Tulsa-Area Doctors Head To Ukraine For Humanitarian Aid

A medical mission group is getting ready to go to Ukraine to help those in need. The CEO of In His Image International said they have a desire to help others. Whether it's after a natural disaster or a warzone, they run to help.

In His Image is a Tulsa faith-based organization that focuses on medical missions and responding to crises all over the world. "Some of those disasters are natural events, earthquakes, tsunami's, hurricanes, others are result of political problems, genocide, war," said CEO Dr. Mitchell Duininck.

Duininck said a group of doctors just returned from Ukraine, and the second group is preparing to go. He said they take medical supplies, and visit areas like orphanages and refugee camps to do what they can to help.

"People who had nothing else to do but just run, and they had to leave with only what they could carry, many of them have medical issues, many of them have chronic issues, and a lot of them just have heartbreak issues," he said.

He said they have a desire to help others, and they use their skills and knowledge to do so. He said being a faith-based organization, they also witness to others. "We specifically go not just for humanitarian work, our motivation is the love of Jesus, we see people that are suffering, hurting, and we believe that our faith would direct us to take the love of God and the love of Jesus, and his healing power to people who are really in desperate need," he said.

He said while they go to help, the doctors themselves also learn a lot, and they are using the gifts God gave to them. "They learn what is it like when you go to these places, how do you get in, what do you pack, how do you survive, how do you come home and not be devastated by some of the things you've seen," he said.

He said they plan to have a third group head to Ukraine in early May. If you'd like to learn more or give to In His Image International, click here.