2024 Four Friends Update

Four Friends Update: 2024

Happy New Year from Four Friends International! I hope your holiday season was merry and bright. 

Here are some items of importance as 2024 emerges:

April mission trip

The mission trip in April has been shortened to Monday-Friday April 15-19. Monday and Friday will be travel days, so we will be ministering in Jalapa Tuesday through Thursday. We will spend a half-day at all five clinic sites, deliver food bags to homes, and lead a Wednesday night worship service. The reason for the shortened schedule is my recovery from shoulder surgery after a car wreck in early December. In October, I should be able to take a team for the typical seven days. The October dates will be announced at the next update. If anyone wants to travel with us in April for those five days, let me know by text (256-302-4296). Both medical and non-medical volunteers are invited.  

Here are the April details:

         Date: April 15-19

         Cost: $1500 (due February 15, 2024)

         Purpose: medical clinics and church 

                       support, including food 

                       relief

          Required: a current U.S. passport 

                         (There are no mandatory

                         immunizations, but  

                         tetanus and hepatitis A  

                         are recommended.)

    Schedule:

                         Monday - travel 

                            Tuesday 

                            Los Pinos

                            Los Laureles

                            city dump ministry

                            Wednesday

                            El Divisidero    

                            Laguna del Pito

                            worship service 

                            Thursday

                            El Charro

                            El Terrero     

                            group dinner 

                            Friday - travel

2023 Donation Statements

You should receive 2023 charitable contribution statements from Four Friends International by the end of January. If not, contact me at the number above.

FFI Ministry Summary

1. Four Friends International partners with the Life in Jesus Baptist Church in downtown Jalapa and it various mission churches. 
2. The Life in Jesus Clinic at Los Laureles began providing free medical care in August 2015. Open Monday through Friday and a half-day on Saturday, it includes a 60+ medication pharmacy and a two-bedroom rear apartment where Nurse Lilian resides. 
3. The Life in Jesus Clinic at Los Pinos opened in the fall of 2018. It has the same structure, schedule, and staffing as the Los Laureles clinic. Nurse Imelda lives in the clinic apartment. Both clinics are adjacent to mission churches that were started by the downtown congregation, and medical care comes with a healthy dose of the love of Jesus. Nurse Cleydi splits time between the two clinics each week. 
4. The Four Wheels Clinic, our mobile unit, started treating patients in three mountain communities near Jalapa in 2021. Nurse Vanessa travels to El Divisidero, Laguna del Pito, and El Charro each week. As with all our clinics, the main focus is providing free medications to those with diabetes, hypertension, and seizure disorders. Hopefully, seeds are being planted by the Four Wheels Clinic that will lead to the establishment of a church in the mountain communities. Together, all the clinics see over 1500 patients each month.
5. Operation Amalia is our diaper ministry. Every month mothers who live and work at the local garbage dump receive diapers and infant supplies for their babies. Presently there are twenty infants enrolled in this program.

Financial Update

As of today, Four Friends International has sufficient funds to operate all clinics through June of this year. Thank you so much for your generous and faithful support of this ministry.