Burundi

We Give Praise For:

• His protection throughout the last year. God has been so faithful to us, our families, and the entire Plant With Purpose family. May God’s holy name be exalted!
• Celebrating the end-of-year holidays peacefully, as all the staff were on vacation. We thank the Lord that everyone returned to work safely.
• The communities that have continued to plant trees produced in their watersheds with dedication and commitment.
• The recovery of staff family members who were hospitalized for various illnesses. Currently, all have returned home in good health, except for one who remains hospitalized and for whom we continue to pray for healing.

We Pray For:

• Continued protection during February for our staff, families, partners, and the entire Plant With Purpose family.
• The participation, success, and smooth running of the International Partnership Planning Meeting (IPPM). May the Lord provide everything necessary for a smooth process, and may we reap many benefits from it to guide and direct our future.
• The tree planting process for our communities, as this planting must be completed by the end of February. Let us pray that each community maintains energy until the end.
• Let us continue to offer our support, sympathy, and prayers to the family of the late Director of the program office in the Dominican Republic. We remember that we do not have a permanent city here on Earth, but that we are all waiting for the one to come. May the Lord Jesus have mercy on his soul.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

We Give Praise For:

• The safety of our staff and their families, and for divine protection over the communities in all the watersheds we work in.
• A safe and joyful start to 2026. We thank God that our staff and partners were able to celebrate the new year with their families. 
• Being able to provide a quarterly report despite challenges during the reporting period. We thank God that our staff were able to collect the necessary data in the field.
• The safety of our staff. Despite the looting of our office in Uvira and major damage caused by the militants, all of our staff are safe.
• The improvement in peace in our country, thanks to a ceasefire and the rebels' withdrawal from Uvira city. We thank God that people can now travel in and out of the watershed safely. 

We Pray For:

• All of the staff and communities who are experiencing periods of conflict. We pray that peace-building and reconciliation conversations will be fruitful and effective. 
• The safety of staff and communities during this period, as we return to work after the holidays.
• The Watershed Lifespan Study data collection, which was postponed due to inaccessibility in some watersheds. Please pray that this data will be completed successfully this quarter.
• The communities participating in the upcoming tree planting campaign. We pray for regular rain to ensure that this campaign is successful.

Dominican Republic

We Give Praise For:

• Members of the Floresta staff who were with Director Durbel Lora in the vehicle at the time of the accident in which Durbel lost his life, who escaped unharmed. We are grateful that the tragedy did not spread further and that their lives were preserved and they are physically well.
• We give thanks to God that, despite the difficulties, the staff was able to complete and submit the report for the past quarter on time.

We pray for:

• The wife and children of the late Durbel Lora Brito. We pray for strength and comfort for them in this difficult time, that God may grant them peace amidst the anguish and the absence of a great father and husband who was always attentive to them.
• The goals and continued work of Floresta, that the objectives and the operational plan continue to be executed as planned.
• The emotional and mental well-being of members of the staff, that any trauma from the accident may be healed and that they may sleep peacefully.

Ethiopia

We Give Praise For:

• The successful implementation of our January activities.
• The validation and formal approval of our Safeguarding Policy by our Board and our legal adviser.
• A productive discussion with management and the Plant With Purpose team regarding our strategic priorities for the next few months, and our plans for the next three fiscal years.
• The continued safety and security of our staff working in insecure environments.

We Pray For:

• The effective facilitation of our program activities for the next quarter.
• Meaningful participation with the management team in the upcoming International Partnership Planning Meeting (IPPM) scheduled for the last week of February.
• The restoration of peace and socio-political stability across Ethiopia, specifically the Amhara region.

Haiti

We Give Praise For:

• The health, safety, and security of our staff, partnering farmers, and their families.
• The smooth recovery of our agroecology facilitator’s father. Thank you, God, for his health and healing!
• The end of the recruitment process for two new staff members. We anticipate a new agroecology facilitator and a new VSLA facilitator to join our staff soon. 
• The motivation of our staff as they collect data for the timely submission of the quarterly reports.

We Pray For:

• Comfort for the members of a VSLA group whose boxes burned in a fire at four in the morning.
• The ongoing safety and security of partnering farmers and their families as the insecurity situation in our country gets worse.
• Significant rain so that farmers can plant crops and trees during the spring season.
• The recovery of the Dominican Republic staff, Durbel’s family, and the entire Plant With Purpose family, after the tragic death of our beloved friend Durbel Lora Brito.
• The lead pastor of a church partner, whose wife is suffering from a brain tumor. We pray for her recovery.

Malawi

We Give Praise For:

• God’s protection and provision over the staff and farming families in the Lwafwa watershed.
• Good health for all of our staff and partners. May God continue to guide us from above.

We Pray For:

• The successful launch of the tree planting campaign, which is scheduled for the first week of February.
• Continued smooth running of the organization.
• God’s intervention and provision as we work towards expanding into a new watershed in the coming year. We pray especially for guidance as we engage with officials in Nkhatabay District to prepare for the upcoming Community Readiness Assessment (CRA). This assessment will help us evaluate watersheds for possible expansion.
• The upcoming International Partnership Planning Meeting (IPPM) and all of the preparation involved. May these meetings be a rich and meaningful time as we all gather online the last week of February.

Mexico

We Give Praise For:

• The life of our brother, colleague, and friend Durbel Lora Brito. We join with the entire Plant With Purpose family in celebrating the years God allowed us to have him on this Earth. Durbel’s work, and those of us who knew him, bear witness to it. We are thankful for God’s faithfulness and care for everyone in difficult times.
• Successful plant production in the coffee nurseries of the Puebla program, which benefits the watersheds, as well as the harvest on the producers' plots. We share in their joy for the benefit these nurseries bring to the community.
• The successful completion of the coffee drying modules and the benefit this brings to families in the community. We praise God for all of the goals we achieved overall in this second quarter.

We Pray For:

• Peace and comfort for Durbel Lora Brito’s family, for the Plant With Purpose DR team, and for the entire Plant With Purpose family, upon his passing. We ask for humble, grateful hearts, guided by the Holy Spirit, as we reflect on our purpose in life. May everything we do honor God.
• The staff and partners in the communities where we work, as some are experiencing respiratory illnesses due to continuous cold fronts. We also pray for those who are hospitalized or grieving the loss of a loved one. We ask God for health, strength, and for God’s peace to guard their hearts. 
• A fair and consistent price for coffee for the producers in the communities of Puebla and Chiapas, so they may enjoy the fruits of their labor. 
• The Purpose Groups that are graduating soon. May the economic empowerment and strengthening workshops fulfill their purpose.

Tanzania

We Give Praise For:

• God’s presence with our staff and their families throughout the holiday break. We thank God for a peaceful and safe start to January and a smooth return to work for our staff. 
• The successful completion and submission of our quarterly reports.
• The gift of a new baby to our colleague. We celebrate this blessing and give praise for God’s gift of life and joy to her family.
• God’s continued faithfulness in sustaining our staff, our work, and our partnerships.

We Pray For:

• Consistent rainfall to sustain the land, support farms, promote healthy tree growth, and help us meet our tree planting goals.
• Wisdom, unity, and guidance from God as we approach the IPPM next month. We pray that our discussions will lead to clear priorities and realistic plans.
• Strength and health for our staff and their families as we continue our work in the new quarter. May we support one another in spirit and in our daily work.
• Comfort, peace, and hope for our colleague who recently lost his mother. May God surround him with love and give him strength during this time of grief.

Thailand

We Give Praise For:

• God’s protection and guidance over the organization and its work. We thank God for continued cooperation from farmers in every watershed, enabling activities to proceed as planned and bringing great blessings to the communities.
• The successful implementation of program activities and the completion of the Quarter 2 report.
• The safety of all staff during the year-end holiday. We thank God that everyone was able to spend meaningful time with their families and churches, and returned safely to work in the New Year.

We Pray For:

• Farming families who are facing economic challenges and preparing land for cultivation. We ask for strength, sufficient rainfall, and smooth progress throughout the year.
• Farmers affected by land issues overlapping with national park boundaries. We pray for mutual understanding and fair solutions.
• The establishment of Purpose Groups. We pray for strong membership and shared commitment for long-term sustainability.
• Continued recruitment and work in each watershed community. We ask for God’s guidance over all staff in their work throughout the new year, and pray that 2026 will be full of joy, gratitude, and peace.

United States

We Give Praise For:

• Our gala committee members—who met last month to celebrate the success of last year’s event and begin to plan this year’s. We are thankful for their commitment and passion for our mission.
• Members of our team celebrating milestone work anniversaries: Jared White—10 years; Valerie Foulkes—10 years; Dave Luebkeman—10 years; Doug Satre—18 years! We are grateful for their dedication and hard work toward expanding our global reach.
• The combined resilience of our international programs, development and marketing, and finance and administration divisions, who are actively collaborating to communicate donors’ impact on the mission of Plant With Purpose. We are grateful for their diligent work. 

We Pray For:

• For wisdom and fortitude as we make important adjustments to ensure we are best equipped to achieve our long-term mission and vision, and for the well-being of all our Plant With Purpose team members.
• God’s peace and comfort in the wake of the tragic passing of the beloved Country Director, Durbel Lora Brito. We pray that God’s love surrounds the DR team and Durbel’s family as they cope with this unimaginable loss.
• The February 27 Board of Directors meeting. We pray for wisdom, discernment, and unity as they seek to guide and support the Plant With Purpose mission and global partners.
• The annual International Partnership Planning Meeting and Global Leadership Team meeting scheduled for the week of February 23. The meeting will include participants from the U.S. and nine country partners gathering to collaborate and connect. We pray for good internet connectivity, accurate translations, and a productive time together.