In July 2016, a team of youth and adult volunteers from Hope Fellowship travelled to the Dominican Republic to work with the Samaritan Foundation, assisting in the construction of a new house for an impoverished family.
During our time together our team experienced such a wide range of emotions. We laughed until our sides hurt from the joy of being in fellowship together on this beautiful island, we felt the pride and sense of satisfaction in a hard days’ work under the blazing sun. We also experienced the deep sorrow of walking through the garbage strewn slums and we raged at the injustice of seeing dirty, malnourished children begging for food and clean water within sight of the all-inclusive resorts.
The high point for many of us was our visit to the Sousa Pregnancy Resource Centre (PRC). During our tour of the facility, Corelia, Executive Director, explained to us how a lack of material resources negatively impacts almost every aspect of Dominican society. We learned that the crushing poverty has a particularly insidious impact on young girls who are often forced into prostitution and sexual slavery to serve the robust tourist industry. Alarmingly, we also discovered that nearly 78% of those teenage girls who are exploited will become pregnant as a result. The staff and volunteers at the PRC showed us a practical example of what it was like to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We marvelled at how the Centre was able to break the chains of despair and hopelessness by ministering to girls and their unborn children when they are the most vulnerable, afraid and alone. Like a beam of light in a sea of darkness we learned that the PRC ministers to roughly 80 young girls per month and is the only pregnancy resource centre in the entire country. During our brief visit we felt the movement of the Holy Spirit and were left with the conviction that this ministry must continue and that we need to do something to help. This conviction to help became more urgent when we learned that the funding for the Pregnancy Help Centre was not renewed and as of February 2017 they would be forced to close.
The hopeful story is that God has been calling the people of Hope to the Dominican Republic for a number of years and we believe that He is now calling us to engage with the Pregnancy Resource Centre. Our team is holding a Valentine’s Dance on February 11, 2017 to raise money to pay the rent for the year in order to keep it from closing. We would love for you to join us for a night of fun and fellowship in support of a good cause. Together we can help to play a small part in transforming the lives of young girls and their babies in the Dominican Republic.
- Kevin
During our time together our team experienced such a wide range of emotions. We laughed until our sides hurt from the joy of being in fellowship together on this beautiful island, we felt the pride and sense of satisfaction in a hard days’ work under the blazing sun. We also experienced the deep sorrow of walking through the garbage strewn slums and we raged at the injustice of seeing dirty, malnourished children begging for food and clean water within sight of the all-inclusive resorts.
The high point for many of us was our visit to the Sousa Pregnancy Resource Centre (PRC). During our tour of the facility, Corelia, Executive Director, explained to us how a lack of material resources negatively impacts almost every aspect of Dominican society. We learned that the crushing poverty has a particularly insidious impact on young girls who are often forced into prostitution and sexual slavery to serve the robust tourist industry. Alarmingly, we also discovered that nearly 78% of those teenage girls who are exploited will become pregnant as a result. The staff and volunteers at the PRC showed us a practical example of what it was like to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We marvelled at how the Centre was able to break the chains of despair and hopelessness by ministering to girls and their unborn children when they are the most vulnerable, afraid and alone. Like a beam of light in a sea of darkness we learned that the PRC ministers to roughly 80 young girls per month and is the only pregnancy resource centre in the entire country. During our brief visit we felt the movement of the Holy Spirit and were left with the conviction that this ministry must continue and that we need to do something to help. This conviction to help became more urgent when we learned that the funding for the Pregnancy Help Centre was not renewed and as of February 2017 they would be forced to close.
The hopeful story is that God has been calling the people of Hope to the Dominican Republic for a number of years and we believe that He is now calling us to engage with the Pregnancy Resource Centre. Our team is holding a Valentine’s Dance on February 11, 2017 to raise money to pay the rent for the year in order to keep it from closing. We would love for you to join us for a night of fun and fellowship in support of a good cause. Together we can help to play a small part in transforming the lives of young girls and their babies in the Dominican Republic.
- Kevin
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