The Shoe's Soul

Our new prayer card for the new year!

2012-01-15T21:23:00.001-05:00

From Our House to Yours, Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T13:39:00.001-05:00

5 years. That’s how long the Shoemaker Family has been in the US. In some ways, we feel like we’ve just arrived. In other ways, it seems we’ve been here forever. In some ways our lives have stayed the same. In other ways our lives have changed dramatically.

Thank you for being a faithful friend and supporter through all the change, through all these years. You have been a vital partner in God’s ministry. We appreciate your steadfastness.

We lived in Haiti for 25 years.—that’s a long time to be away from one’s home culture. It’s a good thing we had come back to the states for many summers or we would feel like we just jumped out of a time warp. Think about it...we left in 1984 and returned in 2011. Political correctness, computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads, Kindles, technologies that we never even dreamed of, consumerism that is out of control, increased governmental controls, wow—it’s overwhelming to think of how our home culture has changed.

But I have to say that we’ve had fun “re-inventing” ourselves. Coming up with just bins of personal items (no furniture) gave us the opportunity to start our household over. We’ve settled into our home and really enjoy it. I love that the whole house is air conditioned, the laundry facilities are inside the house, there is space to have a home office and my crafts and sewing as well as enough room to host people inside our home (our home in Haiti was so small that all hosting we did was done outside in the yard; our kids’ rooms measured 8’ X 10’ providing only enough room for a bunk bed/dresser/desk unit and a shelf unit).

Our lifestyle changed overnight. No, we didn’t retire (a common misperception)! Yes, we are still missionaries and in 24/7 ministry...it just looks different now. Dan works in the office, is involved with guiding and growing RMI, vision casting, finance meetings as well as traveling quite a bit speaking and representing RMI in churches all over the US. I’m working at the RMI office as Director of Communication. Brochures, publications, writing, proofing, blogging and such occupy my time. A common thing that missionary wives miss the most when they come home is having house help. I’m right there with them!! I really do miss having help in the house and in the yard as well.

We also found ourselves in the “suburban shuffle”, driving Dawn to and from school. Her involvement in volleyball greatly increased that driving/travel. Turns out that she has a natural ability to play great volleyball! She’d never played it before her sophomore year when we arrived, but the coach at her school recognized her potential , took her under his wings and was a great mentor. Her junior year she was a starter on the varsity team who were undefeated and took the state 2A championship. Who knew?!

She feels God has called her to full time ministry as an overseas missionary and is now a junior at Trinity College of Florida (Billy Graham’s alma mater). Their volleyball team has benefited from 6’ tall Dawn’s ability to spike the ball and put points on the scoreboard. Of course being just north of Tampa, near beaches and the ocean and not all that far from home makes it easier on her. She is seriously financially challenged and is on a strict budget—a Ramen noodle every night budget (thanks to an Allstate commercial for that phrase). She is living and going to school by faith. Going to school full time, working part time at Merry Maids, living in an apartment with 3 other girls and being active in her church keeps her crazy busy. Pray for her as she struggles financially to finish her junior and senior year. She turned 21 this October!

During her freshman summer she went to Haiti as an intern for 6 weeks. Volleyball ministry with her high school coach in Ascunsion, Paraguay for 2 weeks was her overseas service her sophomore summer. (In the picture she’s painting at an orphanage in Ascunsion.) This summer she has exciting plans too: summer school and working full time so she can get into her senior year and graduate. She’d prefer to go to an internship in Papua New Guinea, but time is short and graduating is a priority! Her heart is overseas!

Believe it or not, our first born is 24. Devon is living 40 minutes south of us with his cousin and a fellow Haiti missionary kid that he grew up with. He works as a supervisor in a designer warehouse, but his time is spent fishing (pier and deep sea), helping friends but mostly playing Ultimate Frisbee. He plays as much as possible and has been on a team in Tampa. He was the “model” for a photo shoot for Spin, a line of Ultimate clothing . If you go to spinultimate.com, you’ll see him (this particular image!) on their website. Breaking his elbow and separating his Tommy John tendon slowed him down (just a little) in the fall, but he’s back at work & Ultimate now. He’s still an “adrenalin junky”. Recently he took Dawn skydiving! If it involves a “rush”, you’ll find Devon there.

Two special milestones were celebrated this year..Dan’s parents, Herb and Shirley, celebrated 50 years in ministry this month. They were honored at the recent RMI Board Meetings. What a legacy!

Dan passed a major milestone as well. In 1981 he first went to Haiti as a single missionary, which means that this year he celebrated 30 years in ministry!

Regular updates, pictures and even a short video or two of our family can be found here on our blog. If you haven’t read it, take some time to read through it. A lot has happened in the past 5 years...a snake that fell from the sky, the loss of 2 pets in one month to cancer (Duke the Wal-Mart shopping dog & Munchkin, the calico cat), a knee operation, a shoulder operation, sushi lessons for Father’s Day, travels in the US & overseas, an earthquake, floods & hurricanes, a lot of ministry, Dawn going to college & her first apartment, Devon’s 21st birthday, Dawn’s 21st birthday, a bird that sounds like it walked out of Jurassic Park, a pair of really big shoes that I wanted for Valentines Day and much, much more. Bookmark the site so you can keep up to date on all our happenings. All 4 of us are on Facebook—feel free to “friend” us. Now that will be up to the moment information (and more pictures). Speaking of blogs and Facebook, RMI’s blog is rminethaiti.blogspot.com, and they can be found on Facebook as well.

Thank you again for being a part of our family! You make it possible for us to continue to be in ministry.

P.S. The Christmas ornaments are from our personal tree.

Mr. Duke

2011-12-01T12:09:00.001-05:00

For the first time in 20 years, we are now dog-less. Our beloved dog, Duke, died the day after Thanksgiving. He had a very fast moving cancer; he was only sick for 3 weeks and died only 1 week after we got his diagnosis.

This picture was taken 3 days after his diagnosis, 4 days before he passed away – doesn’t look so sick does he?!

We were shocked and surprised since he was only 12 years old. I asked the vet how we could possibly lose 2 pets in one month?! Munchkin just died in October. We miss him very much, more than we thought we would.

He joined our family at Thanksgiving time in 2001. He was a well traveled dog. Born in California, he flew with his owner, a missionary in northern Haiti, to Haiti and lived there until the owner had to leave and gave him to us. To get to us, he traveled on a tiny 4 seater plane from far outback in northern Haiti to Port-au-Prince where Dan met him. He and Duke then flew from Port to Cayes in a little bit bigger 17 seater plane. He arrived with a smile a mile wide. After 5 years with us there in Cayes, he flew with us in a DC-3 to the US. Here are a couple of memories of that day that I posted to Facebook:

A memory of Duke: The day we moved from Haiti, we flew directly from Cayes to Ft. Pierce, FL then drove with our 3 cats, Duke & all our stuff across the state to our home in Lehigh Acres. Devon was already in the US & met us in Ft. Pierce. He took Duke out of his crate & sat him in the passenger seat of his pickup. They drove 3 1/2 hrs. to the house that way. Duke thought he was king of the world; his smile was so wide it seemed to take over his face. When we stopped at McDonalds for a quick bite to eat, Devon went through the drive thru & ordered Duke his own hamburger.

Another memory of Duke that makes us laugh: The first night after flying all the way from Haiti and arriving in our new home (when we 1st moved here 5 1/2 yrs. ago), we put Duke outside on the lanai (screened in back porch) to sleep for the night. Dawn & I said good night to him and then turned & walked into the house, shutting the sliding glass door behind us. We turned around just in time to see that he was trotting along behind us with the intention of following us into the house. Remember, this dog had just flown from Haiti that day where he'd been his whole life. He'd never seen or experienced a glass door before. He did a "face plant" smack into the door at full trot. He stumbled back & the look on his very expressive face was priceless. He was completely surprised, perplexed, shocked, stunned & when he saw Dawn & I laughing uproariously at him, he was embarrassed. It took him a while to adjust to seeing us but not being able to get to us. After that we saw him occasionally stop & check to make sure the door was open before he proceeded to enter the house.

After being able and enjoying roaming free all over the mission center, he had difficulty being tied to a cable or fenced in. He escaped a number of times from the cable which resulted in many frantic searches. After we got the fence, he (and we did too) learned that the bottom of the fence is only just sitting on the ground, it is not anchored except at the poles. So he dug under. Several times. Again resulting in many frantic searches. We live 1 block from the busiest east-west road in our country, 6 lanes wide and across that road is a very busy Wal-Mart. The first time he disappeared after dark, we searched for over an hour and finally gave up for the evening. An hour later there was a knock at the door. A uniformed officer asked us if we’d lost a dog. When we replied yes, (nervously because we’d only been there 6 months and hadn’t yet bought his dog license!) she said that she thought she may have him in her van. And there was Duke with his mile wide smile from his wonderful adventure. She said that he’d been caught running up and down the grocery aisles at Wal-Mart. Thank the Lord she was happy to return him without a fine. That was not his first visit to Wal-Mart; he returned 2 or 3 more times. He was so friendly and nice that inevitably someone would pet him, hang onto him and call us from the parking lot. We’d go over and retrieve him and he’d have that mile wide smile on his face. We spent a ton of money trying to keep him in that yard!

He especially loved it when Devon and Dawn came home. He was all over them in an instant when they walked in the door. Being a lab/most likely pit bull mix, he had the friendly, faithful, people loving qualities of both breeds. His favorite place was sitting on your feet (if he could get to them) or sleeping at one of our bedsides. When Devon spent the night at the house, he would let Duke sleep with him on the bed. Believe it or not, he’d grab a corner of the comforter and suck on it. We had to warn other overnight guests to keep their door shut during the night or else Duke would join them.

[This picture with Devon was taken a few months after we arrived in 2006. The picture below was taken by our house sitter one time when she stayed at the house. Duke climbed into the bed with her several times.]

In some ways he was like a typical cartoon dog…he dug all kinds of places in the yard to have a nice cool place to lay. If we gave him a chew toy or a bone, he’d go straight away and bury it. Every now and then we’d uncover a toy and play with him with it, but as soon as we turned our back, it was gone, back to the bowels of the earth never to be seen again! We learned to give him bones on the lanai. There he’d usually eat or gnaw on it. We’ve been given wild boar bones for Duke once a year for 3 years, so we froze them and would give him one every few days. He would literally dance in excitement when he saw one of those bones coming out of the freezer.

We did love him and he loved us. Amazing how God has enabled some animals to be so responsive, loving, friendly and faithful to us humans. Our lives are enriched because of them.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it’s more tiring to get ready for an event than the event itself. Between working at the RMI office and being on my own (i.e.: Dawn is away at college!), it took me days to thoroughly clean the house (it hadn’t been done since before my surgery) and get the house ready for the big day.

Our numbers were 16: Dan, me, Dawn, Devon, Amanda & Doug (2 friends of Devon’s), Wes (Devon’s roommate & childhood friend of Devon & Dawn), Andrew (Wes’s brother who came from Ocala), Dave, Rosie & Alyssa (Dan’s brother, sister-in-law & their daughter), Herb & Shirley (Dan’s parents), Ian & Myra (British friends of Mom & Dad) and Pat (our next door neighbor).

We had some traditional American dishes as well as an experimental turkey, real Haitian pumpkin soup, real Cuban flan, and real English trifle. Yum! We ate our fill and then some.

But first, you have to see Chef Devon in action.

Then 45 minutes later out comes a finished turkey!

Frying the turkey was definitely the center of attraction for the day since it was first time. I’ll admit that I had my serious reservations about it! But with the right equipment and a lot of online study of recipes as well as the do’s and don’ts, it actually worked. Everyone enjoyed it [but more importantly it was fun and we didn’t blow up the house!] – it was spiced well, was moist and quicker than the oven. My guess is that we’ll be repeating it.

Dawn, Doug, Amanda, Wes and Andrew got put to work making the sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and “pink stuff” (a family salad…well maybe it’s a dessert, no one can tell but it’s made with cottage cheese, cool whip, fruit cocktail and Jell-O powder) as well as other things. My kitchen suddenly became too small with every bumping into each other.

My mother-in-law proved that she loves me by making the gravy again – she makes a mean gravy!

All of us at the “older than 30” table ate way too much. I know because that’s where I sat. And I certainly ate too much! In my own defense…the food was incredible! Everyone did a great job.

The 20something table not only ate their fill, they played volleyball for over 1 1/2 hour at the neighborhood sand court then came home, tore into the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. But they weren’t done yet. After the dishes, they left (like a stampeding herd) to go out to a movie.

They know how to make a holiday last and last. The next day most of them went camping for 4 days on the Peace River (a peaceful river about an hour north of us where they go fossil hunting – in the river).

You can see the rest of the pictures HERE.

In the weeks preceding Thanksgiving, our Ft. Myers newspaper asked for Thanksgiving stories. I sent one in and was happy to see that they chose to publish it in the Thanksgiving newspaper. Here it is:

The head count for Thanksgiving around our house was usually somewhere from 90 to 100. The menu was as traditional as we could make it….5 turkeys, stuffing (lots and lots of stuffing!), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top and pumpkin pie. Our front yard was turned into an outdoor banquet hall…lights were strung, tables and chairs were brought in, tablecloths and decorations were set out. It took days, sometimes weeks to organize. Living in southwest Haiti for 25 years, we enjoyed the chance to celebrate American holidays when we could. We also wanted our 2 kids to learn about the various holidays and traditions of their home culture. For many years, every ex-patriot in the whole region was invited to come join us for American Thanksgiving. Canadians, German, Swiss, South African, Congolese, French, and Dutch joined us. Real Butterball turkeys were brought in from the US (as well as many other uniquely American foods). It was a huge potluck with very few leftovers!

We moved to Southwest Florida 5 ½ years ago and to be honest, I was a little relieved to have a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving. Having grown up in a household where hospitality was the order of the day, my kids have missed those large gatherings. Our last few Thanksgivings have included the kids’ roommates, brothers of roommates, and a girlfriend or two. Today I asked our older neighbor, who has no family, to join us. Last week, our 24 yr. old son called to tell me that not only were the usual extras coming, but 2 more friends of his who don’t have any family. (“And mom, we want to cook. Give us some dishes to make…some hard, interesting ones not something that comes out of a bag like a dumb salad!” No problem there. With 10 of the 20 people around the tables in their mid-20’s, you can bet I’ll be putting them all to work! ) So, our tradition of hospitality continues, and is clearly a value ingrained in my kids for which I am grateful.

Well, we didn’t have 100 people for Thanksgiving this year, but we found that 16 was just fine! In fact the whole day was “mighty fine”.

2 surgeries

2011-11-02T16:46:00.001-04:00

Yes, I did have my knee surgery on Oct. 25. I passed my stress test the week before (hooray) and had the day surgery a few days later. Everything went smoothly, textbook operation the doc said. And a few hours later, I hobbled out of there. When I got home from the surgery, the dog settled at the side of my bed to watch over me and the cats both climbed up to comfort me. Funny how they knew something significant had happened and that they needed to be with me. Smudge evidently felt I was doing fine enough for him to not only go to sleep while guarding me but snored most of the time! Dan took very good care of me, but I did test his husbandly resolve when I spilled an entire glass of Pepsi all over me and our bed. Clean up took all day as he washed my clothes, the sheets and even the mattress pad. The cats were quicker to get out of the way than I was!

I have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I’ve had no pain! There is swelling, but that is going down. I can bear weight on it and walk! I‘m using a cane just to be safe because I don’t feel like it’s stable yet. I’m so excited to be doing this well! Thank you all for your prayers. It’s great to be back on my feet.

As I was going through the stress tests the week before, my mother was rushed to the hospital near her home in Greenville, SC with a perforated stomach. One sister, Bea, lives with her, another sister, Carrie, lives nearby and my 3rd sister, Marti, lives about 1 1/2 hours away in Columbia, SC. All 3 were able to be there as she underwent emergency surgery to fix her stomach and deal with the infection. It was a close call; she was in ICU for a week. They were able to get all the infection and she’s been recovering very well. My sisters took turns being with her around the clock as best they could, putting everything on hold (jobs, husbands, kids, etc.). We all took each day at a time, not sure if I’d have to scrap my own surgery plans to head to Greenville to be there. As it became clear that she was responding to the antibiotics and treatments and on the mend, they gave me the freedom have my surgery. I know it’s has been and continues to be a sacrifice for them to be there and I appreciate them handling things so well! My mom is now in a rehab center working on getting back her strength and to get where she is able to care for herself before she goes home. [The picture is from the summer of 2009 when she came down to visit us.]

After my surgery, the doc gave me clearance to go to Tampa to Dawn’s Regional Volleyball Playoffs. They won 3 of their 5 games. The 2 they lost was to the same team, who happen to be the national champions! But they made them work for those wins. We had fun being there and seeing her play some of her best ball ever. She was smoking hot, hitting hard and putting quite a number of points on the scoreboard. The team that they lost to recognized her talent and played their games to keep the ball away from her. She was honored by receiving an All Region Player, 1st team award (which is voted on by all the coaches from the region). This puts her in the running to receive an All American award next week at the National Tournament! [She painted my toenails for me in between games – it’s wonderful having a daughter!]

Here’s a short clip, watch # 33!

And I can’t fail to mention that DAWN IS NOW 21 YEARS OLD!!

We are so proud of her! To think that on Oct. 24, 1990 she was 6 lbs. and on Oct. 24, 2011 she is 6 ft. tall. Amazing. I remember that day like it was yesterday…..

Here’s what I put on Facebook on Oct. 24: Dan & I were ecstatic with the fact that our itty bitty, 6 lb. 13 oz. baby was a GIRL! Born at 6:40 a.m. in a rural Haitian maternity clinic with only bare, 30+ yr. old, essential equipment and a huge leak in it's roof. 3 weeks of solid rain had left 2 inches of water in the delivery room...I was the only one who was dry! The day dawned clear and bright a short time later. We named her Dawn Faith, a name we'd had picked out for 4 years! Our dearest, closest friend & co-worker, Jules, told us she'd been born on a very, very good day. I asked him why was this day was so good and he responded, "Because it's MY birthday too."!

Can you imagine the excitement there was when the 1st white baby in 10 years was born at the maternity clinic?! It was a very, very small building...the outer room was the labor/recovery room & the inner room was the delivery room. That's it, 2 rooms. Once word got out that Dawn had been born, it seemed that the whole village descended on the recovery room. Not allowed inside, they crowded around every window to peer in at the little white baby & her mom. There were dozens of people poking their heads in the open windows. No phones at that time, but by the time we got home 5 hours later, "tell-a-Haitian" had made sure that everyone in a 10 mile radius knew of her birth!

Here’s Dawn on her 10th birthday with Jules.

And here she is with Jules when we left Haiti 5 1/2 years later.

Happy 21st Birthday Dawn!!

And last but not least…

Visitors are a regular occurrence in our house, but not usually this kind. This lovely, baby red rat snake literally fell in from heaven Halloween night. When I opened the screen door to let the dog out for his nightly constitutional, this 14” fella fell from on top of the screen door, down my arm and onto the screen door spring. There were no lights on and I thought a lizard had fallen on me….until I saw in the dim light that it was much, much longer than a lizard and it was moving and curling up on the spring! I called Dan, turned on the light, checked to see if it had a rattle at the end of it and if I had been bitten (I was thinking of a pygmy rattlesnake). Dan grabbed some bar-b-que tongs and put it in a cage. After we figured out that it was a harmless red rat snake, we wondered if it was Nemo’s baby. Nemo was a much, much bigger red rat snake that we had for about 3 years until it escaped a year ago. It’s the spittin’ image of Nemo!

It’s now sitting safe and sound AND secure in the cage on my kitchen counter. I deserve the “Mother of the Year” award! I’m saving it for my son. He wants to raise it. I say more power to you, just do it at YOUR house this time. You see, Nemo was Devon’s snake and it lived at my house for the entire time Devon had it. Your house, Devon, your house!

Travel, ER trips, flying couches and what? …Surgery?!

2011-10-17T14:55:00.001-04:00

Fall around the Shoemaker house has been eventful. It involved quite a bit of travel for Dan as he attended the “Rebuilding Haiti” conference in NYC, translated for a Haitian Sister Church pastor in NJ, spoke at a new Sister Church in central NJ, interviewed a prospective missionary couple in Penn, was in Haiti on 3 separate occasions, attended the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit in Jacksonville, FL, visited 2 Sister Churches in that area, and represented RMI at Trinity College of Florida’s missions conference. (I think that’s the total…there’ve been so many, I lose track of him sometimes! I need to put a GPS tracker on him!)

I (Debbie) joined Dan for the Jacksonville trip and part of the NJ trip. We also managed to get in one of Dawn’s volleyball tournaments and a occasional game here and there. We’re having volleyball withdrawal! It’s been hard to not be there to cheer her team on. Her skills are improving (as a middle) and her coach is using her in other positions, making her a more versatile player. In one recent game she completed 23 out of 28 hits – a great percentage! Her freshman year roommate is now playing for another Christian college who is in the same division as Trinity. After playing against each other her former roommate told her that her team was in awe of Dawn and afraid of her. She said the the girls were saying that Dawn made it all look so easy and effortless. In that same tournament she was playing well and hitting hard, so hard that she caught one girl in the chest, sitting her back on her rear. I’m of 2 minds about that…as a parent I feel for that girl, but as a parent, I have to scream and shout for Dawn and giggle a bit, too. She hits so fast sometimes that in other games her hits caught 2 other girls in the chest as well.

In August I spent a week in Tampa helping Dawn get settled into an apt. with 3 other roommates. That was the same week that volleyball started up as well as classes. She was excited to finally have her first apt.

She was able to work her classes so that she’s going full-time but all of her classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays she works. In July she started working for Merry Maids there in Tampa. They were willing to keep her on part-time during the school year. She earns just barely enough to keep her in the apartment, pay for gas, internet and food. She is living by faith…her continuing in school was in jeopardy up until the last minute when a private loan was approved. It’s really hard to see her struggling financially. She feels God is calling her into full-time, overseas ministry yet she is having to go into debt with school loans. Oh how we wish we could help her! Please pray for God’s provision for her for the coming semester and her senior year. Let us know if you feel God leading you to help her finish at Trinity. We are very proud of her for how she is handling it all—school, work, volleyball, new apt. & roommates, it’s amazing how she does it all.

Devon continues to live and work in the Naples area. His big outside activity is Ultimate Frisbee. He tried out and made it on a league team in Tampa despite breaking his elbow and separating his Tommy John tendon on his left arm in tryouts. He was in rehab for quite a while until he got the doc’s approval to return to work. Evidently he is a very good Ultimate player!

Yep, that’s him. He was part of a photo shoot for Spin, a line of Ultimate clothing & accessories.

Okay, can’t help but brag – isn’t he hot?!

We are thankful that God continues to protect, guide and use both of the kids! Even when Devon’s little car hits a full-sized couch on the Interstate at midnight as he was coming back from team practice in Tampa. It had just fallen off a truck right in front of him. Going 80 mph he didn’t want to swerve too much (which would have resulted in rolling the car), but he did swerve enough so that the car took the hit on the driver’s side. The couch was obliterated. The car’s front & side fender, hood, headlight and radiator sustained damage, but Devon and his roommate, Wes, were uninjured. It happened a couple of exits away from our house, so not trusting the car enough, they “limped” to our house to spend the night.

The next a.m. had it’s own little excitement, though. We all got up early to attend to the car, get everyone to work, etc. As we were getting in our car to leave, Wes had a seizure!

Phone pictures didn’t quite capture the moment! Another day spent in the ER! We were glad to be there for him since his parents are in Haiti. And we were so thankful that it hadn’t happened while they were on the road, or when he was by himself. Docs can’t say why it happened, though!

Our next ER visit was with Dan in August. He seemed to show signs of a stroke so we went in as a precaution. He was fast tracked into the ER, but after extensive testing they concluded that it wasn’t a stroke, but they didn’t know what it was. (He’s been fine since.)

My turn came in September. After a week with Dan in NJ, I flew back to Ft. Myers by myself while he stayed to continue his trip, conferences, speaking engagements, etc. The day I got up to leave, my right knee was swollen and couldn’t bend and I couldn’t put weight on it. Thanks to wheelchair service and after a very long day, I made it home. My in-laws, Herb and Shirley, came up from Naples to take me to the ER the next day. That trip wasn’t quite so fast. Hours later, the only instructions were to see an orthopedic surgeon. So….I did and an MRI and many doc. visits later, the conclusion is a torn meniscus, which will require surgery. Yep, surgery. I’m making my way through all the pre-surgery testing and Oct. 25 is the scheduled date. The doc. says, “30 minute procedure, a couple of days of rest, then you’re good to go”! He was trying to reassure me, but I’m still not reassured…nothing can be that easy!!

Many, many thanks to my wonderful in-laws for coming up from Naples several times to get me to the MRI and doc. visits. And many thanks to our house sitter, Brynne, who stayed an extra week to continue housesitting until Dan came home. She cared for the house, the animals and me. What a tremendous help!

I’m now out of the wheelchair (I was in it for a month-ick!) and off the cane for the most part as the inflammation goes down, but I know I’ll end up back on the cane for a while after the surgery. Definitely not looking forward to surgery – I just want to get it over with so I can get on with life. In anticipation of being “laid” up a while, I’ve already decorated for Thanksgiving (we don’t do Halloween!!!).

In October we lost our sweet Munchkin.

She was 78 cats years (15+ human years) old. A tumor in her belly took over and turned out to be fatal. She was so sweet and purred right up until the very end. Her favorite place to hang out was my lap or on my back while I was sleeping. She was a part of our family from her birth and lived with us 10 years in Haiti and 5 1/2 years in the US. We miss her so much!

We had a visit from a special gal, Mary Langford (Lafayette, LA), who came for meetings at RMI. She has decided to work with RMI as a volunteer Ladies Ministry Coordinator. It’s an exciting development for RMI’s ministry with women in Haiti. We anticipate another weekend & meetings at RMI with David & Cindy Uttley. David and Dan grew up in Haiti together. In fact, his family lived in the house we lived in when we were in Haiti. He has produced several promotional videos for RMI as well as taken many photos for our promotional materials. He’s an amazing photographer! See a sample of his pictures here. Here is the RMI Sister Church Partnership video he did!

The excitement around our house doesn’t end! Dawn turns 21 this month. To celebrate she’s having several parties…a girls spa day with several friends, a pool party for all of her friends, and a family party with us in November. Her employer is even giving her a cake. Not hardly possible to imagine where she was born….on a very rainy day, at dawn, in a rural, rustic maternity clinic in Haiti, only 6 lbs. 13 oz. to being a 6 ft. tall beautiful blond. We love you Dawn!!

Stay tuned. Our household doesn’t stay quiet for long. Surgery updates will follow. Hopefully the ER visits are done for the year!!

A big Thank you from Dawn!!

2011-07-27T15:51:00.001-04:00

2011 Paraguay Volleyball Team

Nicole, Dawn, Kendra, Courtney, Anysia

I’m back! I just want to say this trip wouldn't have been possible without all your prayer and financial support! I really feel privileged that you are a part of my support team. Thank you so much.

I knew when I went that the team would be playing volleyball and that volleyball would be the ticket to get into schools. It turned out to be that and much more. They estimated that we were able to directly minister to over 4400 kids in the 2 weeks that we were there! We teamed up with Sue Givens, a missionary at a Christian school in Asuncion. Her intern, Perla, and several drama teams from the school joined us for every presentation. There was much more hands on ministry than I’d expected (which I was glad about)! At each presentation the drama team led in singing,

For the presentation at the Indian village we had to carry in the posts to set up the net. They were anchored with concrete blocks and tied off to cars on either side to provide tension for the net.

performed a skit, shared a devotional and then 2 or 3 girls from the team shared their testimonies. I was surprised that we were able to openly and clearly share our testimonies. Besides the singing, drama and testimonies, we spent quite a bit of time in coaching and teaching the kids volleyball skills.

We gave presentations to public schools, Christian schools and in an Indian village out in the country. Since volleyball is the 2^nd most popular sport, everyone was hungry to hear us out and learn what we were teaching. We were able to worship with several different Paraguayan churches…several small ones and one that is the largest in the country and seats 10,000 people.

Kids at the orphanage after they got their new mattresses

We spent time at an orphanage and fell in love with the kids. We painted the building, loved on the kids and raised enough money for 15 new beds, mattresses and pillows. One little boy hugged his pillow with glee as he told us that this was his very first pillow.

Believe it or not, I prayed that God would teach me patience and humility on this trip. And guess what? Coaching a bunch of non-English speaking kids is very humbling and tests your patience for sure.

I saw many different kinds of ministries in action: sport ministry, ministry in public and private schools, an orphanage ministry, church planting, a medical/clinic ministry and a sustainable peanut farm ministry. Talking to a missionary nurse sparked an interest to get some basic medical knowledge before going to the mission field. I'm excited to see what God will do in that area.

Painting at the orphanage

My biggest low point would be having really bad stage fright when I gave my testimony. I would forget my points and start shaking but I hope God used it to bring someone to Him. My highpoint would definitely be the worship at the churches we went to. It was awesome. But it is hard to pick one high point out of so many.

Girls from a Christian high school

Another high point for me was playing soccer with the college and career group at Sue’s church the very last night. I want to play more soccer now! I enjoyed getting to know the Paraguayan culture and food, but I enjoyed being involved in ministry even more.

The drama teams from the Christian school we teamed up with

I praise God that the trip went great, but especially that God used the team to touch lives. Thank you again for being a big part in making it happen!

With love & appreciation,

Dawn

P.S. I really covet your prayers... I still haven’t been able to find a job! And I’m very concerned about my financial situation for my upcoming junior year at Trinity. I strongly feel God’s call on my life to serve as a missionary and want to finish my studies here. If you wish to help, you can contact me at definitelydawn@hotmail.com.

Day 15 - Final entry from Dawn’s Paraguay trip

2011-07-27T14:29:00.001-04:00

On Monday, May 30, our last few hours in Paraguay were spent in the airport. However, we weren’t in the airport for too long. Without us knowing, our departure time had been changed. We were checking bags and getting tickets and were being rushed but we didn’t know why. Our original departure time was 6:55am but the new time was 6:10. At 6am, we were going through customs, and after, we went through security rather quickly- the quickest any of us have ever gone through security. We made it on the plane and didn’t leave until around 6:25am to head to Peru. In the Peru airport, we enjoyed free samples of chocolate covered candies as we had done on our journey to Paraguay and ate some of the banana bread muffins Anysia and Kendra made on Sunday night. Also, Kendra, Anysia, and Courtney made a quick stop to the perfume shop and sprayed themselves with a fragrance before arriving at our gate.

When we got to our gate, we had to go through security since we were about to enter the US. It marked the first time for most of us to be frisked head to toe! Then, we were finally on our way home… or at least to Miami. We experienced some turbulence which consequently affected the movies we were watching or trying to watch on the plane. We arrived in Miami around 5:30pm and had to wait a bit to collect all of our luggage. We loaded up the cars and then went back into the airport for some food at Chili’s**. Then, we finally were on the road home to meet anxiously awaiting family!

The trip was so great and several of the girls are excited for next year and are already talking about how to make next year’s trip better! We couldn’t have done it without Sue and her school and everyone else that helped us!

**Bonus note….When Dawn called from the Miami airport, I realized that Dan had just landed there at the Miami airport too. He was with a Haitian Sister Church pastor and his wife. They had just come in from Lafayette, Louisiana where Dan had been translating for them for the past week. They were able to connect at the Chili’s there at the airport and have a quick meal together before the team had to get in the van to come home. Dan had to spend the night with the pastor to make sure he got on the plane the next day before he could come home. We couldn’t have planned it better if we’d tried! It was fun for them to meet for supper, a special surprise for Dawn.

Day 13 & 14

2011-05-30T10:32:00.001-04:00

Day 13

Today, we went to the Asentimiento (spelling?) or the neighborhood built upon the trash dump as mentioned in the previous blog. It was so cold in the morning, but it eventually warmed up. We were involved with “Hora de Feliz” (meaning Hour of Happiness in Spanish), a program put on every week by the Methodist Church above which we have been staying and which is affiliated with Nuevo Horizonte school. Several of the students that we have been working with (they did the presentations) this past week are a part of this church and came out with us. Together, we walked a few blocks down to an area which had a volleyball court and net already set up. When we first arrived, we began picking up some trash around the park area…I guess you could call it a park. There were glass pieces all around the edges of the court from broken liquor bottles. So sad! The students and the girls then split up into groups and went walking through the neighborhood inviting kids to come to “Hora de Feliz.” When we had finished, we returned to the volleyball court and had a children’s service. Not as many kids came out as expected because there had been Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses also in the community at the same time we were. But all went well! We sang about 5 or 6 songs, had a lesson, some skits, and then played some volleyball. One of the skits performed was the Lifehouse drama which the students had been doing all week. They were one person short, so the lovely Dawn got to be in it as “the other woman” who steals the guy from the girl at the beginning. Funny thing…Dawn is around 6′ and the guy was like 5′. The irony was hilarious! At the the end of the presentation, everyone got into a big circle and all of the kids were given balloons as little treats to play with. They loved them!

We headed back to the school, took some pictures, and said some good-byes. Now was the time for a little packing and lunch. Afterwards, we packed up the rest of our stuff and cleaned the apartment we had been staying at. We had some time to kill, so we filled out some mission trip evaluation forms for Sue, journaled a bit, and rested. Around 3pm, the adolescent students of the trip (mainly kids of middle school and 9th grade) were scheduled for a youth group type service. However, many of them are a part of the marching band for school and had to miss the service due to practice, so service was delayed. We played volleyball with some of the kids first and then around 4pm, we had service. The service started off with one of the girls giving a description of one of the girls and then the students had to guess who it was. The lucky people who were described were Nicole and Kendra. Next, the pastor challenged the girls to remember the students names. A whole section of about 12-15 students stood up and gave their names; we then had to repeat all of them. I’m happy to say that the girls were successful! We had a worship time, praise report time, a testimony given by Courtney, and then a short message given based on David. The pastor spoke on 1 Samuel 16:1-13* and talked about having dreams. God doesn’t necessarily call the most popular, the most attractive, or someone of the “right” age, but He calls someone with the right heart just like David. David was chosen at 16, but he was not used right away; he had to learn some things first. God had given him the anointing of king, but it didn’t come without struggles. The pastor summed it all up and challenged the students to evaluate their dreams and decide if they were worth fighting for. He then made them aware that there will be obstacles, but those trials will make them stronger and experienced. Afterwards, the students played volleyball with the girls to fellowship.

We then had dinner, our last meal at Sue’s house. At 7pm, there was a youth service for people of high school and young adult ages. We first played a game where we passed two volleyballs and when the music stopped, the two people holding a ball had to say one word describing why they were at church and/or how they feel at church. If you were caught repeating a word, you had to go to the front of the room and do an unknown action. One boy was caught and had to do 10 jumping jacks. Among the people who ended up with the ball were Dawn and Courtney. Dawn said relief, and Courtney said freedom. It was a fun game of Hot Potato and a great ice breaker. We had a time of worship, and Anysia and Kendra gave their testimonies following it. They did an amazing job. I know they touched some hearts! Sue got up and gave the message about 10 things we can learn from sports and being on team; this had been the subject of the devotions we had been doing with her throughout the latter half of the trip. Again, everyone played volleyball after, but it eventually turned into a volleyball game and a soccer game going on simultaneously. For the record, Dawn would like everyone to know that she scored a goal!!! It was awesome! We then left for Tom and Sara’s apartment to sleep and call it a night!

Day 14

This morning, we got up to go to church service at CFA (Centro Familiar de Adoracion), an Assemblies of God church in San Lorenzo. When we were driving up to it, we saw how massive it was. There is a school on the church campus, but it was still big nonetheless! We sat in the front middle section of the church, were greeted, and then were given these headset things which would translate the service for us. A pretty cool ministry! The girls appreciated it! (But, Heather, don’ worry, Courtney didn’t use it!) We had arrived kind of early, so a few browsed the book store that the church had. Service began at 10AM with a very energetic worship time. Boy, was it a lively service!! All of the girls loved it despite the language barrier! There was no denying that the presence of God was in that building! After worship and prayer, all of the first time visitors were greeted and asked to come to the front of the church to be prayed for. All of them were then ushered into a side room where they were given information about the church and about salvation. The girls had gone up and went into the room but then were told they didn’t need to be in there because they were missionaries from America. We went back into service and sang Happy Birthday to the Pastor; his birthday is June 1st. He was told that there was a group from Florida, and he asked us to stand up in the service. He had actually asked the group from Miami to stand up, but we knew it was us.

The pastor preached mainly on Romans 8:15-25* and talked about faith requiring action and not living under the bondages of slavery. He was very animated and a great speaker! At the end of the service, he called up a medical mission team from Oral Roberts University that has been there for the past few weeks and prayed for them. We were surprised to see other Americans there and found out that they are also leaving tomorrow. Who knows, maybe they’ll be on our flight tomorrow. Afterwards, we met with the pastor and found out that he had lived in Miami for a bit and learned English there; he also knows of Pastor Dan Betzer. He said that he was headed up to Springfield in June for a missions conference, so he would be in the States soon. It was really great to meet him, and we thanked him for an amazing service!

It was now lunch time, so we headed to God’s Pan, the first restaurant we had ever eaten at in Paraguay. We had definitely come full circle. Next, we went to Salemma, a grocery store, to buy whatever else we wanted to bring back with us. The main mission of the trip, though, was to buy dulce de leche.

We got back to Tom and Sara’s and signed all of the volleyballs that we had brought. We are giving them to the schools and orphanage that we have visited during our two weeks here. Next, some packing, cleaning, laundry, and preparing for dinner. Tonight, we are having a family dinner with Sara’s family to say good-bye. Tomorrow, our flight leaves at 6:55AM so we will finish packing, cleaning, and doing laundry tonight, and we will be going to bed as soon as possible. But we have the feeling that bed time is going to come pretty late tonight. Oh well! We have all day to sleep on the plane tomorrow! Everyone is anxious to come home, to see family, and to check their Facebooks!

They come home today, Monday, May 30!!

A post trip dessert is taking place in Cape Coral Tuesday evening, 7 p.m. The girls will share about their experiences and show some pictures. If you are interested in joining us, please call Debbie at 239-209-7634, ASAP!

Day 12

2011-05-29T21:21:00.001-04:00

[From the team’s blog…]

Today, we went to two different schools, both of which we walked to. One was a Baptist school and the other a public school. We did two presentations at the public school, and one at the Baptist school. At the public school, we taught them the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” They were a very rowdy group of kids that we got to play with and attempt to control. Also, at this particular school, Tom´s engineering skills were tested a bit as he tried to set up the volleyball net around a tree, but he succeeded in putting it up.

For lunch, Tom and Sara made tacos for all of the administration and staff who have helped us this past week. It was interesting to have one side of the table using their hands to eat (the Americans) and the other side of the table eating tacos with a fork and knife. One of the best parts of the meal was the Taco Bell mild sauce packets! Anysia had never had it before and made the comment, ”I didn’t think the first time I would have Taco Bell sauce would be in Paraguay where they don´t even have Taco Bells.” One of the group´s lunch rituals has been to eat apples and dulce de leche. The Paraguayans are disgusted by the thought of this but, nevertheless, we got some of them to try it. And guess what? They loved it! They definitely asked us for more!

After lunch, Sue gave the girls a tour of a neighborhood built upon a trash dump, and this is where Saturday´s morning presentation will be. She was preparing us for what we would see…all of the poverty.

We then headed to La Hermosa, the Baptist school. We all loved the Christian atmosphere there. It was really nice to watch and listen to the students say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing their National Anthem. The girls actually got to demonstrate a little 2 on 2 play and found out that the kids really liked to watch them do the volleyball roll. When each class got the chance to play, it was so fun to chant for each grade and get involved with the kids!

For the third and final presentation of the day, we headed back to the public school. There, Kendra and Courtney shared their testimonies along with 2 of the kids from Nuevo Horizonte.

For dinner, we went to Sue´s house and wrapped up the devotionals she had been taking us through. We also reminisced about how the trip has gone and all that we’ve done. Shortly after, the girls, Tom, and Sara headed to the movies. We were supposed to go to a Spanish Christian concert; however, the lead singer was sick, and the band got stuck in Texas due to tornados. So, we saw Pirates of the Caribbean in 3D. The movie was in English with Spanish subtitles. We actually got in our theater just in time for the previews to start, so we got stuck in about the 4th row near the front. Needless to say, tall, volleyball girls were a bit uncomfortable, but they still enjoyed the movie! It was a nice break! We then went to our third ice cream shop of the trip, a restaurant called 4D. Boy, was it delicious! Afterwards, it was time to head back for some much needed sleep. The only problem with the night…the temperature dropped significantly, and we were all freezing. Other than that, we were ready for our last day of presentations.

** The top photo is Tom and Sara’s apartment. The bottom photo is one of the view’s from their apartment.

Day 11

2011-05-27T16:35:00.001-04:00

[From the team’s blog….]

Today, we visited two schools, doing 5 sessions. The first school was a very poor school and the second was a 4-story building. All of the presentations went as they have been with skits, songs, a message, and volleyball, but the most touching one of them was the third one. It consisted of students from 7th-12th grades. When the ministry team did the “Everything” by Lifehouse skit, the majority of the students were glued in. There was at least one girl crying for sure and a few others on the verge of tears. When the Pastor was talking to them afterwards, he had their undivided attention! It was amazing to feel such a strong presence of God here! God definitely had His hand in our presentations!

After the presentations, we headed straight to the orphanage. The kids were so excited to see us. They did not expect to see us tonight. As soon as one kid saw us, they all came running. The girls began playing games with them, such as tic tac toe and hangman, and sang a few songs, too. Then around 6 pm, the delivery truck showed up with the mattresses. The kids and the orphanage parents had no idea that we were delivering these gifts! They all were completely stunned and all clapped when they saw what was in the truck! We quickly took pictures and then placed all the beds and pillows in each room. When we were taking out the old mattresses, it was so exciting to watch them being replaced! They were quite disgusting and one of the boys didn’t even have an actual pillow…he had a blanket stuffed into a pillow case. All of them were so grateful!!! It was awesome to see their smiles! Afterwards, we got to hang out with the kids and make them an American breakfast for dinner–pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Boy did they love it, especially the bacon! For the next couple of hours, we loved on the kids and enjoyed being with all of them for the last time until next year. They wanted us to sign their walls, notebooks, etc. along with taking a bunch of pictures with us. It was a sad time of saying goodbye, and it will for sure hit us when we get back to the States! Nevertheless, the opportunity to be with these children while on this trip has touched every single one of our hearts and the memories with them will never be forgotten!

3 more days – keep up the prayers for Dawn and the team!

Day 8, 9 & 10–This is why we are so tired!

2011-05-26T11:47:00.001-04:00

Did you know that volleyball was invented in 1895? In 1900 the first official volleyball was produced. And in 1912 it made its way to Paraguay. That means Paraguayan volleyball is 99 years old! It is played year round. Paraguay has national men and women’s team that actively participate in international competitions! It is the nation’s 2nd most popular sport after soccer. So interest is very high in what Dawn & her team are doing. [Note: the pictures are of various volleyball venues in Paraguay…indigenous Indians in a rural village, a game at a school and in a city park – they are NOT pictures of the team’s experience. Unfortunately due to the slow internet connection those pictures probably will not be posted until they return.] They’ve had a very heavy schedule. Here is the updates, in their entirety from the team’s blog for Day 8, 9 and 10:

Day 8

It rained all day today, which put a damper on our presentations, but it was still a God-ordained day! When it rains here in Paraguay, many students and teachers don´t come to school because the roads are too dangerous and there can be flooding. So, the students who come basically get a free day when it rains.

Since we couldn't play volleyball, the students from Sue´s school did their presentation and skits inside in a crowded room. Also, Nicole, Dawn, and Courtney gave their testimonies to the kids. We had a morning and afternoon presentation, and during the afternoon one, Courtney gave her testimony in Spanish. It was a great day of sharing God! The director there is a Catholic and has a Mormon, a Jehovah´s Witness, other Catholics, and some Protestants on her staff. Some of the teachers did not show up to our first presentation because of the evangelical aspect we were bringing. The director, in a way, reprimanded them in front of the students saying, ¨We all serve one God!¨ She loved having us there and really wants her students to know God and to learn values. She even told Sue that if she had any videos or other materials, she´d like to borrow them. The door is wide open there for evangelism!

At lunch, we had sandwiches, vegetables, fruit, and this amazing rice and chicken stir-fry dish. While eating at Sue´s house, we found out that one of her house helpers has a 14-year old son named Julio who attends the school. She told us that when he was 4, he woke up with a sore throat and a cold, but told his mom that he had to go to school because his friends would pray for him, and he would get better. Julio is the reason why his mom became a Christian. Within the past couple of years, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. With much faith, he said that he would not lose his hair, he would not vomit, and he would not get sick at all. And all of that has come true while he has been undergoing Chemotherapy. What a testimony! To us, he seemed completely healthy and normal! He hasn’t even missed a day of school due to sickness! Oh, and he feels called to be a pastor! With faith like his, God is going to use him powerfully!

Today was also Sara´s mom´s birthday. So, we went over to Tom and Sara´s apartment to prepare a whole bunch of food, and, in the process, cleaned what seemed to be a never ending load of dishes! We had barbequed meat, prepared Tom´s ¨almost famous¨ baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, mandioca, brownies, and ice cream! And we can´t forget the most important thing we had…Sonny´s sweet BBQ sauce. An American dish for sure! Sara´s family loves it when Tom is down to cook for them! In the down time we had in between cooking, we made banana bread. It is one of the best recipes we’ve ever had! (Naturally, while making brownies and banana bread, we, college students, most definitely ate some batter!) We also played another intriguing game of ¨Who am I¨(that 20 questions type game mentioned earlier). Another hilarious game for sure!

We went back to the school in shifts for the night. Nicole and Anysia had gotten back first, and then, Courtney, Dawn, and Kendra. The last three didn’t get back until around midnight, and unfortunately for them, the guard was no where to be found. So they made noise to get Nicole and Anysia´s attention. They came down in t-shirts and spandex, had towels wrapped on their heads from showering, and their toothbrushes and toothpaste in their mouths. It was quite a funny site! Those two girls took what the other ones had been carrying with them, and the three hopped the fence. Don´t worry, parents, no one was hurt in the process; it was only a hilarious circumstance! We finally went to bed around 1 AM giving us an ample amount of sleep… NOT. We had to get up at 5:45AM the next morning! Oh well, God will give us energy!

Day 9

Today, we had four presentations, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Like many of the other schools we have visited, we played in an outside courtyard area. It was a beautiful day outside, and the skits and presentations went rather well. However, the first two groups that we had were a little rambunctious (or however you spell it!) and had trouble paying attention, but all was well! Courtney gave her testimony in Spanish again (without a notebook for reference) three of the four times. One of the times, the kids were out of control and too anxious to play. Kendra and Courtney additionally jumped into one of the dances that Sue´s school has been doing at the presentations! It is to the song “Momentum” by the group Rojo. It was so fun to watch the girls getting involved! The girls have also remarked that it has been awesome to watch another human video that the students do over and over again; it is to the song “Everything” by Lifehouse.

Click Here To Watch an Example of The “Everything” Skit on YouTube.

Between each session, the kids had recess and time for the canteen. During this time, we got a little break and got to hang out more with the students from Sue´s school. Our girls also received gifts of fruit cups and candy from some of the girls at the school we were visiting. It was so sweet, and all 5 of the girls loved it!! Another thing about the school we visited was that the students were so loving! They were hugging all of us and holding our hands. The kids loved being loved and getting some attention! Oh, and every student kept asking the girls if they preferred Olympia or Cerro, two of the soccer clubs in Paraguay. Here, in Paraguay, students of all ages are very devout to a soccer club and are very competitive over it!

When we woke up this morning, Anysia was not feeling well at all and rested during the afternoon. At dinner, the house helpers at Sue´s house prayed with the team for her! They are members of the intercessory prayer team at the church, and it was so great to hear them pray with such passion! By faith, we all believe that Anysia will feel better! She even said after the prayer that she already felt better!

While the presentations were going on, Tom and Sara left to run some errands, one of which was to pick up the mattresses for the orphanage. Let me tell you, God definitely had His hand in it. When they got there, they explained why they were buying so many mattresses, and then 2 two things happened; 1) The store lowered the price, and 2) The store donated a bed! Because of the lower cost, Tom and Sara were able to buy pillows for the kids! How wonderful! Tom and the whole team were so excited and are still excited! We have not raised all of the funds for the mattresses, yet, so if you would like to donate, please let us know! You would be such a blessing to these kids in need!

The girls ended the night going to the church that they are living directly above. It was great! They had worship time, and the girls were so grateful that there was a projector that showed the words, even if it was in Spanish! Sue introduced the girls to the church, and during a time of sharing praise reports and testimonies, Dawn spoke from a passage in 2 Corinthians about facing trials. The person who spoke in the service was a lady who is a music and fine arts teacher at Sue´s school. The message really spoke to every girl. She focused on Deuteronomy 7:26* saying that we need to break everything that is abominable in the sight of God and that hinders us from completely surrendering to Him. God will bless our sacrifice! Sue translated quietly the whole time for the girls! What skill! She was definitely a blessing! Also, the pastor and his wife are so amazingly sweet. They are from New York and have been all over the world serving as missionaries! Afterwards, the girls discussed with each other the things that they no longer want in their lives and agreed to hold each other accountable! The group is most definitely becoming a close team!

*Deuteronomy 7:26 "Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction."

Day 10

Today, we got to spend all day at Sue´s school day, Nuevo Horizante. In total we did 6 presentations, three in the morning and three in the afternoon. The first groups of each session were Pre-K 4 through 2nd grade, the second was 3rd-6th, and the third ones were 7-10th. It was so fun to stay on location! We were able to hang out more with the group of students who have been doing the presentations with us! All the students have been encouraged to practice their English with us as we practice our Spanish with them! So, it´s been fun learning new words! They taught us a new word “Purete” which means something like “Cool.” It is so awesome getting to know these kids and playing some volleyball with them! As a thank you to them, we brought stuff to make S´mores and built a fire during one of our breaks! They loved it and exclaimed “Purete!”

During the presentations, all of the girls joined with the dance and Courtney gave her testimony. During the sessions with the older kids, the students had a worship time! It was so amazing! We found out that rocking out is universal!!! We were jumping all around and, because we stepped out of our boxes, the students stepped out of theirs and joined in the jumping and in the fun of praising God!

Another break that we had was filled with Sue giving us a tour of the school. The school started with Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten and those students now from those classes are now serving on the ministry team with us. The school started with 52 people and now it has expanded to over 600 students in the past 10 years. They have an early childhood center, a three-story school building, and are in the process of building a church and a multi-purpose building. They have been growing so much that there is not enough room for all the students who want to attend. Last year, they turned away 400 students. God is doing amazing things here and has definitely blessed all of the hard work that Sue and others have put into the school!

We had dinner and then headed to Sugar for ice cream. It was delicious! Most of us paired up and shared banana splits which were HUGE! We got to chose our own three flavors of it, too, which was a very hard decision- there were so many to choose from. This restaurant was definitely one of the nicest ones we’ve been to! After a little “Sugar” rush, we headed back to the school to get some needed sleep.

Pray for their strength during their last 4 days there!!!

Day 6 and 7

2011-05-24T16:20:00.001-04:00

Day 6

[Excerpts from the team blog…]

We left the market and headed to a very small Methodist church, but got there an hour late due to traffic. We were greeted openly by the pastor and his family and went to a local park to do a presentation. We walked through the neighborhoods inviting kids to come. We went back to the park to begin playing with the kids in groups, teaching them to pass and what not. We stopped and sang some songs and Tamara, a 22 year old who works with Sue, gave the message. (One of the songs that we did has become one of our favorites. We learned it earlier this week and it’s called “Adentro, Afuera, Arriba, Abajo” and it has actions. Our group can’t wait to demonstrate it to family and friends when we get back!) In the middle of the whole presentation, Courtney spoke about Romans 12:4-6* which related to team work and how each person is unique and has a specific purpose in the body of Christ.

As the sun began to set and darkness began to fall, we headed back to the church of maybe 10 members and attended service. Sue gave the message, Nicole spoke on Ephesians 2**, and Courtney gave her testimony. At the end of her message, Sue presented Pastor Herman with a laptop computer. He was so grateful and even joked that they have a table, but no computer. Sue’s school had even put Christian computer programs on it to be used as tools to help him. He was very close to tears!

We then left for an Assemblies of God church in the area and met with the youth group. Anysia stepped up and gave her testimony. Boy, was it amazing!!!! She definitely rocked it! We then repeated the presentation from earlier in the day except this time, Tom spoke a little bit. He talked about how a rope is made up of smaller strings and how the rope is only as strong as its weakest strand. He related it to a team and did a fabulous job! It was perfect timing that we had come to this youth group because they were starting a new program and needed to come together as a team. We then played outside in the dark, on a hill, for a little while and had some fun. All night, it was Team Paraguay versus Team USA. Funny thing was, everyone was mixed, so both teams had people from both countries.

Read the rest of the story HERE. Things you don’t want to miss – an 8 1/2 hour bus ride with an inexperienced bus driver, eating chipas. empanadas, pizza and avocados the size of melons, dangerous bunk beds, meeting the Kurrle family (a missionary in that area with Missionary Ventures International) a bat and a cat with half of a tail.

Day 7

We actually got to sleep in today until about 9AM. We never thought that we’d be so excited to sleep in! However, Kendra and Courtney got up a tad earlier to shower and had some complications with the shower. Neither of them could get it to switch from the faucet to the shower head. So when each of them showered, they had to squat down and creatively shower. After getting ready, we went to Julie’s house, which was right down the road, for breakfast. It was amazing! There was apple pancakes, regular pancakes, bread, guava jam, lemon jam, pear jam, strawberry jam, milk, coffee, orange juice, and tea. She really hooked us up! It was also so nice to hear worship music playing in the house that was in English! We, the girls, were thrilled!

Today, it was so nice to get to know Julie and Timmy better! Timmy is so adorable and such a talker! He knows Spanish, English, and is learning German. Currently, they do children’s ministry, help with the youth, and are in the process of building a peanut business. It’s a microenterprise which allows for youth to have jobs and support their families instead of them having to leave the country and find work. Their name is Maní Guaraní. The Kurrle family has a peanut farm on their land because Paraguay soil is very fertile for growing peanuts. Julie told us that the peanut is native to Paraguay and was spread due to the colonizers from Spain. We bought some of their candied nuts which are delicious! They also are trying to get their peanut butter and peanuts into the local grocery store because they sell like hotcakes. Peanut butter is not sold in Paraguay anywhere.

We left the Kurrle’s house and went to the Jesuit ruins to do some sightseeing. They were pretty cool to see and walk through. The history is incredible! After seeing two different sites, we left for Lambare. On the way back, the ride began again with a bunch of napping! Typical college students! We made a couple of pit stops, one of which was for dinner at Villa Florida, a restaurant on the river. All of us got a Milanesa of some sort and papas fritas, a mix between a chip and a French fry. Here, the ketchup was kind of weird- it was watery and tasted funny. It made us miss Heinz ketchup for sure!

Finally, when we were back on the road we, the girls, were wired and awake. We played the memory alphabet game (I’m going to Paraguay and I’m bringing…) and telephone. Tom gave us some brain teasers, we had some girl talk, and then we had some pretty deep conversations concerning spiritual topics. We talked about suicide, angels, and demon possession. Some heavy stuff! Sue told us some stories of people that have been set free from demon possession in Paraguay, and it gave us goose bumps! We then started discussing about times the Holy Spirit has warned us in times of danger. We all felt a great spiritual connection to one another as we talked about the Bible and different topics. It was a great bus ride to say the least…despite our interesting bus driver!

Update from Dawn’s mom, Debbie

We were able to talk to Dawn on the phone Monday night for a short time. She sounded good and was very excited about all the opportunities they have had to share the Gospel. It’s been much more than just volleyball!! She had wanted the trip to give her chances to really touch lives “up close and personal” and she has definitely had the chance to do that every day. She’s also seen quite a number of different type of ministries – Christian schools, orphanages, a peanut farm, microbusinesses, and more.

Financial Update

Dawn sends her deep appreciation to all of those who have given financially to make this trip possible for her. It has been such an encouragement to her and a real confirmation that the hand of God was in her going to Paraguay. She still has about $300 to go to meet her goal. She was given grace and told that after paying a portion up front with the funds we had in hand, she could pay the balance when she got back. Will you be a part of Dawn’s support team and help her finish up this amount? Send your gifts to RMI, 5475 Lee St. Suite 301, Lehigh Acres, FL 33971. Include a separate note that it is for Dawn’s Paraguay trip.

The team has another 6 days of ministry left – stay tuned for further developments!!

Day 4 continued and Day 5

2011-05-20T23:06:00.001-04:00

[Excepts from the most recent team blog, Day 4 continued…]

As we were preparing to go to bed, Anysia and Dawn has a problem with the way there deflating mattress. It was hilarious to watch. After the five of us got our giggles (it was the first time sleeping together in the same room), we were ready to sleep. Then, fireworks started going off because Cerro, a soccer team here, had won a championship that we saw at the museum and everyone that was a Cerro fan was setting off fireworks. After the fireworks stopped for a while, then the rooster started crowing, then more fireworks, rooster, fireworks, rooster…we figured that rooster was imported and didn’t know what time zone he was in. needless to say, it was a fun night of delirium and laughs.

It seems like the team is not only enjoying ministry, but enjoying each other! Keep praying for them as their schedule gets more intense – 4-6 volleyball presentations a day. Pray that they stay healthy and that their enjoyment of each other as a team continues.

Read the rest of the blog HERE.

[Excerpts from the team’s blog, Day 5….]

We did 4 presentations today working with 2 younger groups and 2 older groups. It also was not totally centered around volleyball which we all enjoyed. Sue’s school had prepared a song, some drama, and had a pastor speak and offer the prayer of salvation. It was awesome that we could be used as a tool to get into the school, because without us, that school would not of had a chance to share that Gospel. Dawn talked in front of the groups and did a fantastic job talking about pride. She did not intend to talk about this, but the Holy Spirit put it on her heart right before she got up there. it was a very powerful message. Also, the students really enjoyed the volleyball aspect of it and getting the opportunity to play.

In between the morning and afternoon session, Sue and Perla took us to Cerro Lambare, a hill with a very popular statue which symbolizes all the curses and satanic forces that were put onto Paraguay by the Masons. Lambare is the exact center of all South America. Many churches and Christians have gone there and prayed over the area. It was amazing that none of us felt the dark, spiritual presence while visiting. It was made so clear to us that the demons had to flee at the name of Jesus.

………….. [from Coach Tom] Tom’s thoughts….I can see a difference in the girls already. They are becoming one right before my eyes. God is moving thru them to the people of Paraguay, but also changing them at the same time. The more they give, the more they receive. Continue to keep them in your prayers, they are getting pretty tired. Sara and I have enjoyed having them and they are doing wonderful!!!

Thank you for your prayers – don’t stop now!!

Read the whole blog HERE.

Day 4

2011-05-19T22:58:00.001-04:00

[From today’s team blog…]

Today, we linked forces with Sue Givens, the missionary, and Perla, a 22-year old college student who works with Sue, and headed to Los Chacos. The term ¨chaco¨ is similar to the meaning of forest where there is a lot of land, plants, and animals. Los Chacos takes up 80% of Paraguay´s land, but only 10-15% of the population live there. We crossed the Paraguay River and headed into land that is not as populated as where we have been staying. Mainly, the people who reside here are native indigenous tribes who speak a dialect consisting of a mixture of Guarani, Spanish, and their tribal language. When we arrived there, we immediately saw the living conditions of the Indian village, which were similar to living in shacks and huts. We were told that the men will go out 4-5 weeks at a time and hunt. Needless to say, it is a very primitive community. They survive on what´s around them…the chickens live in the houses, the cows wander around, they make money from jewelry they make, and the trees are used to build their huts, etc.

We trekked a little ways to an opening where we set up a homemade net system that Tom made using lumber for poles. The pastor there had to shovel up manure off the court while we set up the net. At the same time, Sue and Perla did a little devotional with the kids. We finally broke the kids into groups and we worked with them on the basics of volleyball. Surprisingly, some of the kids knew what they were doing and as we were walking to the area we would be playing, we actually saw a few nets set up in the village. Eventually, there were about 15-20 people playing on each side. Dawn especially fell in love with this place! She said that this was her element and her favorite part of the trip so far. After playing, we bought some bags, trinkets, and jewelry made from seeds. We then said our good-byes.

(The picture is of the Paraguay River from the internet. So far the internet is too slow to upload pictures, but they are working on another way to get a few pictures out!)

Day 3

2011-05-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

[Excerpts from the team’s blog…]

Our day began with a presentation at Grace School and spent 3 and a half hours there this morning. We played three versus three and then the girls split up and each took a group of students to teach them the fundamentals of volleyball. At the end of the sessions, the teams played each other for a bit. When given the option to take a break, two of the teams decided to keep playing because they were so excited to have the opportunity! A common thing that has been happening when we play volleyball with the kids here is that they always revert back to their soccer skills. Several times today, we would have to get balls down from a net hanging over the volleyball court because they had kicked them up there. Towards the end of our time there, we were given the chance to work with the school´s volleyball team. They were a group of 11 girls who actually had some basic skills and a love for the game! We became very attached to these girls and they to us. At the end, they asked us if we had Facebooks so they could look us up!

There’s also something about a restaurant with the meat on a sword and ten desserts; some shopping; a museum of Paraguayan heroes; the exchange of pictures and letters at the orphanage and finishing the painting there! Wow! Each day is jam-packed full!

Sounds like the team’s hearts are being touched as much as they are touching hearts!

Read the whole blog here, HERE.

Day 1 and 2

2011-05-17T23:24:00.001-04:00

Team Paraguay:

Nicole Horton, Mississippi College (she’s from Colorado), Anysia Weicht, St. Leo University (Ft. Myers), Courtney Creamer, Mississippi College (Ft. Myers), Kendra Altemeyer, Newberry College (Ft. Myers) and Coach Tom Baxter (Ft. Myers)

I received a message from Dawn while they were on layover in Peru then was able to chat with her via instant messenger yesterday.

They had a good but very long trip. Costa Rica was beautiful. She had some severe pain in one ear as the planes took off and landed but that eventually went away several hours later when her ear finally “popped”. They didn’t arrive in Asuncion until 3:30 a.m., an hour late, but got all of their luggage and didn’t have any trouble in customs.

They are staying at Coach Tom and his wife, Sara’s (who is Paraguayan) apartment. After a bit of sleep, they had lunch at Coach Tom’s favorite restaurant. Dawn had beef and it was really yummy. She’s already having a great time. It’s been fun to get to know Sara better and see her in her home country. She likes what little she’s seen of Asunción and noted that there’s poverty, but not to the extent of Haiti’s poverty.

Excerpts from the team’s blog:

The time finally came for us to head to the orphanage. We built a fire, cooked hot dogs, introduced S´mores to the kids, and most importantly, fell in love with the kids there…..At the beginning, it took a while for everyone to warm up to each other, but it did not take long for God´s love to pour out of us! We played games, painted the girls´nails, laughed with each other, and ate together. ….One of the most rewarding and touching things about tonight was to see a husband and a wife with three kids of their own and a fourth on the way take care of 14 other children as if they were there own……..All in all, tonight was AMAZING and we can´t wait for what the rest of the trip has to offer!!!

Read the full blog entry HERE. Click on the title “May 16th- Officially Day 1 of our Trip” to read the entire entry.

The itinerary is HERE. You can keep up to date on the day’s projected activities there.

Pray for the team as they have their first presentation this morning. The team has played together at different times in high school and in club ball, but since they all just finished the school year at their various colleges, they haven’t practiced together as a team. It shouldn’t take long to get their rhythm down though.

Part of the afternoon’s activities will include painting at the orphanage.

Dawn’s burdens for this trip:

*That she play well to give a good showing of volleyball skills

*That she can effectively share her testimony and will be able to share the Gospel in a way that will bring people to Christ

*That she will be a blessing and encouragement to her teammates

Pray for her for these things please! Feel free to send her encouraging notes at: definitelydawn@hotmail.com. Internet is limited but she will be able to access it from time to time.

Day 2

[Excerpts from the team’s blog….]

We commuted to Siloh Christian School where we did two presentations, the first one was for fourth-sixth grade and the second was for the seventh-ninth grade of the school. The kids got such a kick of playing volleyball. We were playing it by ear as to how the presentations were going to go. We ended up playing 2 versus 3 for the first presentation and 2 plus Tom versus 3 for the second one for about ten minutes and then we let the kids serve back and forth. We placed targets on the ground for the kids to serve and hit. The winners were given soda as a prize. It was amazing to see how much the kids here share with each other. We saw the sodas being passed around down a line of kids as each person took a sip. For the older kids, they were given the opportunity to play against the girls… and they loved it! At the end of the first presentation Courtney spoke to the kids about Philippians 4:13 and then Nicole spoke about faith and prayer for the second one. When we told the kids that we were leaving the nets for them, they all applauded and cheered. They have never had a volleyball net before and were sooo excited to be able to play. Last night, the principal was telling us that he had to board up the building with the volleyball court to keep kids out from wanting to play. When we arrived this morning, there was a piece of plywood up against the opening saying that they were prohibited from coming in.

Read the rest of their adventures, including their return to the orphanage HERE.

P.S. The t-shirt is the team’s “uniform”. 2 Passions…1 Purpose, Volleyball with a mission.

Dawn is on the plane!!

2011-05-15T09:56:00.001-04:00

From Dawn’s blog:

Friday, May 13

Wow! Today was amazing. I finished packing and cleaning my room. I can’t believe my sophomore year is over. It was sad and exciting at the same time. My parents arrived just before 1 and we went to eat a quick Chinese lunch with several friends. They surprised me with an “end of the year” present: my visa for the trip! Yep – it arrived!!!!

When we got home (after a 3 hour trip-ugh), we unloaded everything then my mom and I went to get our hair cut…and shopping at Wal-Mart for things I need for the trip.

So far I have about half of my support. Gifts are coming in and it is so encouraging to read some of the notes enclosed.

I can’t believe I leave in just 1 day! Here’s some facts:

~It is estimated that we’ll be sharing the Gospel with over 4400 kids through our volleyball exhibition games. What an amazing opportunity.

~We’ll be partnering with a Methodist missionary, Sue Givens, and some Christian youth from the school that she works in.

~With each volleyball “presentation”, the youth will do a skit, we’ll play volleyball, share our testimonies and the gospel will be presented.

~We’ll be in more than 6 school, working with a church and working at an orphanage.

~It’s fall, going into winter there and it’s in the same time zone as Florida.

~It’s a 24 hour trip (Ft. Myers, Miami, San Jose Costa Rica, Lima Peru then Asunción) to get there.

~Our team of 8 has been whittled down to 5 girls. We are going to have to work even harder in the games.

~Volleyball is the 2nd favorite sport in Paraguay. Our presentation will be given to kids of all ages, 1st grade on up to 12th.

~The trip’s leader has posted our itinerary on the trip’s blog HERE. It’s an intensive schedule! Pray for strength and no injuries for the team. Pray for the kids who will hear the gospel and the ministry that’ll be doing the follow up after we are gone.

I can’t wait to experience the Paraguayan culture and try the food. I love new cultures & different foods!

Thank you to all of you who have given so far! And thank you for your prayers. God is already answering prayers (my visa came in time for me to go!!!). I’m so excited to see what God is going to do in the next 2 weeks.

I’ll do my best to post some pictures and keep you informed via this blog. Check the team’s blog, too, for updates.

Saturday, May 14

I’m packed and ready to go!

1 suitcase, 50.0 lbs., 1 backpack and 1 purse.

Yes, that’s my passport and an “Indiana Jones” style journal that I found at a bookstore this afternoon. Pretty cool, huh?

One huge praise!! This afternoon I received word of a large gift that enables me to pay the airline portion of my costs!! There are still a few costs to cover but I know that God will supply it. It’s so clear that He wants me on this trip.

Pray for us as we drive to Miami tomorrow, Sunday, at 3:30 a.m. It is going to be a very, very long day.

Another praise, the last visa was found at a closed Post Office and we were able to find someone working in the back who was willing to open and give it to us. It was a close call!

God is already at work, making all the details fall into place in just the last 2 days.

May 15

Need I say more?!

First stop, San Jose, Costa Rica,

then a long layover in Lima, Peru,

then finally Acunsion, Paraguay

……at 2:30 tomorrow morning!

My Mother’s Day Present

2011-05-10T21:19:00.001-04:00

Before:

After:

Devon & Dan laid the block/retaining wall and partially filled it with soil one weekend, then Dan and I finished filling it with dirt then laid the weed cloth the next weekend. Over the next several days we worked after our day at the office and planted all the plants. And finally, tonight we laid the mulch. It’s now finished! It’s so beautiful and classy!

Thanks Devon & Dan. I love it and can’t wait to see it develop and flower!

She’s off again and asks for your prayers!

2011-05-01T14:05:00.001-04:00

Paraguay? Volleyball?!

2011-05-01T13:40:00.001-04:00

April 25, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Until last week, I didn’t know where Paraguay was. But then I received a message from my high school volleyball coach, Tom Baxter, asking me if I was available to join the volleyball team outreach that he was taking to Paraguay! This trip will combine 2 of my passions: missions and volleyball.

The trip is 2 weeks long, May 15 to May 30 and will be in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion. We will be teaming up with a local ministry, New Horizon Methodist School, who are organizing the exhibition games we will be playing and translators to translate as we share our testimonies and present the Gospel. Besides some Christian schools, we’ll be able to use volleyball as a tool to share Christ in several public schools. The team will also work with a local church in the countryside. It’s going to be a busy time – we’ll play several games a day and be involved in many kinds of ministry!

I have never been on a trip like this and I am looking forward to see how God works as well as how a sports evangelism trip is operated. I am also very excited to put my love for volleyball and my love for the Lord and missions together and use them simultaneously.

The trip will cost $1,500 round trip. Because I have come into this a bit late, I’m urgently praying that God will provide the funds quickly. Would you be a part of my support team? Gifts are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to RMI and sent to:

RMI

5475 Lee St. Suite 301

Lehigh Acres, FL 33971

(They’ve graciously agreed to receipt funds for me and forward them to the missionary I’ll be working with in Paraguay. Be sure to enclose a note that the gift is for Dawn Shoemaker.)

Would you be a part of my prayer team? Without your prayers, God’s work cannot move forward! I need your prayers!

The trip is only 3 weeks away, I still have papers to finish and finals to take to finish up my sophomore year here at Trinity College. So pray for me as I finish up my classes, pack up my room, work on getting my passport, Paraguayan visa and pack (it’s almost winter there!) for the trip.

Pray that we have a safe trip.

Pray for the salvation of those who we get to talk to.

Pray God opens hardened hearts.

Pray for spiritual growth of the team going down.

Pray that God provides for the trip financially.

Pray for our leaders on the trip.

Pray especially for me for spiritual growth, to grasp the missionary aspect of the trip, to be able to evangelize beyond the language barrier, to be a living witness to those around me.

Excited to serve God!

Dawn

Questions for me? My email is definitelydawn@hotmail.com. I’ll be posting updates on my blog again, definitelydawn.blogspot.com.

Questions for my dad? His email is dan.shoemaker@rminet.org.

This is real life

2011-01-12T16:34:00.001-05:00

January 12, 2010 changed life as Haiti knew it forever. It has been a defining moment for Haitians around the world just as 9/11 has been for Americans. How can a nation so desperately poor endure the loss of 250,000 people, all of it’s infrastructure, government buildings, businesses and countless schools, churches and homes all in less than 30 seconds?

How can it rebuild? Rebuilding implies that there was something there of worth in the first place. In many instances this wasn’t the case.

A late season hurricane hit the southern peninsula hard, severely affecting crops.

Cholera has reared its ugly head and killed over 3,600.

Life was hard before. Agonizing more often describes it now. But this is real life. It is inescapable and unforgettable.

The world has forgotten for the most part. There have been other happenings that have grabbed the headlines.

We here at RMI have not forgotten, and never will!! It was a “game changer” for us. It brought about a paradigm shift within RMI. One day we were solely involved in the Sister Church Program and Hope for Kidz. The next we were thrust into disaster recovery: organizing and delivering medical and relief supplies, flying in medical personnel, and organizing and delivering relief food aid. Our missionaries and national staff worked tirelessly for months trying to meet the needs of the earthquake survivors.

In response to the ongoing needs for transitional housing, RMI started the Homes for Haiti Program. To date, 28 homes have been built and the material for 24 more homes are in customs. Monies are still needed for homes. There are so many families that need them!!

In response to the ongoing hunger issue, RMI started the Food for Haiti Program. Since this program began 6 months ago, we’ve been able to distribute 540,000 meals – just think about that! God has been at work.

The Hope for Kidz Program is now providing a hot meal for over 1,300 kids every school day. Not only is it meeting nutritional needs of kids, it has become an evangelistic tool. Once people heard that the schools were providing a free hot lunch, they flocked to the school, transferring their kids so they could be a part of it. Those additional families are now exposed to the Gospel on a daily basis!

In response to the cholera issue, we have a cholera handout in creole for each Sister Church to pass out to their congregation and people in their community. This will go hand in hand with a seminar for the people in the community on how to prevent, recognize and treat cholera as well as how to properly treat water for drinking and cooking.

RMI is committed to coming alongside the Haitian people in meeting their needs and helping them as they travel the road to recovery. We are enabling people here in the US be a part of meeting those needs. Hands on ministry that makes a difference

Remember Haiti today. Don’t forget the Haitian people!

We will not forget!

RMI missionary, Amy Long, has many memories of that day and the long days that followed. Here is Amy Long's blog.

The Ft. Myers newspaper, The News-Press, has a reporter and photo journalist in Haiti this week. Besides their general reports, they are visiting several ministries from the Southwest Florida area who are ministering in Haiti. Thursday (tomorrow) they will be meeting with RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, and visiting some of the Homes for Haiti homes in Leogane. Look for links to those pictures and the report on this blog in the next couple of days. Once they return, there may also be a TV report on the local CBS affiliate. (Cool, huh?!)

Crosses mark the site of a mass grave Tuesday in Titanyen, just outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Bodies were brought to the spot after the devastating earthquake of one year ago today (Andrew West/news-press.com)

You can find more News-Press photos here. Reporter Rachel Revehl’s, article for today can be found here.

Additional resources:

Haitians rely on faith-based organizations (video from ABC News)

Haitians turn to God at quake anniversary (Yahoo.com article)

Franklin Graham's crusade in Port-au-Prince (BillyGraham.org)

US Ambassador: Progress in Haiti is slow but real (The Washington Post)

In Haiti, Hope is the last thing lost (Wall Street Journal article)

We know that Haiti’s hope and answer is in Jesus Christ. We are excited that God is using us and you to make an impact!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-02T16:05:00.001-05:00

The week of November 22 I wondered if they sold “pop outs” (like large RVs have to create extra rooms) for houses. If they did, I would have seriously considered getting a couple of them. I wasn’t sure how 18 people would fit in the house! Not only was all of Dan’s family coming (11 people), but Dawn was home from college and Devon’s girlfriend, Daiquiri, and Devon’s roommate, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Jules, were joining us, too.

I pondered it while I got the house ready, made the menu and tried to not panic in trying to figure out how to cook 3 turkeys. I’m so thankful and grateful that Dawn arrived the day before Thanksgiving! She was a huge help in making ALL that stuffing, prepping and cooking 2 turkeys the night before. The pies, 1 more turkey and other food was cooked the next morning. It was a lot of food for a lot of people! Having 1 stove was a problem but not kind of thing you run out to the store to buy another one for.

We solved the problem of space by turning the breakfast area into a buffet line and after moving things around on the lanai, moved the breakfast table there. Together with the lanai table, that gave us enough space. The 10 young people could be together and 8 of us “old people” enjoyed our expanded dining room table. So I guess I didn’t need the “pop outs” anyway.

Dan and I….still smiling after all the cleaning, cooking & moving furniture around.

Daiquiri and Devon. Yes, that really is her name! She said that her mother’s name is Sherry and she has an aunt named Brandy, so her parents named her Daiquiri.

My wonderful mother-in-law making gravy. We joked that she found out how to get out of doing anything else – just volunteer to make gravy. We all wanted a lot of gravy, so she made a huge pot. But it just wouldn’t boil! She stood there for a very, very long time stirring and stirring AND STIRRING! Everyone was hungry, picking away at the turkey carcass and the food was ready, but still it didn’t boil. My sister-in-law, Rosie, Mom and I stood there and watched it make first one bubble, then another….and another. Finally! We called everyone to gather for the prayer and were finally able to put it on the table. I’m not sure she’s going to volunteer to make gravy again.

The buffet!

My very own “razzleberry pie”. It turned out fantastic.

Dawn and her PopPop.

Brother and Sister

Seriously, don’t ask me how those young people could play volleyball after all that food! It was 86 degrees – hot for Thanksgiving Day, even in Southwest Florida. They came dragging into the house later blaming the really badly played game on too much food and too much heat. Go figure!

One more thing. There were leftovers. A LOT of leftovers. Everyone was sent home with turkey, dressing, gravy and whatever else they wanted. AND we actually had turkey leftovers for ourselves! Turkey sandwiches, turkey potpie, turkey stew and turkey….well, you get the idea. The leftovers are the best part!

The Revenge of Household Appliances

2010-11-23T10:31:00.001-05:00

Recently we experienced what seems like the revenge of household appliances. As new suburbanites, we knew that things seem to happen in clusters, and we certainly experienced that recently. Our adventure started on a Saturday. Dan and I got up fairly early to get ready to join Devon at the Ultimate Frisbee National Championships in Sarasota. We wanted to be on the road by 9. As Dan was showering, I retrieved the bathroom area rugs from the laundry room where they’d been washed the day before. When I came back into the bathroom to put them down before Dan got out of the shower, I saw that the toilet was overflowing. Icky water was everywhere! I ran to get some junk towels to soak it up. I placed the towels around and Dan took the lid off the toilet tank to work on things to make it stop flowing. There was so much water that I ran back to get another armful of junk towels and a bucket. While I was getting them from the laundry room, I heard a loud CRASH. When I got back to the bathroom, I found a very unhappy husband picking up the tank lid, which was in about 30 pieces, and putting it into the trashcan! He had been trying to sop up the water and grabbed a towel that was behind him, not realizing that the lid was sitting up on the towel. When he pulled the towel, the lid went crashing. It was clearly not a superglue job. We worked for over an hour cleaning up the floor, unplugging the toilet and then cleaning the toilet and floor with Lysol! We finally got on the road to Sarasota about 10:30. And we now have a lidless toilet tank.

[We had a great day with Devon watching the Frisbee Championships. It is an intense sport! Played with a Frisbee, or more correctly called a disk, it is played on a soccer sized field and is part soccer, part basketball, part football and is self governed. There are official “observers” that are there to watch and settle disputes. Everyone knows the rules and “ref” themselves. There are terms for all the moves, passes and fouls. It’s a complete subculture! There were 30 fields set up (yes, 30 fields – it was a huge venue!), teams from all over the US and hundreds of people there. Devon’s team took 2nd in Florida and went to the Regional playoffs but didn’t place to participate in the Nationals. It was fun meeting much of Devon’s team and watching the games with Devon. We had to laugh because since the average player is between the ages of 21 and 32, we were the oldie goldies – definitely out of our demographic.]

Monday evening the wind up garden hose holder betrayed us. We have the kind that is attached to the wall and conveniently winds the hose up using a handle. It’s a great system that is very helpful to me. After several very dry and hot Florida days, I needed to water the various flowers and plants in the yard. I grabbed the nozzle and began to pull on it as I usually do. After a couple of feet, instead of freely rolling out, it stopped and the entire hose holder disintegrated. It split wide open, dropping chunks of plastic on the ground. I don’t know, sure seems like it should have latest more than 1 1/2 years!

We had just bought a 2nd one to install on the side of the house, so Dan had to use that one to replace the broken unit. That wasn’t what we’d planned and now we’re going to have to buy yet another one. Did I even need to say that?

The next day, Dan took a small thermos of coffee to work with him. He set it on one of the back seats in our van, next to a cream colored throw blanket that I keep in the car. When we arrived, we found that it had leaked all over the place…the seat and the throw were a mess. Dan sopped up as much as he could with paper towels. When we got home that evening, I washed the throw to get the coffee out.

The next morning I went to put it in the dryer. When I opened the washer I was greeted with the throw sitting in a washer full of soapy water. It hadn’t finished the wash cycle. I thought it was a little curious but I went ahead and started it again before I left for work. That evening I checked it and found the same thing! The throw was sitting in a machine full of water. My heart sunk because I knew that this probably meant an expensive service call. I couldn’t understand what the issue was, so I pulled a chair into the laundry room, started the machine and sat and watched it as it progressed through it’s wash cycle. But it didn’t get very far before it shut down. It just wouldn’t spin the water out. I was disgusted. I thought for sure this nice washer was supposed to last longer. I left the throw in the machine.

The next morning at breakfast I broke the bad news to Dan. The washer was broken and we needed to have a service call. Since Dan was leaving in 2 days on a week long ministry trip, we needed it fixed as soon as possible. After work that day, I got a bucket and fished the throw out. I rinsed it by hand in the kitchen sink and wrung it out (by hand) while Dan watched the machine NOT do its cycle. He went online and researched the issue and possible fix. After a while, he went in to work on it. I wasn’t sure what he could do since it is a front loading machine with electronic controls. And after a bit, he called me to say that he’d fixed it but I needed to come look at something. He discovered that there was a trap that he could access easily. When he pulled it out he found that it was jam packed and clogged with what looked like cotton batting. It was bigger than his fist.

We’re not sure where it came from. Could the wad of used coffee paper towels have been scooped up in the throw and washed with it? Dan swears he threw those paper towels away. If not that, could it have been that the throw, which was a fuzzy, cuddly, soft chenille one, lose all it’s fuzzy, cuddly softness? Did it slough off all its “chenille”? I’d washed it before with no issues. Yet this is the only conclusion we can come up with. There was white fuzz all over the washer drum. We ran it through another wash cycle and cleaned out the trap again. We washed some junk towels, trying to get the fuzzes out of the washer – we didn’t want our clothes to come out covered in white fuzz.

While all this was going on, I shook the throw out outside. The air was full of fuzz. The ground was covered with fuzz; it looked like it had snowed just in that little area of the grass. I put it in the dryer thinking that I’d gotten it all shaken out. About a third of the way through the dry cycle, I stopped it and checked the lint screen. It was so full I could hardly get it out of it’s slot. There was enough fuzz to make another throw! “Well,” I thought, “that is that, all the fuzz is gone.” I put it in the dryer again. To be safe, after another 10 or 15 minutes, I checked the lint screen again. To my utter amazement and shock, I found yet another full batch of white fuzz. The 2 together were as big as a basketball. I dried the junk towels and got a bit more fuzz. Now tell me, how can a throw blanket disintegrate so much just by washing it??!! It is now not so fuzzy and literally threadbare – and still losing fuzz everywhere it goes. I’ve since put it in the garbage.

At least the coffee stain came out.

And the washing machine works just fine now. (What a great husband I have! He figured it out and took care of it, sparing us an expensive service call!!) I since have heard several stories of people having major “fuzz” issues with their chenille throws, but none as dramatic (traumatic, astounding?) as ours.

The cycle of revenge didn’t end there.

A few days after the fuzz attack I was vacuuming the house. I have a love/hate relationship with this vacuum cleaner. I love it because it works well, does hard floors and carpet, has a special cleaning head for the couch and a good baseboard/corner nozzle. I hate it because after less than a year, the on/off switch busted. Dan was able to bypass the switch and hardwire it so that when I plugged it in, it turned on. To turn it off, I had to go unplug it. A hassle, yes, but it worked. Eventually Dan installed a simple on/off switch on the cord. That worked for a while but one day it “blew up” (with spits, sparks, smoke and melted plastic) in my hands. I’m thankful I was not shocked. Dan hardwired it again. On = plug it in, off = unplug it.

This particular day I was just finishing the day’s vacuuming when the whole hardwire section disintegrated in my hands. It completely separated. I was left holding the “hot” end! Again, it was just God’s grace that I was not electrocuted. It is now hardwired again.

All this doesn’t take into account the belts that have busted and left oily marks on the carpet, smoked and stunk up the house. And no, we aren’t yet going to get a new one – can’t afford it.

……And the ice maker is chugging along. Ice makers are not supposed to chug. Dan has become an experienced ice maker repairman. We have a stand alone ice maker. I guess our many years in the tropics taught us to really appreciate and enjoy our ice! He’s replaced the cutting wires several times. He’s replaced the 2 different pumps a couple of times. We’ve learned that the chugging means that another pump needs to be replaced very soon.

I’m so thankful for a handy husband!! I couldn’t make it without him!

Thanksgiving is coming very soon. My prayer is that no more appliances will get it into their heads to act up, go on the fritz or otherwise go kaput. With 19 people expected for lunch that day, I need everything to hold up its end of the deal!

Jules is Home!!

2010-11-17T11:11:00.001-05:00

Thursday, November 11, our dear friend and colleague, Jules Gedna and his wife, Marthe, returned home to Haiti! Many of you have been praying for him and following his progress this past year and a half as he has made his journey through the bone cancer treatments and then a bone marrow transplant. It’s been a tough year in many ways. His health was precarious for most of those days. He and his wife didn’t know many people in Boston, not to mention it was very cold there! For several months they had to live with a future niece-in-law before they were able to move to a small basement apartment. Having no transportation, they had to rely on buses to get them to doctor appointments, grocery shopping, etc. Yet through it all, Jules always had a smile on his face and that same humble, sweet attitude that we all know and love. He was encouraged by visits from friends who traveled great distances just to be with him for a few hours, by the many cards and letters that he received and by phone calls from many people. His 2 sons were able to visit from Atlanta on several occasions.

He was declared cancer free by his doctors, but Hurricane Tomas delayed his return 2 weeks ago. All of the RMI staff and many missionaries that knew them were at the Cayes airport when the plane landed Thursday afternoon. They were surprised and overwhelmed to see so many people there to celebrate their homecoming. From there they were taken to the home of RMI missionary, Rob Thompson, where a welcome home dinner was held for them and the RMI staff. Once they finally got to their house, many more friends came by to greet them. You can see pictures of his return here.

Thank you for your prayers for this dear man of God! Thank you for your financial gifts to help Jules and Marthe. They could not have made it if it hadn’t been for these prayers and financial gifts. Many thanks to Greg Stritch (CrossRoad United Methodist Church, Jacksonville, FL) who flew back with them (since Dan was not able to go in with them due to other commitments). He made sure everything went smoothly as well as helped cover their flight expenses. Thanks Greg!

They are both so excited to be home after all this time. When they left they thought it was for Jules to get his back issue attended to, never dreaming that it was bone cancer. We are so thankful and praise God that Jules is doing so well. Continue to pray for him. He still has to deal with back pain and has a ways to go to recover his strength. Since his return almost a week ago, he’s had a steady stream of visitors coming to see him. He is not only a pillar of RMI’s ministry, but is well loved and known to many people in the Cayes area. What a testimony!

Hurricane Tomas Update

2010-11-05T11:20:00.001-04:00

Hurricane Tomas is on its way through the Windward passage today. RMI missionaries report that they experienced high winds from 2 – 4 a.m. Rains have been heavy as well. They expect more wind and rain during the day today. Locally they have seen a lot of branches and crop damage. So far the at least one of the rivers is still inside its banks. They felt that areas to the west of Cayes will have much more damage since the hurricane was closer to that area. They are contacting as many Sister Churches as possible. Port-a-Piment and Tiburon report that they are ok, but the crops are destroyed. Here are a few pictures from the Cayes area:

Flooded garden in the valley below the mission center

We are thankful that God answered everyone’s prayers and kept the eye off the coast. Continue to pray as Tomas is not yet gone! We’ll post more updates when we receive more information.

And Now for the Good News!

2010-10-27T14:25:00.001-04:00

Update on Jules

On Oct. 24, Jules celebrated his 56th birthday. He is doing very well. He’s anxious to get back to Haiti as soon as he can. The majority of his doctors have cleared him to return. The current issue is that he’s still having significant pain in his back (a dear friend arrived from Haiti recently and, not realizing how fragile Jules was and the possible consequences, gave Jules a joyful, giant bear hug, injuring his back). He is getting treatment for it and those doctors believe it will clear up in just a few weeks. At this time, he has been declared cancer free!! What a huge Praise the Lord for this special man!!

If all goes well, Jules would like to return to Haiti in November. Pray for his continued recovery and financial needs. He sends out big greetings and thank you-s to everyone. He is very appreciative of the many financial gifts he’s received as well as the phone calls, cards, letters and especially the prayers of so many people.

We’ll keep you up to date on his departure plans.

The Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program has begun!

The start of the Haitian school year, in the middle of October, marked not only the beginning of a “normal” school year – a good healing point for Haiti – but it also marked the beginning of the the Hope for Kidz Hot Lunch Program in specific pilot schools. It was estimated that this pilot year would feed 800 children with a hot, nutritional lunch. However, when word got out that those schools would be serving a hot lunch, families responded in droves, registering their children in those schools. The result is that we are now feeding 1,300 children each school day! The kids were very excited about getting a meal at school.

Update on Amy

2010-10-27T11:07:00.001-04:00

Amy has seen the retinal specialist and has surgery scheduled for November 1. Here is what she wrote in her blog:

“I am stateside. I arrived with absolutely no problems. I left my house at 3am, was at the airport by 7am and on the plane about 9am. Both the flight from Port to Miami and from Miami to Jacksonville left right on time and I was safely in Jacksonville a little ahead of schedule.

I had an appointment made for 8am but was told it may be a long morning as I will have to be worked into the schedule. Just this morning, the Ladies from the Bible Study I attended before I left for Haiti prayed that God would give me a connection with a Doctor who had a heart for Haiti and a heart for the work I am doing there. My mom got a call today saying that the Dr who would be seeing me had changed. When she talked to that Dr. my mom found out that she has been to Haiti numerous times. God has definitely been working in the details!!

The appointment yesterday morning wasn't actually for the surgery- it was a consult to see what the problem really was.

The surgery has been scheduled on November 1. I have to be at the surgery center at 8:15am.

Bottom line, there is more substantial damage than just the bleeding. There is scarring at the back of the retina and if not repaired, it could mean detachment of the retina and eventual complete blindness. the bleeding was actually a separate yet related problem. I consider it a blessing over all as the problem could have continued and become completely non=repairable.

It is a problem associated with diabetes and poorly controlled blood sugars (I guess Haiti has been harder on my system in that way than I realized but I am working on getting them under control and will just have to continue changing what I do when I return…) As of now, the laser surgery can help stop the bleeding and remove some of the scar tissue. The recovery process, he said in general is a two month process. If the process goes smoothly, then after two months he will sign off on the recovery and I, ideally, will be free to return to Haiti. As far as my vision, I am at 20/25 in my right (good eye) but at about 20/100 in the left eye. There is a 3 in 4 chance it will improve some and a 1 in 4 chance it will not. I am trusting and believing for the former.

I am working through what this all means and what life will look like over the next couple months. While things have turned out differently than I thought, I know that God’s hand is in this and I will trust Him to continue to guide me through.

I am missing Haiti very much today. I woke up to find news of a cholera outbreak in the North Western part of the Haiti. My heart breaks for a country whose people has already experienced enough grief and tragedy in the past ten months to last more than a lifetime. Keep Haiti on your mind, in your thoughts and in your prayers.”

Continue to pray for Amy. You can find her blog here. We will post updates as we receive info from her.

Urgent Prayer Needed

2010-10-19T22:42:00.001-04:00

RMI missionary, Amy Long, is in need of urgent prayer. She is experiencing retinal bleeding in her left eye. She is not in pain, but does have very blurry vision in that eye. This seems to be an issue brought on by her type 1 diabetes. She was able to go to a special eye clinic in Cayes on Monday to get this diagnosis and was told that she needed immediate laser surgery.

She is flying home to Jacksonville, FL tomorrow (Wednesday), and will be staying with her parents. God’s hand has been working for Amy already. Her mom has been able to get her an appointment with a retinal specialist at 8 a.m. Thursday morning! It is possible that she’ll have surgery the same day.

Pray that God will give the doctor wisdom as he diagnoses the problem and performs the surgery.

Pray for peace for Amy as she flies home leaving responsibilities (RMI has 3 back-to-back teams right now!) and facing some serious unknowns regarding her eyesight.

Pray that surgery can be done quickly, that the damage will be minimal and her eyesight will be fully restored.

Pray for Amy’s financial situation since this medical crisis is unexpected. Her insurance will cover some of the costs and some gifts have already been received to help cover her deductible. She will need finances to cover her plane flights and other unforeseen expenses. Any gifts for Amy’s expenses can be sent to RMI designated for Amy’s ministry account.

If you want to send Amy a card, her address is: Amy Long, 3114 Starburst Way, Jacksonville, FL 32223. Her email is amy.long@rminet.org. She will updating her blog regularly, too. We will also post updates as we receive them as well.

At this time, it is uncertain as to how long she’ll be in the US. It will depend entirely on her medical situation and her doctors.

What happened?

2010-10-12T15:26:00.002-04:00

I’m not sure what happened, but it seems that our summer evaporated. One minute it was here and the next it was gone! I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And now it is fall, or at least what passes as fall here in Southwest Florida!

The summer

Our summer involved a lot of travel, hard work & 2 weeks of vacation.

We traveled to Greenville, South Carolina to help one of my sisters and mom move into a new house. As a short sale, the closing date on the house was moved back and moved back until after we arrived. Since the closing was imminent they allowed my mom to sign an early occupancy agreement, which in turn allowed them to move in the day we arrived. When we got there, at 10 p.m., it was their first night in the house. The very first thing we had to do was to borrow a ladder from the neighbor so Dan could replace the batteries in all 8 smoke alarms. Yep – all 8 were chirping, all over the house! We unloaded a lot of things, set their refrigerator up, set up the air mattresses and fell into bed at midnight. It would have been a better night if my air mattresses hadn’t sprung a leak! I was so tired after our long trip from Florida and the unpacking that I just slept flat on the floor.

For the next 12 days we worked from sun up to way past sun down. Dan especially worked tirelessly. He installed a complete closet system, a workshop in the garage, fixed item after item around the house, retro-fitted the kitchen with rollout units, loaded and unloaded a 26 ft. U-Haul truck and a storage pod…and much more. I unpacked boxes, vacuumed and cleaned the house, cooked the meals, cleaned after meals, helped here and there.

In the meantime, Dawn was in Haiti for 5 weeks working with RMI. I hope you’ve been able to keep up to date on her blog. She’s written from the heart. You can find it here. She had a fantastic time. She hadn’t been back since we moved here 4 years ago. Going back as a short term missionary was different than being a missionary kid there. She was able to go outback with 3 teams, helped a new missionary unpack, helped in the Hope for Kidz Program as well as the Homes for Haiti Program. She found that being in full time ministry was hard work, that there were hard times, and fun times but that it was very rewarding.

When she returned to the states, she flew directly to South Carolina and we went for our annual trip to the dentist. We are so grateful for a dentist in Gastonia, NC who takes care of our dental needs as a service to the Lord. For us, it means a day getting our teeth cleaned and any and all work being done in one sitting! That’s a long time, but we are thankful for this dentist’s gift to us. It’s a real blessing!!

Dawn spent the rest of her summer in Tampa house sitting for her pastor & his family and picking up odd jobs here and there.

Her sophomore year of college started early with volleyball camp. Classes started in late August. She was able to get a part-time campus job, which will help her out. Take a look at the Trinity College of Florida web-site here. Trinity chose her to be one of the students pictured on their website. She’s the blond in the fuzzy brown sweater.

We’ve been able to get attend several of her volleyball games and have enjoyed the chance to see her in action. The team is doing well and hopes to go all the way to nationals in November.

Devon continues to be involved with Ultimate Frisbee. Recently his Naples team, Fatal, came in 2nd in the state of Florida. He & the team went to the regional competition in Austin, TX and even though they had a blast, they were knocked out of the competition. Nationals are in Sarasota at the end of October and he plans on being there.

The Fall

Our fall has involved a lot of traveling, especially for Dan. He’s been to conferences in New York, South Carolina, Colorado and Florida. He’s also traveled to Haiti. Here is the most recent promotional video (http://www.vimeo.com/14437267) that was done for RMI’s Homes for Haiti program. Over 55 homes have been sponsored! Food for Haiti has been able to distribute thousands of meals. One Christian school class recently sent money for 11 cases of food! The students took on the challenge for 4 cases of food and raised money on their own. One young man set up a lemonade stand and earned $40! When they put the money together, it came to enough to buy 11 cases, not 4! That’s feeding 11 families for a month ($25 a case).

We’ve had a number of visitors already this fall, which we always enjoy. The entire RMI missionary staff and our Haitian administrator spent 4 days together in September in strategic planning meetings. It was a great time together, learning, sharing, planning, praying and eating together. Intense days, but excellent! Benjamin, our Haitian administrator, arrived several days early to spend time with us. His mother, Madame Camille, worked faithfully in our home for 25 years and was an integral part of our ministry. She was a fantastic cook, known especially for her bread. We’ve known Benjamin since he was a little kid. Dan took him deep sea fishing where he caught some good sized fish. We ate the catch with Devon, and all of Dan’s family (they’ve known him since he was little, too). They went to a movie, we went to church and generally showed him around town.

I’ve been kept busy with keeping the communications dept. of RMI going. It’s a lot of behind the scenes kinds of work, writing blogs and facebook entries, putting together brochures, flyers, re-doing the RMI display are just some of the things I’ve been doing. I was at Trinity College’s missionary conference for 3 days and held a workshop (while Dan was in NYC at a conference). I gave Dawn a part of the workshop time to share what she’d been involved with over the summer in Haiti.

Wow, I think that brings us up to date! The rest of the fall is going to be full of activities, travel, conference and a mini-vacation. Make sure you check out the RMI blog for more updates! There’s no slowing down for these stateside missionaries!!

Imagine

2010-08-04T22:28:00.001-04:00

Imagine for a moment….

As the sky darkens, “Marie” looked up to see the clouds coming together for yet another rainy season downpour. She sighed and started pulling the family’s still wet clothes off the rope that her husband had put up to hold her prized pink sheets that now served as their only shelter. If only it wouldn’t rain for one whole day, she’d have the chance to get them dry. The kids played on the mounds of rubble that used to be their house. Had it really been 6 months since the earth shook so terribly? She thanked God again for the fact that her family lived through it, although some of her neighbors hadn’t been so lucky. She was so tired of first the dust, then the rain and mud, of huddling together at night, trying to sleep and not feeling safe and secure, of trying to fix meals and live under the little bit of protection that those pink sheets offered. How on earth could they ever get back on their feet and even think of rebuilding with things the way they are she wondered. The sound of a truck making its way carefully down their tiny road made her look up. She watched in amazement as, in 3 hours, a team of Americans and the national staff from Reciprocal Ministries International put up a transitional home on the foundation where her previous home had stood. She and her husband were thrilled when they received the keys to their new home. They couldn’t stop smiling. Tonight they would listen to the rain on a tin roof. Tonight they would sleep safely locked in their new home.

Can you imagine for just a moment if this were you?!

Can you imagine what it would mean to you?

Can you imagine how life changing it would be?

This last week RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, and RMI Vice President, Kim Rose, led a Homes for Haiti team to southern Haiti. The long awaited windows and doors (which were stuck in customs) arrived, enabling the RMI national staff to be trained in their installation as they fitted them into the 4 homes that had already been built. The team was also able to put up 2 more homes. One was for a Baptist pastor and his family. Another (the one pictured above) was for a bookkeeper for Radio Lumiere, Haiti’s largest Christian radio station. These families AND the team were all smiles and moved to tears as each family was given the keys to their very own earthquake and hurricane resistant home. An interesting affirmation was received from townspeople who came to see the house. They said, “Of all the temporary houses being built, this is the one I want!” Wow. And this in a town where a number of organizations are building shelters. Which one would you choose?

The two on the left are made of a tarp type of material stretched over wood frames. RMI’s metal home is on the right, behind the truck. What is the difference? RMI’s home is a transitional home not a temporary shelter. It is made of metal anchored in a cement floor. Our homes provide security, safety and dignity. They are built to last years.

You can change a life! $4,400 is all it costs to set a Haitian family on the road to recovery.

How can you help spread the word?? We need more sponsors. You can be an agent for change. Actually you can be our real estate agents! What a great ministry: being a “real estate agent” of sorts, helping RMI find sponsors for more homes in Haiti. Can you promote or do a fund raiser for a home at your place of business? Can your Rotary club sponsor a home? Three different friends of RMI are donating 10% of their profits from their businesses for the next 6 months to building homes. What other creative idea can you come up with to help us raise these funds?

Be sure to keep up to date with RMI’s happenings on Facebook and the RMI website, here. Or feel free to call us toll free at 866-RMI-5439 or 239-368-8390.

You can see more pictures of the first homes being built here and here. From start to finish, one home took 3 hours to build. Let’s work together to get these homes built!

Devon & his bright yellow shoes

2010-06-15T22:35:00.001-04:00

What is Devon up to these days?

Ultimate Frisbee. You can’t miss him, he’s the one with the neon yellow cleats!

He’s a great player and has been playing pickup games with local groups. He’s organizing a regular team so they can participate in more league tournaments.

Camping at Peace River with his cousins, Caleb and Jonathan.

Ice cold water, but the motivation is the fossils that they find in the river…you ought to see the cool shark teeth they find. One was big enough to fit in the palm of your hand!

Deep sea fishing. And he’s good at it!

Snorkeling & free diving. He can hold his breath for 2.5 minutes…that’s a long time.

“Innocent” cousins at Christmas time. Front row: Jonathan & Devon. Back row: Caleb, David, Dawn and Kyle Vrooman (yeah, I know he’s not a cousin. He & Devon grew up together in Haiti and now they are sharing an apartment in Naples. I call him the son that I don’t remember giving birth to. He’s a part of the family now.)

Dawn and her big brother.

Anything that includes living on the edge & a healthy dose of adrenaline, that’s where you’ll find him. He recently jumped out of perfectly good airplane! If it didn’t cost so much, he’d do it on a regular basis.

He recently had his 23rd birthday. Is it a surprise that he loved the gift we gave him…a gift card to Bass Pro Shops, his favorite store that covers all of the above activities.

Yep, we’re proud of him!

One Minute House

2010-06-15T17:58:00.001-04:00

You didn’t know that it could be done – but here’s proof that a house can be built in one minute.

Fred Feiertag, from Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, WA, put this together. Their team was in Haiti last week and put together this model home in the RMI depot yard.

Fred was so excited when he heard about Homes for Haiti, that he took the artist’s drawing of the home and made a 1/12th scale model of it, complete with a goat on the porch. (It’s priceless, isn’t it?!)

Here is the real life picture, complete with a goat, taken last week!

The windows and doors are on another container that is in customs. The guys did a great job!

It’s so exciting to see these Homes take shape. We need more homes sponsored! Help us get these homes in the hands of displaced Haitian families!! Details on how to do that are at www.rminet.org.

P.S. You’ll see Dawn taking pictures at the 18 and 26 second mark. You have to look fast to see her! She’s dressed in blue and is in front of the house.

RMI Container Arrives, A Sister Church Goes Outback & RMI Board Meetings Take Place

2010-06-14T11:33:00.001-04:00

RMI container arrives at the mission center

Many hands like light work!

“A cheerful heart is good medicine” Proverbs 17:22

Some of the RMI national staff and an empty container!

Florida Bible Church heads outback

RMI Intern, Dawn Shoemaker, is on the front row, first one on the right. (Yes, as parents we are very proud of her!)

A prayer before hitting the road, asking for God’s hands to be on them as they minister to their Sister Church, Maniche. They left Saturday, June 12 and will return to the mission center Wednesday, June 16. Pray for them…that they will affect lives and their lives will be affected for eternity.

RMI Board Meetings Took June 10 & 11

11 men and women met together here in Ft. Myers, FL Thursday and Friday. God has blessed us with a great group of men and women who not only love and care for RMI but they are willing to ask the hard questions and hold us accountable. We appreciate their wisdom and insight. Even though the meetings were long, they were good!

Calling Levi Video

2010-06-10T17:01:00.001-04:00

Calling Levi band members Rob Leicher and Mark Lashay were invited to join a work team from Second Cape May Baptist Church (Marmora, NJ) who went to Haiti with RMI May 28 – June 4. This was the first work team for RMI’s Homes for Haiti Program. They were able to unload the first housing container and begin to build the model home in preparation for making the jigs for the other 29 homes.

Rob and Mark were touched by what they saw and experienced in Haiti and have put together this 5 minute video.

You’ll see the team and a little bit of the house work at the 2:30 mark. The song on the video, "More than Moved", is performed by Calling Levi.

Thanks for the video guys!!

RMI Board meetings today and tomorrow!

2010-06-10T10:24:00.001-04:00

RMI Board meetings are today and tomorrow. We have a great group of men and women who love and care for RMI and God uses them to make decisions and guide us into the future. Pray for all of us as reports are given, finances are discussed and decisions are made. Pray for clarity, wisdom and vision.

Update from an intern and a prayer request

2010-06-08T15:38:00.001-04:00

RMI intern, Dawn Shoemaker, has posted 2 new blog entries. You can find her blog here.

Some excerpts: “Wow what an amazing week. I went out with a team to a town called Cherette. It's a little north of Les Cayes. It wasn't a long drive but it sure gave my heart a leap when we drove through the very crowded streets of the small market. The trucks barely made it through. When we arrived at the church we were greeted with a huge group of kids singing with the pastor, his wife, and church members. They welcomed us with such gratitude, love, and happiness. I can't even express the overwhelming feeling I had to be already loved by people who had no idea who I was.”

"Sunday was so much fun. There was clapping, joyous singing, and love all around. The Haitians sing so beautifully. Just one night and morning and I could already see God in the peoples’ eyes and hearts. We had a service that night also. It was so much fun. We sang and danced! Out of the whole trip the singing and dancing, praising the Lord was my favorite.”

She spent her first week out in the country with a Sister Church team from Estero, FL. This week she is in Cayes helping Marilyn McLaughlin with the Hope For Kidz Program.

Pray for the wife of Samuel Moise, one of RMI’s national staff. Last week she was in a motorcycle accident and broke her leg above the knee. Since there was no orthopedic doctor in Cayes, she was transported in an ambulance all the way to Port-au-Prince. She is in a hospital there awaiting an operation. Thankfully the company she works for is taking care of most of the expenses. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and patience & strength for Sam & his wife, Isman.

The House is Taking Shape

2010-06-02T15:52:00.001-04:00

Noon update from Haiti: The house is taking shape.

3 sides up and installing the rafters.

How many people does it take to lift a roof panel?

This gives a new meaning to “raising the roof”!

Moving the panel into place.

Hold it right there!

Give those guys a hand! It’s up! Next thing is to secure it.

Dan checking on the progress. What we see so far is impressive!

To view the rest of the pictures, click here.

Stay tuned. More pictures are to follow with a finished house!!

Another prayer request: The RMI container may arrive at the mission center tonight or tomorrow. It would be wonderful for it to arrive before Dan, Kim and the team leaves on Friday. Pray for it’s swift arrival.

Also, the Estero, FL Sister Church team is back at Zanglais. Because the Guest House is full with another group’s team, both of our groups are staying at Zanglais (I know, it’s hardship duty…staying right on the Caribbean, but nobody said missions was a bed of roses!). That’s 27 people out there!! RMI missionary, Amy Long, is doing a “fantabulous” job feeding everyone.

Did we ask for prayer for our stretched thin missionaries?!

1st Day of Assembly

2010-06-02T12:43:00.001-04:00

Kim Rose, RMI’s VP, and the team first set up the jigs. They then began assembling the first house. This house is being set up temporarily in the RMI storage yard to make sure that everyone understands how it should be done, especially RMI’s Haitian contractor, Wilfred, who will be supervising the construction.

Wilfred, in the blue hat, and Kim Rose.

With all the various parts precut, it was kind of like putting together a giant puzzle or erector set: part A fits into part B which then fits part C. Once D and E are together, attach them to C – you get the idea! It’s not as easy as it looks.

It’s coming along!

Raising the first finished wall.

A job well done!

Moving the first wall out of the way and bringing in the frame of the 2nd 20’ wall panel.

You can see the rest of the first day of assembly pictures here.

Today they will finish the assembly and be able to see what a finished home looks like. Stay tuned for more pictures and an update.

Seeing is believing

2010-06-02T11:55:00.001-04:00

Pictures tell a thousand words, so here are some!

Here it comes! It arrived at 5 p.m. from Port-au-Prince after having cleared customs in record time…God’s timing!

Maneuvering into the RMI work & storage yard is a bit tricky.

Getting ready to cut the security seal. The workteam from 2nd Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ were anxious to get to work unloading the container. Drew Thompson is there in the back making sure they do it right.

A little load shift in route, but after stabilizing it, everything was fine.

RMI president, Dan Shoemaker.

This 20 ft. container holds the parts, pieces & components for 30 homes!

Many hands make light work – and did they need a lot of hands!

These things were not light!

They worked into the night. All of these components will make storm worthy homes, up to International Hurricane and Earthquake Codes.

Finally finished. What a job!!

To see all of the pictures, click here. The first pictures in the file show the team putting a tin covering over the 3 storage containers in the RMI yard. They were working hard on that all day while they waited for the container to arrive.

The work is starting!

2010-05-31T09:10:00.001-04:00

The 1st Homes for Haiti container is unloaded, RMI VP, Kim Rose, has arrived in Haiti! The 1st Homes work team, Dan & Dawn are there. They will be making the jigs today & setting everything up to begin making the wall & roof panels. Pray that things will go smoothly, pray for the families who will be receiving the homes!

The container has arrived

2010-05-29T18:26:00.001-04:00

Dan just called from Haiti to say that the housing container has arrived in Cayes and they were cutting the security seal then begin to unloading it.

It’s real folks!! It’s here! We urgently need sponsors for the remaining homes. $4,400 for each home. Help make make it possible!

News Flash!!

2010-05-28T23:35:00.001-04:00

The housing container has cleared customs….

RMI Intern, Dawn Shoemaker, flew to Haiti today….

Two teams flew to Haiti today….

The RMI container is in Port and will clear customs today….

RMI President, Dan Shoemaker, is in Haiti and Kim Rose, RMI Vice President, will be flying in on Sunday….

To say that there’s a lot happening in RMI today is an understatement!

**The housing container with 30 homes has cleared customs!! ….in record time!! It is being unloaded at the RMI depot/storage area tomorrow, Saturday. What an amazing answer to prayer! How great it will be to get these homes in place and assembled, providing a safe, secure place for Haitian families to re-start their lives.

Jigs will be built that will serve as a pattern for the assembly of the wall and roof panels. From there the panels will be trucked to the site where a team will assemble it. The family receiving the home will be involved in the site preparation and assist in the installation of the home. It will have a cement floor as well as 2 doors and 2 windows.

**RMI intern, Dawn Shoemaker, flew into Haiti today with a Sister Church team. She was able to raise her support and is very thankful for God’s provision. She’ll be there 5 weeks. It is the first time she has been back to the land of her birth since we moved to the US 4 years ago. She is very excited about helping with the Sister Church teams, Homes for Haiti teams and whatever else they need her to do. Pray for her. The mission center and Haiti has changed a lot in the intervening 4 years. She is returning as an adult who feels God is leading her into full time ministry. She wants to serve God and the Haitian people.

**Two teams flew into Haiti today. Estero United Methodist Church sent 12 people to visit their Sister Church. Since they are from the Southwest Florida area, Dawn was able to fly with them. Second Cape May Baptist Church, a Sister Church, sent 8 men as the first Homes for Haiti team. We’re thankful that God allowed the release of the Homes container in time for them to unload it and begin setting up the jigs. Pray that things will go smoothly.

**The RMI container will be released from customs Monday. It was loaded May 12 and contains generators, equipment, tools for the Homes Program and other badly needed things for the RMI Guest House, and the Retreat Center. Again, it’s God’s provision that it is being released in time for the team to unload and begin to use the tools immediately.

Will it all fit?!

Yes, it did – every single item. Dan, Kim and 9 young adults made short work of it. In less than 3 hours, they loaded the entire 20’ container, right up to the door.

**Dan is in Haiti and Kim will be flying in on Sunday. Dan went in last Friday to be with a Vision Team. 2 RMI Board members organized the team with men from southern California and south Florida. They handed out food aid in 2 communities and spent 2 days building benches and held an open air service in another community. They returned home today, just as the 2 new teams came in. Gary McLaughlin will be with the Sister Church team while Dan and Kim will be working on the containers and Homes with the work team. Wow!! Pray for them all. The RMI staff is stretched thin. Pray for their safety and health as they have worked so hard for so long.

Rainy season has started. While the country needs the rain, it greatly complicates the refugees lives as well as complicates RMI’s efforts. It has rained all week long, Monday through Friday!

Pray for the teams – that God would use this time in their lives in a mighty way.

Yes – a lot is happening in RMI! We are excited about what God is doing. Continue to pray for the provision of funds for the homes. Of the 30 homes on the container, 17 are sponsored. Can you, your church or other group sponsor a home? $4,400 is a small price to pay for changing a Haitian family’s life! We need you!!

35 Long Seconds

2010-05-25T12:20:00.001-04:00

Palais from Morgan Freeman on Vimeo.

Absolutely the most incredible video! Your heart will not only be touched but gripped with a burning desire to help. RMI’s Home for Haiti is a tangible way you can help Haitian families rebuild with solid, well-built, long lasting homes. They are built to International Hurricane and Earthquake codes. After consulting with National Christian leaders, they are also culturally relevant – homes that Haitians would feel comfortable and secure in as well as gives them dignity.

While you go about your day today in security and stability, may you remember those in Haiti who also need this. Go to RMI’s website to find out how you can sponsor a home!

RMI container has arrived at RMI office

2010-05-05T15:39:00.001-04:00

The RMI container has arrived at the office! Next week it will be loaded with tools & equipment for the Homes for Haiti Program, items for our RMI missionaries, and many things for the RMI guesthouse, the Zanglais Retreat Center, the RMI vehicles as well as things sent to several Sister Churches. It's exciting to see it here and things moving for the Homes for Haiti Program!

Pray that purchases can be made quickly and the container filled by Friday, May 14. It needs to be shipped quickly. The tools and equipment are needed to start building the transitional homes.

Complicated but great weekend

2010-04-27T13:46:00.001-04:00

We had a great but complicated weekend! Driving 2 vehicles Dan & I visited college friends, Rich and Crissy Greete, in Lecanto Friday (who knew there was a Lecanto, FL?..it’s very small – in central Florida’s horse country). Saturday midday we attended a surprise 50th wedding anniversary celebration for friends in Dunellon (Again – who knew there was a Dunellon, FL?, it’s about 30 minutes away from Lecanto).

I don’t know how they did it, but this 50th celebration & renewal of vows was kept a surprise from our friends, Stan and Joyce Romano! It was very special to see all the people (60 or so) from the many eras of their lives and to hear of their steadfast love for each other and for our Lord. They have served each other and the Lord so outstandingly for so long. May we be able to do the same!!

Dan and I are only half way there! Our 26th anniversary was in March. God bless you, Stan and Joyce!

Saturday p.m. we went to Ocala for a supper Haiti gathering. Sunday we shared Homes for Haiti with new Sister Church, Christ Community. They raised enough money for 2 homes!!! (And this is a small, fairly new church!)

After a Haiti lunch, Dan drove north on 75 to Chattanooga to deliver Rob Thompson's van to one of their supporters who bought it. He then flew to Dallas and will be home tonight.

I drove south on 75 to see Dawn perform with Trinity's drama team at her church in the Tampa area. We had a nice Thai supper and I slept with her in the dorm. After breakfast out, I continued on home. It was definitely weird making that trip with Dan, but not with him and then each of us going in the opposite direction on 75 away from each other!

It was great to be with everyone!

Rob & Becky Thompson have arrived in Haiti!

2010-04-21T12:04:00.001-04:00

April 8 Rob, Becky, Drew, Tessa and Braden Thompson arrived in Haiti! It is so great to have them there. (They got there exactly 1 month to the day after their container arrived and was unpacked into their home.) They have been settling into their new home – which means doing repairs, fixing roof leaks, putting up ceiling fans, unpacking their many boxes and bins, setting up furniture and figuring out where everything goes. The kids are having a blast. They love it there and are already using the Creole words and phrases that they’d learned these past months. You can follow their adventures on their blog here. (You can find out what a cane spider is and how many tarantulas they’ve encountered so far.)

They will be starting language study next week. That will be their main job description for the next 2-3 months. Pray that their minds clear be like sponges, soaking it all up, and that they will have clarity of thought. Pray also for the many adjustments they are having to make in this new life.

By the way, it’s pretty cool that they are living in what used to be our house for 25 years. There are so many memories (for us) in that house...and now they will make their own memories in the same house. It’s so exciting.

1st Container of Homes Ordered!

2010-04-20T11:44:00.001-04:00

We have ordered our first container of homes!! It's a big step of faith. Each container holds 30 homes. Right now we have 15 homes paid for. Spread the word! Pray! We need 15 homes to finish this container!

The brochure has arrived and is being mailed this week. If you are not on our mailing list, let us know so we can get you a brochure (or more if you want!) to help you share this exciting opportunity!

Hot off the Press!

Homes for Haiti promotional video.

Homes for Haiti from Luminescent Images on Vimeo.

Feel free to use the video to share about Homes for Haiti. Thank you to David Uttley of Luminescent Images who went to Haiti with Dan to make this video! Dan and David grew up together in Haiti many years ago.

For $4,400 you can provide a Home for a devastated Haitian family. It will be culturally relevant; it will give them security; it will give them a sense of normalcy so they can move on with their lives; it will give them Hope for tomorrow! You can learn more here.

Jules has had his operation

2010-04-16T22:27:00.001-04:00

Our dear friend and coworker, Jules Gedna, has had his bone marrow transplant. It was his own marrow that was harvested in December. He has nausea, diarrhea and headaches, but that is lessening little by little. He is in isolation due to his weakened system and can receive limited visitors. As he feels better, his spirits are lifted. It is up to God to heal and work in his body now. Pray for him as he recovers!

Introducing….Homes for Haiti

2010-04-09T13:22:00.001-04:00

With so many displaced people in Haiti, what can YOU do to help? What can you do that will enable families to begin to rebuild their lives? What would be culturally relevant, give families a sense of normalcy, and security as well as give them dignity?

RMI is excited to introduce you to Homes for Haiti, our Transitional Homes Program. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians who are homeless need more than tents or temporary shelters as they face the rainy season and hurricane season. The refugees that left Port-au-Prince for the countryside need Transitional Homes as well. The families and friends that took them in were struggling to survive before these extra people arrived! To help them truly begin to re-build their lives, they need a home of their own – one that they can trust to not fall down around their heads, one that will give them security and safety, one that will give them a sense of normalcy AND dignity.

RMI consulted national Christian leaders to determine what features would best meet Haitians’ needs. These features were identified by them as being key elements to providing a culturally relevant structure that will enable these very traumatized families to feel some stability, security, and at home.

The Transitional Homes that we are building will do all of that and more. RMI’s Transitional Homes meet or exceed the requirements of the International Hurricane and Earthquake Building Code. The 10 ft x 20 ft home on a concrete slab will have a small porch added to the front as they spend much of their time outside the house. It will have 2 locking doors so they will feel secure as well as have 2 ways of egress from the house. There will be 2 locking windows for light, air flow but also security.

It will give jobs to Haitians as well since we will be using Haitian labor for our production site and assembly team. We are working at hiring several of the newly handicapped that now have new prosthetics as part of our labor team. However we are needing individuals and teams from the US to assist in assembling the homes onsite. RMI will be working with these same national leaders to determine the recipients and sites for these homes.

Each transitional home costs $4400. This cost includes: prefabrication, shipping to Haiti, concrete slab, transportation, labor, placement, assembly in place, follow-up, and a Haitian Bible for every family.

2 ways you can be vitally involved:

1) YOU CAN BE A PROVIDER OF A HOME!

You can cover the cost of a home, or you can help with a part of a home.

2) YOUR CHURCH OR GROUP CAN BE A PROVIDER!

Ideas of groups who can provide a house:

* A church can commit to provide several houses.

* A Sunday School class or Bible study group can provide a house.

* A business can collect funds to provide a house.

* Civic organizations such as a Rotary Club, the Elks or Lions can raise funds for several houses.

* Foundations, schools, etc. It is limited to your imagination.

We need your help to make this happen!! We have to have 25 houses ordered in order for us to get our first shipment. Can you provide a house? Can your church provide a house? We want to have our first order placed by the end of April. We already have orders for 5 houses. We need 20 more to place that first order!

And teams, did we say we needed teams to help assemble the homes at their sites? Modular assembly will be done at the Retreat Center, then taken to the site. Several homes can be assembled in one day! What an awesome chance to “get your hands dirty” and your whole body engaged in the Lord’s work ministering to hurting Haitian families!!

You can donate: 1. Online via www.rminet.org, RMI’s website.

2. Send a check to RMI designated “Homes for Haiti”.

For more information (to schedule a team, join another team, get brochures to promote the program, etc.) call 239-368-8390, email us at kim.rose@rminet.org, or visit our website at www.rminet.org.

RMI’s “Homes for Haiti” is not just providing shelter. You are providing a “Home today for Haiti’s Tomorrow”! Let’s meet this urgent need together!

What can 1 person do?

2010-03-31T15:09:00.001-04:00

With so many displaced people in Haiti, what can YOU do to help?

What can you do that will enable families to begin to rebuild their lives?

What would be culturally relevant, give families a sense of normalcy, security as well as give them dignity?

RMI has researched those questions and we have an exciting answer!

Stay tuned!!

Welcomed visitor!

2010-03-24T11:14:00.001-04:00

Normally my bird feeder just fattens the local black grackles and doves, but today a male (seen above) and a female painted bunting helped themselves to breakfast, lunch, snacks and supper on Monday. They were joined by a female cardinal occasionally. It was so cool to see the “happy couple”. What a beautiful creature! So many colors in one little body. God packed a lot into that one bird!

Lost in the Ruins: Haiti’s Best and Brightest

2010-03-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

An eye-opening article by Jonathan Katz, found here, tells of yet another challenge that faces Haiti: the loss of a generation of Haiti’s young professionals. It makes you sit back, take a deep breath and say yet another prayer for the future of Haiti. May God provide Christian young people to replace those that have been lost.

Thank you for the encouragement!

2010-03-10T17:00:00.001-05:00

"Thank you for helping our congregation at CrossRoad understand that we are called not just to give to the people of Haiti, but to be in relationship with them. Casual giving to soothe our consciences is being replaced by vital action, where our lives are intertwined with our sister church in Tiburon & we now see we have lessons to learn that only they can teach us."

Dennis Owen of CrossRoad UMC, Jacksonville, FL sent us this great word of encouragement. It is affirming to see the essence of RMI’s ministry being grasped and lived out. This is what RMI is all about! Thank you, Dennis.

Notes for the week

2010-03-02T11:14:00.001-05:00

#1 – Last week thieves stole the power cables at the office again, so we had to work out of the office again (it happened back in the fall). The power is back on now and we are so thankful it took less than a week!!

#2 – Dan and Kim (RMI’s new VP) are in Haiti this week. They are researching the next phase of RMI’s relief efforts, transitional housing. They will be meeting with several key people and committees for rebuilding. This is Kim’s first trip to Haiti, so he will have a great opportunity to not only assist in this but be able to meet RMI’s Haiti staff, get to know RMI’s field and see our facilities. It’ll help give him a much better understanding of how things work there.

Pray that they will be able to get appointments with the right people, that RMI would find favor in the sight of these people and committees and that God will give them clear direction.

More details will follow once plans for this effort are finalized! Stay tuned!!

Days of Mourning, Prayer & Fasting

2010-02-12T22:39:00.001-05:00

Today marks 1 month since the earthquake hit Port-au-Prince. Amidst the tragedy, God is at work. One church leader said that a wind of revival is sweeping the country. For the first time, carnival (Mardi Gras) has been cancelled – it was to start on Tuesday. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday have been declared a time of prayer and fasting. Church leaders called for these days to be set aside and the government was in agreement…did we say that God is at work?!

There was a moment of silence observed at the time the earthquake struck, 4: 53 p.m. Today most people were not on the roads, but in churches (if they are still standing), on street corners or at home in prayer.

Today was a day of repentance, asking God to forgive, Saturday will be a day to pray for the country and the government, and Sunday will be a day of thanking God for His mercy and grace and love.

Churches are having special services throughout the weekend. Radio stations and TV stations are airing some of these services live. It seems that God has inspired this national three day fast. Pray that God will answer His people with a miraculous outpouring of His love. Please join with the Haitians in seeking God's mercy Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The only way to start the healing of Haiti is by spiritual revival.

What can 13 first graders do?

2010-02-11T15:57:00.001-05:00

This is what they can do!

Thirteen first graders at Southwest Florida Christian Academy, Ft. Myers, FL worked extra chores and collected money to give to Haiti earthquake relief. They raised $65! An anonymous donor added $100 to honor their efforts, bringing their total gift to $165. I was able to go their class to share with them about Haiti and the earthquake. Here they are presenting me with the check and with some pictures that I left with them to show the earthquake effects, a young survivor and relief aid being delivered.

Their teacher, Debbie Fulwider, shared that as they visited their church’s mission booths 2 days later, one of the missionaries asked the class if any of them would be interested in being a missionary. She said, “Almost the whole class threw up their arms and said that they wanted to go to Haiti to help.

I pray that we are growing up a generation to help spread the gospel around the world while serving others.

Your organization and the people of Haiti will be in our prayers! Thank you for all you do to help others.”

It is so cool to see how their young hearts were touched. They gave generously and God used them. With their gift, RMI was able to give food to a handicap school in Cayes that has 12 in-resident students. What a ministry for this new generation to have.

CIU Alumni Responding to Haiti Earthquake

2010-02-10T16:47:00.001-05:00

Our alma mater, Columbia International University, has a great synopsis of various alumni who are helping in Haiti. You should recognize the first alumni featured. Click here to find the article. We couldn’t ask for better publicity!

While Dan was in Haiti this last trip, I had fun attending an alumni gathering at the home of a CIU Board member (and personal friend) who lives in Ft. Myers. After the dinner, CIU Chancellor, George Murray, wanted to have a special prayer for Dan & Haiti. He turned to me & asked "How can we pray for Haiti?" A million things ran through my head but nothing came out of my mouth. How can you narrow down all the needs (physical, spiritual, emotional, educational, governmental) ...of the Haitian people to 1 thing?

That God would use this disaster in Haiti to bring people to Him was all I could come up with. I felt a bit silly being speechless after sharing so much about Haiti earlier in the evening!

“I didn’t know how I was going to feed all these people. It’s a miracle!”

2010-02-10T16:46:00.001-05:00

Missions Conference Rob & Becky Thompson and Dan and I were invited to be a part of our church’s annual missions conference this past week. It’s a large church….and the conference is large and 5 days long. Kim Rose, Kent Commons and I scurried intensely for a couple of days getting the display and other things ready (the earthquake has kind of taken precedence over everything else). Then I had to attend events by myself until Dan arrived, mid-way through the conference.

Dan returned from Haiti late Thursday night, Feb. 4. I was happy to have my hubby home again, but there has been no rest for the weary. He had to jump right into the conference as well as answer phone call after phone call.

We had breakfast yesterday, Tuesday, with the folks who brought down the additional supplies to be flown in Friday (they drove all the way from Arkansas and were on their way back home). What fun to hear their stories of God’s provision of these supplies to them so they could give them to Haiti through RMI!

Dan is to be the chapel speaker next week at Trinity College of Florida, Dawn’s college. We were there for their missions conference in the fall. They want a first-hand report on how things are going in Haiti. [I guess I’ll go along – I do have a daughter that’s needs visiting :) ]

Dan’s time in Haiti went well. He was able to go to Port and make several significant contacts for food aid. He was actually given 600 bags of rice, 150 lbs. of beans and 5 gallons of oil to take back with him. On way back to Cayes, he stopped at the Zanglais church (Zanglais is where RMI’s Retreat Center is) to give the pastor this food to help feed his people. The pastor had tears in his eyes as he said, “It’s a miracle. This morning I got up and wondered how I was going to feed all these people. And then you show up with food! I have over 1,000 people (refugees) in this area that need food. It’s a miracle!”

Through one of those contacts, RMI is now making weekly trips into Port to get a truck load of food relief to distribute in the Cayes area. This is a significant development and will be a great help to the refugees!

Fluid & Flux

2010-02-10T16:45:00.001-05:00

The state of things in Haiti and RMI are very fluid these days. It is much like a large river. It rushes in flood stage and we feel like we are drowning. It ebbs and flows. As time goes by needs change and new opportunities appear. All that said, I am doing my best to keep you informed on what is happening.

Some of the 9,000 lbs of medical supplies has gotten into Haiti, but there is still some left at the airport. Another load of orthopedic equipment and supplies was delivered this week. The leftover supplies and the new shipment (together now total 7,000 lbs.) will hopefully be flown in on Friday, Feb. 12. Pray that that is able to take place. So many options and plans have been made for these things and most of it has fallen through. It’s been a daily volley of phone calls all over the country to keep it going. Herb and Shirley have been the point people on this effort and have done a superb job.

Medical personnel are still helping in the Les Cayes area, working at either the General Hospital, the Cite Lumiere Hospital or the mountain MEBSH hospital, Bonne Fin.

Medical supplies and other relief aid is coming in through the Methodist Habitat of the Bahamas straight to Cayes. We had hoped they would be able to help us get the 7,000 lbs. of stuff down to Cayes, but it proved too great a task since they only fly 6 seater planes.

The RMI missionaries and staff in Haiti continue to work in relief aid 24/7. They’ve done a superb job and we are proud of them! RMI vehicles and trucks continue to transport relief aid of all sorts from the airport to distribution points on the mission center and then on to it’s needed destination. They have also helped with 3 trips to transport refugees from Port to a MEBSH youth camp in the Cayes area that has become a refugee center for the next 3 months.

The RMI guesthouse is in constant use these days for medical personnel, mission executives doing assessment tours and even a stray reporter or two! Often RMI provides a translator and transportation to their various destinations if possible.

Calls have come in from all over the US. A public school in Pennsylvania wants to collect funds and put together hygiene kits for refugees. Doctors and nurses continue to call in to offer their services. Men have called to let us know their availability for construction when the rebuilding takes place. Rotary clubs are asking how they can help [Dan is speaking to some members of the Southwest Florida Rotary Club today, sharing what the Cayes Rotary Club is doing and fielding questions as to how they can be involved!]. Local reporters have interviewed both Dan and I, not once, but 2 and 3 times. Thirteen first graders at a local Christian school did extra chores and collected $65 for Haiti. They asked me to come and talk to them. They were very proud to present me a check for Haiti relief.

Keep tuned to this blog and RMI's website for the latest ebbs and flows!

Jules Update

2010-02-10T16:28:00.001-05:00

Gary and Marilyn McLaughlin were able to visit Jules in December.

He underwent heavy duty chemo treatments 3 times a week in preparation for his bone marrow transplant. Two days before his bone marrow transplant, a lump was discovered on his neck. After a lot of tests, they found that it was an infection. He was given heavy antibiotics and seems to be better.

He met with his doctor last week and the decision was that now that the infection is gone, he must undergo another 4 weeks of chemo before any transplant.

Pray for him….

* He must go to these chemo treatments by public transportation. This means going from their apartment to the bus stop, waiting for the bus, then after the bus ride from that stop to the hospital. After the treatment, then they have to reverse the process. And all of this in heavy snow [remember these are Haitians who do not like the cold!] and not feeling well. Occasionally friends give them a ride, which is a welcome relief.

* He and Martha are “hanging in there”, but they still struggle with boredom and feel isolated and homebound.

Their phone number is 321-217-4165. Phone calls are a very real encouragement to them.

Please be assured that if anything new develops, we will keep you up to date.

Teleconference Call from Haiti

2010-02-01T20:48:00.001-05:00

Saturday night Dan gave an open teleconference call from Haiti to give a live update on what is happening in Haiti. 57 people attended it. One man in New Jersey listened to it while he was snow plowing!!

Dan gave a great presentation of the current issues, future planning, and spiritual insight into what God is doing through the church in Haiti. You don’t want to miss it.

You can hear it by visiting our website at www.rminet.org. The link is under the Earthquake Update section.

I just talked with Dan in Haiti. He's doing well and has been VERY busy. Tomorrow he is going to Port to “knock” on some military and UN tent doors to see about getting some relief aid out in Cayes. Pray he meets the right people and those right people have open hearts!

Dan is in Haiti Again

2010-01-30T14:35:00.001-05:00

Dan returned to Haiti today. He flew in with a volunteer pilot via the Bahamas. He will assist our RMI missionaries in delivering food aid as well as go to Port to see what he can do to find more medical and food aid from the myriad of agencies that already have supplies on the ground there. He wants to let the “powers that be” know that supplies and aid are needed in the south.

The Ft. Myers NewsPress has a follow up article on RMI! You can read it here. We’re grateful for the continued coverage of RMI and it’s ministry.

Things have been crazy around the office. God has brought many, many new contacts and people who want to help. Some have medical supplies they want to give, some have planes they are making available for our use, some have funds they want to send, some have doctors & medical people they want to connect us to. Some great things are in the works to get 9,000 lbs. of medical supplies to Cayes! It’s truly amazing to feel the heart of Americans all across the country. Even in the midst of personal hardships, they are giving funds and are willing to help the Haitian people in any way possible.

A big thank you to RMI missionary, Amy Long, for designing this image.

Help raise awareness and support for RMI's Relief Fund by making this image your profile picture. Get the word out about what RMI's doing in Haiti!

Don’t forget the conference call tonight! See the previous blog post for details.

Conference Call/Earthquake Relief Update for the Entire RMI Family

2010-01-30T14:32:00.001-05:00

Dan Shoemaker, RMI President, will be hosting a conference call on Saturday night, January 30th, at 8pm EST. Dan will be calling from Cayes, Haiti. He will be giving an update on RMI's Earthquake Relief Effort (Progress so far, Current Issues, Observations, Short and Long Term Plans).

Everyone is invited to listen in! Spread the word!

Instructions and notes...

How to access the call... On Saturday night, at 8 pm EST, dial (712) 432-0111. You will be asked to enter an access code. Please enter: 1007501#
Normal long distance fees apply.
Due to the large number of expected participants, all callers will be muted by default to avoid us talking over each other.
If you have a question that you would like Dan to consider addressing on the conference call, please email them to both Dan and Rob.

In addition, you can always visit RMI's website to donate to our relief effort or for access to constant updates via our Blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

I am Haitian

2010-01-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

An unexpected “side effect” if you will of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince and all the media attention there, is that all of a sudden everyone worldwide suddenly is aware of Haiti’s existence and of their poverty and need for help. We have been ministering there for over 20 years and found that most people we encountered in the US didn’t even know where Haiti was, much less any details about it. Haiti has never been the “hot topic” or trendy subject in missions. Haiti was blamed for spreading AIDS in the 80’s. The US government even refused to recognize Haiti as an independent country in 1804. It was very far from people’s minds. Haitians that are in the US, in general, haven’t wanted to admit that they were Haitians. When we encountered them, in a store for instance, they’d say they were from the Caribbean or “the islands”. They’d almost never say Haiti unless they heard us speak Creole to them.

Now, it seems, the earthquake has given them an identity, it has validated them as a people. Haitians worldwide are proudly saying, “I’m a Haitian”. From NFL football players, recording artists, authors and artists, to the grocery store clerk or lawn care man, Haitians are coming forward and publically holding up the Haitian flag. Never in the history of man has a mass effort been made to help Haiti. The telethon that was recently held for Haiti was on 85 stations and was televised worldwide. It was surreal to switch from channel to channel and see Haiti cared for. Wow!

These photos were posted by a friend on Facebook. They show that Haiti is on the minds of people as far away as Thailand and Asia.

It’s just so cool to see this. But its heartwrenching that it took a major disaster to do it.

You have seen Haiti on the news as it is now. Here is a link to the side of Haiti that is never shown. Most of the photos are of Port-au-Prince as it was, but is now gone. They are beautiful. I’ve never seen a collection like it. It is well worth your time to check them out.

Dan is back

2010-01-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

Saturday was another jam-packed day for Dan. He spent the day with a journalist from the Panhandle of Florida, a doctor and a pilot. He took them on a tour of the general hospital, a tent city and the mission hospital. Dan was interviewed on camera by the journalist and was able to share the needs of Haiti.

Dr. Bill, Medical Director of the mission hospital, and a 15 year old amputee patient.

Visiting the mission hospital. The patient has one leg in a cast and one that is pinned. The hospital has no orthopedic pins, so the missionary doctor, Dr. Bill, improvised and made what he needed with rebar (construction rebar!).

A young patient at the mission hospital.

Visiting the general hospital in Cayes. It is so crowded that they are using a catholic eyes, ears, nose, throat clinic to house additional patients.

Dan and Dr. Leger (in the red shirt) explaining things to a visiting doctor who is also a pilot and had flown himself in to work for a week.

He was also on the phone a lot! Plans for the team from Southwest Florida didn’t come together as needed for Monday, today, but things are still being worked on for them to get to Cayes soon.

Communications are so difficult in Haiti. Calls were going back and forth here in the US as arrangements were discussed. When Dan or Dr. Bill, were needed, we would contact Amy, Gary or Marilyn by Instant Messenger (they have satellite internet). One of them would then send someone after Dan and/or Dr. Bill who would go to Gary’s house to use their Vonage phone. Sometimes the phone would work, sometimes it wouldn’t. Just communicating with the states can be a full time job!

Sunday Dan flew to Nassau and then on to Ft. Lauderdale. He was, in his words, “one tired puppy”!

Today he met with an international aid organization in Ft. Lauderdale to explore partnering with them.

Then he came home! Wow, what a trip – and there’s so much more to do in Haiti. Keep up those prayers.

Haiti Update

2010-01-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

Today has been another busy day as we have fielded calls from many different corners of the US. Here are some things that we are working on:

* A Orthopedic and Trauma team from a Ft. Myers hospital is ready to leave for Cayes on Monday. We are joining our efforts with a local church, the local hospital and a couple of other ministries to make this happen. They sent a plane and Doctor team to Port last week and another one left today. This is yet another one, but it will be going to Cayes.

* US Sister Church, CrossRoads United Methodist of Jacksonville, FL is putting a team of doctors together as well as gathering medical supplies to send in.

* A longtime friend of RMI and her father drove a huge U-Haul truck to Ft. Lauderdale packed with medical supplies. Herb and Shirley Shoemaker met them there where they had to unload it, weigh everything, repack it onto pallets and prepare it for shipping to Cayes. 9,000 lbs. of supplies will be flown in via Methodist Habitat of Bahamas, the same planes that Dan went into Cayes with on Wednesday.

* A company in Pennsylvania who manufactures trauma equipment has already flown into Port with doctors and supplies and is now working on putting together supplies for Cayes.

* A number of churches have taken up special offerings for Haiti relief and those monies are starting to come in.

Wow! The list could go on and on. We are excited to see God supplying Haiti’s needs through so many different avenues.

Dan has been busy in Haiti as well. Through the relief funds, RMI has :

* given food to a AIDS patient feeding program

* sent food to the MEBSH churches in Port-au-Prince

* given food to local Cayes MEBSH churches who are feeding refugees who are now living in their buildings.

* given food to the local Rotary Club who are feeding patients at the local government hospital (2 meals a day!)

* given food to 30 local families who have taken in extended family & friends who are refugees.

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Dan with the hospital director and some of the hospital staff at the government hospital in Cayes.

At the general hospital. The lady in the foreground grimaces as her incision is cleaned. She lost a leg as a result of the earthquake.

Gary McLaughlin takes time to comfort another lady who lost a leg in the earthquake.

A makeshift stretcher – talk about uncomfortable!!

Dan helps a Rotarian unload a bag of rice. Beans and oil were also a part of the food aid.

Oil, rice, beans and sugar was also delivered to an MEBSH old folks home.

Keep praying – the need has only begun. We appreciate all of you!

Another newspaper interview!

2010-01-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

This so cool! I just got a call from a local spanish newspaper. They are coming tomorrow for a face to face interview, take pictures and everything. They want to know all about RMI and what we are doing there. Guess I'd better be on my best behavior!

Another earthquake, Dan makes it to Haiti and RMI in the local newspaper

2010-01-20T16:46:00.001-05:00

This is a day of updates!

Haiti was awakened with another earthquake this morning at 6. The 6.1 quake toppled many structures that had been severely damaged a week ago. This one was centered about half way between Cayes and Port...closer to Cayes than last week's quake. It would have been felt at several sister churches. Pray that the earth would quit moving & shifting!

Dan has arrived in Cayes! He was able to go in via the Bahamas and Bahamas Methodist Habitat who are flying small 4 & 6 seater planes into Cayes with medical relief supplies. He is there to assess the situation, meet with our missionaries & Haitian staff and help them organize for the massive relief aid that will be coming in.

The reports are that there is a crush of refugees flooding the southern peninsula. Since fuel is gone, they are piling 4 on motorcycle taxis or walking. Many are people that are going back to their hometowns, but there are also many that just had to get away from the capital. School has been cancelled in the country. Many churches are using their school buildings to house refugees. Soccer fields and many empty flat pieces of land are becoming tent cities. Food is already scarce in the Cayes area. The sick and injured have overwhelmed the one government hospital, 2 mission hospitals and the one Haitian doctor (in private practice) in Cayes. The medical supplies that are being flown in from the Bahamas are going to these 4 places and being used up in just 2 days.

MEBSH is reporting that none of it’s pastors were killed, however, a number of them have lost children who were studying in Port-au-Prince. It is safe to say that every person in the country has lost a family member or friend in this disaster.

We are excited to see the response of God’s people. One US Sister Church has given over $30,000! We’ve had calls from all over the country, from Canada and Jamaica expressing care and concern for RMI, their Sister Churches and Haiti. We’ve already been given 100 lbs. of medical and surgical supplies and Dan took that with him to Haiti today. Another huge load of medical supplies is on its way here in a U-Haul truck from Arkansas! Wow, we are overwhelmed at what has been happening.

We have gotten some medical volunteers, but not enough to form a team yet. Do you know of anyone who would be interested? Spread the word!!!

Also, check out the latest article from the Ft. Myers NewsPress that was just posted! It's great to get RMI's name some public exposure locally. Pray that God will use it to bring in more funds. You can read it here.

Former President Bush said it best the other day, “Just give money, that’s the best thing, that’s what is needed.” I’m glad he just came out and said it. He’s right. Relief aid can’t happen without money. Please pray that God will continue to work in people’s hearts and the funds will come in so we can meet these enormous needs.

News Flash!

2010-01-19T19:03:00.001-05:00

Dan is on his way to Nassau, Bahamas tonight then will fly to Haiti tomorrow @ 6 a.m. on a relief flight to Cayes. He is taking 2 full suitcases of medical supplies. The group of 4 planes is also carrying medical supplies for the hospitals in Cayes. Pray as he assesses the situation, meets with RMI staff & missionaries & the MEBSH leadership.

He will be able to see the refugee situation firsthand. We are being told that refugees are flooding the Cayes area. Fuel is out, food is getting scarce, stores are reluctant to open due to fear of being looted. The hospitals are standing room only. They are getting a few medical supplies in via the planes that Dan is going in on. Those supplies run out in just a day or two due to the overwhelming crush of injured.

RMI is in a unique situation. With an established presence there, we will have opportunity to help in so many ways. Donations are starting to come in, medical people are starting to volunteer and medical supplies are being donated. The need is so great!! Shortly the press will tire of Haiti and leave, but the needs will not be over….not for a very long time.

RMI is in the newspaper & team gets home!

2010-01-18T21:43:00.001-05:00

RMI is one of the feature articles in the Sunday Ft. Myers News-Press! Check it out here. Already today Dan has talked with someone from NBC Nightly News looking for missionaries to talk to. It's great to get this coverage. Hopefully it'll bring awareness to what we are doing and thus more help.

The team that was stuck in Haiti was able to get out on several relief aid planes that came in from the Bahamas Sunday morning. They were able to get home to South Carolina by the evening. This is great news!

Our Haitian staff went to Port to see the situation for themselves and to see if the road to the airport was open. Here are some of the pictures that they took:

This is the wharf in Port-au-Prince.

The National Palace – it used to be 3 stories!

This was a 2 story home.

A landslide that has covered half the road.

Pray for Haiti! Not only are most of the buildings in Port destroyed, but what little infrastructure there was is now gone. What government there was is now gone – the president is alive, but many government leaders are dead. Many government buildings are rubble. Commerce has been dealt a huge blow. Communication is almost nonexistent. There is no electricity nor clean water. And fuel has almost run out. This is a catastrophe that affects not only the capital, but the ENTIRE country. Refugees are now flooding the countryside. And the news has not even reported on the fact that there are quite a number of towns, large and small, that were also flattened. No aid is being given there.

One phenomenon that reporters couldn’t figure out Sunday was how Haitians could go to the rubble site that used to be their church and praise God for His faithfulness. They thought they should be asking “why God?”, not “Thank you God”. The reporters just didn’t grasp how Christian Haitians had their priorities right.

Things are shaping up and falling into place as RMI is receiving relief funds and medical supplies and putting together medical surgical teams. We are working to partner with Samaritans Purse and hope to be their distribution center for Southern Haiti. Dan is trying to fly into Cayes on a relief plane Wednesday, going through the Bahamas. He will try to give some directions and organization to our missionaries there. It’s not sure how long he’ll stay, but we’ll keep you posted.

RMI’s Relief Plan for Haiti

2010-01-16T21:11:00.001-05:00

Our hearts just ache and break as we watch the images of a country that is so dear to us. The magnitude of the devastation of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is unimaginable. It is hard to wrap our minds around what has happened.

There is a 2^nd wave of tragedy that is currently unfolding – and it has not been mentioned in the news yet. Hundreds of thousands of Haitian refugees are flooding the countryside as they flee the devastation and lack of the most basic of needs in Port-au-Prince. They are leaving with just the clothes on their back and maybe a few personal items in a bundle on their head, some carrying their injured or even dead family members. Many communities will find themselves doubling or tripling their population almost overnight. They are descending on family, friends, and churches with nothing but what they could carry out with them.

Les Cayes, where RMI is headquartered, is already beginning to feel this crush. The few hospitals that are there, including the 2 mission hospitals in the area, are already overwhelmed by wounded with more pouring in by the hour. Our Sister Church medical team that is on the ground right now has been helping as much as they can with the overwhelming need at our mission hospital. The MEBSH (the Haitian church association that we have partnered with for over 30 years) churches in the area are beginning to feel the rush from Port as refugees are flooding the area beginning to seek aid and help since they have NOTHING. Since many of these folks have been a part of the MEBSH church association, they will flock to the MEBSH churches as they have no where else to go or turn to.

GREAT NEEDS are rapidly developing in the Cayes area. Hospitals are already out of medicine and supplies to treat the wounded who keep pouring in. RMI already has lists of medical needs from our mission hospitals and others in the area.

Since the earthquake we have wondered how we could help - our headquarters is in Les Cayes, 120 miles from Port. We don’t have a presence in Port. But this wave of refugees brings the needy right to our door step! It seems that we didn’t need to go to Port, Port is coming to us!

RMI is UNIQUELY positioned to help these refugees. With our extensive base of operations, our staff on site, our network of contacts in the communities around the south of Haiti, and you, our Sister Churches, and many friends, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!!

Our strategy is to concentrate on the masses of refugees pouring into southern Haiti:

Provide desperately needed medical supplies

Provide short term medical teams to help in the hospitals

Provide food and basic necessities for the refugees

Provide short term housing as possible

Provide spiritual encouragement and witness

We cannot do any of this without your help!

How can you as a church or individual help?

1. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ so impacted by this tragedy. Everyone in Haiti has been impacted by the earthquake, even if they weren’t in Port-au-Prince.

2. DONATE FUNDS – THIS IS THE GREATEST WAY TO HELP INITIALLY. RMI has already provided $20,000 Haitian dollars to the national church leadership to help their churches in Port as well as we have purchased basic food for distribution. One US Sister Church has committed $10,000 US right away with more to come.

3. Put together a medical team or volunteer for a team. Email rob.thompson@rminet.org if you are a medical person that could volunteer for a team or you can put a team together to minister in Haiti for a week. Time frames and transportation are being worked out.

GOD has placed RMI in this situation for this time! Help us make the most of the opportunities that God is placing right at our feet. All of our resources, staff, and time will be focused on accomplishing these goals. We need $250,000 to accomplish these things. It is crucial to purchase and transport the URGENTLY needed supplies immediately. But it cannot happen without the money in hand. To facilitate donations, you can donate online or send a check to RMI. Please donate now with a goal of helping out monthly as we focus together on meeting these great needs. Thank you for your partnership with us, the MEBSH churches, and the Haitian people.

Earthquake!!!

2010-01-14T21:44:00.001-05:00

As you are aware, the unimaginable happened on January 12 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A 7.0 earthquake hit the capital shortly before 5 p.m. There have been more than 30 aftershocks. What little infrastructure that was there has been destroyed: many government buildings, hospitals, businesses, hotels, homes, schools and churches have been turned to dust. Roads have cracked, fallen away or are blocked with rubble from fallen buildings. CNN has reported that the human toll could be up to 100,000 people! We are deeply saddened and heavy hearted as we watch the news and see the scenes of places that we once knew, but are rubble today.

We wanted you to know that all of RMI’s missionaries & Haitian staff are fine. We have a team in-country (Main St. United Methodist, Abbeyville, SC) right now; they are at RMI’s Guesthouse at the mission center in Cayes and are fine as well. RMI’s ministries, missionaries and Sister Churches are in the southern peninsula, 120 miles from the capital, in the city of Les Cayes. They felt the earthquake and a number of aftershocks. It shook buildings and rocked parked vehicles, but there was very little damage, and only a few people were injured when they fell running out of buildings.

A big challenge that we face is getting the team out of Haiti and back home. Port-au-Prince’s airport is operational, but only relief aid is being allowed to take off and land. There is only one runway and no place to put planes. There is no aviation fuel. As I write this there are 10 planes circling Port waiting to land. The FAA has grounded all flights to Haiti because of the bottleneck, at least until tomorrow.

We are working hard, through as many avenues as possible, to make arrangements for the team to leave. In the meantime, they are safe and sound at the mission center. Today they joined another short term team that is also stranded at the mission center. They are both medical teams, so they ministered together, holding a medical clinic in a nearby community.

How can YOU help this desperate situation? As in any disaster, giving financially is the best way to help right now. We are partnering with MEBSH (the Haitian church association with whom we’ve partnered with for over 25 years) to determine how we can best help their churches that were devastated in Port-a-Prince. You can contribute online here (choose the “relief” category) or send a check to RMI at the address below. We anticipate sending a team in to help in the rebuilding efforts, but are not sure when that will be.

We’ve received many, many phone calls from all over the US, all wanting to know how they can help make a difference, as well as if the team, RMI’s missionaries and their Sister Churches are ok. We have appreciated the outpouring of concern, thoughts and prayers on behalf of the Haitian people and RMI.

Regular updates are being posted to RMI’s Facebook page as well as RMI’s blog. Again, thank you for your prayers for Haiti.

Dan Shoemaker
Reciprocal Ministries International
5475 Lee St. Suite 301
Lehigh Acres, FL 33971
239-368-8390

Dan’s December Trip to Haiti: Food for Widows

2010-01-02T12:24:00.001-05:00

Dan made a very quick trip to Haiti in December. Click here to see pictures and the full report. He helped hand out food for some very needy widows, widowers and families. It was an exciting experience.

Besides this church where Dan was, 4 other churches received food for their most needy families. What a practical, tangible way to minister to some hurting brothers and sisters.

Volleyball, Guardian Angels and a New Apartment

2009-12-01T16:37:00.001-05:00

Volleyball

Volleyball season is over, but not before an exciting finish! Her team was regional runner up in the NCCAA Div. II. They were ranked #10 in the nation and earned the chance to go to the National Tournament, held in Kissimmee (Orlando). We were able to attend 1 of the 2 days. They won 2 of their 4 matches, which placed them 5th in the nation!! Not bad for a 3 year old program! The coach received “South Region Coach of the Year”. Dawn was ranked 3rd in the southern region in her position as a middle. She was also nominated for 2nd Team All Region and National All Tournament Team. She didn’t receive the awards, but it was special just to be nominated. She had a great time playing, yet is relieved to have a break from it now.

She doesn’t sit still though…she has a part-time job at Trinity’s campus coffee shop, she plays ultimate frisbee, is on a team in a bowling league in town and somewhere in there she’s doing school work (we hope!). Over Thanksgiving break she visited her roommate in Miami. Still can’t believe we let her go to Miami by herself.

Guardian Angels

We’ve always said both of our kids have very active, special guardian angels. Dawn’s kept her alive several times when she was younger. They are a special gift of God! Recently she and a friend went on a picnic in a park and were literally stalked by an aggressive coyote. It even stood in front of the car in the middle of the road as they left. It was quite scary for them.

But the most recent incident was yesterday on her way back to Trinity after Thanksgiving break. She was on I-75 in the Tampa area and had cars on all sides of her. A screwdriver or long piece of metal flew out of the back of a pickup, bounced all over the highway and smashed into her windshield on the driver’s side. She didn’t panic, held the car steady and tried to avert her head in case it came through the windshield. The windshield held despite 2 points of impact. As you can see it suffered some damage, but Dawn was safe. Praise the Lord! We were so relieved when we heard about it. It could have caused a chain reaction crash or worse.

A New Apartment

Devon has moved into his own apartment! His roommate is his best friend, Kyle Vrooman. They grew up together in Haiti. He was able to get Kyle a job at the same moving and storage company where he works, so Kyle moved down from Titusville, FL. They’ve both been living with Devon’s grandparents in Naples while they looked for an apartment. (yes, they are very gracious grandparents!!) He is so excited to be on his own. When he’s not working (he works long hours!), he’s playing ultimate frisbee, camping & fossil hunting on the Peace River, visiting his alligator wrestling cousin (REALLY AND TRULY!!) in Miami, fishing or having some other extreme adventure. He has kept his guardian angels busy since he was very young! We’ve often shaken our heads in amazement and commented that God must have assigned extra angels to Devon. We excited for him about this apartment. He’s having fun garage sale-ing for furniture and setting it up. Who knows, maybe we’ll eventually get an invitation to a meal some day?!

Incredible Video Testimony that Explains Why We Do What We Do

2009-11-24T14:00:00.001-05:00

This video is long, but totally worth the investment! This paints a great picture as to why we do what we do. It will be worth it to watch the whole thing, but I would especially encourage you to watch Alison @06:35, Dana @14:41, Scott @21:00, and Dan @32:02.

This is a video of a church service on Nov 3, 2009 at one of RMI's churches, CrossRoad Church UMC in Jacksonville, FL. They tell their story of the broad impact of the partnership they have with their Sister Church in Tiburon, Haiti, through RMI.

For your convenience, here are some timestamps…

00:00 – Pastor Scott Crawford (Community Life Pastor) gives an introduction to their Sister Church Partnership.
06:35 - Alison (Recent Team Member) shares her story, specifically related to RMI’s Hope for Kidz child sponsorship program.
14:41 - Dana (recent team member) shares her dramatic story of Kingdom impact, salvation, being a God Parent.
21:00 - Scott shares more Kingdom impact.
26:15 - Scott shares message from Haitian Pastor Lundy to the congregation at CrossRoad Church UMC.
32:02 - RMI President Dan Shoemaker thanks the congregation for their compassionate partnership and impact.
37:38 - Sr. Pastor Gee challenges his congregation to live below their means to make a difference.

Finally, here is the video:

CrossroadUMC Compassion Month Church Service from RobandBecky Thompson on Vimeo.

Now what?

2009-11-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

We didn’t even have time to see who makes that special “no escape” system for Duke (see the previous entry!). He dug under the fence again this morning and went to Walmart AGAIN!! Thankfully he didn’t get hit by rush hour traffic. He’s so friendly, he searches out anyone who will be friendly in return. Thankfully each time that person has called the number on his tag to find his owners. He’s like a cat with 9 lives!!

Now what do we do?!?!?!

The perfect way to keep Duke inside the fence!

2009-11-17T10:43:00.001-05:00

I saw this on a friend’s blog (Thanks Pastor Mike!) and it sure seems like a great idea of how to keep Duke inside the fence! I wonder where we could buy such a contraption?

By the way, Dan has fixed the fence and reinforced the rest of the perimeter. Good thing our yard isn’t any bigger!

The dreaded 3 a.m. phone call

2009-11-03T16:01:00.001-05:00

A parent’s worse nightmare….the 3 a.m. phone call letting you know that one of your children is in trouble. Dan and I got that call last week.

It was Walmart asking us to come get our DOG. He was found shopping at Walmart again (see our Feb. 9, 2008 blog entry)! It was hard to comprehend how it could be possible…he sleeps inside the house with us. But it seems that when he was let outside for his nightly constitutional, he was left there. We both thought the other one had let him in. I guess he got bored and decided to go walkabout, again crossing the busiest east/west road in the county at night (he’s a black dog), through the parking lot and right to Walmart.

Dan got dressed and retrieved Duke (leaving a $20 reward to the employee that found him). The next morning we found where he’d pawed aside the heavy 12” X 12” pavers, tore through the chicken wire the dug under the fence to find freedom.

One would think that we could write a blog about Dawn’s team and how they came in 2nd in their region and are now able to go the the national finals (in Kissimmee this year – hope we can attend some of the games!). It’s so cool!

Or how Devon is looking for his first apartment in Naples. His childhood friend (fellow missionary kid and his best friend), Kyle Vrooman, has moved down and is working with Devon in the shipping warehouse. They are staying with Devon’s grandparents in Naples and hope to find an apartment in the next couple of weeks. He is so excited! Maybe he’ll take Duke off our hands! HA HA

But no, the dog gets the headlines this time around.

Ranked #10 in the nation!

2009-10-07T22:07:00.001-04:00

This news is just so cool! Dawn's team, Trinity College of Florida, is now ranked #10 in the Nation in the NCCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll. http://www.thenccaa.org/top10rankings.html

www.thenccaa.org

You can’t go around hugging missionaries!

2009-09-29T12:24:00.000-04:00

Dan and I were at our daughter’s college (Trinity College of Florida) missionary conference last week for 3 days. We set up our booth the first day and were prepared when classes were dismissed. Dawn walked by our booth with a group of her friends. When she got to the end of the table, I was standing there and she gave me a big hug. One of her classmates gave a gasp, her hand flew to her mouth and she said, “Dawn you can’t go around hugging the missionaries!” Dawn turned around and said “She’s my mom!”. Her friend’s eyes flew open wide and the look of chagrin on her face was priceless. Everyone around had a great laugh about it. She knew Dawn was an MK, missionary kid, so she figured that due to that Dawn felt a real affinity toward missionaries and was going around hugging the missionaries. She didn’t know we were her parents. It really was hilarious! (The rest of the week, whenever I saw her, I reached out and gave her a big hug.)

On the first day of the conference, I had an interesting conversation with the Child Evangelism Fellowship missionary at his booth. He is what I call a ripple effect. He quit the military to become a missionary because of the ministry and influence of my dad who was a CEF missionary to the US military in Germany. When he got to the US for CEF’s training institute, my dad was one of his teachers. One can never tell how far out your ministry will ripple! It brought tears to my eyes. I wish my dad knew how far his ripples have reached! (My dad died of ALS in 2002.)

As the students were milling around, perusing the booths, the school’s 4 Haitians found our booth. One of them picked up the Creole hymnal that we had out and found her favorite hymn. She started singing and the others joined in. They stood there and sang all the verses. A crowd formed and listened to the impromptu concert in a foreign language. It was cool. Each one of them made an effort to find us from time to time during the 3 days to say hi and talk about Haiti.

We were able to have great personal interaction with the students at our booth, at meals and in chapel. It’s been fun to meet Dawn’s friends, too, and to see her going through “the college experience”. Dan was one of 5 missionaries chosen to share in an evening chapel, which gave him a unique setting to touch every student. He shared Amanda’s testimony (see our previous blog entry!) and gave a great challenge to the kids for personal missions involvement.

The last day we had a 45 minute workshop where 18 students learned that being a missionary is a rewarding, fullfilling life. They received a challenge to consider becoming green: taking their home culture (blue), mixing in a new foreign culture (yellow) resulting in a new unique culture all their own (green)! God needs more who are willing to become GREEN.

Since the school is small, we were able to get to know students by name and have several opportunities to interact. It made for a much better missions conference experience for us; it made it very enjoyable.

We got home Saturday, but not to the empty nest that we had when we left, but I’ll save that for another blog entry!

RMI Impacts Lives Forever!

2009-09-15T23:07:00.001-04:00

It's been 2 weeks

2009-08-17T23:32:00.001-04:00

It's been 2 weeks since Dawn left for college and she's already come home for a weekend visit. She was sweet to want to come keep me company while Dan is out of the country for 2 weeks (Haiti). He went to Haiti to be with a new Sister Church team as they met and began to make forever relationships with brothers and sisters they never knew they had. [That part of the trip went very well! He said the Haitian church received them exceptionally well - the town's mayor presented the team with the key to city. That's a first for our teams!]

The 2nd part of Dan's trip is administrative meetings with RMI's missionaries and the RMI national staff. Rob and Becky Thompson, RMI's VP, will be flying to Haiti tomorrow, Tuesday, to join him. They will see the house they are to live in, take measurements and make plans on what they will need when they move there in March. Rob and Dan will also be meeting with all the Sister Church pastors and School Directors.

We are relieved to see that Tropical Depression Ana seems to be heading north of Port-au-Prince and the Cayes area. Hopefully it shouldn't interfere with their trip there. A great site to follow tropical weather is http://www.stormpulse.com/.

Back to Dawn's visit. I have been "home alone" while Dan is gone, and this weekend was her last chance to get home before classes start, so she came home to keep me company. We had a great mother/daughter day (garage saleing, a movie, shopping and supper at PF Chang's) on Saturday, then she was off to the beach with friends and a girls sleepover here at the house. Of course, there's laundry that needs to be done before she goes back!

She's settling in at Trinity: Getting to know the area (all the essentials....the mall, Target, Walmart, the beach and the grocery store), getting to know the school staff, getting to know the team, oh! and her roommate situation was changed (Julianna will now be her suite-mate and Yolanda will be her roommate). She's enjoying it and looking forward to the start of classes.

It was really nice to have her home again!!! I sure have missed her.

The start of college life

2009-08-13T22:33:00.001-04:00

Being the first one to arrive, Dawn was able to choose her room. Yes, that's a full size frig and microwave in the room. Since Trinity doesn't serve breakfast and some weekend meals, they provide the frig and microwave in each 2 person room for the students to fix their own meals. The rooms are spacious and the furniture is nice.

She chose to be by the nice big window. We were able to find a place for everything and get everything in place.

What did we do before the invention of those stacking plastic drawers? The desk area will have to serve as part dresser, part kitchen counter and part study desk. Dan was able to get her computer and printer set up and running. Now to get some studying done!

The first practice - meeting teammates, getting new equipment and warming up. Dawn's roommate, Julianne, is standing next to her in the white shirt.

The first of many pep talks from Coach Mark. Classes start Aug. 26. Their first tournament is Labor Day weekend in Clearwater, which we hope to attend!