PHOTO: A group of women learning about health care and how to open their own businesses as alternatives to prostitution in order to escape poverty.

This past Friday, July 4th, Esperanza celebrated the completion of the program 40 Days of Purpose. The event is the first of its kind that was dedicated specifically towards women who had been working in prostitution. Thanks to God’s glory and power they have since seen an incredible change. The event took place at the Medical Clinic in Muñóz, Puerto Plata. This project was based upon a meticulous study of the book 40 Days of Purpose by Rick warren over the course of 40 days. It was dedicated to the women who had found themselves living within the destructive trap of poverty and prostitution.

PHOTO: Pride youth baseball team and their families, amongst the people from the community of La Paloma in the Dominican Republic.

What happens when you pit a team of young boys from a developed community in Washington state, against a team of boys from impoverished communities in the Dominican Republic? You get a field full of laughing children who overcome language barriers to create friendships, play great baseball, and who learn a whole lot more about what life can really be about.