Hope & Beauty in Desolation
By Michele Love
Have you ever found yourself in a desolate place? Not just tired or discouraged—but truly emptied. Spiritually defeated. Facing something so large it feels like a giant with no equal opponent in you. No answers. No resources. No way to fix it on your own.
Many of you know that Sequoia has had a long-standing mission partnership in the Dominican Republic. Our role has been to come alongside Iglesia Templo Bíblico and the Compassion Centre they run in the village of Montellano. We have also helped Benjamin, our field missionary in his role with Makarios, a ministry serving families in that region. Over the years, as their church has grown stronger and the centre more established, our partnership has shifted. Today, we walk with them more like family—offering love, encouragement, and support in times of need.
And right now, they are in one of those times.
On April 11, devastating and unprecedented flooding swept through their community. Entire areas were washed out. Families lost everything. These are families already living with very little—no insurance, no financial safety net, no means to recover on their own.
And this is not the first time.
Just a year and a half ago, similar flooding brought destruction. It wasn’t quite as severe, but it was still devastating. These same families—living in low-lying areas—lost everything then, too. And just as they were beginning to rebuild, to regain some stability, they now find themselves beginning again-again.
It’s hard not to ask: How is this fair?
The truth is—it isn’t.
Scripture never promises that life on this earth will be fair. What it does show us, again and again, is that God meets people in places of loss, despair, and desolation. And more than that—He calls His people to respond.
We see this clearly in passages like 2 Corinthians 8:13–14, where Paul reminds the church that “our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need.” This is God’s economy: those who have, share with those who do not, so that no one is left alone in their need.
And even in the midst of this devastation, there is evidence of God at work. Our field missionary, Benjamin, reported something remarkable. Before even describing the hardship, he said: “God was with us the whole time. There were no lives lost. People showed up for one another. The community rallied around the most vulnerable.”
That kind of hope—the kind that rises in the middle of disaster—is not human strength. It is supernatural strength. It is the work of God, and it is beautiful.
And sometimes, God chooses to work through us.
As part of this global family, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Montellano. They may not have the resources to face this giant alone, but they are not alone. They have the body of Christ standing with them.
From now until May 30, Sequoia will be collecting donations for disaster relief in the Dominican Republic. You can give by e-transfer to admin@sequoiachurch.org (please include “DR Relief” in the memo), or through the Sequoia App or Sequoia website, where all International Mission donations during this time will be directed to help the people impacted by this flood, connected to Iglesia Templo Bíblico, Compassion, and Makarios.
This is more than charity. This is participation in God’s kingdom—where we bear one another’s burdens, where generosity restores dignity, and where hope is made visible through the hands and hearts of His people. Thank you for giving generously.
For Christ and His Kingdom, Michele
Have you ever found yourself in a desolate place? Not just tired or discouraged—but truly emptied. Spiritually defeated. Facing something so large it feels like a giant with no equal opponent in you. No answers. No resources. No way to fix it on your own.
Many of you know that Sequoia has had a long-standing mission partnership in the Dominican Republic. Our role has been to come alongside Iglesia Templo Bíblico and the Compassion Centre they run in the village of Montellano. We have also helped Benjamin, our field missionary in his role with Makarios, a ministry serving families in that region. Over the years, as their church has grown stronger and the centre more established, our partnership has shifted. Today, we walk with them more like family—offering love, encouragement, and support in times of need.
And right now, they are in one of those times.
On April 11, devastating and unprecedented flooding swept through their community. Entire areas were washed out. Families lost everything. These are families already living with very little—no insurance, no financial safety net, no means to recover on their own.
And this is not the first time.
Just a year and a half ago, similar flooding brought destruction. It wasn’t quite as severe, but it was still devastating. These same families—living in low-lying areas—lost everything then, too. And just as they were beginning to rebuild, to regain some stability, they now find themselves beginning again-again.
It’s hard not to ask: How is this fair?
The truth is—it isn’t.
Scripture never promises that life on this earth will be fair. What it does show us, again and again, is that God meets people in places of loss, despair, and desolation. And more than that—He calls His people to respond.
We see this clearly in passages like 2 Corinthians 8:13–14, where Paul reminds the church that “our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need.” This is God’s economy: those who have, share with those who do not, so that no one is left alone in their need.
And even in the midst of this devastation, there is evidence of God at work. Our field missionary, Benjamin, reported something remarkable. Before even describing the hardship, he said: “God was with us the whole time. There were no lives lost. People showed up for one another. The community rallied around the most vulnerable.”
That kind of hope—the kind that rises in the middle of disaster—is not human strength. It is supernatural strength. It is the work of God, and it is beautiful.
And sometimes, God chooses to work through us.
As part of this global family, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Montellano. They may not have the resources to face this giant alone, but they are not alone. They have the body of Christ standing with them.
From now until May 30, Sequoia will be collecting donations for disaster relief in the Dominican Republic. You can give by e-transfer to admin@sequoiachurch.org (please include “DR Relief” in the memo), or through the Sequoia App or Sequoia website, where all International Mission donations during this time will be directed to help the people impacted by this flood, connected to Iglesia Templo Bíblico, Compassion, and Makarios.
This is more than charity. This is participation in God’s kingdom—where we bear one another’s burdens, where generosity restores dignity, and where hope is made visible through the hands and hearts of His people. Thank you for giving generously.
For Christ and His Kingdom, Michele