2025 Year End Report
Short-term mission trips
Since 2008, Hands in Service has served with different organizations to bring short term, international medical/evangelism teams to several countries since our founding in 2008. We have served in Nepal, Honduras and Haiti. Since 2017, we have concentrated our efforts in partnership with Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, La Romana in the Dominican Republic to serve the communities (bateys) in the Sugar Cane fields. The teams bring mobile medical clinics and a children’s evangelism program to churches in a different batey for four consecutive days, once or twice a year. The people in the bateys suffer from extreme poverty and the effects are seen in the clinics. Poor nutrition compromises the patients’ immune systems making many common illnesses difficult to overcome. Food scarcity is a huge challenge. Casa de Restauraćion Iglesia Metodista Libre, La Romana helps to maintain churches and provide discipleship in these communities and relief services year round, with Hands in Service offering physical and financial support as we are able. In our clinics we offer vitamins and deworming medications to all of the patients. We provide a six month supply of medication for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. We provide antibiotics to treat bacterial infections and we offer a small supply of medications for symptoms of allergies, the common cold and the pains caused by years of hard labor. Hands in Service provides these medications through its general fund. We also have an emergency medical fund to help patients with conditions that are beyond the scope of practice for our clinics.
Over the past nine years, H.I.S. has been collecting data regarding these communities. The presence of malnutrition in children is a proven measurement of community health. The CDC defines childhood malnutrition as calorie and nutrient deficit that negatively impacts child growth and development. Severely malnourished children measure under the fifth percentile on the CDC pediatric growth chart that measures height and weight by age. Although the statistics vary from batey to batey, in 2021, our data showed on average, between fifteen to twenty percent of children under age eighteen were malnourished. In February 2026, those statistics had improved dramatically. The rate of malnutrition of children under age eighteen in the bateys where we serve is now between seven and nine percent. We believe that by God’s will, the efforts of Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, Hands in Service, partner churches and other non profits and have been a major factor in this community physical and spiritual health improvement. As malnourished children are identified in the Hands in Service clinics, their names are passed on to Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, so that their families receive regular pastoral visits, intensive prayer and more food security with grocery packages funded by Hands in Service.
People in crisis are often more open to hearing about the hope of salvation, so, Hands in Service has purchased approximately 2700 Spanish language Bibles and distributed them in the bateys during our clinics over the past two years. During our children’s evangelism programs that run concurrent with the clinics, dozens of children have come forward to accept salvation through Jesus Christ.
In November of 2025, a Hands in Service team of twelve volunteers raised funds or donated their own funds to participate in a one week commitment to serve in the bateys. When we arrived in La Romana, we spent two days organizing and preparing to serve 579 patients in the church buildings in the bateys over four days. 96 children attended our children’s evangelism programs. In February 2026, we sent a medical evangelism team and we are planning another medical/evangelism team in January 2027. We are planning to add a community health education team and water purification team in April 2027. We have expanded our clinics to include a physical therapy station and a vaccine station sponsored by the Dominican government. Although there are hundreds of bateys in La Romana, we have agreed to concentrate of four bateys for the next four years: batey Gato, batey 18, batey, batey Tacones and Comoquiera. We are thankful to God, our sponsoring churches and individual donors who help make these efforts possible. To God be the glory!
Donation Distribution Center (DDC)
The DDC receives new donated goods from large merchandizers. In 2025 HIS received the equivalent of 80 tractor trailer loads of donations. These donations include new clothing, shoes, household items, kitchenware, hygiene products and more. Items are sorted into categories and made available to over 150 organizations that are currently listed as our network partners. These organizations serve Christ by serving those in need within their ministry communities. Our network partners represent Churches, food pantries, women’s services, homeless shelter, rehabilitation centers, missionaries and disaster relief agencies to name a few. We estimate that through these distributions, approximately 300,000 lives were impacted in 2025.
Common Good
A division of the DDC which offers a private setting where referred individuals can enter a safe, dignified and peaceful environment to select new items from our showroom that will help meet some basic needs. During our guest’s visit, we get to know them a little bit and find out how we can be praying for them as they go through their transition. After our guests are done shopping, we offer to pray with them and provide bibles for those who don’t have one. Though the impact is much smaller in quantity than the DDC, the relationship building through our time together has a much more significant Kingdom impact. This year our guests included the homeless, college students, refugees, single parents and individuals from all walks of life. We praise God for the opportunity to serve Him in this unique way.
Disaster Relief & Recovery
2025 started with relief efforts for Hurricane Helene impacted communities in Hendersonville, NC. More than $25,000 in funding was raised and used to purchase needed supplies for recovery and rebuilding in the Clear Creek community, where most of the homes required complete restoration.
In addition to the funding, several tractor trailer loads of basic relief items were sent to the surrounding areas through the first quarter of the year. Two rebuild teams were formed and sent to Hendersonville to serve in these communities. Our teams partnered with Reach Global in caring for the physical and spiritual needs of those homeowners we served. Listening to each homeowner’s story is one way we can help them through the mental anguish that’s created for victims of a hurricane. Each day our teams would take prayer walks in the community we were serving in and build relationships with those we served. Prayer and fellowship with homeowners were part of each day’s routine. Watching this community become a family in Christ over the last year was an amazing experience. Two additional teams are scheduled for 2026.
Volunteers
Our volunteers keep all elements of Hands In Service moving forward in our service to Christ. Between our warehouse volunteers, medical mission teams and our disaster relief efforts, we estimate 4,000 volunteer hours were logged in 2025. The diversity in gifts and age range is amazing, with our youngest being age 8, while our most senior in their 90s. Praise God!
Short-term mission trips
Since 2008, Hands in Service has served with different organizations to bring short term, international medical/evangelism teams to several countries since our founding in 2008. We have served in Nepal, Honduras and Haiti. Since 2017, we have concentrated our efforts in partnership with Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, La Romana in the Dominican Republic to serve the communities (bateys) in the Sugar Cane fields. The teams bring mobile medical clinics and a children’s evangelism program to churches in a different batey for four consecutive days, once or twice a year. The people in the bateys suffer from extreme poverty and the effects are seen in the clinics. Poor nutrition compromises the patients’ immune systems making many common illnesses difficult to overcome. Food scarcity is a huge challenge. Casa de Restauraćion Iglesia Metodista Libre, La Romana helps to maintain churches and provide discipleship in these communities and relief services year round, with Hands in Service offering physical and financial support as we are able. In our clinics we offer vitamins and deworming medications to all of the patients. We provide a six month supply of medication for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. We provide antibiotics to treat bacterial infections and we offer a small supply of medications for symptoms of allergies, the common cold and the pains caused by years of hard labor. Hands in Service provides these medications through its general fund. We also have an emergency medical fund to help patients with conditions that are beyond the scope of practice for our clinics.
Over the past nine years, H.I.S. has been collecting data regarding these communities. The presence of malnutrition in children is a proven measurement of community health. The CDC defines childhood malnutrition as calorie and nutrient deficit that negatively impacts child growth and development. Severely malnourished children measure under the fifth percentile on the CDC pediatric growth chart that measures height and weight by age. Although the statistics vary from batey to batey, in 2021, our data showed on average, between fifteen to twenty percent of children under age eighteen were malnourished. In February 2026, those statistics had improved dramatically. The rate of malnutrition of children under age eighteen in the bateys where we serve is now between seven and nine percent. We believe that by God’s will, the efforts of Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, Hands in Service, partner churches and other non profits and have been a major factor in this community physical and spiritual health improvement. As malnourished children are identified in the Hands in Service clinics, their names are passed on to Casa de Restauraćion, Iglesia Metodista Libre, so that their families receive regular pastoral visits, intensive prayer and more food security with grocery packages funded by Hands in Service.
People in crisis are often more open to hearing about the hope of salvation, so, Hands in Service has purchased approximately 2700 Spanish language Bibles and distributed them in the bateys during our clinics over the past two years. During our children’s evangelism programs that run concurrent with the clinics, dozens of children have come forward to accept salvation through Jesus Christ.
In November of 2025, a Hands in Service team of twelve volunteers raised funds or donated their own funds to participate in a one week commitment to serve in the bateys. When we arrived in La Romana, we spent two days organizing and preparing to serve 579 patients in the church buildings in the bateys over four days. 96 children attended our children’s evangelism programs. In February 2026, we sent a medical evangelism team and we are planning another medical/evangelism team in January 2027. We are planning to add a community health education team and water purification team in April 2027. We have expanded our clinics to include a physical therapy station and a vaccine station sponsored by the Dominican government. Although there are hundreds of bateys in La Romana, we have agreed to concentrate of four bateys for the next four years: batey Gato, batey 18, batey, batey Tacones and Comoquiera. We are thankful to God, our sponsoring churches and individual donors who help make these efforts possible. To God be the glory!
Donation Distribution Center (DDC)
The DDC receives new donated goods from large merchandizers. In 2025 HIS received the equivalent of 80 tractor trailer loads of donations. These donations include new clothing, shoes, household items, kitchenware, hygiene products and more. Items are sorted into categories and made available to over 150 organizations that are currently listed as our network partners. These organizations serve Christ by serving those in need within their ministry communities. Our network partners represent Churches, food pantries, women’s services, homeless shelter, rehabilitation centers, missionaries and disaster relief agencies to name a few. We estimate that through these distributions, approximately 300,000 lives were impacted in 2025.
Common Good
A division of the DDC which offers a private setting where referred individuals can enter a safe, dignified and peaceful environment to select new items from our showroom that will help meet some basic needs. During our guest’s visit, we get to know them a little bit and find out how we can be praying for them as they go through their transition. After our guests are done shopping, we offer to pray with them and provide bibles for those who don’t have one. Though the impact is much smaller in quantity than the DDC, the relationship building through our time together has a much more significant Kingdom impact. This year our guests included the homeless, college students, refugees, single parents and individuals from all walks of life. We praise God for the opportunity to serve Him in this unique way.
Disaster Relief & Recovery
2025 started with relief efforts for Hurricane Helene impacted communities in Hendersonville, NC. More than $25,000 in funding was raised and used to purchase needed supplies for recovery and rebuilding in the Clear Creek community, where most of the homes required complete restoration.
In addition to the funding, several tractor trailer loads of basic relief items were sent to the surrounding areas through the first quarter of the year. Two rebuild teams were formed and sent to Hendersonville to serve in these communities. Our teams partnered with Reach Global in caring for the physical and spiritual needs of those homeowners we served. Listening to each homeowner’s story is one way we can help them through the mental anguish that’s created for victims of a hurricane. Each day our teams would take prayer walks in the community we were serving in and build relationships with those we served. Prayer and fellowship with homeowners were part of each day’s routine. Watching this community become a family in Christ over the last year was an amazing experience. Two additional teams are scheduled for 2026.
Volunteers
Our volunteers keep all elements of Hands In Service moving forward in our service to Christ. Between our warehouse volunteers, medical mission teams and our disaster relief efforts, we estimate 4,000 volunteer hours were logged in 2025. The diversity in gifts and age range is amazing, with our youngest being age 8, while our most senior in their 90s. Praise God!