2020, the year that wasn't

Yes, you didn’t get a Christmas letter from us, however, you are now getting a spring letter.  We have called the year 2020, “the year that wasn’t”, but when we look back, we realized that there were things that did happen in our family and ministry. Thus, here is a little review of “the year that wasn’t”.

Like many companies, RMI’s staff began working from home in mid-March.  Dan and I continued our ministry model of working hand-in-hand.  We’ve worked together our entire marriage and this time of staying at home has been no different.  We took our computers home, set them up in our home office, and carried on with our jobs with RMI.  We really didn’t have a hard adjustment to being at home together full-time.  We ate at home every meal until the state started opening, tried new recipes, and did a lot of dishes.  Ok, I admit we binge-watched a few things on Netflix, too.

Dan learned how to use Zoom, not only for conference calls but for webinars.  RMI held 8 webinars to keep our friends and supporters informed on how things were going in Haiti, with projects and our many programs.  They were well attended and folks expressed their appreciation for them.  Dan had to cancel all of his travel plans but was able to maintain contact with people via phone or Zoom.  Even RMI’s Board meetings were held via Zoom.  Also, he was our “sacrificial lamb” and did all of our grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions.

One benefit of being at home was that Dan was available to care for Debbie when she had another foot surgery in May.  This time it was on the right foot.  Her Achilles tendon was lengthened; this was done to stabilize the Charcot in that foot.  Charcot is a degenerative condition that causes the foot to collapse.  The doctor was pleased with the textbook reaction her foot had to the operation.  This procedure has released the tension on her foot and arrested the development of the condition.  The recovery time was much shorter.  One low is that these 2 surgeries (the one last October and this one) have affected her balance.  She went to many physical therapy sessions to improve her walking and to help with her balance.

On Thanksgiving Devon, Kristen and our 2 grands came over from Ft. Lauderdale, Dan’s parents were there, and a nephew and his girlfriend.  It wasn’t a large gathering but still lots of fun to see everyone.  And our Shoemaker crab feast was great!  Even little 4-year-old Riley loves to search out the meat and eat it.  

The next day, Black Friday, Dan had a mild heart attack.  All that week Dan hadn’t felt himself (but hadn’t told anyone) but on Thanksgiving, he felt a band of tightness across his chest.  He didn’t have any other symptoms.  After everyone left on Thanksgiving, he called over our neighbor who is a retired EMS. He found his blood pressure was high and after consulting with him we called 911.  They came and his EKG showed completely normal.  He didn’t have any other symptoms, so we signed a refusal to go to the hospital.  The next morning the pain had not subsided, so Dan called his cardiologist who told him to go to the ER...so we called EMS again but this time to transport him to the hospital.  Even in the ambulance, the EKG came out normal, with no issues.  The doctors in the ER told him they didn’t think it was a heart attack...until the blood work came back.  That clearly showed he had a heart attack and there was significant blockage.  Things happened fast as he was whisked into the operating room where a heart catheterization was performed and 6 stents were inserted.  One artery was 100% blocked and 2 others had significant blockage!  By the time Debbie got to see him, it was all over and he was in his room for overnight observation.  We know God had his hand in so many things - having a neighbor who was willing to help, kind EMS who didn’t mind coming out twice, and having the area’s best vascular surgeon on duty in the ER that day to care for Dan.  He was released the next day and told to take it easy for a week then resume his normal activities!  He felt a bit fatigued but other than that he’s back to his feisty, energetic self.  We feel that God spared him not only for our family but to continue leading RMI and being involved in ministry.

During our “stay-at-home” we missed family.  In June Devon and family dropped their dog, Chloe, off for her annual vacation while they had a vacation in North Carolina with Kristen’s extended family.  While there, they were exposed to COVID, so their planned weekend with us on their way home had to be scrapped.  They pulled into the driveway, waved, opened the car door for Chloe to jump in and they went right home.  That was a low point for all of us!

When things eased up a bit, we visited my family in South Carolina in the summer.  They had “honey do’s” lists for both of us.  In the fall we visited again, but for fun.  My sisters and I had our annual Sisters Weekend in the Mountains.  This year we prowled around Greenville, SC - the town where 2 of them live.  They had it all researched, organized, and mapped out.  We had fun but missed 1 sister who couldn’t come due to COVID concerns.

Devon had been working in construction (an essential business) but in the summer he was sought out by a luxury home builder (think multi-million dollar homes) and asked to be one of their project supervisors!  It’s a strong, good company and he said yes.  There’s a lot of on-the-job learning, but he’s proven himself and they really like him.  It provides him with quite a bit of room for advancement and experience.

In the fall they sold their small townhouse and were able to find a larger one in a very nice neighborhood in the location they needed.  The previous owners even left some nice furniture that they couldn’t take with them.  They moved in mid-January (2021).  Riley (4) is excelling at gymnastics so much so that the coach asked her to move up to the older, more experienced class.  She may be the shortest, but she’s a little dynamo, doing moves that her older classmates can’t yet do.  Everly gets cuter every day and is very curious.  She helped me make the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving (yes, we had crabs and pumpkin pie!).  She still excels in smiling.  Devon and Kristen are great parents; we’re very proud of them both.

COVID dealt Dawn’s year some hard blows.  In January and February (2020), 5 teams were able to visit their Sister Churches with her accompanying 3 of them.  When COVID hit Haiti in March, the RMI administration recommended that the RMI missionaries come back to the states.  We were concerned that it would run rampant in Haiti.  [God spared the country the worst of it and those fears were not realized.]  Dawn took that recommendation just when the Haitian president closed the country down.  She was able to get out on a private plane - the only plane that left Haiti for the next 3 weeks!  She chose to quarantine with a friend’s family in the Pacific Northwest.  What was expected to be a 4 week stay turned into 4 months.  The family was so gracious and loving.  They didn’t have a problem with it; they provided Dawn with a private bath and bedroom, equipped with a desk so she could continue to work from home, communicating with teams and the field.  She was able to share RMI’s ministry with one church and a number of individuals.  She enjoyed helping with another ministry’s outreach as well.  

Due to COVID, her furlough plans changed, too.  She wasn’t able to visit her churches and supporters in Washington state.  In fact, she had to re-do her schedule based on who felt free to have her come share.  She did make it to the Chicago area as well as the Tampa and Ft. Myers areas.  We enjoyed having her here with us for the last part of the summer.  She returned to Haiti at the beginning of September.  She was so tired of traveling, she said that she wasn’t coming back until May 2021 for her furlough.  Then her dad had a heart attack and that changed.  Wanting to see him and spend a bit of time together, she came home for a quick visit over Christmas.

We’re happy to say that Dawn’s 2021 has started off much better!  On Feb. 13 she said yes to Andrew Tlucek!  The short story is that he is a Haiti missionary kid (they have a lot in common!), a man of God who is planning on returning to Haiti as a missionary, a Ph.D. student, and loves and cherishes Dawn.  They are planning a June wedding in Idaho where he is from.  We are excited to welcome Andrew into the family.

We are all thankful to have made it through 2020.  And since we are secure in our God and know that He loves us and is sovereign, we are facing 2021 with optimism and hope!

Pray for us as we serve the Lord this year and pray for Haiti.  The country continues to have many struggles.  Despite this, RMI is still on mission, doing ministry, experiencing growth and God’s blessing, and transforming lives. 

With love,    

Dan and Debbie Shoemaker

The Shoemaker Family