Brushed in Grace

Sunday, July 13, 2025 - [click here to support the continuing work at MOHI]  

Today's update is from Renée

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“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” — Colossians 3:23

Every corner of MOHI has been buzzing this week—paint brushes swishing, garden hoes turning soil, soccer balls bouncing, and even a sizzling skillet of the tastiest “fast-food” tilapia you could ever imagine (just wait until you see the photo!). Each scene, though unique, strokes the same larger canvas: God’s people using their talents to nourish others—physically, spiritually, intellectually, and relationally.

Jake’s First Week: Feeding, Footwork, and Fast-Food Fish

Our summer intern, Jake, dove right in upon his arrival to the Dominican Republic—splitting his days between village visits and computer projects, but always making time to feed the babies and kick a soccer ball with eager little feet.

On Friday, we took a city day in Puerto Plata, where Lex could hardly contain his excitement about introducing him to “the best fast-food tilapia ever.” He must have asked at least five times,

“So, Jake, how was your tilapia?”

By the way, Jake is holding out hope that he'll get to go to Puerto Plata again next week in order to get more of the "best fish I've ever had!"

Micha has stepped up as Jake’s intern-in-training, interpreting in the villages. Her English is growing, Jake’s Spanish is blossoming, and all both are learning what partnership really tastes like—sometimes literally, in the form of crispy fish!

Garden Rows & Rainbow Walls

Over at the Luperón campus, Damnias and Willy have been busy tending crops and freshening up the new bath house with a bright coat of paint. (Rumor says Willy is now officially “the chicken whisperer”—you’ll see why when you meet Willy’s chickens!)

Their wives, Viliyane and Rosalie (affectionately Madame Damnias and Madame Willy), started American-cuisine lessons with nurse-chef Marlouse this weekend. Yesterday’s project? Lasagna. This week’s menu will venture into home fries, pancakes, French toast, bread pudding, shepherd’s pie, and corn chowder. Even though American dishes aren’t their usual fare, their eagerness to master them for the teams arriving soon shows just how hard they’re working—and how naturally they’re becoming part of the MOHI family.

Meanwhile, in Haiti, several of our high school students swapped textbooks for paint rollers, turning the school building into a fresh invitation for learning come fall. Their focused determination filled the courtyard—proof that service can be both sacrificial and deeply purposeful.

“Serve one another humbly in love.” — Galatians 5:13

Down to the Water Again

Last Sunday, the shoreline at Cayes Mirliton became a sanctuary as we celebrated water baptism. In Haiti, baptism is revered—a bold, public statement of leaving the past behind and walking forward with Jesus. Seeing friends rise from the ocean, faces shining brighter than the Caribbean sun, reminded us why we labor: new life, new hope, new beginnings.

START NOW & Bless Back: Health from the Womb Outward

Good health begins long before a child can run after Jake’s soccer ball. Through START NOW in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, moms receive vitamins, nutrition lessons, and those ever-important early-years meals. Your partnership fills tiny bellies and fuels big dreams.

We take every opportunity to celebrate our partnership with Bless Back Worldwide. Because of this alliance, primary medical care, dental services, and home-health visits reach families who might otherwise go untreated. What a gift to watch a cavity filled, a blood pressure stabilized, a life extended—each a brushstroke of God’s mercy on the island we love.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” — John 10:10

Thank You, Partners

Whether you gave a financial gift this week, whispered a prayer over a child’s photo, or sent an encouraging word after reading last week’s post—you are part of every painted wall, every nourished body, every joyful splash in baptismal waters. We believe the Lord has a unique plan for each of us, and together—hand in hand—we’re watching that plan unfold in vivid color.

From the garden rows in Luperón to the classrooms in Thozin, from Jake’s soccer field to Lex’s famous tilapia stop—thank you, partners, for living out generosity with us. Your giving, prayers, and encouragement are the steady strokes God uses to create His masterpiece of hope across Hispaniola and beyond.