Faith That Lasts: What Faithfulness Builds Over Time

Eight years ago, I received a phone call from Pastor Jared Priset at Church of the Lakes in Canton, Ohio. The clinic in Manjama, Sierra Leone, had closed, and the future was uncertain. He asked a simple question: could Church of the Lakes partner with Helping Children Worldwide to help restore what had been lost?

That question did not come with guarantees. It came with faith. 

At Helping Children Worldwide, our mission has always been rooted in a simple calling: to connect the resource-rich with the resource-poor, to strengthen systems that sustain families, and to equip local leaders to carry that work forward. We believe every child deserves to grow up in the safety and stability of a loving family, and that the strongest way to protect children is to strengthen the families and communities that care for them. We see ourselves as having an Orphan Prevention mission, rather than an Orphan Response mission. We partner and ally ourselves with like-minded people across faith traditions, alongside secular NGOs, and with government leaders, without discrimination, because illness, poverty, and vulnerability do not ask what you believe before they strike.

Compassion should not either.

We are unapologetically grounded in our faith traditions. Our mission grew organically - a seed that was planted not in the ground, but within the hearts of two United Methodist pastors. Seeing the horrors  visited on innocent children who grew up in a civil war that engulfed the West Coast of Africa, they joined forces to act and call for others to join them. Their call was nourished by the generosity of a congregation who believed scripture that directed them to care for the least, the last, and the lost in this world was the worship God required - it was more than pretty words. Their answer to  the call to action - to minister not just to those in the community they could see, hear, and touch - but to answer a call to help in the world beyond has saved tens of thousands of lives and raised the quotient of hope - of good - that will one day wipe away the evil of that war.  Jesus gathered the believers and set them on a course of action that would change the world forever.  We gathered the helpers, because we knew we needed every helper we could gather to make a difference for the most vulnerable children in the world - our calling. The work to gather resources requires collaboration.

​But resource gathering of this sort is built on something deeper than strategy. It is built on radical trust. Trust in relationships formed across cultures and continents. Trust in the calling God has placed on local leaders to guide and sustain their own communities. Trust that when we invest in people—not just programs—lasting transformation follows. Faith-led partnership requires humility. It requires listening. It requires believing that God is already at work in places we may never have imagined, and that our role is not to control that work, but to faithfully walk alongside it.

Over the past twenty-six years, and especially through faithful partnerships like the one with Church of the Lakes, we have seen what sustained commitment can build—not just clinics, but stronger families.

At Mercy UMC Hospital in Sierra Leone, investments in infrastructure—triage systems, blood banking, anesthesia equipment, solar-powered electrical systems, and operational improvements—have transformed what is possible. Today, Mercy covers 60% of its operating costs through earned income while expanding care to families who cannot pay. Mothers survive childbirth. Children receive treatment for diseases like malaria and sickle cell. Parents are able to remain healthy enough to work, provide, and care for their children. These are not just medical outcomes; they are family outcomes.

Through microfinance, family strengthening programs, and community-based care, parents gain the tools and stability they need to provide safe homes. Children who might otherwise face separation are able to remain with their families. Local social workers, clinicians, and community leaders are empowered to guide and sustain these efforts, building systems that will endure for generations.

​And yet, the need remains urgent. Malaria is resurging as access to medications has become less reliable. Maternal health risks remain among the highest in the world. Families face economic and health pressures that threaten their stability. But through Together for Global Health, and with the support of partners including Christian Connections In Health, we are strengthening systems that allow local clinicians and leaders to meet these challenges directly and protect the families they serve.

We are also building awareness and connection across borders. Our podcast, Optimistic Voices, now ranks in the top 50% of podcasts globally, helping connect practitioners, churches, and communities committed to ethical, effective global health and family strengthening.

This work has never been about quick solutions. It has always been about empowerment.

Empowering parents to care for their children.
Empowering communities to protect their most vulnerable.
Empowering local leaders to guide their own future.
Because when families are strong, children thrive.
When children thrive, communities flourish.
And when faithfulness endures, hope lasts.

Author:
​Dr. Melody Curtiss

Executive Director of Helping Children Worldwide