Our Story

In 1998, God planted in the hearts of a faithful few the desire to begin mission work in the region commonly known as “Las Colinas,” Siguatepeque, a community with about 6,000 inhabitants. It was here that the gospel of Jesus Christ took root to eventually form what is now known as Iglesia Bautista Betania, or Bethany Baptist Church.

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With almost half of Hondurans living in poverty, it soon became clear to Clarence and Shirley Mathis, a couple working in maintenance for MEDA at the time, that much of the community could not afford medical care. Shortly after expressing this idea, Clínica Betania was born on March 3, 2003, as a mercy ministry of Iglesia Bautista Betania. Starting out in the basement of the church, all they had was a small box of medicine, a wooden table, and curtains for patient privacy.

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Slowly and steadily, patients came to the clinic looking for help but with no way to pay for it. But the Lord was faithful to provide. As awareness and sponsorship grew, Clínica Betania eventually received enough funding to build a four-room building with space for a pharmacy, procedures room, and doctor’s office. Several ministries in the states sent down teams with volunteers to help with the construction of these facilities.

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As the clinic outgrew that space, God provided other teams who were able to support and invest in the clinic, starting construction of the facility we currently have – a three-story building with the middle floor facilitating clinic operations and the top floor operating as an optometry clinic and a full dental suite. With this facility, Clínica Betania is better suited to meet the current and growing needs of its community and looks forward to how the Lord will continue to demonstrate His providence and sovereignty over the development of this ministry in the years to come.