Plea from Dr. Bob – Aug 2009
Following is an appeal from Dr. Bob that was recently mailed.
It has been some time since I’ve communicated with many of you by mail. So much has happened at Clinic Jolivert, and I’m not going to review it all in this letter, as all our programs are discussed in detail in our newly revised website, missionsoflove.org, which I hope you will take a few minutes to check out if you haven’t done so lately. Thanks be to God, some truly miraculous things have come to pass for the poor we serve in and around Jolivert. Many new programs are now up and running; including our micro-loan program for women, a biblically-based adult literacy program now expanded to five classes, school tuition support for hundreds of area children, our world-class safe water program serving over 3000 homes (and widely touted by World Health Org. (WHO)), a health outreach program supplying free life-giving medication to children in five remote mountainous villages, and a government-approved and partnershipped general medical clinic providing vaccinations, HIV testing, mosquito net distribution with free malaria medication and many other public health services hitherto not provided in our area. Our evangelistic programs, church building and radio ministry continues to reach thousands. Over $40,000 was spent on hurricane relief last year. And the list goes on. Suffice it to say, that the lives and health (both spiritual and physical) of thousands of the poorest of the poor in Haiti are being impacted daily through MISSIONS OF LOVE by God’s grace and the help of compassionate folks like you who have felt called to support us with your generous gifting.
My reason for sending out this plea is a simple one: due to the financial strains put on practically everyone by recent economic downswings, our gifting has fallen off drastically. We are now faced for the first time ever with the looming likelihood that our monthly payroll and operational costs at the clinic will not be met. We now employ 35 persons who maintain nine buildings on our six-acre compound. This could mean we may be faced with laying off several employees and shutting down much of the clinic’s daily operation. This would have disastrous and far-reaching effects on the thousands of poor we are serving. Not only have several of our regular monthly minister partners ($20 per month) fallen by the wayside, but our church and Sunday school contributions have nose-dived. My plea to you then is to prayerfully consider repeating your one-time gift or preferably, by continuing your monthly $20 check to the mission; and if that is too much, to consider $10 or even $5. If you are not a ministry partner, I urgently ask you to become one. If no regular support is possible for you at this time, we understand and simply ask for your continued prayers, and also ask you share this need with your church and(or) Sunday school, co-workers, relatives, friends, whatever. Please send any gift to : MISSIONS OF LOVE, Inc., PO Box 292, Hartford, KY 42347. And remember that we are IRS-approved, so that your gift is fully tax deductible. Another consideration that some have undertaken is to remember our mission in their will, so that MOL can continue to provide these crucial and lifesaving services to the poor of Haiti for years to come, even after we’ve gone.
I pray this finds you and yours healthy, happy, and thriving in the Grace and Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanking you in advance for your kind consideration, I am, respectfully,
Robert T. Johnson, MD, president, MOL and clinic director, Clinic Jolivert, Haiti