Dr. Matthew Rawlins, a bariatric and general surgeon at MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery Center in Spokane, Washington, found his passion for medical missions in 2010 after traveling to Haiti to help victims of a devastating earthquake. When a local newspaper featured his story, it caught the attention of a nurse anesthetist who introduced him to Hearts In Motion and its volunteer surgical missions in Guatemala.
Curious and compelled, Dr. Rawlins joined his first Hearts In Motion trip in 2011, assisting with hernia surgeries. The experience was so impactful that he returned the following year—and brought his whole family with him.
A Family on a Mission
In 2012 and 2013, Matt was joined in Guatemala by his wife Kristin and their five children. His daughter Amanda, then an 8th grader, helped sterilize surgical tools and assist however she could. That first trip sparked a deep connection to both the mission and the Spanish language. Amanda went on to study Spanish and pursue nursing at BYU. She later served an 18-month mission in Houston to become fluent and now works as an ICU nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital. Her husband, a medical student at Baylor, has also joined the family on recent trips.
Kristin, a marriage therapist who grew up in South America, shares a love of the Spanish language and the culture. All of their children—Kate, Elaine, Madeline, and Landon—have joined Hearts In Motion trips and are fluent in Spanish to varying degrees. Each has found their own way to serve: Madeline, now a freshman at the University of Utah, plans to study medicine; Elaine is studying speech pathology.
Passing the Torch
Faith, service, and a love for medicine and language are the foundation of the Rawlins family. Active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they’ve used their combined skills to make a powerful impact on the missions they serve.
“Each trip, we complete around four surgeries a day,” said Dr. Rawlins. “But there’s always a need for more hands—especially nurses and scrub techs.”
From surgery to translation, the Rawlins family has become an invaluable part of the Hearts In Motion mission teams—proof that one person’s calling can become a family legacy of service.