President: Dr. Eddie Gibson

Dr. Gibson lives in his hometown of Collins, MS. He has been married to his wife, Linda, for more than 48 years. They have two married sons, James and Michael. They also have been blessed with five precious grandchildren. Dr. Gibson received his degree in Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University in 1977. He then returned to his hometown and established Covington County Animal Hospital, a mixed animal solo practice. Dr. Gibson practiced for 25 ½ years, before selling his practice on December 31, 2002. Shortly after that Dr. Gibson began working for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Food Safety Inspection Service as a Public Health Veterinarian. Dr. Gibson is now retired but is busier than ever.

Dr. Gibson’s involvement with the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission began in 1991. Over the years, Dr. Gibson has served in many capacities on teams and with Honduras Baptist Dental Mission, Inc. itself. In 1994, he acted as a liaison between HBDM, Inc. and the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board to help establish a partnership between the two organizations. He became a team captain and a member of the board of directors in 2000. Dr. Gibson was elected chairman of the board in 2003 and continues to serve in that capacity. He continues to serve as a Team Captain, having led 25 teams.

As chairman of the board, it has always been Dr. Gibson’s desire to see as many people as possible come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior through the work of HBDM, Inc. He feels that he is so blessed to have been a part of what God has done for and through HBDM, Inc. He has realized one of his dreams in seeing the completion of a complete mission compound, totally designed and built to meet the needs of the many dedicated volunteers and employees that serve our Savior through HBDM, Inc. This compound was made possible through the blessings of God. The construction was all completed with no debt incurred by HBDM, Inc. Another dream and longtime desire of Dr. Gibson's has been to see an enhanced effort placed on discipleship. Starting in January 2018, another missionary family began service on the field and their duties concentrate primarily on training new pastors and discipling new believers. In 2020, Dr. Gibson helped lead the effort to obtain ownership of an additional compound near La Esperanza, Intibuca. This compound has expanded HBDM’s ability to reach more lost people through training pastors and holding conferences to lead people to Christ. Dr. Gibson has always stated that he was not concerned about HBDM, Inc. being the biggest, but that he wanted it to strive to be the best that it could be.

Updated August 2022

Russel Patterson

Dr Russell Patterson is no stranger to Honduras, the mission, or many of you. Russ has been involved with this mission ever since 1987, starting as each of us does, by serving as a regular team member. He became a team captain in 1988 when he and his wife, Elaine, brought the first North Carolina team to our mission. In 1992, Russell accepted God’s call into full time missions and went to Honduras as a “Faith Missionary” to work alongside Earl Elkins, the Field Coordinator. Elaine joined him the following year bringing along their two high school age sons, John and Heath. They worked together with Earl until 1993, when Earl’s failing health brought him home to the states.  Russell took over as Field Coordinator for HBDM and worked in coordination with the Mississippi Brotherhood to put teams on the field all over Honduras. He remained in that position until 1998 when he returned to the states.  After serving for 20 years as Associate Pastor of Music and Youth at East Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC, he has retired, and lives in Oxford, MS, with Elaine. John passed away in 2019. Their son, Heath, is a civil engineer with the Mississippi Department of Transportation in Jackson, MS. Heath assisted Russell with drainage and leveling the compound in El Plan when it was being constructed. Elaine painted the murals in El Plan compound that are found in the dining hall, the restrooms, and behind John Ward’s house.

Updated March 2022

William Wells

Board Member, Emeritus

William is a native of Laurel, Ms. a graduate of R. H. Watkins High School, Jones County Junior College and The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and has been practicing pharmacy in Laurel 47 years, currently the owner and manager of Wells Pharmacy.

He is a devoted family man, married to Irene Hogan Wells of the Matthews community in Jones Co. and they will celebrate their 57th Anniversary in November 2022. They have 4 sons, William, Jr. “Billy” air conditioning repairman, Robert "Bobby", a RN, Nathan, school administrator, and Jonathan, a pharmacist. William and Irene are proud grandparents.

William is a deacon First Baptist Church of Laurel, Ms. having served on the mission committee as well as numerous other positions in the church, including Chairman of the Deacon body. He proudly serves in Men’s Ministry, and enjoys attending the weekly men’s prayer breakfasts. He is also a member of the Laurel Gideon South Camp.

He has served the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission faithfully since 1975, having been a board member for many years. He has served as Chairman and treasurer of the board, and has made numerous trips to Honduras beginning in l975, having been a team captain many times over the years.

Inspired by the Honduras mission, William founded the Good Shepherd Dental Medical Clinic of Laurel, a local Christian clinic providing free dental, medical, and pharmaceuticals to a multi county area.

Updated August 2022

Richard Williford

Richard and his wife, Joan, reside in Chattanooga, TN. They are the proud parents of 2 grown children, both of whom have participated in missions to Honduras.

Richard graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1970 and worked in retail pharmacy until his retirement in 2008. He now spends his time playing with two adorable grandchildren, managing his rental properties, and participating in missions to Honduras. He is a long-time member of Red Bank Baptist Church where he serves on the mission committee.

Richard became involved with Honduras Baptist Dental Mission in 1990 when he participated in his first mission to Honduras. He has served as a team member, team captain, advisory board member, and since 1999 has served on the board of directors for HBDM, Inc. He also serves on the board of directors for Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca, Honduras. Richard has had the privilege of participating in over 50 mission projects in Honduras and hopes, by the grace of God, to serve on many more.

Updated August 2022

Dr. Martin Harvey

Martin Harvey practices family medicine in his home town of Collins, MS.   A graduate of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, and the Tuscaloosa Family Practice Residency at the University of Alabama, he returned to Collins in 1998 to enter private practice in family medicine and obstetrics.  Employed at Collins Family Practice Clinic since 2000, he is a member and deacon at First Baptist Church in Collins.   Martin is married to Lisa Hannah Harvey. They are the parents of two girls, Hannah Elizabeth and Mary Catherine.

Martin has been associated with Honduras Baptist Dental Mission since 2001, serving as a physician on Dr. Eddie Gibson’s mission team.  He has been on the HBDM board of directors since 2013.

Dr. Lewe West

Lewe West practiced Internal Medicine in Dothan, Alabama, for 30 years. A 1977 Graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, he completed a three year residency at University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1980. He has been on twenty medical mission trips to Honduras both as team physician and co-captain. He is often accompanied by his wife Sandra or his son Jeremy. He is an active member of First Baptist Church, Enterprise, Alabama, where he has served as a deacon. He is active in men's Bible study. His hobbies include grandchildren, travel, horses, reading, and the beach at Panama City, Florida.

Lewe and Sandra have a heart for missions, for Honduras for the spread of the gospel, and for meeting the needs of the people there. They desire the continued growth and ministry of Honduras Baptist Dental Mission.

Updated August 2022

Larry Garland

Larry Garland resides in Belmont, North Carolina.  He has been married to his lovely wife Joy for over 40 years, and they have a daughter Heather and a son-in-law Walter.  Joy, Heather and Walter have also been on several mission trips to Honduras.  Larry has been on the North Carolina team since 1987. He graduated from the University of Colorado and is retired owner-operator of Charlotte Paint Company, Inc, a painting/waterproofing contractor located in Mt. Holly, NC.

Larry is an active member of Parkwood Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC, where he serves in many capacities, teaching, ushering, and missions.  He is also very active in his community in mentoring boys, and on the board of several charitable organizations and Gaston County organizations.

Larry has had the privilege of witnessing wonderful changes in the mission through the years.  The building of the mission compound at El Plan, addition of Alas De Fey, and the addition of God-fearing directors, teams, team captains, and team members whose main goal is to bring Jesus Christ to the Honduran people.  He has also witnessed: the birthing and building up of other organizations such as Seminary at Alas De Fey; orphanages; churches taking up the conversion of people-groups like the Chorti (indigenous Mayan people);  and the leading of God in our missionaries (the Wards and Fairchilds) to proclaim that is -- and always will be -- HIS MISSION and TO HIS GLORY.

Updated August 2022

Gene Ziebach

Gene and his wife Linda are currently relocating to Sulphur, Louisiana. Both are native to Mobile, Alabama.

For the past 30 years Gene and Linda have called Dothan, Alabama home. They have been married 42 years. They have three grown children, Adam, Angela, and Amanda; five grandchildren, Kinsey, Kayla, Ethan, Isabella, and Nathan; and one great-grandson Tyson.

Gene retired on December 31, 2017, after serving 25 years as the General Manager of the Dothan Country Club.

Gene graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi earning a B.A. degree with a major in Political Science and minor in History. He received a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Troy (AL) University.

Professionally he earned the Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation and Honor Society from the Club Manager Association of America. He completed Leadership Programs through CMAA’s Business Management Institute (BMI) at both Cornell University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Gene is a member of Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Dothan. He serves as a Deacon, Sunday School Teacher, Head Usher, and Mission Team Member. He also holds credentials from the Alabama State Board of Missions Disaster Relief Program.

He is a founding member and officer of Hope Here International Ministries, a 501(c)3 organization headquartered in Dothan, Alabama. Within the organization he serves as Secretary and Director of the Honduran and Haitian ministries.

Gene first served in Honduras in 2005 as a member of the Ledlow Team from Mt. Gilead. He has served on 24 teams to Honduras and 8 to Haiti.

Updated November 2022

Jamie Benham Caldwell

Jamie was born and raised in a rural community in West Texas. She is married to David Caldwell, and they have two sons, Justin and Brandon. They have four grandchildren, Kayden, Kadence, Bryson, and Bryn who bring them great joy and entertainment.

Jamie has been a Nurse Practitioner for over twenty-five years and enjoys practicing in rural health. She graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and received her Masters of Nursing from Hardin Simmon’s University. She is ANCC accredited with a Board Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and is a member of the Texas Nurse Practitioners association.

She and her husband are members of the First Baptist Church in Munday Texas where they have served on numerous committees. She teaches Sunday School and is continuously striving to lead her church in mission work. She is serving on the Cross Country Emmaus Board and founded the CCEC Chrysalis Community as well as served on this board.

Jamie began going to Honduras in 1998 with Macky Davis and has been going since, sometimes twice. For the past several years, she has formed her own team of Texans. Her passion is to serve the remote communities in Honduras who do not have access to health care or the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Updated August 2022

Dr. Joseph Bird II

Dr. Bird serves as the Chair of the Christian Studies Department at William Carey University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from William Carey before attending the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he received the Master of Divinity, Master of the Theology, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Prior to joining the faculty of William Carey, he served for five years as the pastor of First Baptist Church Collins, MS, and he currently serves as pastor of Leaf River Baptist Church in Collins, MS. Dr. Bird has been married to his wife Jennie for 10 years. They have two wonderful children, Addison (7 years old) and Isaac (6 years old).

Dr. Bird first became aware of the important work of the HBDM in 2015 when he moved to Collins and started pastoring at First Baptist Church. Eventually he was able to go to Honduras as a part of Dr. Eddie Gibson’s team. From that first trip he felt a love and connection to the people of Honduras and those who serve and volunteer through the HBDM. He is honored to serve on the Board of Directors and looks forward to all that God has in store for the people of Honduras, the missionaries, and volunteers of the HBDM.

Updated March 2022