Another mission trip has come to a close.  We’re on our way home – first leg, Santiago, Dominican Republic to Newark.  I am utterly and completely exhausted.  But it is that best kind of exhaustion borne of hard work performed on someone else’s behalf.  Our team really came together this week and poured their all…

The home rehab project progressed despite a few Dominican obstacles. We started to see the fruits of our labor as the walls began to come together.  It is beginning to look like a home with two bedrooms, a full kitchen and a bathroom.  While the work within the home continued, a new project began outside. …

My name is Reginald Morusma and I am originally from Haiti and now divide my time between Haiti and the Dominican Republic performing ministry services.  I have been involved with Mission of Hope since 2019.  I started as a translator knowing that my passion was always to become a missionary.  In 2022 I did an…

Ephesians 4:2 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. My passion, my life work, has been dedicated to helping people with words, not actions. Today, this team helped through action. Our team of 11 grew to over 20 with the interns and interpreters from Mission of Hope to guide…

Rejoice, I say it again, rejoice!  Paul had to repeat himself to shake us out of the complacency into which we often drift in worship, in our day, in life.  Sometimes we miss the amazing and dwell on the mundane.  Interesting how God said the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was placed…

We are currently on our flight from Newark, NJ to Santiago in the Dominican Republic.  We are 11 strong this year, 5 of us are veterans of these trips, 6 are new to the St. Joes adult mission team.  I often find myself contemplating the blessing of these trips.  As I do this, I usually…

Today is the day that we usually do not look forward to during any mission week.  Especially after coming off the highs of completing such a successful project. It’s “Strategic Village Time”. After beginning our day with the morning rosary, we prepare to say goodbye to our team members Tim and Stephanie Reis, who must…

As we get up for our 5th day, I can’t help but wonder if we will ever finish a project. A project so simple at home, but so difficult here in the DR. Our group is always eager to work hard and accomplish as much as possible in the little time we have with the…

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we continued working on the woman’s house in Santiago. The house had been emptied and the old roof completely removed on Monday. Tuesday was dedicated to reroofing the house. New rafters were cut and installed. We had 2 Haitian carpenters, an experienced one and an apprentice that spent all the time…

One Sunday last fall I saw a notice in the church bulleting about an upcoming Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic.  At the time I was a new Minnesota transplant, a new widow and a new parishioner at St. Joes, but an older adult.  I was prayerfully considering what the Lord was calling me to…