IAMM
Magazine
ISSUE 1 - WINTER 2022
IN THIS ISSUE
YOUR SUPPORT FUELS OUR IMPACT
Leonardo D. Gilbert, Founder & Chairman
IAMM Volunteer Champion Spolight
Gwennett Morris
Thank you for your support in 2022. were postponed over the past couple of years due to While efforts M ission Accomplished the pandemic, we are thrilled to report that we have resumed our mission work. Rest assured, we are taking extra precauÆŸons due to unrest in many parts of the word. Our mission to bring health, hope and healing to those who need it most, will not be stopped.
UPDATE ON HELP US HELP HAITI CAMPAIGN
Many of you donated to our Help Us Help Haiti campaign in 2021. Unfortunately, tremendous turmoil and violence in the area forced us to postpone our mission. While we travel with the best security team, protecting our volunteers and staff is of utmost importance.
During the exact time we were scheduled to arrive in Haiti, we learned that missionaries from another organization were kidnapped and held for ransom. This validated our decision to stay behind for the time being. In summer of 2022, we traveled to Haiti. Here’s how your donations made a difference
YOUR SUPPORT FUELS OUR IMPACT
Leonardo D. Gilbert, Founder & Chairman
Mission Accomplished
During our medical mission July 13-22 to Haitian villages in the Dominican Republic we delivered $4,000 in medications and supplies to the boarder.
- In October we delivered $2,000 in supplies again to doctors at the border to help people during the gang riots and civil unrest.
- We also delivered $6.000 to a Haitian minister in a Haitian village called Bavaro, Dominican Republic.
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Funds not yet utilized will to used for upcoming missionary work in Haiti.
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A Standing Ovation to YOU! We could not do our work without you. Thank you for all that you do to ensure we are able to carry out our mission. Your donaÆŸons fuel our impact. Please remain on this journey with us.
Thank you for your support
Leonardo D. Gilbert
Founder & Chairman
IAMM CHAMPION
Gwennett Morris
When asked why she volunteers her tome with the International American Mission, (IAMM), Gwennett Morris didn’t hesitate to answer. “I am my brother’s keeper,” she proudly cited, with a genuine smile and silent praise that radiated from the inside out.
“As a Christian, God has an expectation of us to take care of others, especially those who are less fortunate. This is my way of being obedient – my way of giving back,” she continued.
A Belize native, GwenneÆ©’s first experience serving with IAMM happened in 2012, just two days after her retirement from the US Postal Service. Determined to travel with the team, Gwennett had to first renew her passport and citizenship. “It wasn’t easy. I remember running from here to there, but with 48 hours to spare, I had everything I needed in hand,” she informed.
"When we arrived in Haiti on that first mission, what got me was seeing the children. You hear about poverty – you know about poverty, but to see it first-hand was eye opening. It really hit me emotionally. It’s something that I will never forget.”
Gwennett then described her encounter with a little girl, about 10 years old, who ran to her when she first arrived. “She held on with such a grip that silently screamed help me, show me love, stay with me,” Gwennett explained, her eyes now filled with tears, “It was as if she knew me. She just held on so tightly. I remember that her hair was neatly braided, but her skin was dirty, scale-like and dry, and her clothing was filthy,” Gwennett reminisced. This girl would follow Gwennett around every chance she could. Before leaving, Gwennett provided her with items of care, but noticed that all the other kids were playing and laughing even in the worst conditions, but this little girl just watched as the team left with despair in her eyes. “The profound visual remains with me to this day,” Gwennett concluded.
Gwennett never stopped looking for the girl during visits to Haiti. After a while, a picture surfaced taken by another volunteer. The girl would have been about 16 by now. “I knew it was her. Years later the sorrow and sadness seemed to pour from her soul - she still looked hopeless,” Gwennett said.
Gwennett Morris has a “passion for helping and a soul for giving” according to those who volunteer with her. She has no intention of stopping her missionary work, although she too, has experienced some health issues over the years. She believes this is her calling and she intends to bring health, hope and healing to those less fortunate as long as she can.
“Gwenett is an exceptional member of the IAMM team. Even when fighting her own personal health challenges, she continues to volunteer and remains a great supporter of the organization. We can always count on her to spread the word about our important work and she is not afraid to ask for financial support. GwenneÆ© shared IAMM years ago with her son, Lamorne, an inspiring young actor who has been one of our leading supporters. He has chosen IAMM as his main donated effort. GwenneÆ© is a gem and we are blessed to have her,” elaborated DeWayne Mason, Executive Director of IAMM.
“What do I tell people about IAMM?” GwenneÆ© said, restating the last question she had been asked. “I tell them to donate and get involved because we can’t do this work alone. I tell them, this is an organization that you can trust to do the right thing with your financial support. I tell them that IAMM brings help to those who are often forgotten. They bring healing to the sick and hope to the poor. I tell them to get involved, because it will change their perspective and their life and could possibly save the life of someone else.”
Congratulations Gwennett
You are an IAMM Champion
