Welcome Fellowship West

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Greetings, dear friends and supporters of Mission of Hope International,

First and foremost, Happy Father's Day to all the incredible dads out there! We celebrate and honor you today.

On a personal note, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to my wonderful husband, who has proudly earned the title of "Papi" in our family. He’s the ultimate fix-it man and consistently looks out for our well-being. Although we share him with so many others, he never forgets about us. Happy Father's Day, my love!

I am thrilled to announce that we welcomed our friends from Fellowship West (Knoxville, TN) yesterday. Over the next few days, in addition to Luperón, they will visit Baraguana, La Grúa, and Cambiaso. Their planned activities include:

Feeding babies in the START NOW Early Childhood Intervention program.
Organizing fun activities with the local children.
Assisting and teaching sessions with the Community Healthcare Promoter.
Touring local businesses involved with the Business Academy.
Hosting a special dinner for Pastor Miratel and the church elders.
Conducting home visits to connect with those in the community who need a little extra care

Upon their arrival, Angie introduced us to her (very talented) "newborn," whom we have named Rapha (Short for Raphael). Rapha isn't shy and has been enjoying everything so far.

Today, they visited two churches, one Spanish-speaking and one Kreyol.

Micha and Elishaima are helping Angie and Linda to bake cookies for a special dinner this evening.

Bill is inflating soccer balls for tomorrow morning in Baraguana.

The START NOW program continues to impact the babies in Baraguana and La Grúa significantly. New moms also benefit from food, education, and advice from Marlouse, our dedicated Community Healthcare Promoter.

Our schools in Haiti are now in the final exam period of the school year. We are immensely proud of our staff and students who take education so seriously. Reflecting on 14 years of graduates from MOHI schools, we see the incredible difference education has made in their lives.

In the past year, many people have fled Port-au-Prince and found refuge in Grand-Goâve, becoming part of the MOHI family. Along with so many others, they benefit from our food programs, school, clinics, and church, which have welcomed them with open hearts, understanding the hardships that forced them from their homes.

I am always grateful for the MOHI clinics and our partnership with Bless Back Worldwide. Recently,

Merisier visited the clinic with a severely infected pustule on her arm. Dr. Evens provided the necessary care, and she left, saying, "I feel the healing has begun."

Nurse Marlouse, our Community Healthcare Promoter, has become well-known and beloved in the communities she visits. In Cambiaso she was told, "We love what you do and we feel safe when you are with us."

Lastly, congratulations to Michna and Elishaima, daughters of Mèt Ben and Nurse Marlouse, for finishing at the top of their respective classes here in Luperón. These hardworking girls are a testament to their parents' love and values. They love all the opportunities they've had to work with our teams, too.