own deepwater well in the Cayes area.  With it, we will be able to fill the cisterns with clean water whenever needed.  This will enable us to more effectively use the Ministry Center.  This is a huge answer to prayer! The truck will also be able to provide water for needy communities and other organizations as we are able.  

RMI’s Haiti staff are rarely all in the same place at the same time, except for staff photo day!  Recently that day came and we thought you’d like to see the results. We are very thankful for these men and women who are called by God to serve Him in Haiti.  Many are serving their own people.  Several are there from the US, ex-patriots who have put down roots in Haiti and are serving the Haitian people.  All are servant leaders.  We like to say that we are all equal, but with different roles.  There are guards, housekeepers, cooks, mechanics, vet technicians, data entry, photographers, chauffeurs, administrators, and more.   The office and garage areas often appear a bit chaotic, but it is well organized with each person carrying out their assigned tasks. When a team comes to Haiti, they usually only see a handful of the staff, but behind the

Solar installation at the RMI Haiti office Because you gave, the RMI Haiti office now has reliable electricity 24/7 due to the new solar system that the RMI SunTech team just installed.  They have also installed new systems at Tessa Andrew’s home and Dawn Shoemaker’s home as well as upgrading the Nunemaker’s system that had been supplied by a donor several years ago.  Having reliable electricity is such a blessing, instead of having to rely on the hit and miss of city or mission center power.  Not only does it provide reliable power, but these systems will save a lot of funds that the ministry will be able to use elsewhere.  Being assured that you will have power when you need it for lights, fans, or refrigeration, etc. will take a big burden away from our missionary families and staff.  Thank you for your provision for this project.   Solar upgrade

Edmond was born in the small village of St. Louis du Sud, not far from the Zanglais Ministry Center.  He led a peaceful life for more than 30 years.  Unfortunately, there was a gang operating in his village that preyed on visitors and foreigners who came to visit.  He felt it was wrong and wasn’t happy with the situation. He alerted the police as to what was happening and they arrested two of the gang.  When the gang found out that it was Edmond who had exposed them to the police, they plotted to kill him.  On April 13, 2019, they attacked him but the assassination went wrong.  In the struggle, he was shot in the hand and his attackers fled.  Unfortunately, his hand had to be amputated.  This changed his life dramatically; it made it hard to farm and care for his family. A few months after this happened,

God is at Work This is a year that most people are happy to see come to an end.  For RMI’s ministry in Haiti, Covid-19, political issues, canceled teams, and fuel shortages are just some things that we had to deal with.  But God!  But God kept our team safe and healthy.  They labored on and an amazing amount of ministry took place.  God continues to use RMI even in a year like 2020. Here is a quick look in the rearview mirror at some of what we accomplished in 2020. C3 Partnerships 107 salvations in our C3 Haitian Sister Churches 51 baptisms in our C3 Haitian Sister Churches 1 new C3 partnership 11 Sister Church visits completed comprising of 69 team members 34 active C3 partnerships Hope for Kidz & School Education 2,704 children sponsored 10,664 kids fed a hot lunch daily in school 7 food containers (8,820 boxes

Haiti is the only country in the Caribbean where most people either have no electricity or have no access to it.   The Electric of Haiti (EDH) and other small electric companies do not cover the entire country.  They only have regional power plants.  Some are hydroelectric plants as a result of damming significant rivers and some are generator plants that have large diesel generators to create the electricity.   None of these have the capacity to create enough power to satisfy the needs of each of their regions.  They also do not have the needed funds to buy the large quantities of diesel necessary for the generators.  Adding to this difficulty, the power companies have recently become something of a political pawn in Haiti’s ongoing unrest.   Also, most areas have no power companies or any other means of getting electricity.  Most of these areas are rural and people are forced to

For years our RMI Haiti office, our storage and depot facilities, and missionary homes have struggled with reliable electricity.  All of these are a part of Cite Lumiere, the mission center that is the headquarters for MEBSH, our Haitian Partner Church Association.  There are quite a few offices and other missionary homes on Cite Lumiere besides RMI’s.  They all rely on city power, which is erratic and unstable, and Cite Lumiere’s single aging generator.  Both are very costly.  Sometimes getting fuel for the generator is an issue.   Recently the cost of fuel has skyrocketed, increasing the cost even more.  This affects the operations of the office and homes; it goes beyond having lights, fans, and computers – it affects our internet as well.  Not having internet means that the field can’t communicate with our ministry partners all over the US as well they can’t communicate with the RMI International office.

 I don’t know about you, but I have had a hard time getting into a true Thanksgiving mindset.  2020 has been such a tough year, for individuals, families, businesses, communities, and our nation, not to mention the rest of the world.  The challenges most of us have had to face as a result of Covid-19 have been daunting:  lock-downs, quarantines, stay at home, work from home, kids trying to learn from home, loss of loved ones, loss of job, income, or business, not to mention politics!  It has been a tough, crazy, hard year. And yet the Lord tells us in Phil 4:6  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  I have been anxious…about so many situations…and issues…and…so much Lord!  The deep prayers for so much and so many, the petitions, and requests have been made.  But with thanksgiving? 

 YES! Teams have begun to return.  Three teams came in during the fall.  The Bayou (Lafayette, LA) met with the ladies of the church and distributed 100 hygiene kits. They did a number of home visits where they were able to share the word of God, pray with them, and leave them with a box of food. They also helped to serve the hot lunch to the kids in the school.  Creekside (Gainesville, FL) went to their Sister Church, Baradere, and were able to visit all the satellite churches. The Sister Church Coordinator and the church have invested in all those churches and he came to see how the projects were doing. They came with a team member who is from another US church that is a potential partner for the Tet Source church. It was a very productive visit. Lifehouse (Delaware) was able to do the usual services and

 As we enter the Giving Season, we invite you to provide a better way of life for a Haitian family.  With the global COVID-19 pandemic, Tropical Storm Laura flooding, and civil unrest, Haiti has seen its fair share of heartache this year.  As a result, many families are experiencing real hardship that is only going to get worse.  Food scarcity is a real problem, many lost their gardens due to flooding/wind, and all are struggling with the loss of income.  Thus RMI is offering 3 impactful essentials that are immediately available. Food Boxes-Rice and Cooking Oil – Each case of food contains 216 chicken flavored rice-based meals fortified with vitamins, protein, and minerals.  Household staples, like rice and cooking oil, have risen to prices most families cannot afford. Bag of Seeds – Crops were widely wiped out in flooding from Tropical Storm Laura, making a gift of seeds very timely

 As a tropical storm, before hitting Louisiana in late August as a strong hurricane, Laura passed by Hispaniola, inundating it with massive amounts of rain and some wind.   RMI staff contacted all of the C3 partner churches and here is the report. All the pastors reported major flooding and the loss of most of their crops, such as bananas, plantains, corn, peanuts, and beans.  Churches along the northern coast of the peninsula reported that fishermen lost fishing equipment such as nets and canoes.   Along the coast on the end of the peninsula, a major bridge at Roche a Bateau was completely washed out.  Only motorcycles can cross to the other side right now.  This makes access to Tiburon, Port-a-Piment, Aux Coteaux, Les Anglais, and Chardonette cut off until the water goes down and some other kind of crossing can be made.  None of the pastors talked of animal loss, but