Blog

Travel is a vital part of our lives.  We walk, we run, we drive our cars.  If the destination is far away, we take a plane or train.  Our Hope for Kidz team travels all over southern Haiti to every single school several times a year to keep our program running and growing.  But what happens when the roads become less than comfortable?  What if there is no road? Our trips out to schools usually require a full truckload of supplies (and people) to get the job done.  But every so often, we just can’t get where we need to go by truck. That’s when the motorcycles come out!  Our wonderfully dedicated team members will find a way to reach their destination.     What do they do when they get to each school?  They meet with the pastor of the church and the school principal to get an idea

It’s happening! Churches and people are now giving… and running, walking, and riding to bring Hope for Hispaniola. Many participants have already completed their walking, running, or riding goals, while others are hitting the pavement throughout October. Churches have also planned events and are taking special collections this month to go toward the effort. While we are definitely behind our goals, we are not giving up! It is not too late to get involved. Please visit www.rmibridge.org/hope-for-hispaniola to: Donate to the effort. Sponsor a team or an individual. Sign Up to participate by walking, running, or riding.

The Beacon Team arrived in September and began work immediately. Friday night, Dr. Milton, the Dominican doctor with whom RMI partners, came to introduce himself and share details about what to expect and how the medical clinics would operate. The next morning, the team got up very early to make their way to the first Haitian medical clinic, which was held at a Haitian church. This was actually one of the churches that the team visited last year. They helped build the church, and it was neat for them to return this year and host a medical clinic in the completed church. On Sunday, the team got up very early again to meet at another Haitian church at 7:00 a.m. for the church service, and then they began the medical clinic afterwards. There were many children at this clinic who loved playing with the team and having the team create

The Church as God’s instrument – we value the church as God’s chosen instrument of life change. I love our second motivation because it embodies what the New Testament is all about: the Body of Christ, also known as the Church. What a joy it is to work hand-in-hand with our brothers and sisters in Christ, or as defined in the NT as “the local church,” to see lives transformed in Christ. God has chosen the Church, especially the local church, to serve as His beacon of light and life in the world, changing it. This is why RMI has chosen to coordinate all we do through the local church, both in the US and overseas. By working hand-in-hand with local churches, we facilitate the work of God, primarily through these churches. They are the ones who understand their local communities, their needs, and the best ways to reach them with

Hope is growing that there will be a direct flight from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to Cayes, Haiti, where our Haiti office is located. This flight would allow us to bypass all the gang-related insecurity, as well as some of the increased logistical challenges associated with coming in through other paths.  Every day, construction activity is happening at the Cayes airport.  Here is a sneak peek of the recently completed IBC Office at the Cayes airport.  IBC may be the first commercial airline to offer this direct route.  What a difference it would make to our ministry in southern Haiti.  Just think… we could re-start teams!!  Keep praying with us!

It’s that time of year again!  Back to school.  Our team is making plans and schedules for our upcoming school year.  Schools will be back in session in October.  Our Pastors’ meeting is scheduled for mid-September.   The Pastors’ meeting is an essential part of our program.  Pastors gather each year to meet with RMI staff for a refresher on how the Hope for Kidz program works, learn new guidelines and expectations, brainstorm about how to make the program better, and to pray.  They pray over the school year, and the RMI staff prays over them.   Additionally, each Pastor leaves with a packet of information detailing the names of the students who have received sponsorships for this year, the number of new student applications required, and a Thank-You letter for each sponsored child to complete.   Pastors are also given the proposed date of our first visit to their school

Why does someone engage deeply in their work, ministry, hobbies, etc.? It is because certain beliefs, desires, or actions tap into these aspects that bring forth satisfaction, meaning, a feeling of self-worth, or simply a desire to do the right thing. In RMI, our various programs and ministries require considerable hard work, time, and sacrifice. But we find great satisfaction in what we do because we are motivated by four eternal principles. The first and most important motivation is: The Gospel that transforms. We consider the Gospel to be the unsurpassed agent of radical life change.  This is where everything we do starts.  Without the knowledge of salvation in Christ, all the programs in the world would be empty.  The Gospel is the only thing that actually results in life-transforming change, not just for this earth, but for eternity.  We strive to make sure that everything we do in RMI, whether

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 steadfastly committed to God-honoring stewardship. 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. These committments directly impact our daily decisions.  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”