UPDATE SUMMARY :
- What we’ve been up to the past month.
- Language study update.
- Surgery
- RMI DR update
- Praises & Prayer Requests
January was a very busy month for our family and ministry. We traveled to the states for a few weeks in January for some mission/ministry things and a bonus was being able to see family real quick as well.
Jim represented RMI as the DR Field Director at the Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) missions conference in the middle of January. We partner with FMSC to get the food needed that we give out to families, churches and schools in Haiti. Through this time there they are able to collaborate, get updates, worship & be encouraged, & meet others on the same mission. They see what all goes into each and every meal that we pass out. They hear and can share stories of the impact of each of these meals. They were able to make many of the meals as well and saw first hand all the nutrients and ingredients that go into each of them.
Another great thing that came from this is connections with the DR team at FMCS so that our new field in the DR can start working with them there to obtain the food for us to give out to those in need in the DR as teams come down and as we continue to set up the new DR field. Praising God for a productive time together.
RMI MEETINGS:
Jim was also able to attend meetings that RMI our mission organization had. These meetings were very productive and a great way for the leadership in RMI to come together, unite and see how they can make the organization work even better for the kingdom of God. Jim walked away from both the conference and meetings feeling excited, encouraged, challenged and ready to keep doing the work God has called us to do.
Another blessing of being back a few weeks is we were able to speak at a new church and will be sharing a mission update at our home church before heading back to the DR.
LANGUAGE UPDATE: Jim and I have done some language study the first 6 months in the DR, but not as much as we hoped as we were busy with getting settled and things set up. We tried different programs on our own but realized it would be better to reach out and get an instructor that specifically trained and taught missionaries to learn Spanish. When we get back from the states here soon, we will be starting more official language studies and they will be more intense and more work. This will be a big part of our ministry for the next year as we put a lot of effort into learning a third language and getting better at our second language (Haitian Creole).
I love this quote, ” The number one reason we invest in language learning is LOVE. God put His love in our hearts for these people and we reflect His love as we invest the time and effort to understand their language and culture. Nothing communicates love as clearly as when you leave your own culture and language and learn theirs.” – Cynthia Anderson
UNEXPECTED SURGERY: In a turn of events, April will be having gallbladder surgery here shortly. We didn’t know this would be happening but since being here she had a really bad attack and had an ultrasound done that showed she needed surgery. We were planning on flying back Monday, so now our return date will be a smidge longer until she is recovered from surgery. Please keep April in your prayers for a successful, smooth surgery with no complications and a good, smooth recovery Lord willing. We have peace knowing God knows all of this, is guiding us and we are grateful to be here stateside when this happened.
DR FIELD UPDATE:
Jim has been in communication with several of the pastors and leaders in the Dominican & Haitian churches we are partnering with in the DR. We are very excited for the future and what we feel God is leading us to do. The Dominican pastors we are partnering with have a big heart for helping the Haitian people there. We have been honored to see how humble these Dominican believers are and how the love of Christ is shining through them as they reach and serve their Haitian brothers & sisters.
These group of people and their churches have helped start over 40 Haitian Churches. They try to help them as much as they can, to get set up and thrive to help their community. However, they lack resources and need help. We are partnering with them to help them continue the work they are doing. Jim’s been meeting with many of the church leaders and going out to the Haitian and Dominican communities and seeing the needs so we can see how we can pour into these communities. We will be doing more of this when we return.
Our next thing we will be working on is meeting with them to figure out the exact team set-ups we need, as there are so many needs that we have found and so our next step is organizing teams from the US (reach out if you are interesting in coming down or forming a team) to come down and help us with these needs.
FOUR BIG TEAM FOCUSES we are looking at are discipleship teams, medical teams, encouragement/practical projects/food passing out teams and youth group teams because the youth in many of these churches are struggling and we would love to see youth groups and their leaders come down and pour into the youth and leadership in some of these Haitian and Dominican churches! Please contact us ASAP if you’d like to form a team through your church or group of family/friends/work. We are in great need for teams and so this is our next big focus in the DR when we return.
PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS:
- April’s gallbladder surgery.
- Our language learning.
- Wisdom and direction from God as we keep pressing on with ministry in the DR.
- For teams to come down.
- For our special gift / one-time gifts fund to increase as we used most of it to make the move & set up in the DR. We need to build this back up for ministry and living in the DR. If you’d like to donate, go here and make sure and pick our names in the drop down menu. http://rmibridge.org/donate
- For us to continue seeking and putting Christ first in our personal lives, growing in Him, in our family and the way we disciple and pour into our children and then into the ministry He has called us to there.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We are so grateful to have YOU walking this journey with us.
Love,
The Starkeys
bridgetohispaniola.com 