Spring 2022

Dearest Supporters, Friends and Family,
 
Wow! This last year and a half have been a ride. From meeting in-person for the first time in 2020 to moving down to Haiti as a missionary couple, Dawn and I have seen God’s hand at work in our lives.
 
Who is Andrew?
For those of you who do not know me and have been supporting Dawn for all these years, I want to thank you for partnering with her in the ministry God has called her to in Haiti. Now that I am part of the team, I would love to introduce myself to you and cannot wait for what the future holds as we go about God’s work together in Haiti.
 
As a child, I was fortunate to have been born into a Christian family that walked intentionally with our Lord and Savior. Our family unit is not a small one either. In fact, I have been blessed with six siblings and many cousins. Growing up together, we had all sorts of adventures that included hunting, fishing, shooting, hiking, sports, and exploring Haiti. 
 
I committed my life to Jesus at a young age due to the godly influence of my parents and extended family. We were heavily involved in the body of Christ and were particularly engaged with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) where my parents, and myself, received great Biblical training and were equipped for leadership roles.  
 
My parents were involved in dairy farming until I was 16 years old when God radically changed the trajectory of their lives by calling them to the mission field in Haiti. Consequently, I went with them, and God began to cultivate a passion for serving the Haitian people. This passion has continued to grow in my adult life. So much so, that I hope to follow the Lord’s calling on my life to start a Bible school that equips Haitian nationals to become godly tentmakers, professionals, and leaders within their local communities. To prepare for this, I have earned an MBA through Western Governors University, an EdS with Northwest Nazarene University, and am now nearly finished with a PhD in higher education with Liberty University.
 
How we met 
God works in mysterious ways. Not only did God use an online dating platform, but He also brought Dawn to my home state, Idaho. In November of 2019, a friend of Dawn’s stumbled upon my dating profile and tried to connect us. However, I had cold feet and chose not to pursue Dawn due to my previous in-person set-ups. Personally, I thought that was going to be the end of the story. But boy oh boy was I wrong.
 
Instead, Dawn ended up meeting another Christian man online. And… This is where it gets interesting. He was also from Idaho. In fact, he only lived 30 minutes away from me and attended the very same church I went to, shopped in the same stores, and we knew of each other from Bible study. 
 
One summer day, while walking through my local Walmart, I was introduced to Dawn through her beau. Near the shoe aisle of all places!  Our short time of conversing with one another about Haiti and missions opened my eyes to who she was.  Dawn was an engaging, smart, and beautiful woman who had a very similar calling to me in her life. This is when I realized I had really screwed up. I missed out on an opportunity to pursue her months earlier because I decided to play it safe. And… I also had to ask God why He had such a cruel sense of humor bringing her to Idaho only for her not to be available. 
 
Four months later, God closed the door on that relationship for Dawn, and He placed the right people at the right time in my life to be cognizant of this change. Fortunately, I learned from my past mistake, didn’t hesitate, and jumped in with full intention.
 
God worked out the many details. We were engaged the day before Valentine’s in 2021, got married June 26th, 2021, and we have been serving in Haiti as a couple since October. 
 
What’s Going on Now
We touched down in Les Cayes, Haiti October 14th and have been serving within RMI through several different capacities. We have been visiting Sister Churches to hear what has been going on there and getting video updates for their stateside counterparts. We have visited schools that are involved with Hope for Kidz documenting food and goat deliveries. We have been helping with two exciting projects that will be announced later this year. And, God has presented us with opportunities to minister to fellow staff and missionaries. 
 
Personally, we are grateful that God has opened the doors for us to move from the one-bedroom apartment, we are currently residing in, to a larger space. This new location will be excellent as we prepare to have a family and host others. (This change does not affect our mailing address.)
 
If you would like to hear more details concerning what is happening in our ministry, we will be posting videos and updates on our social media (Facebook) and website (actingonfaith.org).
 
Praises and Prayer Requests
We praise the Lord that: 
He has enabled us to serve in Haiti the last few months of 2021 and into the summer of 2022
Andrew has had the opportunity to meet several Christ-following leaders in the community that may open the door for future ministry
All the gifts we received from our wedding made it to us here in Haiti and were not stolen in-transport
For each of you who have walked alongside us in prayer and financial support
 
Please pray with us that:
God grants us good health as we minister in Haiti. Since the beginning of December, we have been challenged with several illnesses. 
God clearly illuminates the path of Andrew’s ministry within RMI and the surrounding area.
We are able to raise the remaining funds necessary for us to minister in Haiti long-term.
We are salt and light wherever we serve.
God guides RMI’s leadership and staff as we traverse new ministry opportunities.
Haiti becomes more secure allowing for RMI to have teams come and visit their Haitian church counterparts.
 
Financial Report
We praise God that He was able to help us raise the support necessary for serving in Haiti for the last part of 2021 and the first half of 2022. However, our leadership gave us provisionary permission with a lower fundraising amount to get us to Haiti after the August earthquake. Sadly, this lower amount is not sustainable for us to remain in Haiti long-term. Currently, we need to raise an additional $2,000 of monthly pledges to reach the amount set by the RMI administration. We are looking to partner financially with 20 individuals for $25, 10 families for $50, 6 families or churches for $100, and 3 churches for $140-$250. If the Lord is impressing on your heart to partner with us in this way, you can connect with us via email at: [email protected] or [email protected]. Or you can visit RMI’s website: www.rmibridge.org/financial-donations, select donate now under ministries, and our names will be listed as: Tlucek, Andrew and Dawn (Shoemaker).
 
Communication
We will continue to send out a paper newsletter like this one from time to time.  However, we will be sending out email updates once every 4-6 weeks.  We can only do this if we have your email address, though! Let us know if you want to be included in that email list.  Also, we are both on Facebook – Dawn has changed her personal one to Dawn Tlucek.  We look forward to hearing from you, getting to know you and sharing our ministry with you.
 
Thank you again for your faithful support. You make it possible for us to be here and we appreciate each of you so much!
 
In Christ,
Andrew and Dawn