Generous Texas Baptists donors support medical missions in Sierra Leone

Dr. Herrera is one of ten registered dentists in Sierra Leone, a country of 7.8 million people. He and his wife, Sade, moved there 11 years ago to meet the practical and spiritual needs of Sierra Leoneans as missionaries through Restore Hope, a Texas-based ministry that assists churches in training, employing and sending missionaries who meet the needs of communities around the world.

Texas Baptists has a long-standing relationship with Restore Hope, so when a donor made a generous donation for medical missions, the Executive Leadership team knew Restore Hope would be a perfect recipient.

“Thanks to the generosity of some of our Texas Baptists we were able to bless Restore Hope,” David Hardage, executive director, explained. “We saw that they were doing that and we were happy to be a part of meeting that need.”

For Dr. Herrera, this money could not have come at a better time. He wrote to Cindy Wiles, director of Restore Hope, and explained that they were having problems with their dental equipment, which was old and inhibiting them from impacting as many people.

“He had a need, and this came through at the exact same time. It was such a God thing,” Wiles said. “I was so excited to tell him that Texas Baptists would help us address his situation through this generous gift to Restore Hope.”

The new equipment was ordered soon after and sent over to the Herreras. It will help them continue to minister to the people of Sierra Leone, both at their clinic in the capital city of Freetown and their mobile clinics that travel to rural parts of the country. They also provide dental services to the children and caregivers in Restore Hope’s Orphan Sponsorship Program.

In addition to their dental ministry, the Herreras also consider themselves church planters, and they have partnered with a network of 150 Sierra Leonean local church planters. One of those church planters was in the orphan sponsorship program when he was a child. Today, he has started four new churches in the community where he grew up. One of those churches baptized 157 people on March 21. God is at work in a big way in Sierra Leone, Wiles explained, and Restore Hope is excited to be a part of supporting ministry in the country.

Restore Hope is active around the world, working to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the communities they serve.

“Jesus said heal the sick and proclaim that the kingdom of God is near,” Wiles said. “We are committed to holistic ministry and the Gospel, which includes proclamation and service. We restore hope to individuals and communities worldwide through Christ-centered, church-based proclamation and service. We feel like that’s the example Jesus set. He understood that in order to be heard sometimes you have to heal pain or feed an empty stomach, and that was rooted in his own compassion for people. You can't do one and not the other.”

To learn more about the ministry of Restore Hope, visit restorehopetoday.org. To make a gift to support ministries like Restore Hope, contact the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation at missionsfoundation.org.