October Medical Mission Trip

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Medical Mission Trip
October 18-23, 2023

Trip Total: $1,690
Deposit of $390, due at application
Progress Payment of $600, due June 15, 2023
Final Payment of $700, due August 15, 2023

Handfuls of Hope partners with physicians, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, opticians, and other medical professionals to help meet the medical needs of the underserved through medical mission trips. Our teams work side-by-side with local medical professionals who volunteer their time to help care for the poor. We provide medical attention in our makeshift clinic. For those who are physically unable to come to the clinic, we mobilize a smaller team to make house visits to different villages. Our team typically is onsite for 3-5 days, enabling us to care for thousands of individuals - men, women, and children. The clinic is a very busy clinic; we often see whole families at one time. We set it up in a way where nurses triage patients and follow protocol to treat them. If the patient needs to see a provider, the nurse will use clinical judgment to send to providers. On average, we can see anywhere from 400-800 patients/per day. The majority of care we provide is primary care.

2023 Summer Mission Trip

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Summer Mission Trip

July 15-22, 2023

Our Summer trip to the Dominican Republic will include a wide range of activities as we partner with the local church in outreach to the surrounding villages. Our VBS program will minister to hundreds of children in multiple locations. Our Isaiah 58 teams will distribute food to the poor. We will have opportunities to minister to children in the children's hospital and at an orphanage. For the construction-minded, there are construction projects great and small, ranging from small repairs to painting, to masonry, to full-on raising of a new building. Who Should Go? With the wide range of activities planned, the trip is appropriate for all ages from pre-teens to "mature" adults.

Amount: $1890

Deposit: $50

Progress Payment #1: $500, due January, 15, 2023

Progress Payment #2: $670, due March 15, 2023

Final Balance: $670, due May 15, 2023

October 2022 Medical Mission Trip

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Handfuls of Hope partners with physicians, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, opticians, and other medical professionals to help meet the medical needs of the underserved through medical mission trips. Our teams work side-by-side with local medical professionals who volunteer their time to help care for the poor. We provide medical attention in our makeshift clinic. For those who are physically unable to come to the clinic, we mobilize a smaller team to make house visits to different villages. Our team typically is onsite for 3-5 days, enabling us to care for thousands of individuals - men, women and children. The clinic is a very busy clinic; we often see whole families at one time. We set it up in a way where nurses triage patients and follow protocol to treat them. If the patient needs to see a provider, the nurse will use clinical judgement to send to providers. On average, we can see anywhere from 400-800 patients/day. The majority of care we provide is primary care.

Amount: $1590
Deposit: $390
Progress Payment: $600, due July 1, 2022
Final Balance: $600, due September 1, 2022

2022 Medical Mission Trip

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If you have never been on a mission trip before and are interested in what it would be like read this personal reflection by a member of our medical team that went down earlier this month.

I walked through the airport gate, instantly feeling the heat, hearing the language, tasting the air as I began to look to find my way.  I soon saw the bright blue shirt – Handfuls of Hope.  From that moment, I knew I was about to be a part of something great.  I stepped onto a bus full of strangers to me, yet instantly I belonged and we were family.

We first stopped at Mercado, the market.  As we entered, I heard “Lady!! Lady!” in every direction and I did my best to acknowledge them all, purchasing coffee and two beautiful wooden glasses from “the sweet Christian lady” everyone recognized.  Returning to the bus, we were driven through the streets of Santo Domingo and walked through places of history and importance.  

Our next stop was the school and the place we would transform into a place of health and hope.  Over the next several hours, tables were moved and chairs were stacked.  The pharmacy was set up and the medications and supplies were organized on the black plastic shelves.  Within minutes of driving from the school, a bright double rainbow appeared out the windows on the left side of the bus.  We all knew the representation of this perfect timing yet Don, our team leader was the one who said it best – “God’s Promises”.  He was undoubtedly here.

Every morning Don would bring us together to pray and give God thanks for allowing us to do His work.  On the count of three, we would wake the village as we declared “Good Morning Lord!”.  

As we arrived, people were already in a line at the gate to enter.  They were all waiting for us.  For me!  From the time the gates opened at 9am until closing at 3pm, that gate was not visible due to the crowds of people.  Men, women, children.  Young and old.  Those who had come alone and those who helped their neighbor.  They would each sign in, be handed a piece of paper, given a number, and patiently sat at the picnic tables under shelter from the hot sun until their number was called.  Many waited for hours.  When their number was called, they would be brought to the nurse and/or doctor.  People came for headaches, stomach aches, infections, high blood pressure, rashes, and so much more.  There was a little boy with a burn/wound on his foot requiring treatment and wrapping every day (returning the next two days as well).  A very sick infant boy was brought in and while there was little we could do medically, he and his mother were given God’s love and heartfelt prayers.  Lab tests were performed for urine infections, pregnancy tests, and glucose levels to name a few.  The word and promise of God were shared with every person we saw. They would then proceed to the pharmacy for their Ziplock bag of 30 multivitamins and other medication ordered.  

At the end of the day, the tables would be moved, the chairs would be stacked and the papers counted.  We would return to the bus for the one-hour drive back to the villa.  Most of this time the team was quiet – partly from exhaustion, partly for reflection, and partly to pray for strength to do it again the next day.  I remember just looking out the window and looking at everything – the streets, the people, the small enclosures that were homes, the woman washing clothes in dirty water in a plastic pink child’s pool with a bar of soap as her husband sat with a baby in a plastic chair, and the two boys running barefoot and laughing as they jumped from a fence.  I remember watching the sun slowly set over the hills.  I remember hearing God say “Well done”.  

Over the three days we held the clinic, we had the opportunity to serve over 1300 people.  1300 of God’s children.  God has given all of us gifts.  Many say this longing for service is my gift.  I believe the gift of the people in the DR was their ability to gift us by allowing us to serve them.  They allowed me to use my gift and together we brought glory to our God.  We are brought together under that rainbow.

Traci B.
Trip Participant

Novation Church Trip Overview

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Our team has been visibly changed by the experience. Through HOH, it was made possible for Twenty-one Christians to come together and serve the Dominican people and allow us the opportunity to live out Jesus’ greatest commandment: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. 

Upon arrival, we got to take in the breath-taking beauty of the Hispaniola Island. A coastal ride to our beach-side villa, a home cooked meal and a magnificent sunset over the ocean gave us the feeling of royalty! We were humbled by the servant hearts of the Handfuls of Hope staff and by God’s beauty surrounding us. Nothing motivates a servant’s heart more than to be served themselves! We were here to serve and felt so honored to be served as well. We were ready to pay it forward. 

As an American, we tend to forget we are part of the richest people in the world. We have so much money that we have convinced each other we should all have our own house. We should all have our own car. The more money we have, the more separated we choose to live. How many of us really know our neighbors? This question came to mind while walking through the villages and witnessing the huge family feel. Everyone knew everyone. They watched each other’s kids and hung laundry together. The sense of community was reminiscent of my parents’ stories of their childhood. 

During our stay, we pack 250 bags of food and deliver them to 5 villages across the DR. We play games packing the bags to make work fun and can’t help but speculate how many meals this food will make, how many people it will feed, how many prayers will be said over the food we are holding. Ultimately, we wonder, “How many people will be impacted by a few strangers?” God knows every single hair on our heads. He hears our prayers, and He nudges us to action. People like you and me who think, “What can I do? I’m not big enough to affect anything significant.” God doesn’t need to move mountains to make monumental changes in this world. One act of kindness always leads to another. He just needs you. 

Early in the week, we worked together to complete a few maintenance jobs at the Handfuls of Hope school. Painting the building and the basketball court gave our team an opportunity to build camaraderie and provide something tangible to the community. 

Mid-week, we ventured out on the streets evangelizing to anyone sitting outside. We were all assigned with a translator and all we had to do was invite kids to play sports. Seemed easy enough for a first-timer! I never had the courage to street evangelize but with the friendly setting and help communicating, I challenged myself to do something outside my comfort zone and wondered, “How many other hard things have I been ignoring lately?” 

When we got back to the Handfuls of Hope building, we started setting up nets and bringing equipment out of storage. Shortly after kids were playing baseball, basketball, volleyball, sack races, jumping rope, and even making bracelets. It was so much fun! Sports are a fantastic way to reach kids transitioning into adulthood. So many of us made it through our teen years because we had a great coach, great mentor, or great teacher present in our life. Isn’t that what God wants from us? To allow Him to be present in our lives. 

We visited 5 villages throughout the week and at every village, we were welcomed with joy, laughter and even singing! The curiosity of the children and willingness to try to talk took away the fear of making a mistake. With a constant language barrier, we relied a lot on body language and facial expressions to understand each other. The innocent smile of a joyful child makes you feel like you’ve seen the face of God. 

Every part of the trip has rolled around my mind multiple times and every time, I think of another reason to go back. I want to encourage every single human being to go on a mission trip if given the opportunity. It is life changing to see the way someone else lives, to bring a little bit of joy into their lives and allow them to share in our lives and bring joy to us. 

Novation Church
Trip Participant, Jamie Pander

2022 Summer Mission Trip

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Summer Mission Trip

July 16 - July 23, 2022

Our Summer trip to the Dominican Republic will include a wide range of activities as we partner with the local church in outreach to the surrounding villages. Our VBS program will minister to hundreds of children in multiple locations. Our Isaiah 58 teams will distribute food to the poor. We will have opportunities to minister to children in the children's hospital and at an orphanage. For the construction-minded, there are construction projects great and small, ranging from small repairs to painting, to masonry, to full-on raising of a new building. Who Should Go? With the wide range of activities planned, the trip is appropriate for all ages from pre-teens to "mature" adults.

Amount: $1,690
Deposit: $490, due upon registration
Progress Payment: $600, due April 1, 2022
Final Balance: $600, due June 1, 2022

2022 Medical Mission Trip

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Medical Mission Trip
March 30, 2022 - April 3, 2022


Handfuls of Hope partners with physicians, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, opticians, and other medical professionals to help meet the medical needs of the underserved through medical mission trips.  Our teams work side-by-side with local medical professionals who volunteer their time to help care for the poor. We provide medical attention in our makeshift clinic. For those who are physically unable to come to the clinic, we mobilize a smaller team to make house visits to different villages. Our team typically is onsite for 3-5 days, enabling us to care for thousands of individuals - men, women and children. The clinic is a very busy clinic; we often see whole families at one time. We set it up in a way where nurses triage patients and follow protocol to treat them. If the patient needs to see a provider, the nurse will use clinical judgement to send to providers. On average, we can see anywhere from 400-800 patients/day. The majority of care we provide is primary care.
 

Amount: $1,490
Deposit: $490, due upon registration
Progress Payment: $500, due January 30, 2022
Final Balance: $500, due February 28, 2022

2021 Summer Mission Trip Recap

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Christ – Community – Construction 

Dear Friends, 

This Handfuls of Hope mission trip to the Dominican Republic was truly a remarkable experience full of love, hard work, community, laughter, and most importantly God’s grace and power. Our goal was to share Christ’s love and gospel, foster a God-centered community and construct an awning at the Handfuls of Hope school that will be a protection from the elements throughout the school year, as well as, during church services that will be held there. In merely eight days, our team of twenty-two plus people served the Lord wholeheartedly in a manner that will not only help and change the lives of our Dominican friends but change ours as well and Handfuls of Hope as a whole, in the most positive way! 

“Lord, you are my God; 

I will exalt you and praise your name, 

for in perfect faithfulness 

you have done wonderful things, 

things planned long ago.” 

Isaiah 25:1 

It is not a coincidence that this trip was held over an eight-day period. In the Bible, the number eight is very special and represents new beginnings, resurrection, salvation, and a bright future. On the eighth day, Christ rose and after his resurrection, He showed himself a total of eight times to many people including His disciples and Mary Magdalene. Furthermore, eight people were allowed on the Ark that God commanded Noah to build, God through Elijah performed eight miracles, and the patriarch of the Old Testament, Abraham, had eight sons. Clearly, the Lord values the number eight and uses it to portray many of His amazing feats and it is not a stretch at all to say that God used the eight days of this mission trip to perform numerous wonderful feats! 

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” 

- Psalm 9:1 

Here are Eight of the many Triumphs that God did for and during this mission trip: 

1. Revealing needs in the Dominican Republic and leading the right people to tend to them. The God-centered, caring, and hardworking people who made up the team for this trip, each had a purpose that together fulfilled God’s plan. It was through each person and their necessary, specific skill sets including but not limited to planning, construction, prayer, teaching, organization, leading, preaching, etc. that God’s glory shined through while we worked diligently to tend to the needs of food, ministry, clothing, construction, and more in the Catalina area of the Dominican Republic. 

2. Providing safe and healthy travel to and from the Dominican Republic. We’re all aware of the virus that consumed the majority of last year and prohibited us from many things including traveling and meeting with others, especially in large groups. Well, despite our worries and concerns, God’s grace prevailed and our team stayed covid free throughout the whole trip and primarily healthy during it! 

3. Strong leadership and great teamwork. The success of this trip is attributed to diligent leadership and a dedicated team working together with servant hearts for the Lord. From before we landed in Santo Domingo, to our transportation, our housing, food preparation, Isiah 58 ministry meal, and food distribution, construction planning and preparation, and more, our committed leaders faithfully managed all of the needs of the team and ministry. In addition, our whole team which bonded together like a family pursued every task and ministry opportunity with a passion and devotion that was fueled by Christ. 

4. Fostering a positive God-centered community. Although sharing God’s love and gospel with our Dominican friends is the main focus of Handfuls of Hope mission trips, on this trip it was also our intention to foster a God-centered community that fellowships together regularly in the community of Catalina even in our absence. To propel this desire, Kendy, one of the Handfuls of Hopes most recent additions to the missionary team, started a young women’s bible study in order to fellowship with the girls in the Catalina area while encouraging them to start and or grow relationships with God through reading scripture, prayer, discussion, and learning new skills such as baking, and bracelet making. During two of the days on this trip, Kendy, as well as the other female team members, spent a few hours doing said bible study with over 20 girls from the Catalina and Nizao communities! 

5. Dedicated skilled laborers. Our construction/painting crew was truly incredible! The Handfuls of Hope team with the help of a local contractor and his team, planned, prepared, and built the new awning in only six days. From 9 am to sometimes midnight, this crew worked laboriously and enthusiastically each day. Each of them bringing skill sets to the table and helping each other to grow their expertise. Because of their work, there is a new location for the HOH students, their families, and the whole community of Catalina to worship the Lord regularly regardless of weather conditions. 

6. Giving whole-heartedly. Each year Handfuls of Hope partners with Feed My Starving Children to distribute food packages to families in the Dominican Republic. This year, HOH has become the main partner, which is located in the Dominican, with Feed My Starving Children, and as a result, will be overseeing the majority of food package distributions in the Dominican from this year on. With that said, during this mission trip, we were able to serve four communities in the Catalina area of the Dominican through food and clothing distribution, sermons, musical worship, prayer, and games/crafts as part of a ministry called Isaiah 58. This ministry is not just about what we can give to our Dominican friends, but how God can work through all of us to spread his word, love, and lead people into a relationship with him. “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15 

7. Prayer warriors. Funds, materials, and labor were definitely a necessity for this mission trip, but prayer triumphs them all. Each morning before starting our day, we met together to read from scripture, pray, and praise God for everything He has done, was doing, and will do. This fellowship time each morning really helped to set the tone for our days and kept us mindful that what we were doing was not about us but about our Lord. Furthermore, God sent prayer warriors on our team never hesitated to lift our needs, concerns, hopes, and praises to the Lord whether they were big or small, which ultimately added to the overall success of the trip. 

8. Open heart and mind to God’s will. Everything that was accomplished on this trip was possible because of God and this team's intentional desire to listen and head His will. Our drive wasn’t about what we can do in the Dominican Republic but instead what God can do and how He will use us to fulfill His plan. Having this be the center of our mission made all the difference with every interaction we had during each ministry and task on this trip. 


What God did during these eight days is incredible and attests to his power and promises that He has shown and given us time and time again. He is truly amazing and because of that, this mission trip was phenomenal! 

Sincerely, 

Sallay
2021 Summer Mission Trip Participant 

Medical Mission Trip

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Medical Mission Trip
October 6, 2021 - October 11, 2021


Handfuls of Hope partners with physicians, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, opticians, and other medical professionals to help meet the medical needs of the underserved through medical mission trips.  Our teams work side-by-side with local medical professionals who volunteer their time to help care for the poor. We provide medical attention in our makeshift clinic. For those who are physically unable to come to the clinic, we mobilize a smaller team to make house visits to different villages. Our team typically is onsite for 3-5 days, enabling us to care for thousands of individuals - men, women and children. The clinic is a very busy clinic; we often see whole families at one time. We set it up in a way where nurses triage patients and follow protocol to treat them. If the patient needs to see a provider, the nurse will use clinical judgement to send to providers. On average, we can see anywhere from 400-800 patients/day. The majority of care we provide is primary care.
 

Amount: $1,490
Deposit: $490, due upon registration
Progress Payment: $500, due August 6, 2021
Final Balance: $500, due September 6, 2021

Summer Mission Trip, July 31 - August 7, 2021

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We are back! Our Summer trip to the Dominican Republic will include a wide range of activities as we partner with the local church in outreach to the surrounding villages. Our VBS program will minister to hundreds of children in multiple locations. Our Isaiah 58 teams will distribute food to the poor. We will have opportunities to minister to children in the children's hospital and at an orphanage. For the construction-minded, there are construction projects great and small, ranging from small repairs to painting, to masonry, to full-on raising of a new building. Who Should Go? With the wide range of activities planned, the trip is appropriate for all ages from pre-teens to "mature" adults.

Amount - $1,650
Deposit: $450, Due June 15
Progress Payment: $600, Due July 10
Final Balance: $600, Due July 25