By Roelf Thompson

Yesterday was intake and screening day with Mending Faces here in the Dominican Republic. As the team photographer, I spent the day documenting volunteers, patients, and families as each child was photographed holding their file for medical records. What stayed with me most was the desperation and hope in the eyes of so many parents seeking help for their children. Despite the medical challenges these children face, they were still playful, smiling, and full of life.

It was amazing to see a child return after receiving surgery during a previous mission. The transformation was incredible to witness. You could see the trust this family had in the team and the confidence they felt returning for continued care and support. It was a reminder that this mission is not only changing appearances, but truly changing lives and giving children hope for the future.

It was inspiring to watch the team interact with the children. It is hard to fully describe unless you experience it in person, but you could clearly see that every team member truly loves what they are doing. The compassion, patience, and genuine care they showed each child was evident throughout the day. Seeing the trust in the children’s eyes and the gratitude from their families is something I will not forget.

The entire experience affected me more than I expected. At times I became so emotionally invested in what I was witnessing that I almost forgot I was there as the photographer. I will try to spend the rest of the mission staying more focused behind the camera, but after just one day, I can already tell that is going to be difficult.