Friday, September 15, 2006

An Open Letter


We are about to take an important "step of faith." This is the most difficult and yet the most rewarding thing we have ever done in our lives. We feel that God has called us into the "full-time" ministry with Bobby & Sherry Burnette, Directors of Love A Child.

As you may know, Love A Child is a well established missionary organization. While their headquarters is in Florida, their outreach is fulltime to the country of Haiti. This Christian Humanitarian is a 501(c)3 Organization and has a high standard of excellence. It is one of the top-rated charities in the States and is a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability).

Love A Child's vision is to share God's love with the people and children of Haiti through outreaches such as Medical Care, Christian Education, Schools, Feeding Programs, Crusades, Child Sponsorship and other outreaches. They also have a large two-story Orphanage, where the Burnettes live. New projects include a two-story Malnutrition Center and Food Distribution Center.

Since the outreach of Love A Child has grown tremendously, the work load has grown. Bobby and Sherry are now needing professional full-time missionaries to live and work in Haiti, helping on all of these projects.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Only a small percentage of the people have access to clean water. Eighty percent (80%) are illiterate and un-employed. Disease is rampant. Half of the children die before their fifth birthday and twenty percent (20%) of all babies die in childbirth. There is virtually no medical care. Voodoo is the primary religion. Why would anyone want to leave the comforts of their own home and go and live in a country like this?

We have asked this question ourselves. We have made many "short term trips" to Haiti already. It is a country that burns within our hearts day and night.

As Bobby and Sherry say, "There is a difference between a "desire" and a "calling of God." We are "called". There are people who are bound by hunger, disease and poverty because of Voodoo. They will die unless someone is "willing to go".

Romans 10 declares, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10: 13-15)

We are "willing," but we need "you" to send us. Will you help us? Will you send us? We want to be "your personal missionaries" in Haiti.

Please pray about helping us become full-time missionaries in Haiti. We must raise all our own support for travel, housing, food and transportation. Please pray about helping us faithfully on a monthly basis. Your gift of $100, $50, $25 or whatever the Lord lays upon your heart would be a tremendous blessing. It would mean that when "we win a witchdoctor to the Lord," you have a part! It would mean that when "we feed a starving child," you are feeding him too.

Please prayerfully commit to helping us on a monthly basis or a one-time gift. You can mail your gift to the Florida Office using the address provided at the bottom of this letter and they will put it in a special account for us. After the Florida Office has written and thanked you, they will let us know that you have sent in a gift. We can even receive personal mail here in Haiti.

Please make sure that any funds which are sent to the Florida Office are distinctly noted with our names, Randy and Roberta Arnold. That way, we can be assured that your gift will come directly to us.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and thank you in advance for supporting us.

May God Bless you from the Mission Field of Haiti,

Randy and Roberta Arnold

Love A Child -- Haiti
P.O. Box 11000
Naples, FL 34101-1000

1 comment:

Lana said...

Oh you 2 are wonderful people.
I know Jill will miss you greatly.