The Heart Behind What We Do

As CEO of Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions, I continually travel around the world to check on our ministry outreaches and look for ways to develop new ones. As I do, I witness firsthand the truly amazing things that you, our friends and partners, are making possible.

To help convey the impact you are making, I want to share with you a familiar passage from Matthew chapter 25. These verses have always been the backbone for everything we do through Hand of Hope...

Jesus says in Matthew 25, For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. ...I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! (Verses 25:35-36,40 NLT).

Through your support, I can honestly say that together we are helping to fulfill this scripture in so many ways all around the world. Right now, I want to give you a glimpse of how you are helping heal “the least of these” through short-term medical/dental outreaches.

"For I was hungry and you fed me."

Right now, your support makes it possible for Hand of Hope to partner with organizations worldwide to feed more than 80,000 children on a regular basis at 767 sites around the world! For many, these meals are the only food they receive.

One of the things I’m most excited about is how we’re able to spiritually impact these children and their families for Jesus Christ. More than 90 percent of our feeding programs have a spiritual component.

One way we accomplish this is through our partnership with One Hope to supply many of our feeding centers with a program called “17 Stories.”

“17 Stories” consists of a big sheet of cards including Bible stories ranging from Genesis to The Great Commission. Teachers at our sites discuss each story with the children and follow it up with fun activities to reinforce the lessons.

At the end of the sixteenth story, the children flip the card over to complete a puzzle forming the seventeenth and final story. It focuses on what God has done for us and His good plan for our lives. It also includes a tear-off card they can take home and share with their families and those in their communities. The feedback and positive stories have been tremendous...

For instance, young Niritosa began attending one of our feeding centers in Madagascar. She lives alone with her mother who is divorced. Suffering from malnutrition, Niritosa used to have trouble keeping food down, and she was plagued with a persistent cough.

Not long after she began attending our program, Niritosa started to get physically stronger. She also began a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Today, she is happy, healthy, and no longer has a cough. But that’s not all: Niritosa’s new life has also influenced her mother. Now, each week they attend a local church together!

When you support these programs, it’s so much more than simply putting food on a plate. You are changing these children’s lives and the lives of those around them.

I love what Niritosa said when our staff asked her about the future. She said, “I want to be a specialized teacher who helps kids who live in difficult family situations.”

So, are we making a difference? I think this says it all.

"I was sick, and you cared for me."

Our medical outreaches were birthed out of something that happened to my mom several years ago. She was dealing with tremendous pain from an abscessed tooth, and the Lord caused her to have such compassion for people who are not able to see a doctor when they’re sick. She wondered, What must it be like to have pain and never get relief?

As a result, about nine years ago we began holding short-term medical and dental clinics in remote areas of the world, places where the need is the greatest. In these locations, most of the time it’s the small, seemingly insignificant things that cause sickness and death—dehydration, diarrhea, or small scratches that get infected.

Our volunteer doctors and nurses, who serve with our teams at their own expense, diagnose and treat these precious people, dramatically improving their quality of life.

To date, we have:

• Treated more than 245,000 people
• Dispensed 793,000 free medications
• Prayed with more than 86,000 people to receive Christ

Each year, we also treat tens of thousands of others through our ongoing hospitals and clinics in places like Ethiopia, India, Cambodia and Haiti.

For instance, our hospital in Chandrakal, a remote village in India, offers free medical care to thousands of locals who have neither the transportation or the money to pay for a doctor. This facility includes in-patient services, a maternity ward, eye clinic, pharmacy and many other services you normally wouldn’t find in rural areas of India. Each year, over 20,000 people are treated at this hospital alone!

Thanks to you, these efforts are multiplied many times over through our other hospitals and clinics. You are helping save people’s lives—both physically and spiritually.

To date, through our short-term and long-term outreaches, you’ve helped us offer free medical and dental care to more than 1.9 million people. 

"I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink"

I don’t know if there is an outreach that provides more of an immediate impact than providing fresh water. You may have seen the statistic that says over 2.2 million people die every year from parasites and other waterborne illnesses. Water is something most people take for granted; however, it’s a vital necessity we can’t live without!

The good news is that by the end of this year, we will have partnered with organizations worldwide to install more than 875 freshwater wells to date. Not only that, but in many places, we also build an adjacent church or school.

People come for the water, then stay for the weekly service or to receive prayer. Providing fresh water is such a great demonstration of God’s love, and it opens their hearts to want to know more about Jesus Christ.

We have witnessed firsthand what a difference your support is making in remote villages all around the world. Children who were once thin and sickly from diseased water are now visibly healthier and have the energy to focus on their school work and just being a kid. We also hear story after story of entire villages coming to Christ and enjoying new freedom.

And it all began with offering something as simple as fresh water.

"I was in prison, and you visited me."

For years, our team has been delivering special gift packages to inmates around the world containing hygiene items and one of Joyce’s books. In fact, in 2016, we were able to reach our 3 millionth inmate. Over the years, our teams have shared these gifts with inmates in all 50 U.S. states and in over 50 countries around the world. You + Me + God = Anything Is Possible

Simply put, we can’t do any of this without you, our ministry partners, the ones who are supporting these outreaches and making it all possible. On our own, we can do some things. But together, our success multiplies exponentially!

First Corinthians chapter 12 says we are all parts of the same body, but we each have our own distinct and vital role to play. In the same way, your part in these outreaches—supporting this ministry through your gifts and prayers—is just as important as my part or my mom and dad’s part.

When we each do what God is asking us to do, He gets right in the middle of our efforts and allows us to change the world.
Friends, we can never thank you enough. Please know that everything you do is affecting lives every single day. Together (you...and me...and God), we are able to reach “the least of these” in so many wonderful ways. God bless you!

- David L. Meyer

*This article was published in Fall, 2016.

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

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Seneca Is Choosing Joy

Her car and home are flooded but Seneca is still choosing to serve her community!

"I've been affected by the flood but the flood is not gonna affect me. I'm just trusting and believing that the Holy Spirit is still my comforter. I've been through some things before and I have overcome them just like I will overcome this. I will not allow a flood to steal my joy!" 

Even though Seneca herself is in need, she has chosen to come and serve others in her community through Bethany Church. Hand of Hope is honored to partner with local churches like Bethany Church to help bring relief where it's needed.

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

Counting on God's Strength During Disaster - Mike's Story

"God doesn't promise that as believers everything will be good but He does promise that He will give us strength through it...and that's what we count on." 

Mike lost everything, including his home, in the flood waters. He lives in Denham Springs where 90% of the homes have been flooded. It's a devastating reality for so many in Louisiana but Hand of Hope is helping to bring relief through local churches in the area. Thank you to our partners for allowing us to bring relief here and around the World!



Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

Finding Relief After the Storm

Rachael Athearn, Staff Writer 

By the time Angie Nahlik realized her Eureka, Missouri, home and automotive shop were threatened by impending floodwaters, it was practically too late. “The sandbags were gone. Everything was gone,” Angie says.  

Her family gathered up some volunteers to make their own sandbags, but it was too little, too late. So they shifted gears and removed as many of their belongings as they could. But they were unable to save everything. 

The 4 feet of river water that slopped through their shop tipped a motor-oil drum, covering everything that was left behind with thick oil. 

“So we’ve got a chemical hazardous-waste issue inside, and then it’s just uninhabitable,” Angie says. “None of our equipment is working right…everything has to be gutted, and so it’s hard.” 

Angie says one of her biggest needs has been cleaning supplies. That’s one of the reasons she stopped by for a flood-relief event put on recently by Convoy of Hope in partnership with Joyce Meyer Ministries, Hand of Hope.  

At the event, hundreds of people like Angie who were affected by the recent Missouri flooding turned out to receive bottled water, food and cleaning supplies. 

The event, Angie says, brought her a bit of hope. “It’s just nice that people go out of their way to help somebody they don’t know,” she says. “Every little bit helps.” 

Thank you so much for helping us support these much-needed relief efforts in our own back yard…and all around the world.  

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

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Classrooms of Hope

Rachael Athearn, Staff Writer 

Without access to quality education, many children born into poverty may remain trapped in that desperate cycle for their whole lives. But Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions is working to make a good education more accessible to the children who need it most. 

As one of the poorest provinces in South Africa, the Eastern Cape is home to many families living in impoverished conditions. Due to the lack of education and opportunities, it’s extremely difficult to secure a different future. 

But in the midst of the struggle, there is hope thanks to the local church and concerned members of the community. 

After seeing that children in the neighborhoods were being left unsupervised during the day while their parents worked, some women in the community started small preschools to help look after them. Using what little resources they have, they are now preparing the children for school so they have a better chance of completing their education and breaking free from the grasp of poverty. 

Hand of Hope has been working in the Eastern Cape for the past three years. Through forging a strategic partnership with a non-governmental organization and a local church, thousands of children in this remote area have been receiving a nutritional meal on a regular basis. In many cases, it’s the only food the child will receive that day. Teachers are also being trained in spiritual instruction to enable them to share the message of Christ more effectively. 

Through these programs, we are seeing children improve in their overall health and in their ability to learn. They are more joyful and have hope for the future. 

Many of the buildings where these programs take place are unsafe, however, and don’t offer protection from the elements. But Hand of Hope has launched a project to meet that crucial need. 

Through the Classrooms of Hope project, kids in the Eastern Cape will have a safe, warm and clean environment to be nurtured in. The project will replace the inadequate classroom structures with more suitable ones geared toward early childhood development. Where possible, existing structures will be repaired or improved, and some funds will even be allocated for needed educational and development equipment at the schools. 

Over the next two years, our hope is for at least 20 new classrooms to be completed. Each of the new classrooms will become a conversation point—a light for the life-changing message of Christ—for the surrounding communities and villages. We are already seeing village chiefs make a decision to follow Christ because these precious children are being loved and cared for. 

Thank you so much for helping us give these children the tools they need to break free from poverty. Because of your support, they will have the opportunity to grow up knowing they are valuable to God and that He has an amazing purpose for their lives. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

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When Dreams Come True

Amy Christensen, Medical/Dental Volunteer 

Four years ago on a missions trip, I had a knowing in my heart that one day I would be baptized in Africa. 

I was thrilled at the thought and eager to see how God would make that dream happen. As the years stretched on, I tried at times to force the issue…but God always closed the door. Ultimately, I learned to trust Him for perfect timing. 

This year, I decided to join the Hand of Hope medical/dental team headed to rural areas of Zambia. It was my ninth trip as a volunteer with the ministry. On the second day of clinics, I felt the Lord’s leading that this was the trip to rededicate my life and be baptized. 

After getting the details worked out, a boat took us to a nearby clear-water tributary that connected to the Zambezi River. Dr. Raj Patel, one of the volunteer dentists, led the group in prayer, reaffirmed my faith and then baptized me. 

As the water rushed over me, I felt the cleansing and healing power of God flood my soul. I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to serve on these trips and for enabling me to have the most awesome baptism experience. 

After all, it was being a part of the Hand of Hope medical/dental missions team that inspired me to get my license as a dental assistant. I saw the great need people had for medical and dental care, and I wanted to be more effective while on the mission field. 

It’s so rewarding to be able to use that training to help relieve people’s pain. During those five days of clinics in Zambia, our team saw 1,744 patients…and at least 1,500 of them found new life in Christ through the outreach. I couldn’t imagine life any other way! 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

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Now She Can See

Rachael Athearn, Staff Writer 

When Saiamma’s eyes started to water continually, she knew something wasn’t right. Living alone in a rural part of India, she still had to work and take care of her home. But as time went on, even the most basic tasks—like washing her face—became extremely difficult. 

Concerned about her fading eyesight, Saiamma rode a bus along dirt roads to the Chandrakal Hospital, funded by Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions, hoping to find an answer. 

Because of your generous support, doctors at the full-service medical facility made it possible for her to receive the life-changing care she needed…a cataract operation and a pair of glasses, all for free. 

Saiamma is grateful for the help she’s received and is relieved she can return to her daily life with clear vision. 

“Thank you very much,” she says. “For a time, I was not able to work because I couldn’t see. Since I can see now clearly, I am very happy.” 

Hand of Hope has had the opportunity to provide medical care to more than 12,700 people like Saiamma so far this year at the Chandrakal Hospital. The facility includes inpatient services, meals, a maternity ward, eye clinic, pharmacy and many other services that you won’t normally find in rural areas of India. 

Thank you for bringing practical help and God’s love to people in India and all around the world. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

Volunteer Finds Healing in Peru

Rachel Milbey served as a volunteer nurse during our 2014 outreach in Peru. 

When my husband passed away, I was in shock…it was so final. Initially, I kept myself busy to stay distracted. But later, I started feeling depressed. Not long after, I looked on Joyce’s website and saw a medical missions volunteer ad. I felt inadequate, but something compelled me to apply, and they accepted me within two days! 

I was scared. But I took that step…and it changed my life. At this medical outreach, I was a part of something so much bigger than myself. It was hard, but it didn’t matter. I realized that giving to others is just such an awesome experience—there’s an energy that lifted me up and propelled me. 

This is my purpose, and I love it. And I’m going to do it until I can’t do it anymore. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

A Boy & His Sneakers

Ashley Wilkins, R.N., Medical Outreach Director 

I hadn’t noticed ten-year-old Rothtim and his mother until after he had been treated by the doctors and was leaving our Hand of Hope clinic. Then again, once you saw him walk, it was hard not to notice him. 

Rothtim was obviously very small for his age, but also crippled. With each stride, the tops of his bare, calloused feet would scrape against the concrete. He had walked this way his entire life. I can still hear that sound in my ears. Moved with compassion, I ran and picked Rothtim up in my arms. 

Desperately Searching for Shoes

Sitting him down on a nearby bench, I asked his mother if they would be willing to wait while I got him a pair of shoes. She excitedly replied that they would. 

I made a tracing of his feet to get the correct size. I wanted to be absolutely sure that these shoes ¬fit him. With the outline of Rothtim’s calloused little feet in my hand, I headed to the market. 

Finding a new pair of shoes in a developing nation is not an easy task. I located a shop on a street corner and began looking through the limited choices of new shoes. The majority of the shoes were either for girls or grown men, and most were covered in dust from the dirty street. But after some searching, I found two good, clean pairs of shoes in his size. I immediately gave thanks to the Lord because I had found Rothtim’s shoes. I picked out a few pairs of socks and quickly paid the clerk. 

Taking That First Step

When I got back to the clinic, little Rothtim and his mom were sitting on the bench, waiting patiently, exactly where I left them. We washed his dirty feet, put the socks on and slid them into Rothtim’s new pair of shoes. He sprang up and began walking about. Amazingly, the shoes actually acted as a corrective device, which allowed him to walk almost normally! 

Most Cambodians, like Rothtim and his mother, live on just one U.S. dollar per day, making the simple luxury of owning a pair of shoes impossible. For just $10 USD, we were able to purchase Rothtim clean socks and two new pairs of shoes. 

In an instant, with something as seemingly insignificant as a pair of shoes, Rothtim experienced the love of Christ. The smile that stretched across his face was indescribable. And I could not help but smile in return as he and his mother repeatedly bowed to me in thanks. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip.  

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter

Fifteen Days Ago She Began to Go Blind...

Chad Trafton, Staff Writer 

The village of Mazan sits deep in the heart of Peru. It’s one of hundreds of small communities lining the Amazon River.  

By 8 am, our medical/dental team has transformed a local grade school into a fully functional clinic—complete with several examining rooms and a pharmacy—and is ready to see their first patients…and there will be no shortage. 

Just outside the main gates, more than a hundred people from Mazan and other villages wait in line, most sitting on wood bleachers. Some have traveled more than four hours by boat. Many have even spent the night in one of the classrooms, determined not to miss their opportunity for free medical/dental care. 

Celmira sits in the middle of the crowd, patiently waiting like all the others. Her grandson, Maximo, waits with her. She looks concerned, and we soon find out why. Fifteen days ago, she began going blind in one eye. For her, this clinic is a godsend. She waits…and hopes someone up ahead has an answer. 

She gets checked in and sits down with Dr. Budi Bahureksa, one of our volunteer physicians. It doesn’t take long for him to pinpoint the problem—her blood sugar registers 511, at least 300 points above normal. 

“You’re too sweet,” Dr. Bahureksa says, his bedside manner eliciting a smile. “Your blindness is from the diabetes, so we’re going to give you some good medicine. You need to be on this medication all of the time.”  

He gives Celmira a prescription, which she fills at our pharmacy, two doors down. Thankfully, her blindness can be reversed…they caught it just in time. 

The pharmacy is filled with others just like her…a steady stream of people eager to trade their prescriptions for medicines. Volunteer Nurse Kelly Johnston helps keep the operation running smoothly. It’s her fifth medical trip with Hand of Hope, and she thrills at another chance to see the faces of relieved mothers and children. 

“We give them a little bit of hope,” she says. ““It’s a little thing for us, but it’s not little to them. Here they have no options.” 

Texas-native Nurse Mickey Brown agrees: “We’re amazed at how God touches their lives. It’s so fun to be able to do all this…it’s like Christmas.” 

And it looks like Christmas. Heaping piles of antibiotics are all neatly stacked and organized on long tables, ready to be dispensed. The team has come prepared, knowing for the most part what illnesses to expect. 

Here in Mazan, more times than not, they simply learn to live with the pain. But today they don’t have to. 

If you’re a medical/dental professional, we’d love for you to join with us on an upcoming trip. 

Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.

Follow Hand of Hope on Facebook | Twitter