When Care Becomes Possible

Sunday, September 6, 2026 - [click here to support the continuing work at MOHI]  

Today's update is from Jonathan and Taran

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Medical care can rarely be traced back to just one person.

Behind a doctor's visit may be someone who provided medication. Behind a diagnosis may be someone who helped equip a laboratory. Behind a surgery may be someone who heard about a need and decided to help. And sometimes, behind a moment of healing are people who may never even meet the person whose life they helped touch.

This week, we want to share a few stories of people who have received medical care in Haiti and the Dominican Republic—and express our gratitude for the many people who help make that care possible.

We are especially grateful for our friends at Bless Back Worldwide. Their consistent partnership helps provide salaries, medications, supplies, infrastructure, training, and other support for medical care in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We are deeply thankful for the many ways they continue to walk alongside us and the communities we serve.

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Finding Answers for a Seven-Year-Old

Recently, a seven-year-old boy was brought to our clinic in Haiti. His caregiver shared that they had already visited several hospitals trying to understand what was making him sick. Even after visiting one of the larger hospitals, they still didn't have answers.

After examining him and conducting testing, our doctor identified several illnesses, including typhoid and intestinal parasites. He was placed on treatment and scheduled for follow-up so our medical staff could continue monitoring his recovery.

His story is also a reminder of how many pieces can be involved in providing medical care.

Over the years, medical professionals have invested time in training and supporting our staff. Through Bless Back Worldwide, our doctor in Haiti also has access to medical professionals in the United States who can provide consultation when needed. The laboratory at the clinic gives our team the ability to perform testing that can help identify what may be making someone sick.

We are grateful for every person who has helped put those pieces in place.

Please keep this little boy in your prayers as our team continues to follow his progress and care for him.

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When Care Comes Full Circle

Sometimes we get to see the impact of medical care months later and in ways we never expected.

Brittany traveled with us during the Sun, Sea & Sisterhood HOPE Encounter in February. She returned in July, this time bringing her family for a Family HOPE Encounter.

While in La Grúa, an unexpected conversation between two nine-year-olds brought her back to something that had happened during her first trip.

Here is the message Brittany later shared with Dr. Carmen:

Hello Doctor Carmen,

Currently I am in the Dominican Republic with my family and Alexis' family as part of a Family Mission Trip.

With the help of Google translate a little girl in La Grua (that's the same age as my eldest son Leo age 9) and him had some deep, heavy, and intellectual conversation. (The feelings and uncertainty around deportation, etc)They had continuous back and forth conversation about life, etc.

One thing that was miraculous was the little girl sharing that even though there are challenges there is good as well. The little girl then went into telling my son a story about how she had hurt her arm and this wonderful woman helped fix it. I then realized that this must be the little girl during Sun, Sea & Sisterhood with the broken arm.I looked back in my photos and shared with her a photo of herself in a sling. She brightened right up exclaiming that was her! She was so grateful for the help, and care.

Just a small example of all the wonderful work that yourself, Bless Back and MOHI all accomplished togetherI am so proud of how both of the children were so respectful and authentic. Also, so proud of my Son for sharing the light of Jesus through his action and words.It truly was an impactful moment. Brought me right back to that day,

I wanted to share.

I pray all is well with you!

With deep gratitude and love,

Brittany Haley

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Physical Therapy Continues to Grow

We are also grateful for the partner who invested in making the Physical Therapy Clinic in Haiti possible.

Since opening, the clinic has continued welcoming new patients who need physical therapy and ongoing care. Over the next several weeks, our team will be doing additional outreach in the surrounding community so that more families know this service is available to them.

We are thankful for the generosity that helped create this space and for the staff who continue caring for the people who walk through its doors.

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Sometimes medical care begins inside one of our clinics. Other times, it begins simply because someone meets another person, hears their story, and decides they want to help.

A Chance to Walk Again

Back in April, while hosting a team visiting the Dominican Republic from my hometown, we met a young man named Widelson. He was 13 years old and had been living with the consequences of a severely broken leg for more than a year. At the time of his injury, Widelson was eventually able to see an orthopedic surgeon, who placed external fixation hardware to stabilize his leg and help it heal. The plan was that, once the leg had healed, he would return to have the hardware removed.

But he never did.

More than a year later, Widelson was still walking around with metal pins embedded in his skin and bones. He was in an enormous amount of pain and relied on crutches just to stand and get around. An injury that should have been a distant memory had instead become a daily reality. His mobility was limited, his pain was significant, and something as simple as walking had become incredibly difficult.

Why hadn't he gone back to have the hardware removed? The answer isn't as simple as it might seem. Money, immigration circumstances, transportation, access to medical care, and a host of other challenges all played a role. For families living with limited resources, getting the initial medical treatment is often only the beginning. Follow-up appointments, additional procedures, medications, transportation, and the costs associated with ongoing care can be just as difficult to navigate. What might seem like a relatively straightforward medical issue from the outside can become incredibly complicated when you don't have the resources to address it.

So when a member of the visiting team offered a donation to Mission of Hope International for "someone in need," Widelson immediately came to mind. We knew exactly where that generosity could make a difference.

It took a few months to get everything arranged, but we are incredibly grateful to report that Widelson was finally able to undergo surgery in Santiago and have the external fixation hardware removed. After more than a year of carrying those pins in his leg, he could finally begin moving forward without them.

A few days after the surgery, I went to visit him, and it was almost like meeting an entirely different kid. He was smiling, happy, and—most importantly—he was no longer in pain. Even just a few days after the procedure, he was walking without his crutches. After seeing him struggle so much when we first met him, watching him move around on his own was pretty remarkable.

I joked with him that now he could get back to playing baseball. His response was immediate: "Nope. I am never playing a sport again!" He told me that he never wanted to go through something like this again. He had suffered too much. I couldn't really argue with him.

Widelson's story is one of the reasons we believe so strongly in the power of HOPE Encounters. When teams come to serve alongside us, they don't just complete a project, paint a building, distribute supplies, or spend a week doing service work. They meet people. They hear their stories. They develop relationships. And occasionally, they encounter someone whose needs are so apparent that they simply can't walk away.

The generosity of one person on that visiting team became something much bigger for Widelson. It meant access to medical care that he otherwise may not have been able to receive. It meant relief from pain that he had been carrying for more than a year. It meant removing the hardware that had become a permanent part of his daily life. Most importantly, it gave a 13-year-old boy the opportunity to move forward without the physical burden that had been holding him back.

This is how we believe strong relationships are built within the communities we serve—not simply through programs and projects, but through compassion, listening, showing up, and being willing to respond when we encounter a need. The work of humanitarian service is ultimately about people. It is about seeing someone who is hurting and asking what we can do to help.

For Widelson, that help came in the form of a surgical procedure in Santiago. For someone else, it might be a hot meal, clean water, access to education, medical care, or simply having someone sit down and listen to their story. These acts of compassion may look different from person to person, but they all communicate the same thing: you matter, and you are not forgotten.

As Christians, we believe this is part of what Jesus calls us to do—to see people, love people, and care for people in tangible ways. Scripture repeatedly shows us Jesus responding to people who were hurting, vulnerable, sick, or overlooked. Our hope is that through the work of Mission of Hope International, we can continue doing the same.

We are incredibly grateful for the friends who come to the Dominican Republic on a HOPE Encounter and allow themselves to be moved by the people they meet. Because when we serve with open hearts, a week of service can become something much more lasting. Relationships are formed, stories are shared, needs are discovered, and lives can be changed in ways none of us anticipated when the trip began.

And for Widelson, the result is beautifully simple: after more than a year of pain, he is walking again.