New Year, More Changes...

     2015 is a year I will never forget. I am forever grateful that I have been able to spend the last year and a half in this beautiful country, making memories with new and old friends every day. After spending Christmas at home in California, it was time to come back to the craziness of Jarabacoa for a few more months! The emotional rollercoaster that has come with knowing I’ll be leaving this place in three months is overwhelming, but I trust that God knows what He’s doing, because I certainly don’t!

     On January 6^th, we celebrated King’s day at the Ark. Being a part of this event was so much fun. We had breakfast out at the Ark (I got to help make 300 pancakes!) and got to watch each child open gifts that had been brought down here by a team. Watching a child open Christmas presents for the first time in their life really put everything back into perspective for me. I hope to never forget what it looks like to be that grateful and full of joy.

Pancake breakfast!

New boy in the ark opening presents!

I got the best King's day present!

     Two days later, I had the privilege of getting to help at the ANIJA King’s day celebration also. In December, we wrapped 250 gifts to hand out to each child who has a scholarship at ANIJA. While talking with some of the children, it became very clear that a lot of them didn’t get to celebrate Christmas because of their economic situations and they weren’t given any other presents except the one they received during our school celebration. Moments like these make me so thankful for Kids Alive and all of the people who have dedicated their time and resources (Dominicans who are working at the school, teams coming down to visit, & child sponsors in the U.S.) to help provide these students with the resources they need in order to change their future. Being able to see these changes happening first-hand has been more incredible than I could have ever imagined. I love that we are able to celebrate with the kids, thanks to all of the support Kids Alive receives.

New toy for King's Day!

     Since we’re coming up on the end of January, obviously it’s time to work on Easter projects again, right?! It seems like last week we were sending last year’s Easter projects to the kids’ sponsors. Time has flown by so fast. This year, every kid gets to decorate butterflies (A symbol of hope here in the DR) for their sponsors. I've learned that glitter glue makes everything more fun and a lot more messy. I cherish the time making projects with these children so much. It’s amazing how well you can get to know a student individually when they aren’t with 20 other classmates. More often than not I see a completely different personality in each student during this time.  Through working with sponsorship, I have gained a much bigger appreciation for those of you in the U.S. who are sending money monthly in order to pay for these children to be in our program. There are no words to describe what it's like to tell a child, who's just been taken out of his home after being abused, that someone across the world loves him and prays for him on a daily basis. The transformations you are influencing are breathtaking. If you’re interested in sponsoring a child, please let me know! I would love to talk with you about some of our students who still need sponsors!

So. much. glitter. glue.

This boy melts my heart.

This little girl is looking for 3 sponsors!

They aren't afraid to have fun.

     As I look into the future, there are so many unknowns. It’s weird to not know where I will be living in three months. Everything has been so consistently inconsistent for the last year and a half and that way of life has become so comfortable. Transitioning back to life in the U.S. seems all too overwhelming at this point in time, but I know God will prepare me for that in the way He wants to. I’m hoping that part of this transition will include a one-week long debriefing program in Colorado that is recommended for missionaries returning back to the U.S. This time would be spent reflecting on my time here in the D.R. as well as gaining perspective on how to transition back and re-enter life in the United States. In order for me to be able to attend, I will need to raise $1,000 to cover the cost of the program as well as airfare. Would you consider supporting me during the home stretch of this journey? You can click here (https://secure.kidsalive.org/p-2747-hilary-ogro.aspx?Source=MA53C00000) if you're interested in donating. I trust that these experiences have been setting me up to continue this type of work in the United States. As always, thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting me financially and through prayer over the past two years. This life-transforming experience would not have been a reality without all of you!