Hope is NOT Dead

we header

When I am at home in the States, my regular morning routine is coffee time, devos, and occasionally looking across the yard as the sun comes up to watch for deer coming through to graze. One morning last week, the thickest fog I have ever seen covered the yard and obstructed my entire view. I was hoping that the fog would lift or maybe one of the deer would make its way closer, but the fog just lingered, and I missed my chance to see any deer that morning. As amazing as it was to see such a fog, I was a little agitated. As I was sitting in my regular early morning spot sipping my coffee, the words ‘hope deferred’ came to my mind. I kind of laughed at the thought that my hope to see the deer that morning was deferred or postponed to another day, but feeling intrigued to see if the Lord had something for me to learn, I flipped to Proverbs 13:12 to read the whole verse. Suddenly that small moment became more significant.

As I have personally been preparing my heart for Holy Week, I have wrestled with the word hope. I know in my head that hope is alive, and God is good, but for many mornings in a row lately, I have woken up with my heart feeling a bit sick, thinking of conversations I had the day before or posts on social media from friends in Haiti or just the latest news updates. If you have been following all the stories about Haiti over the last couple of weeks, then you know it is heavy and heartbreaking. To be honest, it can send me into a very unhealthy place of hopelessness, frustration, anger, and even feeling physically sick if I allow it to. As I write this letter, I feel that lump in my throat swelling and tears welling up in my eyes because I don’t want to feel this way, but I wrestle with it nonetheless.

That verse moved me to examine my heart that morning! I read it over and over in different translations and began to sob when I read, “When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed.” (GNT)

Crushed?! Yes, my heart is crushed for Haiti, but I cannot allow it to take over all hope. I am consistently humbled and learn from people who are literally living in chaos and don’t know if they will survive the night. So much heartache can be used by the enemy to try to steal whatever hope is left. He wants us all to question God’s plan, and he will take any opportunity to plant seeds of doubt that God is who He says He is. The enemy wants us to throw our hands up and try to take matters into our own hands, but we must wait on the Lord! I have heard from several people in Haiti who tell me they are without food and water, trapped with gunfire all around them, or hiding in a shelter to stay safe, but many of them end our conversations with one of these phrases: “Bondye bon—God is good.” “Bondye fidel—God is faithful.” “Bondye ka fè tout bagay—God can do everything.” “Nap tann Bondye—We wait on God.” As I have watched them struggle in waiting for Haiti to be better and to have a better life, I’ve been in awe of their faith and resilience.

The reality is that there are circumstances in our lives where hope is deferred, but if we allow it to, it can bring us closer to Jesus as we lean into His timing and trust in Him. We can choose to either grow in faith during our waiting or let hopelessness set in and take over.

This week, Haiti is experiencing the darkest Holy Week that we have ever witnessed, but the headline will always read ‘God remains on the throne.’ The greatest news that we can share is that Christ died on a cross and rose again to give us the hope of eternity, and no matter the circumstances, hope is not dead. The Bible is clear that in this life there will be trouble, but He has overcome the world! May we be reminded that when a dense fog rolls in and our view of what we want to see is obstructed and causes our hopes to be deferred, we can cling to the one true hope and know that “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

As we all celebrate the days leading up to the greatest day in the lives of believers let’s “Rejoice in confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Romans 12:12 NLT

Vanessa Johnson on Mar 29, 2024

Related Articles

A Future Made Possible

By Mackenzie Bartolome • May 11, 2026
Densia’s Story

Esterline's Story

By Mackenzie Bartolome • April 16, 2026
Esterline’s story began in a place of deep fear and uncertainty. His mom was very sick, and their family had already spent everything they had trying to help her; going from place to place, even to a voodoo doctor, hoping something would work. But nothing changed. She was still just as sick, and they were left with no money and no answers. In the middle of dealing with his mother’s illness and his own desperation for her to get better, Esterline cried out to God. “If you save my mom,” he prayed, “I will follow you for the rest of my life.” Not long after, he asked his small group leader and their village champion to come to his home and pray. As they stood together and lifted up his mom, something powerful happened. Not just physically, but spiritually. In that moment, she chose to put her trust in Jesus.And things began to change. Day by day, her health started to improve… until she was completely healed. But the story doesn’t stop there. Esterline remembered the promise he made. He went to the village champion and said, “I need Jesus. I remember my promise to God.” And he chose to follow Him. Now, instead of fear filling their home, there is joy. Instead of searching for answers, they have found hope. Together, they go to church. Together, they worship. What started as desperation turned into a story of healing.

From Need to New Life

By Mackenzie Bartolome • April 16, 2026
March was packed, and we can’t wait to tell you about it! Over the course of the month of March, 361 team members came alongside the work in the Dominican Republic, helping serve 1,535 people through medical care and reaching 746 more through Strategic Ministry Time. We welcomed over 2,200 kids into Kids Club, and most importantly, we celebrated 61 people who made the decision to follow Christ! While in the community of Los Higos, one of our teams spent time with a couple who are both battling cancer. After spending most of their savings on medication, they were often left without enough money to even buy clean drinking water. Through local church leaders, we were able to reach their home and give them a water filter that will provide safe, clean water for the next 10 years. As the team shared how the filter takes water that isn’t safe and transforms it into something clean and pure, they explained how Jesus does the same in our lives—washing, restoring, and making us new. Sitting there in their home, the couple was moved to tears. In that moment, both chose to accept Christ. We are so thankful for every team member that came down, ready to serve, share the Gospel and bring hope to every man, woman and child across the Dominican Republic.