OAK HARBOR, Wash. — Pastor Fannie Dean has a vision rooted in three acres of land next door to her church.
"This is what God told me to do," she says.
For 34 years, Dean has run Mission Ministry Faith Center in Oak Harbor, building the church from nothing.
Brought up in the church in her native Georgia, Dean always felt a need to help those who were hurting.
"I knew that there was a calling on my life," she says. "Even when I went to other churches, I knew I could do more for people."
More is exactly what she plans to do.
Dean hopes to build a community center to help victims of domestic violence and a kitchen to feed the hungry.
The church needs to raise at least half a million dollars in the short term to launch the project.
Dean's congregation is small, only about 30 people, but her belief knows no bounds.
"I know it's gonna take a lot of money, but I'm not afraid," she says. "I know God can do it. I know He can do it."
In Washington, 41% of women and 32% of men experience domestic violence, with 13% of violent deaths linked to it.
Research from the National Institutes of Health shows military communities, like Oak Harbor, have a higher rate of domestic violence than civilian communities.
While raising all that money is a daunting task, Dean believes her community will come through.
She has experience in taking on tough challenges.
Her church was the first Black-owned commercial building in Oak Harbor.
She firmly believes the center will be built.
"Oh yeah. I have no doubt. He's gonna do it. God's gonna do it," she says. "People don't see a lot of miracles anymore but I know God still does miracles."