Off to the D.R.!

Hi friends,

In just a few short hours (we're leaving at 2 a.m.), I'll be driving down to Philly, where I'll be catching an early morning flight to the Dominican Republic! A HOPE donor is helping to pay for the trip for the summer interns, so I'm excited not only to see HOPE's work in the DR, but also to see the interns who've left!

I don't have much to say before I leave: I'm excited to meet the clients, I'm nervous to be traveling in a developing country for the first time, I'm a bit frazzled as I always am because I put things off until the last minute (like writing a blog post). I'd really appreciate your prayers for safe travels for all of us, as well as that we'll really take the opportunity to see how God is using HOPE (and through HOPE, all of us interns) to restore broken relationships and help entrepreneurs help themselves. It sounds kind of cheesy, but really, one of the things I've come to appreciate about microfinance is the way that it treats recipients as people who are fully capable of working for their own release from poverty.

Well, apparently I did have something to say. I'll write more about the trip when I get back Sunday (or, knowing me, several days later). Thanks for your prayers!