Twenty-five years. It’s a strange thing to say out loud. A quarter of a century. A generation of people who believed small acts could spark real change.
Before there was MATTER, before Hope for the City, there was something called Nehemiah Partners. The name came from an ancient story about a man who looked at the ruins of his city and refused to turn away. He wept. He prayed. And then he gathered others to help restore what was broken.
That’s how this all began. Dennis and Megan Doyle started this work with the same conviction: that love should look like restoration. That faith should move. That every person matters to God, and therefore, should matter to us. And for twenty-five years, that’s what we’ve been doing. Restoring what was broken.
This year, I saw it come to life everywhere.
I saw it in Zimbabwe, where students graduated from our Career Readiness program and began jobs with international tech companies. Each one a living reminder that education and possibility restore hope in a new future.
I saw it in entrepreneurs launching new businesses through our loan initiative, creating jobs, sustaining families, and restoring economic dignity to their communities.
I saw it in the quiet power of Chaya, its green leaves now feeding thousands of schoolchildren across Zimbabwe. What was once just an idea is becoming a movement strong enough to put a dent in malnutrition itself.
And I saw it in Victoria Falls, where the laughter of children filled Samkele Park, a restored piece of land that’s now home to a playground, a skate park, and a future full of joy.
I saw it as I watched corporate teams and volunteers pack thousands of MATTERboxes, each one filled with healthy food and a simple note that says, you matter. Every box a message of worth, restoring connection between people who may never meet.
And behind the scenes, our MATTER360 team continued restoring value where others saw waste. Over eight million pounds of medical equipment and supplies were repurposed this year alone, diverted from landfills, and renewed for purpose. Each restored resource strengthens not just hospitals but MATTER itself. This year, we became more self-sustaining than ever before. Proof that stewardship and innovation can go hand in hand. That when generosity is matched with creativity, it can last.
Twenty-five years in, I’m struck by how this work has never really been about building something new. It’s always been about bringing something good back to life. About seeing what’s broken and choosing to believe it can be whole again. Through all of it, one truth remains: none of this happens alone. It happens because of you – your belief, your generosity, your willingness to keep showing up. You’ve helped restore schools and hospitals, gardens and businesses, hope and dignity. And through it all, you’ve helped restore faith in people, in goodness, in the idea that love can still heal what’s broken in this world.
As we pause for Thanksgiving and celebrate Christmas, I’m reminded that faith and compassion are what make this story possible. Thank you for being part of it, for believing that God is still writing stories of renewal in our world today.
May this holiday season renew your joy, refresh your faith, and ready your heart for all that’s ahead in the new year. Here’s to the next 25 years of saying yes, to hope that rises, to love that restores, and to a world transformed.
Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday season!