The school year is winding down and summer is around the corner, so I thought I would update you on what's been going on in the DR recently! In April, I was lucky enough to have my parents and brother come visit me for a week. We were able to go to the beach for a few days and spend the rest of the week in Jarabacoa, where they were able to get a glimpse of the craziness we call life here. The beach trip was fantastic. It was great to be able to show my family what the DR is like...I even made sure they saw two propane tanks fall off of a motorcycle and fly in completely different directions across traffic. That was a great way to welcome them to this extremely organized and safe country. The rest of our time on the coast was filled with hanging by the pool, going to the beach and riding ATV's through the mountains.
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| Cabarete |
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| My dad and brother after riding ATV's to the beach. |
Once we arrived in Jarabacoa, my family was able to see what I've been doing here over the past 6 months and meet some of my favorite people. It's a very weird feeling to be so invested in a place that most of my family and friends have only ever heard of. Being able to help them connect the stories and pictures to the faces here was an experience I will never forget. The boy we sponsor at the Ark was finally able to meet my family after asking about them for years and only seeing their photos. There's nothing better than showing these kids that people love and care for them all over the world.
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| My family and Steven (the boy we sponsor). |
With Summer approaching, we are saying goodbye to the kiddos at ANIJA for a few months. English classes are over and we gave our final exams last week. Our most recent sponsorship project is finished and now I will have a total of a couple days before starting the next one...the excitement never stops! For the next few weeks I will be working with the kids at the Ark for their summer program. The students will be doing elective classes during the morning and then going to "school" in the afternoon. It's looking like I will be directing the afternoon program and working alongside the interns that will arrive in a couple short weeks!
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| One last lunchtime hang out with these kiddos. |
Summer in the DR also means very different weather. The days are a lot hotter but the afternoons turn into a thunder and lightning storm almost daily. This is often a nice break from the heat. With the rain also comes an interesting mix of bugs coming into the house. There have already been too many days where I've broken a sweat chasing a spider (read: HUGE spider) around the house in hopes of being able to sleep at night. Cockroaches are a regular occurrence and ants arrive in the thousands. I still haven't gotten used to this new life but let me assure you, this is a battle I will NOT lose!
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| Thank God for Raid. |
I'm excited to share that come August, I will be changing roles slightly and focusing more on sponsorship most of the time! Over the past few months I have really grown by being able to work with the students one on one and get to know them as individuals, instead of viewing them as just one of the 30 kids in their classroom. I will be working with them on quarterly projects which I will then translate so they can be sent to the students' sponsors in the U.S. I feel like this is going to be a change that will really allow me to grow personally as well as form more long lasting relationships with my students.
Now that I am seven months into my year long commitment, it's time for me to look into the future and start to figure out what life will look like. There is an opportunity for me to stay in the DR until June of 2016 which would allow me to hold a more permanent job for the whole school year. However, staying longer comes with the need to raise more support. In order for me to extend my stay for up to six months past my current commitment, Kids Alive has asked that I raise more monthly support, as well as one time donations. If you would like to join me in this ministry, please consider visiting
my link (
https://secure.kidsalive.org/p-2747-hilary-ogro.aspx?Source=OG53J00002) to find out how you can partner with the mission of Kids Alive in the DR. As always, thank you so much for all of your continued prayer and financial support. The work being done in Jarabacoa wouldn't be possible without you!
