Dear friends and family,

I have been given the opportunity once again to head to El Mirador in the Dominican Republic, in April of 2018, as the second part of Harbor's partnership with Food for the Hungry. During the week in El Mirador, we will be working alongside and spending time with the community. Although El Mirador is a rural community in need, the point of these trips however is never for us to go and do a project for them - Rather it is to help empower them to continue projects and growing after we leave. A lot of what we do as far as physical labor may be unknown until we arrive there. This is because our job is to come along side them and be a part of what’s already being done. We will however be doing a Vacation Bible School program with the kids while we are there, as well as home visits getting to know the community. After the first trip, the people of El Mirador had more of a sense of ownership and hope of where they can go as a community. I am expectant and certain that God will continue to bless El Mirador and this 10 year partnership we will have with them.

Recently our family has also started sponsoring a child from that community. His name is Yoan and he is 7 years old. During my time there, I will have the opportunity once again to meet and spend time with him and his family. This was an incredible experience for Nate and I on the last trip, so I’m excited to bless Yoan and his family once again.

In order for me to go on this trip, I need to raise $2,000. If you are able to financially support me for this trip - Thank you! However, I am asking for both spiritual and financial support. I would love to have as many people as possible praying for me during this process. Even if you can't give financially, prayers that I would raise all the money I need would be greatly appreciated. Know that you are not just supporting me, but the community and people of El Mirador!

The gifts are tax deductible, and you can support me financially in a couple different ways:
1. Check made payable to Harbor of Hope Church (my name in the memo line)
2. Here on this website made by Pure Charity. (“Donate to this fundraiser”)

To hear more from some of the team (myself included) that was on the first trip in August of 2017, listen to our time sharing with our church community (http://www.harborofhope.org/media/sermons/global-sunday-el-mirador-first-service/)

Thank you for considering supporting me through prayer and/or giving. This trip would be impossible without the generosity of so many. I look forward to sharing about it all with you when I return!

Sincerely,
Olivia

About El Mirador

In October of 2016, Harbor of Hope (www.harborofhope.org) launched a 10 year commitment through Food for the Hungry (www.fh.org) to partner with the community of El Mirador, in the Dominican Republic. The community is located in a rural area about an hour north of Santo Domingo, DR. The partnership has the ultimate goal of mutual transformation, both for El Mirador and Harbor of Hope. We believe all of us are impoverished in different ways in four key areas; spiritual, social, physical, and community. We hope as a church to learn from where El Mirador is strong, and that they will learn from us where we are strong.

The community of El Mirador is a rural community, that is lush with greenery. They are a community that loves baseball, and their schedule seems to revolve around it. They are filled with great leadership who is guiding the community to develop through this partnership. God has been working through that community long before we were there, and we are excited to continue to see him work in this partnership.

About Our Partnership

The partnership is guided by the idea that El Mirador already has most of what it needs to succeed. It does not need us to do things for them. Instead, we will be there to walk alongside them and learn from them. We follow the guidance of Food for the Hungry on when the community needs anything additional to that. Food for the Hungry has many people on the ground who are there every day, and are far more effective than we are in helping the community.

Learn more about our partnership below:
Read about our partnership on our website - http://www.harborofhope.org/global/
Read a blog post from Food for the Hungry about our vision trip - https://www.fh.org/2016/10/03/massachusetts-church-finds-fit-missions/