Baptist Medical & Dental Mission International
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In This Section |
Our History |
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 Baptist Medical & Dental Mission International was founded by Charlie and Carolyn Herrington in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1974. The Lord blessed their early ministry efforts in church planting, however, their hearts were constantly broken as they saw the poor suffering from lack of medical and dental care. Seeing people suffer miserably led them to pray about what more could be done to help them.The Lord gave the Herringtons a vision of Christian volunteers from the United States to serve in remote, poor villages. These teams of medical and dental volunteers drew people in need of free treatment and would also give them a chance to share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Mission's first team consisted of seven people. But now an average of 55 teams travel every year – that’s more than 2,000 team volunteers at work! The teams work through the BMDMI churches so communities can see the church's concern for its neighbors. Charlie and Carolyn promised the Lord that the physical care the Mission offered would never come before the spiritual care, and the Lord has blessed the ministry in a great way for keeping this promise. Charlie Herrington passed away in Honduras in 1986; the Hondurans mourned the loss of a spiritual father and BMDMI mourned the loss of a dedicated, dynamic leader. However, BMDMI belongs to the Lord, so the work continues. In 1989, BMDMI expanded its ministry beyond the borders of Honduras; mission teams now also serve the country of Nicaragua. Additionally, BMDMI has founded Christian schools, permanent medical-dental clinics, vocational training centers, and children’s homes to meet more basic needs. To coordinate the work of these ministries, BMDMI works with local churches in the U.S. to send full-time missionaries to Honduras and Nicaragua. In 2009, BMDMI announced the merger of World Baptist Missions (WBM) with its operations in Honduras. WBM’s Baptist Hospital in Guaimaca will continue to meet the needs of the people in that region under the auspices of BMDMI. This merger is opening exciting new doors of ministry previously unavailable to BMDMI. With God’s help, BMDMI envisions a future of medical, dental, evangelistic teams traveling to developing countries around the world reaching others for Christ and alleviating physical suffering. Regardless of the number of areas of service which become accessible, BMDMI is dedicated to the visions and priorities which led to its founding more than three decades ago and continues to lead forth as it reaches out in love to people who need the Lord as their personal Savior. |
