The Founder’s Story
Dr. Robert Sumner visited a small town in Honduras and left with a grand vision of how to help those who have less.
Shortly after I retired, Westminster Presbyterian Church was organizing a mission trip to La Entrada, Honduras. I thought it would be much like other mission trips I had been on: I would spend a week helping those in need, then return home and go about my normal life. But, God had something very different in mind.
Dr. Sumner in Baja, Mexico in 1990.
Some of the homes Dr. Sumner visited on his trip to La Entrada. The abject poverty he witnessed would move him to found Serving at the Crossroads.
I witnessed poverty such as I had never seen before. We worked at a school and were only allowed to treat the children attending that school (despite countless others begging for help). That tore at my heart.
At the end of that week, the school held a barbecue as a thank you for the work we had done. The children were playing, the adults were laughing and reminiscing about the week. As we were about to eat, I stood up and turned around to face 125–150 men, women, and children on the outside of a chain-link fence staring at the food being prepared. I recognized many of the faces that had asked for help during the week. I was taken aback by what I was seeing and I couldn’t eat much at all that evening. I returned to the hotel to get some rest before leaving early the next morning. But, I couldn’t sleep. The image of what I had seen would not go away and I kept envisioning how we could help these poor people.
When I returned to West Chester, I brought together some people and told them about the vision of a clinic that I had while in Honduras. When I asked if they thought the vision was possible, they said, “Yes!”
Today—through God’s grace; the generosity of those who have donated money, equipment, and supplies; and the selflessness of those who have shared their time and skills to help those who have less in this small corner of Honduras—that vision is now a reality.
(L-R) Ken Balligner, Mike Tysowsky, and Dr. Pete Thompson were a few of those Dr. Sumner brought together to get Serving at the Crossroads off on the right foot.
Dr. Sumner at the Manos Amigas Clinic shortly after construction was completed in 2010.