A Brief history

Throughout the early years of missionary service, among many other ministries on the Haiti field, Herb and Shirley Shoemaker were asked to host youth and adult church teams to Haiti.  The immediate results were most gratifying as God worked in both the U.S. church team and in the members of the national church.  The national church was encouraged and their ministry enhanced through the ministry of the U.S. team.  The U.S. team went home highly motivated and deeply moved by the interaction with God's people.

However, the ultimate results were less than satisfying:

  There was no prior training to prepare the groups for a profitable cross-cultural experience;
  Therefore, needs of the whole of Haiti weighed heavily on the visiting groups and they often became overwhelmed;
  There was no follow up action taken to meet the needs.  Promises were made with good intentions, but were most often not carried out;
  The  teams were not able to bring the U.S. church into a meaningful involvement.

They felt that there was the need for a church to church relationship that would not be so overwhelming as trying to deal with the needs of the entire country of Haiti!   This would also  present the possibility of a more personal, in-depth, ongoing relationship.  They began to seek God's mind.

During that time, Herb was studying Ephesians 3, which speaks of God's eternal purpose:  the bringing together of His people from amongst the Jews and Gentiles, as members in the universal Body of Christ.  The purpose of this, as explained in verse 11 of this same chapter, was to show forth the wisdom of God to people on earth and to the heavenly beings.

They were encouraged through these thoughts from scripture, to develop a program that would continue to bring God's people together, cross-culturally - RMI's Sister Church Program!