Remnants Tear Ministries International

WHO IS RTMI

"God always has a Remnant..." This is the theme that Randy and the members of RTMI believe and live by. It was the heart cry that birthed Remnants Tear Ministries all those years ago.

"I was sitting and reading Frank Perretti's book "Piercing the Darkness" and saw that phrase. It did something to me. It hit me in the gut like a fist. Funny thing I actually first sat down and wrote a song using that title. The rest, like they say, is history."

From that humble beginning Randy and his wife began focusing on ministry. Randy began promoting himself and the ministry in the Chicago area. He and his new family travelled throughout the region speaking and singing to various churches and youth groups.

"The greatest time I had, was seeing one of my most unlikely characters brought to life on stage, "Brother Bob and the Old Time Gospel Hour." It was on a stage filled with inner city teens from the hard streets of Chicago that the radio preacher was brought to life. Randy and a group from a Chicago church took the stage in a youth skit competition. They brought the entire world of Brother Bob to life and had the crowd rolling in the aisles.

"I was dressed in the strangest costume, with my hair white and a pink tie. My older brother Curt was my guest. The drama team did an amazing job and were enjoying themselves. When we took second place I thought I was gonna bust with pride. Those kids came from such hard lives and many of them were reluctant to even participate in the drama team. But they did their best. I was so proud of them."

Randy felt the call of God on his life even greater at that point. He knew God had called him to reach those people. Just like those kids. The hurting and forgotten, the lost and abandoned were his mission field.

Struggles are a part of God's work in our life. It has been said that if the devil isn't messing with you than he already has you. Struggles are what Randy and his family faced shortly after the birth of Remnants Tear Ministries. For the next few years Randy went from one battle to another.

Moving from Illinois to Missouri seemed like a good choice for his family. Randy was going to go into business with his father and brother. But things didn't turn out that way and Randy found himself unemployed and bitter. "I left a good job and a chance to grow in my ministry on a promise; a well intended promise, but still a promise. It was my decision and I think it was a wrong decision. But God is faithful and He continued to bless us. We battled financially for the next few years and then something happened that I didn't expect."

Randy had moved to a large house inside the town of Cabool. A spiritually barren time in Randy's life he felt the call from God to set himself on a fast. During that time he spent his days praying and seeking God. Then one night, he was in bed just praying and fell off to sleep.

"I woke up suddenly, speaking in tongues; something that had never happened before. I didn't freak out; I just kept speaking praises to God. Then drifted off asleep again, but when I seemed to wake up I was standing in a thatch hut, holding hands in a circle. I knew everyone there. I spoke their language and knew that a girl who lay in the circle was dead. I knew that we were praying for her to be raised from the dead. I knew that guards circled outside and we had to be quiet."

As Randy continued in that vision he prayed and suddenly woke up, knowing the girl was alive. He went down stairs after the vision, just shaking from the moment. Then God seemed to open the sky and began to reveal some other things to him. Randy believes that at that moment God suddenly spoke a clear truth to him.

"As I looked into the vision and began to weep, I heard God speak, 'Son, Do not fear. You have tasted of Me many times. I gave you songs. I gave you freedom and deliverance.' Then suddenly I saw a great buffet table laid out before me. 'Look my son, this is my Spirit. Behold all the sweet fragrance and taste and see that I am good. Here, taste my gift of prophecy. Taste my gift of Knowledge. Taste my gift of Tongues. Son I know, because of your past many of these things are hard for you and you struggle with them. But I am not one that I will force these things on you. Therefore I will give them in moments so that you will understand and be able to function unhampered. So enjoy them my son; for I will use you through them.

"I chose to step down from the worship team and submit myself to counseling. My best friend worked with me for months, as well as a professional counselor. But the issues of my root cause were never brought to the surface. It wasn't until I ran away to Wisconsin that the root cause was suddenly brought before my eyes."

Ran away was right. Randy thought he was moving to find work but actually he was running from the truth. The ministry was put away and Randy found himself in a foreign land. For the next five years Randy sat in a dead church unable to minister and angry at God.

"I felt abandoned by God. I knew I had screwed up but my ministry was suffering and I was utterly miserable. I couldn't function in my gifts and I had no voice to speak. I was living a lie. Then the addiction started again and all hell broke loose in my home. My kids were unhappy, my wife was unhappy and I was unhappy."

The result was that in 2006, Randy lost his wife. She filed for divorce and left him heading to Florida to escape. Randy came to the only place he felt he could get help and that was with his brother, Curtis. During the following two years Randy spent time getting healing and deliverance. Curtis' wife Bunny began working with him as a Theophostic Counselor and opened the door to the true root cause of the stronghold in Randy's life.

"Does this mean that I no longer battle with pornography? Absolutely not! It is a daily struggle of putting my body under submission to the Word. It is a confession that I am no longer under condemnation. But God is faithful and full of mercy. He has touched my and healed some deep pains that I didn't want to admit to. I understand the pain of sexual abuse. I understand the feeling of abandonment by so many pastor's Kids. Through this I know that God has brought me out to be a better evangelist and a more compassionate minister of the gospel."

In the summer of 2008, Randy felt the call again on his life. He felt God speaking that it was time to renew the ministry that He had called Randy to. He felt God placing the mantel of prophet/ teacher/ preacher/ evangelist on his shoulders and knew that Remnants Tear Ministries International was to be awakened again and put into full swing.

This is the ministry of Remnants Tear. We are called to speak the truth in season and out of season. We are called to be a light in the dark places. We are called to bring the gospel to the nations and see the captive set free.

Over the next few years God has slowly and surely opened new visions of His grace and mercy in Randy's life. Walking through the steps of Celebrate Recovery has been a true revelation. He has found many parts of himself that he thought were dead and gone.

"As I have taken each of the step studies and opened the scripture, I have discovered a deeper part of God's love. God has reassured me that He is always faithful and always forgiving."

Today Randy finds himself in; of all places, Arkansas. How could this hard core city boy end up in a place like Heber Springs, Arkansas?

Simply, it is a God thing.

But there is more!!!

Amazingly, after taking off to Colorado on a whim; Randy was brought back to this little town. Then by a strange series of events he found himself reconnecting with a woman that he had begun to have feelings for. Yes, the rest is history and in September of 2011, Randy Simmons and Glynnis Snow became husband and wife. They have joined their families and ministries to work together and see God glorified.

Randy is preparing to begin a blog based around his first book, "If this is life." The Bible study is going to cover the ten questions that run through the mind of the average person on the street today. It is also available through our book store.

Randy is still planning on beginning a series of teachings through the local area churches. He hopes to bring the heart of Christ to the people with a clear call to be broken and useable. Randy has also begun a new study that is called REALITY CHRISTIANITY.

This is a study that was birthed from his time right after the divorce, while living in Florida. His financial struggles and times of shear poverty showed him something that stirred this new perspective for the church. God is not calling us to solve the world’s problems. Instead He is calling us to do something, be real. Reach out and touch the lives of others  around us and be real Christians to the world.

Prophetically, God has continued to speak to Randy. He has been inspired to write again and has also begun working on a new series of teachings on Brokenness. This study is a deep cry within his heart. For we, as the church of America, have long since forgotten the true meaning of “Brokenness”.

Other members will be coming on board in the near future. We are also going to join up with a local talent company that has recently kicked off their ministry with a city wide talent contest. We hope to see many artists joining with Tear Drop Music and believe that God has many new things in store with this cooperation.