Earthquake Pictures taken by RMI Staff

Here are some pictures that our RMI Staff took from Haiti on Friday, Jan 15.

RMI’s Haiti Relief Response. Please HELP!

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 nowhere 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. 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.

Sincerely,

Dan Shoemaker

RMI President

We want to be in Haiti, HELP!

It is so hard to be here in NJ.  We want to be in Haiti. 

I want to… dig people out, stand with my Haitian brothers and sisters, support RMI’s relief effort down there, listen and pray with our Haitian staff as they hear of the death of so many loved ones, drive vehicles of supplies around, get out to our Sister Churches to get damage reports, give our RMI missionary staff some much needed rest, etc etc…

For now, we will pray.

For now, we will continue to focus on fund raising so that we can get down there in March.  We can’t wait.

We need your help.

Can you pledge to give monthly to help us serve in Haiti?  Many are giving 50/75/100 a month to support our work in Haiti.

Maybe monthly is too much.  Can you pledge to give annually? 

Any pledge helps us reach our goal.

Pledge Here.

Give Online Here.

Learn how to give Here.

Rob

Our Team in Haiti helping…

We have a team from Mainstreet UMC and Erskine College in South Carolina in Haiti.  This medical team came to do a medical clinic at their Sister Church in Port Salut. They didn’t realize they came for more!

They are “stranded” for the moment (we are working to find a route back home for them).  In the meantime, they are serving in the midst of the earthquake aftermath.

Yesterday, our team, joined forces with other short term teams with other missionary organizations, to do a medical clinic in downtown Cayes.  Quake victims are making their way out of PAP down to the Cayes area.  Today they will be serving right at the medical clinic on the mission center where are missionaries live.

Here are some pictures…

My heart is troubled…

I know that God is sovereign, but it is times like these that we doubt, we ask questions, we wonder… where is God?  God is at work.  We don’t have answers, but we know, God is at work, even in the midst of this devastation.

I am burdened for the Haitian people.  So many lives lost.  So much ruin.  So much heartache.  So much need.  So much poverty.

It wants me to get there even faster.  I want to help. 

Here are some basic updates…

Our missionaries in Cayes (where we will live) are apparently ok.  We have a team in country right now from SC, they are ok.  We are working to get them back home safely.  There does seem to be some damage in the Cayes area, but not nearly what we are seeing in Port au Prince.

So far, it is our understanding that all of our Sister Churches are ok.  They were far enough away from the epicenter.  I am sure more reports will eventually come in telling us more.

I was supposed to go to Haiti for a week tomorrow.  This trip is now cancelled.

Our container with everything that we have is in Port au Prince right now.  I have no idea of it’s condition. 

You can donate to the relief effort online at http://bit.ly/6sXUKD

God, please move in the midst of these days, and make yourself known.  Draw many to yourself.  Use your people.

Rob

Time is Ticking away…tick, tick, tick…

We are closing in on our goals, but we need your help to “Finish Strong”.  The generosity and sacrifice of so many have been a great source of joy and encouragement.  If you have given financially and/or prayerfully, thank you.

We are writing this (1) to ask you to Pray, (2) to give you an Update on Our Support Raising Progress, (3) to ask you to Help Us Finish Strong, and (4) to give you a picture of our tentative Plans for the Coming Months.

As we are in this process, lives are being changed through the ministry of RMI.   You may be interested in reading “Page 2” of this.  We can’t wait to get to Haiti and start ministering to Haitians and Americans alike.

(1) Pray...

Our family is going through a lot right now, and we need you to pray with us and for us.  Pray for health.  Pray for stability.  Pray for financial providence.  Pray for the Haitian people.  Pray for the US Teams visiting Haiti.

(2) Our Support Raising Progress…

We have raised 86% of our monthly need.  This leaves $1080/month still to raise.

We have raised 84% of our 1x need.  This leaves $6290 still to raise.

(3) Help us Finish Strong…

If you are NOT currently supporting us financially, and/or prayerfully, would you consider doing so with a monthly pledge or a special gift? We would love to get together with you to share more about our ministry and need for support.  Please contact us (rob.thompson@rminet.org or 239-303-4142) so we can arrange a time to get together.  If you already know you would like to support us, you can pledge to do so here, give 1x or set up monthly gifts via your checking account or credit card online here, or find out other ways (by check) to give here.

If you ARE currently supporting us, thank you.  Would you consider increasing your giving with an increase in your monthly pledge or by giving an additional special gift?  If you would like to do so, you can pledge to do so here, give a special gift or set up (or increase) monthly gifts via your checking account or credit card online here, or find out other ways (by check) to give here.

(4) Our Plans…

“Home” is currently in Egg Harbor Township, NJ.  Praise the Lord, we have a renter already living in our home in FL.  We are here in NJ to spend time with family and raise additional support.  The following 2 ½ months is going to be busy.  As we try to get together with current and potential supporters, visit family, final Dentist and Dr. Appointments, here are some of the other things that we will be doing…

• Jan 5 - Missionary Luncheon, Linwood, NJ
• Jan 6 - Second Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ
• Jan 10 - Rob preaching at Linwood Community Church, Linwood, NJ
• Jan 14-21 - Rob in Haiti with Dad and Uncle to work on our home.
• Jan 17 - Becky @ Trinity Alliance Church, Cologne, NJ
• Jan 22-23 - In Valley Forge, PA
• Jan 28-29 - In Downingtown, PA (Tentative)
• Jan 24 - Grace Community Church, Hammonton, NJ (Tentative)
• Jan 31 - Beacon EFC, Absecon, NJ (Tentative)
• Feb 1-2 - Driving to Fort Myers, FL, Overnight in Charlotte, NC
• Feb 3-7 - Global Impact Celebration Mission's Conference at McGregor Baptist Church, Fort Myers, FL
• Feb 8 - Driving to Union Mills, NC
• Feb 9 - March 11 - @ the Center for Intercultural Taining for Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry.  Click here for info on what we will be doing.
• March 15ish - MOVE TO HAITI!

Pictures of our recent packing of our container and our recent Christmas in NJ, in the snow, are on our website here.

Thank you for your support!