As always, new pictures and videos are available on our website. theSliver. blog If this e-update is a 'theSlice' of our life, than our blog is 'theSliver' of our life!  Click Here   Contact Us robandbecky@ robandbecky.com   DIRECTSupport Automatically and electronically donate via credit card or bank account 1x or for monthly giving here.    Did you Know? Tessa is famous?  We're not sure if this is good or bad, but one of our videos (tessa's birth) has been watched over 62,000 times on youtube.  My finger is tired from clicking... Also, just this week, we posted our 200th blog entry at theSliver.

-In This Issue:   Support  |  Ministry  |  Personal  | Prayer  | A Story

Greetings from Rob and Becky,

  Support Update-  Help!

As you can see by the thermometer, we once again need to raise additional funding.  We had been fully supported, but recently, due to an increase in health insurance costs as well as some reduction in support from a couple of our team members, we are once again in need.  Therefore, we are immediately in need of raising another $282/month.

What can you do?  If you are not a current supporter, join our team as a new donor!  If you are already supporting us, you can pray, give an additional special gift, increase your level of monthly support, introduce us to prospective donors, and/or host a gathering of your friends and family in your home. 

Pledge to join Our Team  │  Donate Now Online  │  Email for More Info

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  Ministry Update- An overview...

The last 6 months have been tough for us here at RMI.  Initially, it started with a financial crisis.  The reports had been telling us for a period of time that there weren't (and still aren't) enough donations coming in to support all of the ministries of RMI.  We got to a point when we realized that we had to make some painful cuts.  In addition to some salary reductions, we unfortunately had to lay off a number of positions.  As I am sure you understand, our financial situation is not unique.  These are tough days for many. 

While addressing our financial situation, we also came to realize that we needed to do some restructuring and reorganization.  We realized that if RMI is truly going to accomplish all that we dream of, we needed to rearrange ourselves and our ministries to more effectively and efficiently move into the future.  During this process, several of our missionaries decided to step away from RMI and move in a different direction.  This again, forced us to look critically at ourselves and address the issues at hand.  Our ministry in Guatemala has affectively come to an end (at least for now) and our VP of INTL Operations is no longer with us.

"We want RMI to be a ministry that is using all the various components and personnel at its disposal to effectively care for it’s current ministries and be positioned to be able to move into the future.  Pray for wisdom, that God will show His wisdom to us and enable RMI to be even better grounded administratively to be able to move confidently into the future!"  Dan Shoemaker, RMI President

Although these days have been hard, we are thoroughly excited about what God has done and what we believe He has for us in the days ahead.  As I look back, I wouldn't choose to go through these days again, but they have certainly taught us some big lessons and caused us to make some necessary changes that are for the good.

On account of the discussions over the last 4-5 months, what has changed?  Among other things...

• RMI has better systems and policies in place to protect RMI and our missionaries from financial downturns.

• RMI is set up for better work-flow and management.  A new streamlined organizational chart is almost complete.

• The deficits that RMI had been carrying year after year have been eradicated!

• Dan Shoemaker, RMI President, has become much more focused on development and relationship building (fund-raising, church and missionary recruitment, RMI relationships and marketing).

• I will have a new title and new job description.  I can't say more than that for now, but I will communicate as I am able.  I am anxiously excited about the possibilities!

• The RMI Board of Directors is much more involved.

QuickBooks.  Our conversion from Quicken to QuickBooks is finally becoming a reality.  I feel as though I have been talking about this for years.  You know what, we have!  On May 1, if God wills, we will be switched over to QuickBooks.  This process is very overwhelming.

Impact Partners.  We are in the process of launching a new fund raising campaign to raise money for RMI called Impact Partners.  Basically we need people and churches to partner with us as we together make an impact on the kingdom.

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  Our Blog- Find the answers to these questions here.  

Just this week, we posted our 200th blog post.  Find the answers to these questions here.

Did Jesus break the second commandment?
What 3 books has Rob read recently that have changed his life?
Do we know the gender of our baby due at the end of July?  Names?
Why did Rob almost slash the tires of a car at church?
Why does Drew think Daddy's belly is big?
What animal is Rob afraid of, that Drew almost picked up?
Did Rob meet an angel?
What beast of an animal did Rob get to hold?
What songs is Becky teaching Drew?

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  Personal Update-  Click for the latest pictures and videos.

Life has continued to speed along for us.  As you can see from the pictures, Drew and Tessa are really growing up.

Drew has become our cautious one.  Just last week we took him to ride go-carts and we only made it around the track once.  He was scared.  Recently he began jumping into our arms from the pool side, this was a major feat.  Time out is an hourly event.  He has enjoyed riding his new bike and loves playing with his friends.

Tessa is a spitfire!  She wants what she wants when she wants it.  We are trying to not give in all the time, but we give in too often.  She is learning new words everyday, mostly repeating any word we ask her to.  She still has an infectious smile and loves giving hugs and kisses.  We don't mind.

Becky is pregnant, and getting more uncomfortable everyday.  I keep telling her to toughen up, but she doesn't really embrace the concept.  She picked up an extra day at Walgreens for the last few months to help out financially.  I am super blessed by her willingness to work, but also can't wait for that to come to an end.  I look forward to her going back to 2 days a week.  The baby is coming at the end of July.  Becky has really enjoyed spending time with girlfriends from church, both inside and outside of Women's Ministries on Tuesday mornings.  She has been really challenged through some great Bible studies.

I find that most of my energy is gone after working all day and then coming home and being with the kids until bed-time.  After that a recorded Cubs game, the Office, Without a Trace, or American Idol might come on.  Recently I have been doing quite a bit of RMI work at home.  I have been enjoying reading, landscaping, photography and coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee. 

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  A Story-  Taken from a RMI publication (theBridge) that donors receive.

Shortly after the Sister Church team from Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church (Chicago area) had arrived at their Sister Church in Astruc, Haiti, a frantic mother and father showed up carrying their 4 year  old son.  They explained that he’d been sitting near the cooking fire and had bumped the big pot of boiling water.  Boiling  water and hot ashes badly burned his face, chest, hands and arms.  They did the only thing they knew to do, they covered the burns in toothpaste, then took little Kenol Motte an hour away to a church that had said they’d be having a clinic with doctors there.  They did this not knowing if the doctors had arrived or not!

This team’s project was a medical clinic as well.  The doctors and nurses immediately went to work on Kenol, cleaning him up the best they could without medical facilities.  They dressed his wounds, but realized that they were severe and his skin was sloughing off. RMI President, Dan  Shoemaker, was with this team and dispatched an RMI staff member to drive the 3 hours back to the mission center in Les Cayes (Haiti’s 3rd largest town) to find Silvadene, the needed burn cream.  He was able to find a large amount and returned to Astruc immediately.  The parents brought Kenol to the clinic (an hour each way on donkey-back) every day that week to be treated with the cream.  Right before the team left, they brought him to say thank you. The doctors gave them the rest of the cream to keep using.  But even in those 5 days there had already been so much healing that they didn’t recognize him as the same burned child they had first seen.

The next year, when the team returned, the parents brought Kenol and the visiting team was shocked.  There was not a single scar on him!  They felt like they’d truly seen and experienced a miracle.

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  Prayer-  Will you pray for us?

Praise

• ...for the many people who are giving sacrificially, allowing us to be here.

• ...for all the ministry that is happening both here in RMI’s INTL Office as well as in our Sister Churches, both on the field and in the US.

• ...that the Lord has shown Himself in the midst of tough days at RMI.

• ...for the wisdom of the RMI Board of Directors.

Petition

• ...for our financial support needs to be met.  $282/month needed.  For the provision of funds for general RMI ministries.

• ...for the successful completion of RMI's financial software conversion.

• ...for the provision of more missionaries and staff both here in FL as well as overseas.  We are really burdened by the harvest being so plentiful, but there being so few workers.

• ...for the provision of a "QuickBooks-able" bookkeeper.

• ...for Drew and Tessa as they continue to grow in every aspect.

• ...for Becky and baby as the birth nears.

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Linking His Church...