Helping Families
Everywhere we go, we see people that need some type of help. The sad part is we cannot help everyone. But the good part is the Holy Spirit has guided us in knowing which families we can help. God has guided us, opened doors, and provided resources to help.
Over our 20 years of working in the Dominican Republic, we have done a lot of different things, but the most memorable and meaningful have been the times we have built relationships with families that have really needed a helping hand. We will share a few of these stories on this page. We wish we could share them all. There have been times we have become extended parts of families. Some we look at as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, and even grandchildren. This is where our heart is.
The First Special Family We Helped
It was in 2007 after Tropical Storm Noel ravaged the southwest part of the Dominican Republic, God led us to a family whose house had been destroyed when a huge tree fell on it. A local church had been trying to raise funds to help the family build a small replacement house. They raised as much money as they could, but it was not enough to even finish getting the walls up. The pastor kept telling me about this family that needed help. This was not something we normally did but finally, when there was a break in our work, a Dominican doctor and I went to this family's house (or I should say the home of some relatives since this family's home had been destroyed).
A More Recent Meaningful Story
Way back in 2002, one of my first jobs as a new mission director was to get visas for a thirteen-year-old boy and his mother. With a little work, we were able to bring this boy named Manny Garcia to Toledo to have a heart procedure done. He had problems with his heart valves and it was thought he would need open-heart surgery. He was able to have a newly developed angioplasty procedure that allowed him to heal faster and return home sooner. He was able to live a normal life. We occasionally saw him and used him as a translator, but as years passed we lost track of him.
By surprise, our paths crossed again in 2019. It was shortly after that that he began to have heart issues again. This time, it would take heart valve replacement surgery to fix his problem.
The Newest Family We Are Helping
Arlyn is three years old and she has been blind from birth. She also has some bone structure problems that are preventing her from walking. Cary, Arlyn's mother runs a small beauty shop in their apartment. She takes care of Arlyn all by herself 24 hours a day. Several days a week, Cary takes Arlyn to a school that does physical therapy for Arlyn. Cary is a single mother without any support from her family or from the government. They are doing what they can.
Helping Hands Unlimited is helping them with rent and a few other necessities. If you would like to help Cary and Arlyn, please click on the button to make a pledge or give a one-time contribution.
There are More Families We Help with Our Food Distribution Program
Helping Hands Unlimited has been doing food and clothing distribution for quite a few years in Como Quiera, the Haitian sugar cane community. The pandemic caused a lot of people to lose their income and not have food. HHU then expanded its program to help additional communities. We have been able to continue our Christmas distribution in 2020 in Como Quiera and Villa Hermosa. We were also able to distribute food packages in Thiki Town, a slum with lots of elderly people in Kenya. As the food packages containing several days of food for their family are being handed out, a local pastor shares a message of hope and salvation to them.
We need your help purchasing food for these events. Please consider a donation to help us continue this important ministry.