Not Forgotten
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Sunday, February 22, 2026 - [click here to support the continuing work at MOHI]
Today's update is from Taran
A New Year Check-In
We are a few weeks into the new year.
This is usually the time when resolutions begin to fade. Goals feel heavy. Life gets busy. It becomes easier to slip
back into routine than to keep leaning into what we said mattered.
But here at Mission of Hope International, we take our annual goals seriously.
We don’t set them and forget them.We lean into them.
And this year, we are moving forward.
800 Children. Every Day.
More than 800 children are in school because of this ministry.
They sit at desks with notebooks open.
They learn to read.
They practice math.
They sing songs.
They learn cursive.
They grow.
In Haiti, large cauldrons of rice and beans are prepared daily. Children line up with bowls in hand. Babies in our feeding programs are nourished. Toddlers in the DR smile as they eat warm meals.
In total, we are feeding over 1,200 people every single day.
In Haiti especially, where food availability remains difficult and inconsistent, this is no small thing. For many, the
meal they receive through MOHI may be their only meal that day.
And we are not slowing down.
They Are Not Forgotten
In both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, it is easy for people to feel forgotten.
In Haiti, families hear promises from the outside world about help that never comes. Political instability continues.
Travel is difficult. Systems are fragile.
For Haitians living in the Dominican Republic, fear is often part of daily life. Some sleep in the woods to avoid being taken from their homes. Families hide. They try to survive quietly.
It is easy in those environments to feel unseen.
Unwanted.
Alone.
That is why presence matters so much.
When Pastor Lex travels to Haiti — sometimes taking 12 to 48 hours by boat, plane, and car to get there — it communicates something deeper than administration or oversight.
It communicates: You are not forgotten.
Lex is currently in Haiti working on the expansion of the physical therapy clinic at Thozin. This new space will allow us to serve patients with rehabilitation needs that would otherwise go untreated. Even in the midst of travel challenges and uncertainty, he continues to show up — because presence matters.
When teams visit villages. When Marlous mentors mothers. When dental patients sit in a clean chair and receive care. When students open notebooks in a classroom.
It all communicates the same thing.
You matter.
Scripture reminds us that God will never leave us nor forsake us. Nothing can separate us from His love. He sees every tear. He hears every cry. He is near to the brokenhearted.
We are grateful to be His hands and feet in places where people might otherwise feel invisible.
2026: Moving Forward
If the first few weeks of the year are any indication, 2026 will not be a year of standing still.
We are finalizing the purchase of the mission house and already scheduling summer construction teams.
The most urgent need: replacing the roof.
This is not cosmetic. It is necessary. The roof must be removed, rebuilt, and expanded as we finish the third floor with additional bedrooms and bathrooms. This will increase our capacity to host teams and continue growing the work.
If you have construction skills — carpentry, roofing, plumbing, electrical — we would love to talk with you about joining a summer team.
If you would like to financially support the roof project, that would be an incredible blessing.
La Grua Bathhouse – $95,000
In La Grua, clean drinking water has already been established.
The next urgent need is sanitation.
Right now, families bathe in the local river. The water is public and exposed. It is the same water farm animals walk through upstream. It is water affected by septic runoff further up the village.
There is no privacy. No safe showers. No dignified restroom facilities.
This bathhouse project will change that.
Six showers.
Six toilets.
A septic system.
Sinks with clean water.
Dignity matters.
And we are actively raising the $95,000 needed to build it.
Sun, Sea & Sisterhood
This week we will be welcoming women for our Sun, Sea & Sisterhood retreat.
We would deeply appreciate your prayers — for safe travel, for rest and renewal, and for meaningful connection among the women attending. Our hope is that each woman leaves strengthened and encouraged.
The women attending are also bringing much-needed underwear for boys and girls in the villages we serve.
Something so simple can be a powerful expression of dignity and care.
If you would like to contribute toward this need, please reach out to us. We would love to include you in this tangible way of blessing the children.
Steady Progress
Maintenance continues on the Thozin campus.
The dental clinic remains busy.
Our lab continues testing.
Our staff keeps showing up.
Children keep learning.Meals keep being served.
We are consistently investing in people.
Consistently educating.
Consistently feeding.
Consistently building communities.
We are not tossing our goals aside.
We are leaning into them.
Thank You
To those who give financially. To those who visit. To those who pray. To those who serve.
Thank you.
Your support allows us to communicate something powerful in places where despair can grow loud:
You are not forgotten.
And neither are we.
Together, we keep showing up.
God Bless You and your whole team for doing God’s work and for the sacrifices you make every day
Praying for your team
The Brights