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Partnership, Presence, and Purpose

Today's update is from Taran and Jonathan


We are deeply grateful for our partners from Bless Back Worldwide, who joined us this past week in the Dominican Republic. Their presence, medical expertise, and servant-hearted approach made a meaningful impact across multiple communities we serve.



With Dr. Carmen and Lisa on the ground, we were able to host village medical clinics alongside several other dedicated medical professionals. Together, teams served families in La Grúa, Barraguaná, and Cambiaso, bringing compassionate, dignified care to individuals who often have little or no access to consistent medical support.



In Luperón, we combined house visits with medical check-ins—a powerful expression of holistic care. Families received food support, prayer and spiritual encouragement, and medical attention all in one visit. Moments like these remind us that true transformation happens when we care for the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.

Yet, as meaningful and hope-filled as this week was, it also brought us face to face with realities that are much harder to carry.



Further down in this update, Jonathan shares a firsthand reflection from the week—one that captures both the joy of service and the heart-wrenching challenges our teams encountered. His words speak honestly about suffering, presence, and the quiet victories that remind us why this work matters so deeply.


We invite you to continue reading and spend time with his update. It offers a window into the kind of moments that change us—and the kind of hope that keeps us showing up.




Haiti Updates: Faithful Partnership at Work


In Haiti, we received a shipment of rice, beans, oil, and high-protein food that many of you helped gather. We extend special thanks to our friends at Lighthouse Missions and Full Gospel Interdenominational Church, who not only donated generously but also palletized the food and covered the cost of shipping it to Haiti.



Through the dedicated partnership of Bless Back Worldwide, alongside the ongoing support of many others, our medical and dental clinic in Thozin is able to operate consistently. The clinic is known throughout the country for its high-quality medicine and compassionate care, where patients are treated with dignity, respect, and genuine concern—values that guide every interaction.



Miss Cadet, one of our nurses, regularly shares how patients arrive at the Thozin clinic after visiting other medical facilities that were unable to help them. She often speaks to the effectiveness of the medicines we provide, noting that they work far better than much of the “street medicine” people are otherwise forced to rely on. Our staff remains ready to care for all who come through our doors.



Business Academy & Education Highlights


Our Business Academy programs in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic continue to grow in close partnership with Bless Back Worldwide.


At the Thozin school, our preschool class recently enjoyed a coloring activity—a simple joy that many schools in Haiti are unable to offer due to limited funding. Thanks to our sponsors and partners, we are able to include creative learning experiences that support development and nurture curiosity.



In Haiti, 36 women are currently learning how to operate successful small businesses. Through our micro-financing program, we are seeing 100% repayment within the allotted timeframe, a powerful testament to both accountability and empowerment.



This past week in the Dominican Republic, students celebrated the graduation of Level 1 and Level 2 Business Academy classes. These graduates are stepping forward with new skills, confidence, and vision for the next phase of their businesses.




The Power of Relationships


Relationships are at the heart of everything we do.


God did not create us to live or serve in isolation—He created us for community. Jesus established the Church as a living example of partnership, unity, and shared purpose.



The Apostle Paul describes the Church as a body, made up of many parts, each with different roles and functions (1 Corinthians 12). When those parts work together in unity, the body thrives.


Scripture also reminds us that unity is powerful. In Genesis 11, God observed that when people were unified, nothing they set out to do would be impossible.



Our core values serve as guiding principles for how we relate to one another and to those we serve:

  • Trustworthiness

  • Excellence

  • Mutual Respect

  • Commitment to Growth

  • Consideration of Others


We are deeply grateful for each partner who has chosen to walk in relationship with us. The work we do every day would not be possible without you.



Project Updates: Looking Ahead


We have several important updates coming soon regarding the mission house in Luperón. In the weeks ahead, we will be announcing opportunities for construction teams to assist with much-needed projects. We are also facing an urgent need to replace the roof, as ongoing leaks have become severe and cannot wait much longer. Please stay tuned for more details.



In Haiti, we are also in need of moving forward with a cafeteria and activity center for students. Currently, children bring their lunches back to their classrooms, which is not ideal for their learning environment. Would you prayerfully consider supporting us as we seek to bring this important project to life?




Upcoming Event: Sun, Sea & Sisterhood Women’s Retreat


Registration Deadline: February 1, 2026

Event Dates: February 26 – March 2, 2026


Sun, Sea & Sisterhood is a global gathering designed for women to pause, breathe, and be renewed. Over five transformative days in beautiful Luperón, Dominican Republic, participants will worship, learn, and celebrate together—rejoicing in what God is doing and building meaningful, lasting connections.


Guest speakers Melissa Lee and Dr. Carmen Teague will guide attendees with practical wisdom, encouragement, and hope.


Come ready to:

  • Renew your spirit in a peaceful setting

  • Build authentic, lifelong connections

  • Experience culture, service, and purpose




The Quiet Power of Showing Up: Update from Jonathan



This week in Luperon, Dominican Republic, we had the privilege of welcoming a team of medical missionaries from Bless Back Worldwide. Their faces were familiar to me—this team has extensive experience serving alongside Mission of Hope International in Haiti, where I first met them years ago. While their compassion and excellence were no surprise, this marked the first time I worked together with them here in the Dominican Republic. Even with a small team, they served over 100 patients, offering care with a level of attentiveness and joy that was felt immediately by everyone they encountered.


Being alongside a medical team always reminds me of something profound: the true gift is not only the care provided, but how it is provided. The patients who came through the clinic—or were seen during mobile visits—received more than diagnoses or prescriptions. They were met with unhurried time, genuine presence, and deep empathy. For many of the people we serve, access to consistent medical care is simply not an option. When care is brought to them, it carries a weight far beyond the clinical—it communicates dignity.


What stood out most was the way each interaction affirmed the humanity of the person sitting across the table. Conversations were shared. Prayers were offered. Jokes were exchanged. Laughter filled spaces that are too often marked by scarcity and hardship. In those moments, patients were not “cases” or “conditions”—they were seen, known, and valued. That kind of care leaves a mark that no prescription alone ever could.


Yes, wounds were dressed and guidance was given on maintaining healthy habits. But even more importantly, hope was restored in small, meaningful ways. When compassion and competence meet, healing happens on multiple levels. We are deeply grateful for Bless Back Worldwide and the way they model what it looks like to care for the whole person—body, heart, and soul.


Alongside moments of joy and connection, this week also brought us face to face with some deeply tragic and frustrating realities. The medical team encountered conditions—particularly among children—that were heartbreaking in their complexity and severity. Developmental delays, cognitive impairments, and spectrum-related disorders surfaced again and again, often without any realistic pathway for follow-up care. In the communities where we work, the resources simply do not exist for families to seek specialized services or long-term support. For many on the team, these cases were among the most difficult to process, not just medically, but emotionally and spiritually. They challenged us, and in some ways shook us, forcing us to sit with the hard questions of suffering, fairness, and why such things happen at all.


I know that for me, these moments stir a deep internal struggle—questions that don’t have easy answers. And yet, I am reminded that even when healing is not lasting or complete, the value of presence still matters profoundly. Entering someone’s home, their story, their pain—even briefly—can offer comfort, dignity, and a moment of relief from what is otherwise an unchanging reality. Our role may be temporary, but it is not insignificant. We may never fully see the impact of our prayers, our care, or our simple recognition of someone’s humanity. Still, any one interaction has the potential to matter more than we realize, to bring light into a dark place, and—by grace—to change a life in ways we may never fully understand.


I also find myself constantly grateful for what I’ve come to call little victories—moments where, amid so much uncertainty and limitation, something quietly but profoundly shifts. One of those moments unfolded this week almost entirely by chance, or at least what felt like chance. We learned that a woman who works part-time with Mission of Hope International had been diagnosed with breast cancer back in April. She had carried this diagnosis alone for months, afraid and unsure of how to seek treatment in the Dominican Republic, and uncertain whether help was even possible. It was only because the medical team was here—serving beyond the walls of the mission house and out in the surrounding rural communities—that she felt safe enough to share her test results and ask questions she had been holding inside for a very long time.


Together with Dr. Carmen and Lisa, the team reviewed her medical files and confirmed that she is facing metastatic breast cancer. While we know much time has passed since April and her condition may have changed, this moment of connection mattered deeply. It is through relationships—through trust built slowly and quietly—that doors open. And in this case, that door led to hope. We are incredibly grateful to share that another Christian mission working in Haiti has stepped forward, with its founder committing to cover the financial costs needed for her to pursue care through private hospitals and providers. This is especially significant given the risks and barriers Haitians often face when trying to access the public health system in the Dominican Republic. We don’t yet know what the road ahead holds for her, but we do know this: she is no longer walking it alone. And in this work, those moments—small, relational, deeply human victories—are everything.

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