Hope for Hispaniola – Short Term Missions, Long Term Change

The organization now known as Hope for Hispaniola began with just one man, a story, and a backpack full of Bibles. Going from door to door on the streets of Higuey in the Dominican Republic, founder Matt Henderson shared the Gospel with everyone he met. Since then, Hope for Hispaniola has grown to include hundreds of members, churches both here and abroad, and even a full time missionary. All of this growth is due to Matt and his team’s willingness to listen to God’s calling, wait for His timing, and pounce on opportunities when they arrive.

This idea of short term missions with long term change is really the driving force behind Hope for Hispaniola. Initially, Matt and his growing group of participants joined other short term mission teams, such as Meeting God in Missions. However, they eventually split off to form Hope for Hispaniola so they could lean into the ministries and areas they felt God was guiding them toward. Though they started with construction-based missions on their week-long annual trips, they expanded to include medical clinics, VBS, women’s ministries, prison ministry, evangelism, and even eyeglass clinics as the organization grew larger and larger.

Inspired by the book When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, Hope for Hispaniola seeks to partner with local churches and ministries and meet their needs. By doing so, these long-term ministries are able to thrive and create lasting change for Christ. An example of this is the Children’s Center is La Higuera – a school that provides Christ-centered learning for that Haitian community. Hope for Hispaniola not only built this school at the behest of a local pastor, but continues to fully fund it and those running it.

Hope for Hispaniola is not afraid of change, willing to move full speed ahead in the direction God has for them. Recently, God has opened the door for them to build a permanent mission’s center near Higuey. This will serve as a base of operations for the short-term missions teams, but it will also provide a retreat space for surrounding churches at little to no cost. It will also house a permanent Medical Clinic funded by the Hartman Initiative. Ultimately, this center will further solidify Hope for Hispaniola’s ministries and open new doors for further advancements of the Gospel.

As the organization continues to grow and thrive, their focus is still very focus on the message of the Gospel. I’ve gone on four of their short-term trips and witnessed their work firsthand, and I can say with complete certainty that the Lord has blessed this organization. And as someone close to this organization, I can’t wait to see what God uses them to do in the future. While they don’t consider themselves innovators, they display the attitude of true entrepreneurs and God has used them as such.