The Latest at RMI

Cite Lumiere Missionary Child Killed in Accident

2009-10-19T10:30:00.001-07:00

Urgent prayers are needed for the Reinhard (Apostolic missionary family (NOT RMI missionaries) living at Cite Lumiere in Cayes (where we lived for 25 years). The dad, Tim, 16 year old Sarah and 5 year old Gabriel were in a serious motorcycle accident on the way to church yesterday morning. Another motorcycle pulled out in front of them, causing them to collide and wreck. Details are sketchy but it seems that Tim has a concussion and was fairly battered up (the US hospital report was no broken bones, but lots of soft tissue damage). Sarah has a badly hurt knee. Gabriel suffered severe head trauma and a punctured lung. They were taken to the mission hospital a short distance away where doctors worked on Gabriel for a couple of hours. His injuries were too extensive and they were not able to save him. He died yesterday morning.

The US embassy expedited the paperwork during the afternoon to take Gabriel back to the US with the family immediately and a local funeral home in Cayes was able to properly prepare him for transportation. One of the missionary men made a simple wood coffin for Gabriel. In the afternoon, a charter plane came and got the family in Cayes and took them to Port-au-Prince where they were evacuated by Missionary Flights International. MFI took them to West Palm Beach where Tim and Sarah were taken to the hospital. A sister of either Tim or Joan (not sure) met them there as well a friend to help them get to the hospital.

This is quite a blow to the missionary body as you can imagine. Pray for Tim & Joan and the 4 girls, Sarah, Bethany, Hannah & Faith. RMI missionary, Gary McLaughlin, as well as the entire missionary body gathered around them and were right there with them at the mission hospital, helping them make decisions and arrangements, then helping them get on the plane in Cayes. It was reported that a large crowd of Haitians from the local community gathered outside the hospital to show their love and concern for the family as well.

As of this morning, Tim has been released from the hospital and they are hoping Sarah will be released soon (They both may need operations on their knees at a later date.) so they can return to their home area of Peoria, IL today.

Blog Change...

2008-09-02T11:39:00.001-07:00

We are changing the way we blog here at RMI. You may need to update your bookmarks and feeds to receive future posts.

For now on, this blog will not be used.

All posts will be posted at http://rminethaiti.bogspot.com

Rob

Hindered by Hanna!

2008-09-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

My phone rang at 3:30 AM this morning. As I groggily answered it, Rob's voice was on the other end stating that our flight had been cancelled due to Hanna hovering just north of Haiti. Rob and I were to be on a 8:50 AM plane to Haiti to be able to have some time with our missionaries and staff. We are in the process of working on some strategic planning and re-structuring for the field. So we are disappointed by this temporary setback time wise. We hope things will calm down weather wise enough that we can go back in a couple of weeks.

However, I do want to remind you to pray for our brothers and sister in Haiti. Even though there wasn't tremendous damage to homes, etc. there has been lots of damage to crops and livestock. Hurricances Fay, Gustave, and now Hanna have dumped a lot of rain over the southern pennisula these past 3 weeks causing much flooding. Due to the increased price of goods in Haiti, the crops they are raising take on new meaning for them for needed income. The loss at this time of crops that they were hoping to be able to harvest in October and November can be overwhelming for a family. It is this income they hope to pay for schooling for their kids, provide food, clothing, and other necessities for their family for the next several months. If they lose this, they are left with little hope of much provision for the next 4 or 5 months.

As Billy and Gary reported below, there is much damage to the roads. This will cause prices to rise even farther as it will be harder for trucks to get to and fro. It will also make it harder for us to get our teams to some of their sister churches! So pray for a quick response as Billy said from the government in getting the roads back into passable shape.

We are counting on your prayers!

Dan Shoemaker

Hope For Kidz - It's that time again!

2008-08-28T08:38:00.001-07:00

September is upon us with kids groaning and parents giving a sigh of relief. School is gearing up for the Fall. Yes, even though they speak a different language and have their own unique culture, Haitian parents are the same as parents the world over. It is good to get the kids in school again and out from under our feet!

However, for many of those parents, that struggle that so many parents face has been relieved by our Hope For Kidz sponsors. Do you know what it is like when a huge financial burden is lifted from your shoulders by others? What a blessing! What a relief! What joy! Well, this is the type of reaction we get from the parents in Haiti as they learn that their child has been sponsored by a caring and loving brother or sister in Christ, here in the States.

The Hope For Kidz Coordinators in your church are working hard to see all the kids they have in hand get sponsored. What a way to impact kids, families, schools, churches, and indeed whole communities. As these kids get a Godly education, the long-term impact on their community can only be seen from a Heavenly perspective. Talk about a great return for a small investment in lives! Would you consider how you can help your Hope For Kidz coordinator spread this good news around? By sponsoring a child, and encouraging others to do so, you can not only impact a life, but a whole village.

Dan Shoemaker

Gustav Update...

2008-08-26T18:52:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest from Billy Moses in Haiti...

"We have boarded up, tied things down, stocked our houses and are ready....but nothing is happening. It seems that maybe we have been spared at least here in our area. We are seeing reports of flooding but only from the Dominican Republic. We haven't heard anything about Haiti at all. The Weather Channel shows the storm to be right on top of us, but it is cloudy and calm outside, actually very nice weather. Stormpulse.com shows the eye to be 38 miles to the east of us moving NW at 7mph. So, who knows if we are going to get anything at all. We have had a few showers this afternoon, but only short ones and just enough rain to get things wet. There has been very little wind, not enough to really even mention it. So, we wait and pray that there has been little flooding and that we will be spared. We will blog as more develops but there just isn't much to tell you at this point.

Waiting for Gustav to pass!"

Hurricane Gustav Bearing Down on Haiti.

2008-08-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

RMI Sister Church Partnership Coordinators, Pastors, Friends,

As you may have already heard, or have seen in the news, a major hurricane is bearing down on Haiti as I write. The Hurricane is projected to cross the southern peninsula of Haiti where our missionaries and our Sister Churches are. Please be in prayer for our RMI missionaries, our Sister Churches, as well as the Haitian people. As information becomes available, we will post updates on our Haiti blog at http://rminethaiti.blogspot.com/. Updates will either be posted by our office here in FL or directly from the Haiti field.

You can track the Hurricane at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml#GUSTAV

Building His Church,

Rob Thompson

VP of Operations

Reciprocal Ministries International

Tropical Storm Gustav coming to Haiti...

2008-08-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

I just received this email from RMI Haiti Missionary Billy Moses...

"This is just a quick note to let y’all know that Tropical Depression #7 is now Tropical Storm Gustav. It has 60mph winds and is approximately

287 miles from us at 1pm. It is scheduled to be a hurricane around 7pm tonight. It shows to be off the coast of Les Cayes about 121 miles tomorrow morning at 7am with 75 mph winds. The track shows it passing over Haiti between Cayes & Port au Prince sometime in the late morning."

Rob

Tropical Storm Fay was kind to RMI!

2008-08-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

Tropical Storm Fay made landfall much earlier and further south than had been predicted, putting Ft. Myers and Lehigh Acres where the RMI office, Dan Shoemaker's home and Rob Thompson's home is located on the "tame" left side of the storm. The same was true for Herb and Shirley Shoemaker's home in Naples. There was flooding (over 5" of rain!) and some fierce winds, but no damage to the office nor any of our homes. The wind did set off the office alarm. The police responded within about 5 minutes and found nothing amiss.

Hurricane Andrew, 14 years ago (August 24, 2002) is still fresh in our minds, so we are all very thankful for God's mercy and protection during TS Fay!

Here is a picture of Dan & Debbie's neighbor's yard just to give you an idea of the rainfall.

The Leadership Summit

2008-08-14T11:55:00.001-07:00

August 7 and 8 I had the opportunity to attend the Willow Creek Association "The Leadership Summit" they produce every year. It is beamed via satellite into more than 100 locations in the US. What a great opportunity to be immersed in awesome teaching. As speaker after speaker shared from their hearts about leaders and spiritual as well as practical principles of leadership, I was challenged and re-vitalized.

It was a great time of input into my life personally and as a leader. I have some good input that will help me as an RMI leader. I was also able to make some good contacts for possible future sister churches.

But mostly I appreciated the emphasis from all the speakers on the need as leaders for spiritual holiness, freshness, and devotion to Christ. No matter the ministry, organization, or company, the first order of business is your own personal pursuit of holiness. Funny how that sounds so biblical! However, in the pursuit of providing good leadership it is so easy to forget the foundation.

I needed to hear those words. I was challenged in my own faith to verify my continual pursuit of Christ. How close am I to my Lord? How sold out am I for Him? Can I say as one speaker said, "Bring it on God! Whatever you want, I am yours".

How about you? Are you pursuing God? What is your first order of business? Can you say to God, "Bring it on God! "?

Dan Shoemaker

Update: the cast if off, the boot is on!

2008-08-13T14:08:00.001-07:00

Jenn's x-rays were reviewed by Dr. Bill (the US doctor who is the director of the clinic) and he was able to determine that there were no broken bones as was thought. She does has a torn ligament. The cast was taken off today and she is now in a boot. She'll have to wear it for a while until her foot is healed.

She shares that she is so happy to be able to bath normally now, not to mention drive more easily!

Jenn has broken her foot

2008-08-06T11:40:00.001-07:00

Haiti missionary Jenn Rogan fell on her motorcycle yesterday afternoon. She injured her right foot just a bit. She knew her foot hurt, but it wasn’t until later that it started swelling. They put ice on it throughout the evening. This morning she went to the clinic for x-rays and it showed a small fracture in a small bone just below her ankle, in her foot. She is in a cast and finding it very frustrating to be on crutches. She’s unable to drive anything (motorcycle or car). Dr. Bill, the director of the clinic (who comes in once a month for a week), is coming tomorrow, so she is going to ask him to look at the x-ray and see if he’ll approve of her being in a boot instead of a full cast.

Pray for her patience during this time. She has a lot on her plate, plus the summer heat is stifling as usual – not the time to have to have a heavy cast.

A New Arrival!

2008-07-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Braden Montgomery Thompson was born Monday, July 21, at 8:15 a.m. He was 9 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 inches long. The proud parents, Rob and Becky Thompson, are doing well.

Braden's brother and sister, Drew and Tessa, were happy to meet him!

Welcome Home! The Moses Family is Back in Haiti

2008-07-22T11:21:00.001-07:00

As of Friday, July 18, 2008 the Haiti gang's back together! Yes, the Moses have returned to Haiti. I know Gary and Marilyn McLaughlin and Jenn Rogan as well as the entire Haitian staff are glad to have them back. They had a warm reception as several RMI staff met them at the airport. They had a steady stream of people the whole weekend of people, nationals, staff and missionaries welcoming them back. There were hugs, kisses and tears of joy at their return. They are busy unpacking, cleaning house, settling in, and getting caught up.

This coming Friday, July 25, Billy and Debbie are going out with Gary, Jenn and the rest of the staff to Les Irois to work with a team from Harper Evangelical Free Church from Port Orchard, Washington. Gary will be leading the team with Billy, Debbie, and Jenn there to assist with the ministry of the team. They are doing a marriage seminar for the church. I know it will be a great time of ministry together.

The Moses will be taking a couple of weeks afterward to finish getting their feet under them and then will begin to get back into the saddle so to speak. We are excited about having everyone back together again.

Look for a more detailed update on their personal blog: http://www.mosesinhaiti.blogspot.com/.

Dan Shoemaker

Mixed Emotions

2008-07-22T11:13:00.001-07:00

This past Thursday Deb and I went over to Ft. Lauderdale to spend the evening with Billy and Debbie Moses and their family (RMI missionaries in Haiti) and then put them on the plane on Friday A.M. as they headed back to Haiti. What a change for us. For 25 years it was our family that was heading back to Haiti. Now we are the ones waving goodbye as the last one passes through security.

As we drove away from the airport afterwards, Deb and I talked about the mixed emotions this caused within us. On one hand, we remembered all the good times we had in Haiti, all the friends we (still) have there, and the ministry we were always going back to. On the other hand, we certainly did not miss the hectic last days of shopping, packing suitcases down to the last ounce, trying to get all the last minute details done, always wishing you had another day (or 2 or 3) and getting very little sleep if any before heading off to the airport early in the morning knowing you had a looong day ahead. Being able to fly from to Port to Cayes eases some of the burden, but for the most part we would have to get to Port and then drive 6 hours over rough roads to get home. Whew!

However, we agreed that we are glad those days are behind us. We have a new home and know that we are in God's will where we are. But we sure empathize with the Moses' as they headed back and are now getting settled into life in Haiti. (They did have a very good trip back, with everything going as smoothly as it can with American Airlines and in Haiti!)

It was good to see them and send them off with a hug.

Dan

Moses Family Returns to Haiti!

2008-07-10T12:42:00.001-07:00

Check it out! July 18 Billy, Debbie, Savana and McKenna Moses will return to their home in Haiti. We'll get a more detailed report on what they have been doing and where they have gone in the past 8 months in a later blog. The short version is that they traveled quite a bit, including Texas, Seattle, New Jersey, Georgia and South Carolina and points in between. They also went through some intensive seminars and Bible college (Columbia International University) courses.

Pray for them as they go through the final stages of packing and getting ready. They are very excited to be getting back to their own beds after living out of suitcases for such a long time. Check out their blog at www.mosesinhaiti.blogspot.com.

Hawthorne Summit

2008-07-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hidden away in a small central Florida town named Hawthorne, RMI missionaries Billy & Debbie Moses, Gary & Marilyn McLaughlin and Jenn Rogan met RMI staff Herb & Shirley Shoemaker, Dan, Debbie and Dawn Shoemaker and Rob Thompson on Saturday, June 21 to Tuesday, June 24. One of RMI's Board members, Billy Byrd, owns a small camp that he has renovated and made available to us for this 4 day meeting. Dawn and Debbie cooked for the crowd for 4 days as they met together. It was a great time of catching up with one another and then doing extensive, strategic planning for the future for the Haiti field.

It was a great place to relax, fellowship, get away from the every day routine and spend time together. God did bless our time and we are excited about what He has for us all in the future.

When Dawn wasn't in the cookhouse, she was on the dock. Herb and Shirley pitched in during some free time, with Shirley catching the most! The last evening we had enough catfish for everyone to have a bite! She was a real trooper and fed us well.

It was a wonderful place to have an RMI Summit!!

Gary sent these pictures. A special thanks to Billy Byrd for the great place to have these meetings!

RMI June Board Meetings

2008-07-10T08:10:00.001-07:00

June 12 and 13 the RMI Board met here in Ft. Myers, FL. We had folks coming from NC, IL, and FL, coming for this session.

These meetings are very important in the life of RMI as the Board provides direction, vision, and over-sight for the Mission's activities, staff, and future. They review and approve our policies, our operations budget, new programs and projects, and generally keep an eye on things.

Another area of oversight is working with the staff on our vision and future aspirations. They help us set goals and priorities as we work toward the future. We have a good Board that has become quite active in the ministry. They have been great encouragements to Rob and I as we are moving RMI forward. They also provide good mentoring and sounding boards for us as we discuss new plans and projects with them.

As usual, many items were discussed, reviewed, and voted into play. Continue to pray for our Board members as they lead RMI that the Lord will be filling them with His Spirit for wisdom, understanding, and unity together.

Thank the Lord with us for a great time of fellowship and the good decisions that were made.

Preaching in Creole!

2008-07-10T08:04:00.001-07:00

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of preaching at the First Haitian Baptist Church of Fort Myers, FL. It is the 3rd time I have preached there. It is a lot of fun. You feel like you are right there somewhere out in the country at a good Haitian church...only with AC! YES!

It is great to be able to share with the Haitian people here in the area. They are always surprised at my Creole and knowledge of the language, idioms, and sayings. But it is also good to be able to encourage and challenge them in their faith. Being so far from home they truly do cling to their faith. They need to be reminded that God cares for them, but also that God desires them to grow in their knowledge and understanding of Him as well.

Dawn says that "Dad preaches much better in Creole. He gets much more animated!" I guess that is a good compliment! They do preach with animation in Haiti. Lots of fun.

A Ray of Sunshine

2008-05-21T08:01:00.001-07:00

In the midst of difficult times comes a ray of sunshine for our staff in Haiti. The long awaited truck arrived on the mission center Tuesday, May 20!

It is a 2003 Ford F 250, 4WD. It was bought in Dallas, TX through funds raised for it. To get to Haiti from Dallas, it came across country to Orlando, Orlando to Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers to Miami, Miami to Port-au-Prince (via ship - and this leg took 2 months!), then Port to Cayes. It will carry 6 people and quite a bit of cargo. What a great help to the team there to have a reliable vehicle! The teams will enjoy better transportation accommodations and safety on the Haitian roads.

Thanks to all of you who gave toward this and prayed faithfully for it!

Food riots in Haiti - Here are some of the causes.

2008-05-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

'Crime' and Ethanol
Unintended Consequences

May 7, 2008

Biofuels are one of the major reasons you and I are paying more for groceries these days. For most of us, it is just an inconvenience. For many around the world, however, it is a catastrophe. Last week, United Nations Special Investigator Jean Ziegler called the use of biofuels, such as ethanol, a "crime against a great part of humanity."

In the past, global food crises were sparked by natural disasters and bad harvests. What makes this food crisis a crime against humanity is: We caused it. And like many man-made problems, this one can be traced to our false worldview.

Here in the United States, egg prices are up 35 percent; milk up 23 percent; and bread up 16. For most Americans, who on average spend 10 percent of their income on food, these increases squeeze our budgets.

But for the "great part of humanity" Ziegler talks about, it is a lot worse. In countries like Ethiopia and Bangladesh, people can spend 70 percent of their income on food; so even modest increases in food prices can impair their ability to feed their families. And price increases for the staples they depend on have not been modest: Wheat prices have doubled and corn prices quadrupled in the last year.

Rising food prices are causing social instability. According to the World Food Program, "33 countries in Asia and Africa face political instability as the urban poor struggle to feed their families"—which is why the president and Congress are talking now about increasing aid to these countries.

While the rise in food-staple prices has many causes, as Ziegler noted, one of them is definitely man-made: the use of cropland and food-staples to produce bio-fuels such as ethanol. He called "transforming hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tons" of foodstuffs into fuel "absolutely catastrophic for the hungry people."

Look at it this way: It takes 510 pounds of corn to make 13 gallons of ethanol—that amount could "feed a child in Zambia or Mexico for a year," while it fuels your car only for a week!

Ziegler is not alone; the IMF (International Monetary Fund) has raised grave concerns, and Secretary of State Rice recently spoke of the "unintended consequence from the alternative fuels' effort."

What is maddening about this is that the biofuel effort is fueled by politicians handing out massive subsidies to the farm belt and pandering to glassy-eyed environmentalists. Every presidential hopeful who participated in the Iowa caucuses had to sing the praises of ethanol. That is why John McCain stayed away, because he opposes the subsidies.

Now, I am all for farmers making money on their crops. They deserve it. But no politician with a shred of integrity can deny that it is more important to feed a child in Zambia for a year than to feed your car for a week. And—as if I need to remind you—this is an election year, so ask your candidates where they stand on this tragic political folly. And call your members of Congress to tell them how you feel.

A properly informed worldview is the key here. Two non-Christian worldviews have merged to bring about this crisis: one that sees maintaining political power as an end in itself, and one that sees the environment as our chief concern, even at the expense of humans.

We Christians insist on the proper use of government: that is, to restrain evil and promote justice. And we believe in proper environmental stewardship. But we insist that people, especially the poor, must come first.

Chuck Colson.

Food riots in Haiti - Here are some of the causes.

2008-05-13T06:47:00.001-07:00

'Crime' and Ethanol
Unintended Consequences

May 7, 2008

Look at it this way: It takes 510 pounds of corn to make 13 gallons of ethanol—that amount could "feed a child in Zambia or Mexico for a year," while it fuels your car only for a week!

Ziegler is not alone; the IMF (International Monetary Fund) has raised grave concerns, and Secretary of State Rice recently spoke of the "unintended consequence from the alternative fuels' effort."

Chuck Colson.

theSlice from Rob and Becky is available.

2008-04-25T12:26:00.001-07:00

We just emailed the latest version of theSlice to our support team. If you did not receive that email, check it out here.

If you did not receive the email, but would like to, let us know!

Rob

Pray for Haiti

2008-04-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

Haiti has been going through quite a bit of unrest this past week. The people are protesting the high cost of living there. Prices have doubled and tripled in the last several months. This is causing quite a hardship for so many in that poor country! There have been many protests across the country that have shut the country down for the past several days.

The RMI staff are fine. Cayes has had quite a bit of unrest during these days as well. However, there is much hope that things will be back to normal in the next several days.

Pray for peace and for the government to act to help stabilize the situation, not only from the unrest, but to help ease the pain of the people. Pray for continued safety for our staff. Thanks.

Dan

Upside Down Plans

2008-04-03T12:43:00.001-07:00

The Haitians have a proverb that says, “Man proposes, but God disposes”. Man makes his plans but God works His Will regardless of man’s plans. We see this in the Bible through so many examples: Abraham was doing quite well where he was, then God told him to go to a land that he didn't even know of yet; Joseph wasn’t planning on being sold as a slave, or thrown into prison, but God had other plans for him; David was content to be a shepherd, but God had other plans; Mary was looking forward to being the wife of a simple carpenter living a normal life, but God had other plans; Paul was happy persecuting Christians, yet God had other plans for him. God often takes our plans, and turns them upside down for His purposes and good pleasure. Sometimes it takes years to finally see the results or reasons, but we know and rest in the fact that He is working out His plans for His good.

This is what it seems that God is doing in Guatemala. RMI has had great plans for the Guatemala field. We had anticipated good things happening there. But for reasons that truly only God knows, at this time, RMI has had to shut down our Guatemala operations. We lost several sister churches that desired to be more involved with occasional projects rather than in-depth relationships. The Coreano’s have resigned as they felt lead back to the U.S. for inner city ministry. Other possibilities that we have had in the past were no longer available to continue the ministry. After exhausting all of our options, RMI came to the conclusion that we would have to withdraw from the Guatemala field at this time.

I can say that this has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make. RMI has invested so much there. Our hearts have been melded with the Mayan believers. They have so many needs, and struggles that the Sister Church Partnerships were beginning to address. The Coreanos have invested so much of their time and effort. The ministry was starting to flourish. Much had been provided through a lot of effort and struggle. And yet, God…….disposed. Why, we don’t know at this time, but God does. And God is sovereign, He is Good all the time! His purposes are being accomplished. His ways are not our ways. RMI has had to accept this and continue to trust God to lead us and move us into the paths He would have us trod.

RMI’s vision is to continue to see our Haiti field flourish and develop. There is so much RMI can do to continue to encourage the churches and Christians there. However, we are also continuing to explore new options for growth into other countries as the doors open. Pray for the RMI Administration and the Board as we continue to seek God’s direction for the future! Man proposes but God disposes!

Dan Shoemaker, President

The Windy City!

2008-03-27T12:21:00.001-07:00

I am finally back in balmy Florida! Sunshine, 80 degrees, low humidity.....Ahhhh! I think I am still thawing out though! Being down here, you do forget how cold it can get "up there"! But even if the weather was cold, the fellowship was very warm! My time with the folks at Arlington Heights E. Free Church and Village Church of Bartlett couldn't have gone any better. Both missions conferences were a blessing to me. The many different speakers were interesting and challenging. I was able to make some good contacts for RMI for the future. There were several good contacts for potential new sister churches. There were also a couple of invites to conferences where there will be opportunities to share the Sister Church Program with many new churches.

I also presented (for the first time) our new RMI Impact Partners program encouraging those who have been impacted by RMI and their Sister Church to become more involved with RMI financially through pledged giving. So far there has been good response. Pray for many more to get involved with us through this initiative.

Thanks Dave and Kirk for all you did to make my time with your churches a great blessing! Love you guys!

Dan is in Chicago

2008-03-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

My flight is late, more than 2 hours late! As I sit here in the Ft. Myers airport, I look at it more as "2 less hours of 25 degree weather!" Man, my Florida blood is going to freeze in that kind of weather! Somehow I don't think my Columbia shorts and sport shirt are NOT going to be the thing to wear.

On the other hand, I am looking forward to being with all of my friends and partners in ministry at Arlington Heights E. Free Church and Village Church of Bartlett of the Chicago area. They are having their missions conferences one week after another so I will be in that area from March 7th to the 18th. Having just been to Haiti with the Arlington Team, we will have much to reminisce about.

At both churches, Arlington - March 7 to 12, and Village Church of Bartlett - March 12 to 18, I will be meeting with all of the Haiti team alumni. Those are always very encouraging times as we share how the Sister Church experiences, those "God Moments" have shaped our lives. I will also be sharing about how God is moving in RMI these days. We are excited about what lies ahead! Please join us if possible. Check with Dave Wardle (AHEFC) or Kirk V. (VCOB) for the dates, place, and time.

I will also be sharing a new program called, RMI Impact Partners. I am looking for those who have been impacted by RMI's ministry into their lives and experienced "God moments" while they were on their trip. As a result they want to be a part of enabling RMI to continue to impact lives in significant ways. (Would you consider becoming one of these partners with us?)

Pray for the opportunity to encourage one another and for continuing to see the Sister Church Partnerships advanced. Pray also for God's moving in folks' hearts for a desire to become "Impact Partners" with us, so together we can impact the world for Christ. This is our heart's desire!

Dan

A successful visit to their Sister Church: A Slideshow

2008-03-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Second Cape May Baptist Church had a great time at their Sister Church in Port-a-Piment, Haiti. Here is a montage of photos taken by members of the team and RMI missionary Gary McLaughlin. Sit back and enjoy!

Second Cape May Baptist Returns Home from Haiti today...

2008-02-22T05:33:00.000-08:00

Today, Second Cape May Baptist from Cape May, NJ travels from Les Cayes, Haiti to Port au Prince, Haiti to Philadelphia, PA. Would you pray for them as they travel? I have heard it went very well. Pictures coming soon!

Rob

Haiti Creole Resource...

2008-02-19T10:02:00.001-08:00

The following resource was suggested by Pastor Guy Glass from Calvary Baptist Church in Pemberton, NJ.

The following web site has some free downloadable tools, and some very affordable more robust options for learning Haitian Creole. Check it out. If you do, please let us know what you think!

Rob

Learn Haitian Creole

A glimpse into the Shoe's Soul

2008-02-15T08:21:00.001-08:00

Many folks have asked us to include information on how our family is doing. You can now get a little insight into the Shoe's Soul by going to www.theshoessoul.blogspot.com. You can catch up on what is happening in our personal lives since we've moved to the states (and there's a lot!). You may be amazed, you will laugh and hopefully be spurred to pray for us on our life journey as we continue to serve the Lord through RMI. To whet your appetite, here are a few pictures:

Dan and I, the re-invented U.S. version!

Devon, 20, and Duke the Walmart shopping dog!

Dawn, 17, and a State Volleyball Championship!

A recent visit to Abricot

2008-02-15T07:55:00.001-08:00

Our trip to Abricot on January 10: We took pictures for Hope for Kids and looked at possible projects for New Church to consider for future visits. Last year the students had to walk about 5 miles to have their pictures take but this year we have a new road into Abricot. It's a beautiful part of Haiti and one is able to see the beauty even better on this road. But the true beauty is in Haiti's people. They are always happy to see us as we are them. Here is a slideshow for you! Gary McLaughlin

Rob and Becky's November Slice Available...

2007-11-13T12:55:00.001-08:00

See it here.

More Southern Haiti Flooding Info

2007-11-02T09:15:00.001-07:00

Dan is in Haiti and sent the following report: "The palm trees are swaying in the tropical breeze but it's RAINING BUCKETS! Again! Southern Haiti has had almost steady rain for more than a month and a half. Tropical Storm Noel contributed quite a bit of rain and there is more disturbed weather in the Caribbean coming this way. All this rain has created incredible hardships on a people that are already struggling for their day to day existence. Most crops have been lost - especially tough since the Les Cayes plain area is the "breadbasket" of Haiti. Animals have been swept away. Commerce in the outlaying areas has ground to a halt because supplies cannot be brought from the capital to Cayes and then trucks cannot get out to the areas they service. Everything people own is soaking wet, water is inside their flimsy homes (some homes have actually been swept away or are covered in water), sickness is increasing and there is much hunger. Pray for the people!"

Dan went in Wed. Oct. 31 to help prepare for a team from Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church (Chicago area) who were to go in today. Their Sister Church, Astruc, is very remote. It is in the mountains in the middle of the southern peninsula. The Sister Church pastor sent word that the river they must cross to get there is completely impassable. It's way over people's heads. Also, the road leading to the river has been washed away in 3 places. The trip to this church is usually pretty tough in dry conditions. Rain turns the road to a muddy clay mixture that is truly difficult to get through.

After consulting with Dan, the US team decided to cancel the trip. It was clear that they wouldn't be able to get to the church. We are all very disappointed needless to say, but it is a wise decision. They have rescheduled their trip for January. Things should be dried out by then!

Rob was to go in with the team too. Of course, he is not going now, but may still go to Haiti next week to work on the bookkeeping system. We'll keep you up to date on that once his plans are clear.

At this point, we have no word from any of the other sister churches. They will work at that once things dry out and navigation is possible.

Here are some photos that Jenn Rogan (RMI missionary) took 2 weeks ago as they traveled back from a Sister Church.

This is a road! They had to manually build a new section to get around the boulders!

Well, it WAS a road!

RMI staff checking to see if that part of the road was passable.

Jenn, Dan and some RMI staff took these pictures yesterday:

The river in Les Cayes, near the mission center, called La Ravine.

Notice the wet high water mark on the house!

A couple of missionary friends (not RMI) also sent information and photos. Where one of them live, at the top of the mountains in the middle of Haiti's southern peninsula, they personally recorded over 19 inches of rain and 70 mph winds. Here are the pictures they sent:

Again, pray for the people of Haiti!

Debbie

To go, or not to go, Pray for Haiti...

2007-11-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

The flooding persists. TS Noel has come and gone, but the rain has not. I may or may not be going to Haiti today as planned. A decision will be made in the next couple of hours. So sad if I and the team from Chicago can't go! Up to this point, the road to the village I would be visiting is impassable due to a raging river that we need to cross (there is no bridge. so the water levels must decrease, and the mud must dry out enough so that our 4 wheel drive vehicles can navigate across).

Here is a picture from 2 days ago with the kind of destruction that is so common due to the rains. This is not the road I was to take, but it gives you an idea as to what the rains have done. This is a very, and I mean very typical sight.

Rob

Moving forward...

2007-10-16T07:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at RMI, we had the opportunity to meet with Dale Janzen. He is not only a design and marketing expert, but he is an "alumnus" of multiple trips to Haiti to visit his sister church through RMI. When it comes to RMI, he just gets it.

We recently had the RMI logo redone by Rich Cerrina. He did a great job. Thanks Rich. Now, it is time to take the next step.

Dale is co-founder of the degaje group, a design/marketing group based in the North West suburbs of Chicago (Bartlett).

He flew down for a few days to chat and collaborate. We talked at great length about the development of a whole scheme to communicate/promote RMI. We talked about brochures, displays (see below), video, web, etc. Pretty much everything you can think of when it comes to communicating RMI. He is obviously very talented, experienced and aware of the issues. Very cool. Very exciting indeed.

Display? You know, one of those things that orgs use to put on a table to sort of draw you in? There are all kinds of designs. We need a redo! Our's doesn't exactly "draw you in". Not that long ago, I went to a missions conference at a college and got out my "display". I sort of already knew it didn't really cut it, but it is all we had. I didn't realize what I was up against! A few tables down from me was a "display", that included a 50" flat widescreen TV, running this very cool/edgy/hip video that certainly drew people in and drew people away from all the other sub-par displays. Now I am not saying we need to be wacky crazy edgy, but I am saying we can do better. We may not have a plasma, but we sure can provide a reputable presentation.

I can't wait.

Rob

A Reciprocal Pat on the Back...

2007-10-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

John Peterson, a member of Second Cape May Baptist, in Cape May NJ, writes...

"Just wanted to say hello and let you know that our work group from 2^nd Cape had a productive and enjoyable trip last week in Cayes, Haiti. We got a lot done at the guest house and when we left the inverter and generator were once again fully operational and there were several new ceiling fans, outlets, toilet paper holders door knobs, screens etc.. It was truly a joy and a privilege to be able to serve in some small way in the ministry there."

He continued...

"I have been reading the web site and blogs and think that they are an excellent tool for information sharing. Tell whoever is responsible to keep up the good work."

Thanks John, and a "Great Job" back at you and the rest of your team for the work you did at the Guest House in Haiti!

Rob

Baradere visit, wow...

2007-10-11T12:58:00.001-07:00

This is an email we received from Gary McLaughlin in Haiti...

Good Morning,

Just a quick note to let you know that we were out of Baradères and now at the retreat center. It was a bit of a struggle but we made it with the help of God. It started raining sometime in the night and was raining hard from at least 3 am on. We left at 8:20 am with water about 1 to 2 feet on the road coming out of Baradères. It was still raining hard too. I wanted to get going before it was too high. We had to cross 2 high rivers that were running fast and hard but not too wide. We had to move large rocks from the road and build a wall on the downhill side of the road so we could get around bigger rocks that were too big to move. Wow Baby!! That was interesting. We prayed that God would help us to get past this spot before we started building. It took about 3 hours to get that situation taken care of but we all worked together to make it happen. There was singing, dancing and praises to God after we got all the vehicles through. I was told by the RMI staff that it was the first time we ever had to do what we did that morning. After the slide area and the road work we had a large truck on it's side but there was enough room on the side to get by with no problem. Praise God! We stopped by Bon Fin to drop off some things there and to pick up Jenn's new puppy. We heard that we had the road washed away at the bottom of the mountain where the dry (normally) river is with the market. We were told it was not a good situation and if we couldn't pass it we could come back and spend the night there. We decided to go take a look and if we could fix it we would. When we got there a ramp of dirt and road had already been made and so we crossed with no big problem. Just the normal yelling on the behalf of the Haitians that built the ramp. I think they wanted money to cross on their ramp. I let Jules handle that and got back in my truck and we all drove across. So, I just want to give you some information at this time to let you know we are in good shape here. It was a good trip. I think everything went pretty good. The weather here at the retreat center now is much better. The sun is out this morning and the day is looking good. Pray that the rains stop for a little while. Its been raining so hard.

Love You All,

In Christ,

Gary

Flooding hits Southern Haiti

2007-10-09T12:58:00.001-07:00

It has been a week of storms and flooding in Southern Haiti. Monday, Oct. 1, they experienced the most severe flooding with roads, homes and parts of downtown Cayes (Haiti's 3rd largest city) completely under water, however, the rains and thunder / lightening storms have continued all week. As of today, Oct. 9, it has been raining for 9 straight days. The mission center (located in the village of Simon, a suburb of Cayes) where RMI's missionaries live is located on 2 hilltops, so their homes were not flooded. However, here are pictures of the village immediately surrounding the mission center. That's 2 1/2 ft. of water in the local Christian high school yard!

This is downtown Cayes, Haiti.

Thank you to Harvest missionary kid Christie Wray for sharing these photos with us!

At this point, due to the flooding, we have heard reports of crop and livestock loss, as well as home, business and road damage. We have not heard from any "outback" sister churches as to how this has affected them. When we hear news, we will post it.

Debbie Shoemaker

A picture is worth...

2007-09-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

"Words once dominated Western culture, but now images are changing everything from our theology and preaching to the way our brains process information." Shane Hipps, Leadership Summer 2007

"Visualcy?" (credit Andy Crouch) There are all kinds of pitfalls here I am sure, but I am quite intrigued. So, here is my sermon for the day...

Rob

Coreano Newsletter available...

2007-09-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

Enrique and Chrissie Coreano just sent out their most recent e-newsletter. If you want to join their mailing list, visit their website at www.coreanofamily.com.

Rob

2007-09-19T10:39:00.001-07:00

A final note on our weekend in Columbia, SC...We were also able to visit the Coreano's home church while they were at CIU, North Trenholm Baptist Church. Dan was able to say a few words and a final prayer for both of their Sunday a.m. services as well as was generously given the whole Sunday School class time to share at the Coreano's Young Couples Sunday School class. This was followed by a great Mexican meal at a restaurant with most of the folk from NTBC that recently went to Guatemala. NTBC is a new sister church and they just had their first visit in June! They shared their experiences, what impressed them the most as well as their photos and some funny stories. We really enjoyed spending time with them.

Ministry Trip to CIU

2007-09-18T12:57:00.001-07:00

Dan and I are back in the office after a 6 day ministry trip. We attended homecoming at Columbia International University (our alma mater, class of 1980) in Columbia, South Carolina. It was a fun weekend. This year they hosted a reunion of the school's singing group, True Life Company, that represented CIU in the 1970's. Dan sang and played trumpet for TLC for 2 years while he was a student. True Life Company members sang and provided the worship for all the different meetings and venues that took place this weekend. It was great as we re-connected with classmates and friends, most of whom we hadn't seen for more than 20 years. Frank and Kay Fry, RMI's VP of International Development, were there as well. Frank was TLC's producer in the early 1970's and Kay played violin. Here, they are chatting with CIU president, Dr. Bill Jones. We were able to share with quite a few people about RMI and its ministries. We also made some significant contacts that will help us within the administration of RMI, possibly in the area of providing counseling for missionary staff.

We were surprised to meet 2 CIU alumni from our own area, Ft. Myers! We plan on getting together in the near future and see how we can enhance each other's ministries. If nothing else, we will enjoy the fellowship of fellow CIU folks.

On a personal note, we were able to spend time with Deb's mom while we were there since that is where we stayed. We also had a brief time with Deb's sister, Marti and her husband, Frank Bedell (CIU's Director of Development).

Dawn is doing well. She is a junior at Evangelical Christian School in Ft. Myers. She is having a blast playing varsity volleyball for ECS. The team is a state championship team and are doing very well. As a 2A school, they are beating many 5A schools in the area! Her position is middle blocker (for those of you who are volleyball savvy) and at 5'11", she has a good vertical jump on her that helps her do a fairly good job!

Devon is living and working in Dallas. Dan saw him recently and was able to spend some time with him. He's doing well and we are proud of him being able to maintain a good Christian witness in his work environment.

Oh, also, be looking for the link to our new personal blog! We hope to have it up and running soon. I know, I know, we should have done it quite a while ago, but we are old dogs learning all these new tricks!

Guatemala Pictures: Part 2

2007-09-18T04:40:00.001-07:00

If you didn't see the first post, scroll down! You can also see all the pictures at www.robandbecky.com/family/pictures.htm (you will need to scroll down to find the Guatemala pictures).

Carrie and Susan setting up the army cots in the church.

Julie helped me organize the pharmacy the first day. The drugs were organized on 2 army cots. We had more than what you see, I just only put out a few bottles of each thing.

Chrissy, RMI missionary and a nurse, and Carol at the first station of medical clinic doing triage: Checking vital signs and getting the patients chief complaint.

Dr's Susan and Trevor seeing patients.

We made sure to pray or present the gospel to each patient that came thru before they got their medications. Here Julie and RMI missionary, Brandon, are sharing.

Here's me counseling a patient on how to take their medications. I had a Spanish translator, Alexis, but the pastor of our sister church, Javier, was often translating the Spanish into Mam. many of the people are illiterate, so we had pictures to remind them how to take their medications. It was important to make sure they understood before they left.

Carrie Jumped right in the kitchen as helped some of the ladies prepare meals. Julia is on the left and Delphina on the right.

All the babies are carried like this on backs! The ladies just go about their work. Older siblings often carried their younger siblings like this on their backs as well.

There is going to have to be a Part 3!

Becky

Guatemala Pictures: Part 1

2007-09-13T04:47:00.001-07:00

I have been busy since I got back from my trip to Guatemala! Sorry I haven't posted pictures sooner! You can see all the pictures I took here www.robandbecky.com/family/pictures.htm and go to the Guatemala album. Here are a few from the first few days of the trip:

Below is a view from the roof balcony of the RMI guesthouse in Xela, about a 5 hours drive from Guatemala City.

We were relieved to get to such a comfortable place after such a long day of travel.

Saturday we spent at the RMI guesthouse reorganizing our supplies for the trip out to the aldea (village) the next day. In the afternoon we went to the market in Xela to get some last minute supplies. We also went to purchase a new skirt and top as a gift for our sister church pastors wife.

Below is just one picture of the colorful market.

Julie and I had to get a picture taken with the vegetables at market-- look at that head of cauliflower! Huge!

All the vegetables in the regions were monstrous! (And all sold in the open air market or off the side of the road) The large produce is due to the volcanic soil prevalent in the region.

On our way to the Aldea we stopped at a lookout by the side of the road and snapped a group picture! This over looks Comitancillo and was about 30 minutes from out sister church.

Check out this chicken bus!

The roads from Xela to our sister church in Chipel were steep and mostly dirt roads.

We've arrived at our sister church! The van can't drive the road that leads to the church, so we walk there, about a 1/2 mile?. A group from the church-- lots of kids-- meets us at the bottom of the road and walks up with us.

A picture of our sister church. So much ministry happened in that building that week!

Need I say more?

I'll send another batch in the next few days of the rest of the trip!

Becky

Pray for Dan, Debbie, Frank and Kay...

2007-09-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

They will be attending homecoming ceremonies at their Alma Mater, Columbia International University (formerly Columbia Bible College) in Columbia, SC. While enjoying the festivities and catching up with old friends, they will be representing and sharing all about RMI. They left today, Sept. 9 and return home Sept 17.

Rob

New Receipt..

2007-09-10T08:38:00.001-07:00

If you have donated very recently, you may be one of the first to see our newly designed receipt. We are very excited about all the upgrades and changes around here recently! If you haven't donated, then I guess you will miss out on seeing the receipt! Now there is motivation for giving (wink wink)!

Rob

Sweat and Tears...

2007-09-06T12:01:00.001-07:00

Kingdom work. It is why we are here.

When kingdom work gets tough, my first response is to internalize, stomp my foot and get frustrated. It is easy for me to forget that we are constantly being refined (as long as we are walking with him). It is so easy for things to get out of perspective. Refiner's Fire. You know the song. My heart's one desire? Yes or No. In the midst of it all, I am being refined to be a purer more able servant. It is easy to get discouraged. We are here to see Jesus glorified and his kingdom further established, not ourselves or our own.

God is at work friends. Are you involved in kingdom work?

Rob

Hurricane Felix in Guatemala?

2007-09-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a quote form our missionary in Guatemala...

"Well, don't worry too much as Felix has been down graded to a tropical depression. We have received advisories from the US embassy that we should expect heavy rainfall. So far, it is a beautiful sunny day today. So, we will wait and see. The rain is expected to start here sometime tonight through Thursday.

Thanks for the prayers and we will let you know what else happens.

God Bless,

Chrissie"

Rob

McGregor Baptist Home Safely from Guatemala...

2007-09-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

Our team from McGregor Baptist Church visiting their church in Chipel, Guatemala has arrived back home safely. Here is an excerpt from an email we received... One of the team members said "God truly blessed us in so many ways as we grew in our love for our Sister Church Members who served us so preciously!"

Praise the Lord.

Rob