They Never Really Leave Home
Sunday, September 27, 2026 - [click here to support the continuing work at MOHI]
Today's update is from Taran
Growing up in Haiti, there were things I saw that I didn't always understand.
I remember hearing about people who had an opportunity to leave Haiti while their spouse, children, or other family members stayed behind. As a child, that was difficult for me to understand. Why would a father or mother leave their family and travel to another country without them?
As I grew older, I began to understand something I couldn't see as a child.
For many of the Haitian families I knew, leaving wasn't about leaving their family behind. It was about finding another way to provide for them.
Someone might travel to the Dominican Republic, the United States, Canada, France, or somewhere else where they could find work. They would live simply, work long hours, and send whatever they could back home. Sometimes, over time, they might be able to bring other members of their family to join them.
But even when they left Haiti, they never really left their family or community behind.
A Deep Sense of Community
This is something I have seen again and again in the Haitian people throughout my life.
There is a strong sense of family and community. People take care of one another.
You see it in simple ways. On January 1, Haitian Independence Day, families prepare soup joumou and share it with relatives, friends, and neighbors. You see people gathering for church, weddings, funerals, celebrations, and important moments in one another's lives.
But that connection doesn't necessarily disappear when someone moves hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
I have known Haitians who work multiple jobs and continue sending money home. Others organize fundraisers, support schools or churches, help relatives receive medical care, or find other ways to invest in the communities where they grew up.
Their address may have changed.
Their connection to home hasn't.
Pastor Minios
My friend Pastor Minios is one person who comes to mind.
Years ago, he had an opportunity to come to the United States. His wife and children remained in Haiti.
He worked and sent money home. He helped his family build a better house. He also continued supporting a school he had helped start in his village.
Eventually, he was able to bring his sons to the United States. Later, his wife and daughters were able to join them as well.
Their family spent years separated from one another.
Yet through all of those years, Pastor Minios didn't forget the community he came from. Even after his family was reunited in the United States, their connection to Haiti continued.
To this day, they continue finding ways to support their village.
I've watched versions of that story play out again and again.
A Heart That Never Left Haiti
In many ways, the story of Mission of Hope International begins with that same heart.
Lex left Haiti and eventually built a life and family in the United States with Renée. But leaving Haiti didn't mean he stopped caring about the people he had grown up with.
He remembered his friends. He remembered his community. He remembered the needs he had seen.
Eventually, Lex and Renée returned to Haiti and began investing in children and families. What started small continued to grow.
Today, that desire to walk alongside families can be seen through education, feeding programs, medical care, jobs, ministry, and other opportunities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
And perhaps that is one of the things we have learned over the years: there isn't just one path forward for every family.
Some people may leave Haiti. Some may stay. Some who leave may someday return.
Our role isn't to decide that path for them.
Our desire is to walk alongside people where they are and help create opportunities.
For someone who remains in Haiti, that might mean a job that allows them to provide for their children. For a parent, it might mean knowing their child can receive an education. For a hungry child, it might mean a meal at school. For someone who is sick, it might mean having medical care available nearby.
These things don't answer every challenge facing Haiti.
But they can make a meaningful difference for one family.
Our Hope Is Ultimately in God
There is much about Haiti's future that none of us can predict.
We know people who have left Haiti but still dream of returning home someday. We know others who are working hard to build lives elsewhere while continuing to care for family and friends back home. And we know many people who remain in Haiti, faithfully caring for their families and communities through extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
We don't know what the years ahead will hold for any of them.
But we know Who holds those years.
Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
That doesn't mean every circumstance is easy or that we understand everything God allows. It means our hope ultimately isn't found in a country, an economy, or even in the programs we can provide. Our hope is in Christ.
So we will continue doing what God has given us the opportunity to do: educating children, feeding families, providing medical care, creating opportunities, sharing the Gospel, and walking alongside people.
And wherever the people we love eventually call home, our prayer is that they would know the One who offers a home that can never be taken away—a place of eternal belonging, provision, security, and family with Him.
School Starts Next Week!
There is always something special about the beginning of a new school year, and we're excited to welcome our students back next week!
Our teachers are ready and looking forward to having full classrooms again. This past week, our team has been busy putting the finishing touches on the buildings and classrooms—cleaning, touching up paint, and getting everything ready for the students to arrive.
This year, we have more than 100 newly enrolled students. For some of these children, it will be their very first time going to school.
Please keep our students, teachers, and families in prayer as they begin a new school year together. We are grateful to God for another year and for every sponsor who helps make these opportunities possible.
Twenty Physical Therapy Sessions Later
When Kervens first came to our Physical Therapy Clinic, he was experiencing significant pain and difficulty moving his knee.
This week, Kervens completed his 20th and final physical therapy session. He says he is no longer experiencing pain and can move his knee with ease!
Our physical therapy team sent Kervens for an X-ray to evaluate his progress. While there is still a small area that needs additional healing, he is feeling much better. He has now been referred to an orthopedic specialist as he continues this final part of his recovery.
We're thankful for Kervens' progress and for the people who have helped make this care available.
More Than a Weekly Visit
The patients in Cambiaso are always excited to see Marlouse.
When she arrives for her weekly visit, people come out of their homes, gather in courtyards, and wait for their turn to be seen. When you go along with her, it's easy to see that her patients aren't simply waiting for medical care—they genuinely welcome her warm presence and look forward to seeing her each week.
We have been visiting this community for about three years now. Over that time, something more than a weekly medical visit has developed.
Relationships have been built.
Those relationships are a beautiful reminder that caring for people isn't always about one big moment. Sometimes it's about faithfully showing up, week after week, and letting people know they haven't been forgotten.
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