In 1967, the Church of the Nazarene opened a small clinic in the Waghi Valley in Papua New Guinea. Missionary nurses worked tirelessly to care for the sick and injured. Over time, this small clinic grew into Nazarene General Hospital, a 130-bed facility that serves the entire region. In 2016, it became a Provincial Referral Hospital—a significant achievement in its journey to provide better health care.

In a hospital in Colombia, a Nazarene church partners with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to serve as a beacon of care for pregnant and new mothers and hospital staff as they face emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges. Volunteers from the church spend time each week serving at the hospital, providing workshops on emotional healing and entrepreneurship training so mothers can build stable and bright futures for their families. They also deliver food and baby supplies to the hospital and spend time in prayer and counseling with mothers and hospital staff.

“Today, I believe that this work is very important because, in moments of sadness or hopelessness in the hospital, a word of encouragement arrives.”

The volunteers who regularly make the rounds between villages have a challenge set before them. They are visiting people to talk to them about HIV and AIDS, issues that will mean combatting a deeply-rooted stigma.