From the desk of the President
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the donors and volunteers that have helped Medical Missionaries this year. With your support, we have fed, clothed and provided medical support for thousands of people in need. Our small organization’s outreach makes an outsized positive difference locally, nationally and internationally. You have helped us live our mission of helping the poorest of the poor.
I am happy to tell you that Medical Missionaries will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2022. We are planning several events throughout the year which I will share with you over time.
May God Bless You for all the work, sacrifice, hope andlove that you have provided to date. May we all continue the journey forward together. Happy Holidays!
Gil Irwin, MD – Medical Missionaries
Volunteer Focus: Pat and Jerry Skeens
Pat and Jerry Skeens have been the managers of the Rocklick Food Pantry in Grundy, Virginia since 2017. Grundy is part of Buchanan county which borders Kentucky and West Virginia and is one of the poorest counties in Virginia. Rocklick Food Pantry has partnered with Medical Missionaries for the past four years, and they recently wrote to us that they have had a very busy week getting ready for Christmas, thanks to all the donations from the generous supporters and donors from Medical Missionaries! Medical Missionaries and the Rocklick Food Pantry are currently partnering to support those affected by the tornadoes in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Pat and Jerry run the Rocklick pantry year round providing nutritional food boxes and new clothing to the community. For the past 3 years, they have provided a wonderful Christmas for over 100 children and their families. They also build ramps for the elderly, do minor repairs within their community, help the Department of Social Services with emergency food boxes and baby supplies, and provide probation officers with food boxes for released inmates.
Pat and Jerry have been involved in community work for many years. They began their missionary work in Maypen, Jamaica in 1996, helping build a church/school in one of the poorer areas there. Pat and Jerry are also talented singers and performers. During the recent Holiday Virtual Party, Pat sang two beautiful songs while Jerry accompanied her on the acoustic guitar. They enjoy this part of their ministry greatly and have made several CD recordings. Their most recent musical trip was to Cleveland, Ohio, where they performed and plan to return in the summer for Street Ministry.
Pat and Jerry have become family to the team at Medical Missionaries. We all look forward to building our partnership with them, especially as we work together now for the tornado victims in Kentucky.
St. Joseph Clinic, Haiti Update
Holiday Greetings from Haiti
Haitian Creole, or as Haitians call it, Kreyol, is a French-based language that developed in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It became one of Haiti’s official languages in 1987 and is the first language of about 95% of Haitians. For the holiday they say “Pase Bon Sezon Fèt!, which means “Have a great holiday season!”
Clinic News
Dr. Lawrence shared a story of a serious motorcycle accident in which one rider suffered a Grade 3 brain injury. After he stabilized the patient, the Clinic team fixed up a car to safely transport the patient to St. Therese Hospital in Hinche for further treatment as there was no ambulance on hand. It is a stark reminder that life goes on at St. Joseph Clinic everyday in spite of all the challenges in Haiti.
Medical Missionaries provides support for school lunches in the Thomassique area of Haiti. Recently, the Clinic Manager brought food to the local school so that the children can continue to benefit from healthy lunches.
Tornado Relief
Medical Missionaries is partnering with the Rocklick Food Pantry and a few other organizations to support the Mayfield community that was affected by the devastating tornadoes. Dr. Irwin was asked for specific items that the community needs.
We created an Amazon list that can make your shopping easier. This picture shows some of the Amazon boxes we have already received from our generous donors.
- Soap and Shampoo
- Toothbrushes
- Baby diapers and Wipes
- Sheets and Pillowcases
- Towels and Washcloths
- Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at our office at 9590 Surveyor Ct., Manassas, VA 20110 no later than January 5, 2022.
Please note that we cannot accept any clothing for this effort and that any donated item must be new or gently used and clean.
Fundraising News:
Virtual Holiday Party: We celebrated the holiday by hosting a virtual party on Thursday, December 9th. We had a full line up of talents that included musicians, magicians and elves! We had presenters and performers from across the US and Haiti. Thanks to all our guests and those who donated to this event! If you missed the events, you can catch all the acts on our webpage.
25th Anniversary Year of Medical Missionaries: We are so excited to begin celebrating our 25th Anniversary in the new year! We will begin our anniversary year by supporting those suffering from the recent tornadoes along with our ongoing projects. We hope to celebrate those we work with and for throughout the year and hope you can join us!
Super Bowl Squares: We will again be selling squares for the Super Bowl. Be on the lookout for an email next month with more information.
Supplies and Equipment On the Move
Nativity Parish Project, Burke VA: On 11/27/21 3 trucks and 3 trailers went to Springfield, VA to bring equipment and supplies that Medical Missionaries had collected to fill a container bound for Guatemala.
Pennington Traditional School, Manassas VA: The staff and students from the Pennington School donated 2 carloads of food that had been collected for their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Thanks for this tremendous effort!
Rocklick Food Pantry, Grundy VA: Our volunteers have been busy loading all the toys, gifts, food and other donations to support the Annual Holiday Drive at the Rocklick Food Pantry. We had so many donations that we made several trips.
Food was received from Food Rescue, Pennington School and other local donors. Donations of toys, gifts and 200+ brand new coats were also received. The Holiday Gifts were given out on Saturday 12/18 and the holiday food will be distributed on Thursday 12/23.
Donation of 200+ New Coats: New coats were brought to the Manassas office by volunteer Dan Hile whose niece, a pastor, donated them to Medical Missionaries. They were included as part of the Rocklick Food Pantry Holiday Drive.
Cameroon, West Africa: This past month, several volunteers met at the Balls Ford Road facility to help load a 40 foot sea container that is now on its way to Cameroon. The several hospitals that will receive the donations had requested equipment such as wheelchairs, Hoya lifts, exam tables, furniture and also medical supplies. The project coordinator let us know that these items will help so many in Cameroon.
Community Outreach
George Mason University: On December 4th, Dr. Irwin met with the coordinator of a cohort of pre-med students who are very excited to begin their volunteer project with MM in the new year.
If your organization or group would like to partner with Medical Missionaries, please let reach out to schedule a meeting and presentation. We love meeting with community leaders and people who want to help.
