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It seems impossible for us to imagine life without our technology; television, internet, every gadget imaginable, let alone our love affair with our cars. The list goes on. But turn your attention toward Haiti, where daily life is a struggle for existence, where they lack the mere basics of life; food, water and clothing.

      Haiti is the second oldest republic in the western hemisphere but ranks as the poorest nation. Sixty-seven percent of the population is lives in poverty, 31.4% of the households have more than seven members and 46% of families have only one room to sleep in, and that’s if they have a roof over their head at all. These are some sad statistics, and we haven’t even got into the rapid spread of AIDS, malnutrition and lack of medical services.

      We see the commercials on TV taunting for $.13 a day, you can feed starving children. Then we flip the channel and ahhh, those starving kids are forgotten. From tiny Hartford, KY comes a couple who didn’t believe in 'flipping the channel.' Over twenty years ago Dr. Bob Johnson and his wife, Betty, went into action to help the Haitians, proving we all can make a difference.

            “Our history extends over the past twenty years, during which many of our directors worked with other missions in Haiti building churches and providing sporadic medical care to the people of that zone. We have agonized over the public health crisis facing the citizenry of the area at large. We have witnessed thousands of children die each year from a host of infectious diseases, malnutrition, and parasitism. Local medical and public health facilities seem far from adequate to co pe with the enormity of the situation, yet with only a modicum of modern medical intervention, significant reductions in mortality were observed in all age groups.

Dr. Bob provides medical treatment in the Missions of Love Care Clinic, located in Jolivert, Haiti. Dr. Bob Johnson and his wife Betty, from Hartford, KY, founded MOL over 20 years ago.

      We are dedicated to ministering to the physical, educational and spiritual needs of the Haitian populace in the environs of Jolivert, a small village situated in the Trois Riviers area of the Northwest of Haiti. We have chosen this area and purchased land to begin our project because we have worked in this area and served the people in the surrounding mountainous villages for the past several years and our reputation has already been established with them.”

      Subsequently, Dr. Bob and Betty (Miz Betty to the people of Haiti), along with other members of the community have formed their own mission, incorporated, Missions of Love, Inc. Missions of Love aids Haitian people in adult literacy classes, eye and ear clinics, manba for malnutrition, medical services, micro finance programs, outreach clinics (healthcare for children in remote rural villages), safe water facilities, new church growth and the sponsorship of students who want to attend trade and professional schools.

      According to Pat Duarte, Missions of Love Executive Secretary, who recently made her first mission trip to Haiti, the people are friendly and gracious. They want an education and to learn to speak English; and there is so much hope. These people live in the worst of conditions but have so much hope and joy.” She has definite plans to return.

      After speaking with Dr. Bob, the outlook of Haiti is grim. A corrupt government, worsening conditions, and skyrocketing gas prices have made assistance to the Haitian people a seemingly impossible task. In spite of all this, hope prevails. The people of Missions of Love are hopeful too, as they toil on in their unwavering attempt to shed light on the future of the Haitian people.

      The alluring thing about this mission is that it is based out of Hartford, KY. Almost out your back door, it's not some bearded guy on TV soliciting $.13 a day that has to pay for that commercial, actor and CEO of the company. Get this - 100% of your tax exempt donations and funds go straight to the people of Haiti – which is pretty amazing, considering today’s “quick to make a buck” mentality.

      Visit www.missionsoflove.org for more information on this worthwhile organization that is so close to home. Even if you don’t have the funds or time to donate, use goodsearch.com as your browser and select Missions of Love as your charity. Every time you search for something with goodsearch, they donate to the MOL. Dr. Bob, Miz Betty and the people of Haiti will appreciate it.