The team, aka the “Sweat Hawgs”, was born out of an initial partnership with Food for the Hungry that started in 2001.  The first partnership was with the community of Puello, Dominican Republic and was completed in March of 2010.

During the past 10 years, the team has seen an incredible transformation in the community.  God has truly blessed this community for being faithful in seeking Him.  From the discussions we had with the community and church leaders, the community was ready to sustain their own vision as they seek their God given purpose.  We feel the church has become the spiritual light of the community, constantly reaching out into the community reflecting the love of Jesus Christ and meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the community.  Some examples of the projects and activities we were involved in to cause this transformation are:  Home visits, parent-child relationship training, re-building the Christian Church, construction of a Community Center and Health Post, health and hygiene training, sponsored children, Peanut Shelling Facility construction, baseball equipment and games with the youth, school classroom and kitchen construction, drilling of two wells, medical, dental and veterinary clinics, building numerous latrines, micro-loans to local farmers, and the formation of the community leadership co-op organization.

In 2011, we embarked on another community transformation by partnering with another community in a partnership with Food for the Hungry.  The new community is Placer Bonito and is located in the southern mountainous region of the Dominican Republic.  We are currently half way through this partnership.

In 2023, the team joined with Mission Hope and 410 Bridge in a 5-year partnership with the communities in the Hato Mayor region of the Dominican Republic: Batey Prudencio and Barrio Las Malvinas, to be an agent of transformation.  These two communities are unique in that one community is made up of Haitian immigrants and the other community is Dominican.  Additionally, we actively partner with churches, leaders, and families in the community to build transformational relationships, usher justice, and renew communities so God’s purpose is revealed in each person we serve.

The men and women on the team have put their faith into action by traveling to these small communities in the Dominican Republic to share the love and hope found in Jesus Christ.