Landed in Miami

Well we're back in the USA! Just waiting for our flight to Los Angeles. The krew is holding up well on what is shaping up to be a very long day of travel. Some are more excited than others to be back in the US and none are thrilled about school in a day. Reality check. Thanks for all the support and prayers all week. We look forward to sharing the adventures in person. Blessings!

JENNY I'M FINE I PROMISE!!!!!!!!

i love you!


love, caitlyn(:

The Sun Has Set!

Hi guys!! It's Itali (: today we went to the Dodger Academy and the Rays Academy for baseball!! it was so awesome. after we went to the Manny Mota Foundation and helped the kids make crafts(: during that time Jacob and I played soccer with the kids me and him vs. ALL!!! (6 kids)It was soooo muchh funn(: then we went into the city and got a couple things then we went over to Alina's grandparents house and had dinner!!! yumm. i was so full after. Then we went to the store and we got candy!! their candy is way different than ours(: and now we are going to go to the beach and have fun(: like usual!....Hi heather(: miss you, see you on monday at school(: love yaa.
-Love in Christ Always and Forever Itali Andrade(:<33

Thanksgiving in the DR

Can I just say how much I love these kids? I just got back from a late night talk on the beach where we laughed and cried and shared deeply about what we've learned this week and what we're thankful for. I miss my family terribly, but tonight I experienced the beauty of the Foothill Family once again.

Today was a Thanksgiving unlike any other. We arrived at the Mota Foundation late morning and got right to work...errr...right to play with about 200 kids who were waiting and eager to play. All six of our Foothill students jumped right in and started playing games and pretty soon it looked like a well oiled machine at work, chaotic as it was. After an hour or so of play the turkeys were ready (that we flew there), and it was time for lunch. I have to say I had my doubts about whether or not we had enough to feed the masses gathered with only 6 turkeys. Not only did we have enough, but we had leftovers and everyone (about 300 or so) ate and had their fill. Reminded me of a certain miracle Jesus once did where there were leftovers as well!

After serving everyone we had our own little Thanksgiving dinner in the stands of one of the Mota's Field of Dreams stadiums on the 40 acre property. Mr. G wowed us with some card tricks and Nick tried feeding the local guinea hens his ear of corn. After eating I looked around and told the kids I knew it was tough not to be with their families, but that it was an honor to have Thanksgiving dinner with them in the stands in a foreign country a few thousand miles away from their homes, while serving the Lord. Memorable to be sure! We have much to be thankful for!


Alina met a new friend with quite a smile (nice shades Alina!)


Nick giving one of many piggy back rides that he and Jacob have perfected


The Thanksgiving spread ready and waiting

Blessed through others

Hey guys , Alina and Allison here. We are making a late night (well, for us anyway, we are 4 hours ahead) student update of day three. Today was truly great. Our first stop was to the Angels Baseball Academy where we saw future major leaguers and toured the grounds. On the walls, you can see framed photos of those that did make it, such as Erick Aybar and Vladimir Guerrero. Our big work of the day was at an orphanage in a town about 35 minutes away from the hotel we are staying at. The pastor that helped out there told us that he doesn't use the word, orphanage, and it created a family environment. There were 11 boys and 1 girl! She was very outnumbered and quiet, in a sad way :-( But all of the boys were too cute and VERY outgoing and bright! Man, do they know their Bible stories and multiplication! It was great playing with them in their small but functional backyard. Those boys got game ;) After our <heartbreaking3 departure, we went to lunch and hit the beach :)

This is one of the boys named Noni. At the end of our time there, my dad and him were talking about a blessing. So my dad asked him what he thought it is. He said, "You guys being here today is a blessing." Wow. What a tear jerker. May God bless each of those kids and their caretakers.

Bye,

Lina and Allie

Day Three

Well since the Krew is all busy pulling practical jokes on Jacob and running around the beach in dark (having way too much fun), I thought I'd sneak away and put a few things online for the rest of you to see.

Today, we had another magnificent day in the DR, where the heat never ceases and the humidity can be cut with a knife. We spent the morning visiting the LA Angeles Academy for future MLB players which was fascinating to be sure. We played an imaginary game on the field and toured the facility.

We then headed to an orphanage about 20 more minutes down the coast. What a blessing this turned out to be. It was run by a Baptist church/school and we met some truly beautiful children. Our FCS kids seemed to instantly attach and make a bunch of new friends. We then headed inside for refreshments and songs that included us teaching them a few in English and then they returning the favor in Spanish.

We ended the day down at the beach having fun in the sun after another great day!

A Quick Update from Tuesday

Hi Everyone... we're meeting for dinner in a few minutes but I wanted to throw a few pictures on the blog because I know a lot of you are checking back often for updates. Let me just say that today was simply AMAZING and the FCS crew was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'll let them give updates later tonight, but I was SO proud of them!

Caitlyn passing out food to one of about 200 kids who got a free lunch at the Mota Foundation


A look a two little girls on the street in front of a typical house in the neighborhood we're working in


Kids waiting to get their free FCS uniform, school supplies and hygiene products


After lunch the heavens opened up and we partied in a downpour (Mr. Gaines was the first one to take the plunge...Here we are all wet!


Some of our kids posing with a family of 9 who just got their uniforms. Take that Jon and Kate!

Reunited... And it feels so good ;)

Woohoo! Today is the day we came together for the first time in the Dominican! It's so weird to think that only... What? Six months ago we were just having our first D.R. Krew meeting! Time has flown by and it's finally here. Here are some of the stories of today:

Mr. Gaines says, "Today the rest of us flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico and had a 4 hour layover before heading to the DR. We had an amazing time with the Dalmau family and my highlight was getting to pray together at Valerie's grave on the beach. An amazingly beautiful experience for all. The Dominican is beautiful as well. So good to finally be all together. Can't wait to get to work mañana!"

Allison says: Today, everyone else arrived so the Mota's and I went to pick them up at the airport. After that we hung out at the beach, ate dinner and watched Jacob consume the amount of food a gorilla could eat in a day.....haha:)Then after dinner we went to the beach again. So far its been an amazing experience and it's only the 2nd day!!!!!!!! Now... we are on the blog(:

Nick says: Today was (adjective). We left from LAX at 11:15 p.m. and arrived at Puerto Rico at 5:00 a.m. We got to take a tour around Puerto Rico, then we left again at 1:40 p.m. to fly to Dominican! Today was great, and we got to rest today and we're going to serve tomorrow.

Itali says: well, today as you see in the picture above i drank coconut juice with a real coconut!! ohh dangggg!! lol. it was good(: haha today was soo amazing. we got to get a tour from valerie's parents and sister amanda, they are soo sweet!! on the tour of puerto rico with the family we stopped and got yummy ice cream!!!! i got coconut ice cream(: ohhhh my goodness it was delicious the best ice cream it tops all of the flavors in the world in my opinion(: well yaaa. it was yummy(: i can't wait to help out tomorrow. also...hi spiderman. i miss youu!!! i cant wait to see you when we get backk. (: lovee youuuu..

-love in Christ Always and Forever Itali andrade<3

Jacob's day: Today started in LA woke up in san Juan Puerto Rico. It was pretty ironic that Valerie's parents were on the same flight as us to Puerto Rico. We hung out with them for two hours but we packed a days worth of activities into it. We saw a 3 foot iguana. Then we flew to the D.R. Then we met up with Allison and Alina. P.S. i ate a lot!!!!!!

-Jacob

Caitlyn says: It's Monday in the D.R. and the rest of the D.R. Krew has arrived!! Before we ended up in the Dominican, we all stopped in Puerto Rico to meet the Dalmau's. First we visited Valerie's grave, ate coconut icecream, and saw a beautiful view of the ocean. My highlight of the day was getting to know valerie's family and just seeing how much faith they have and how they still know that God and Valerie are watching over them. Also, i loved how we basically experienced Puerto Rico in about two hours! it was amazing. Well, keep updated with the blog! Check tomorrow's!!!

Alina says: Monday usually isn't the best time of week for teenagers. In this case, it was awesommmmeee!!!! Today was absolutely fantastic. Before everyone arrived today, I will catch you up on what we did yesterday. Sooo, yesterday after being stuffed by Negro at breakfast we went to the Tamorindo (the community around my grandpa's complex). Truly, it gets better every time I visit. Most of the bumps in the road were gone and it looked a bit different. We showed Allie around the community and saw some of the kids that were playing baseball in the street with their sticks. Once we left, we went and checked in at the hotel. Today was great, but when we were waiting for everyone else at the airport I was so anxious and excited to see them! As Allie and the rest of the Krew said, we basically just hung out when we got back to the hotel.

(the picture above is of us when the sun was setting :D) Oh yeah, I am sorry that we couldn't update the blog yesterday, the wifi at the hotel was not working. :-/

Time for bed... bye!

we have arrived!!!!

Today, Allie and I arrived in the D.R. after visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico. The flight to Puerto Rico was actually only a bit over 6 hours (so take note you guys). Be prepared Krew, the heat and humidity is craaaaaaaaaaazzy! Oh my gosh, we were on our way to my grandparents´ house and we saw puppies... Soooooo, we are gonna buy one tomorrow :) Then we came and had food at the house. Our family friend/cook made us so much food it was overwhelming! But we had to eat all of it because he feels offended if you don´t. After that, Allie and I took a 3 hour nap. Then we had Domincan cheetos. ......Now we feel FAT :P Oh yes, we had the soda, Katie. Allie really likes it too!

Godincidences of Day 1-2:
At LAX last night... The line for security was suupppeerr long, and my mom was freaking out about being on time. Then, an American Airlines official recognized my dad. Turns out, that guy knows Vladi! He ended up getting us VIP treatment (accessing the front of the line!).

Today driving back to the airport after eating in Old San Juan... Had a conversation with a Dominican taxi driver, who admired that we were traveling to the D. R. to help the poor. Turns out, that guy´s brother lives in Azusa!

For the D.R. Krew:
RELAX. Allie and I were both very anxious yesterday, but once you check in it´s smooth sailing. Don´t worry, we will be there when you arrive. (We´ll be the screaming Americans outside) Also, if we didn´t tell you before, pack an umbrella. It hasn´t rained, but just in case it does... Remember your mosquito repellent!

Question for our followers:
What are we naming the dog? There is still the possibility we don´t get it though ;( we were thinking a tie-in with FCS. Example: Macleod (as if!), Baseline, Eagle/Aguila...

:D Alina and Allison <3

Almost There!!!!

Allison and the Mota's have arrived safely in San Juan, Porto Rico. We received the call from Allison at 5:51 a.m...... They will have a lay over before going on to the Dominican Republic. Once again, Thank You for all the support and prayers. We will keep you posted as we hear more news.

Have a blessed day-
The DeFina Family

The Journey is now Official........The plane is in the air

OK, The Mota's and Allison are now officially off and beginning their blessed journey to the Dominican Republic. They were kicked to the curb at LAX (I'm not kidding) , so the goodbyes were much easier than expected. Meaning: no tears!!! Yeah. Susie Davidson is such a great and loyal friend to Allison and Alina, she rode along for the send off which seemed to ease some of the nerves. Thank you Susie. For the parents that wont be traveling with their child and also for the parent traveling without their child/wife/husband....My suggestion is to keep very busy up until the very last minute before departing, bring along a good friend for the ride to the airport, and don't park in the structure. I say this, due to the fact that you say your goodbyes at the entrance doors. No ticket...no passport...no further!

We have said our evening prayers so we will go to bed knowing that when we wake up our daughter will be on the most amazing journey in her life. We want to thank Foothill Christian and the Mota family for giving Allison this wonderful opportunity. Please continue to keep all that are traveling in your prayers.

In Him,
The De Fina Family

For all my followers

Jacob here and WOW we are leaving in 3 days. Like Nick told me it feels like yesterday it was 3 months till we leave. Well this trip it gona take a whole bunch of prayer and a powerfull God. Luckily we have both. So here are the things i was hoping you guys would pray for.

1. A safe trip there and back
2. We all stay safe while there
3. We all get a good taste of the food, cuture, people, and life style there
4. To change the lives of us and the kids down there for the better
5. To glorify God in everything we not just in the D.R. but back in the states to.

-Jacob

IT'S SO CLOSE!!!!!

Heyy guys it's Allison I finally got on....lol(; I'm so excited for the trip it's going to be an amazing life changing experience. We leave on Friday and come back the following Saturday. God has really blessed me with this is amazing opportunity to serve many children and families in the Dominican Republic. I'm looking forward to spending time with some of my close friends, to the hard work and dedication we will be putting in. So I have some prayer requests...

• Safe travels
• That we all keep healthy
• Serve the Lord as much as we can
• Mr. Gaines sanity(;
• that we don't go crazy listening to Jacob's jokes over and over again....just kidding!!!

THAT WE ALL HAVE AN AMAZING AND FUN EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!(: (: (:

-Allison

Let me take a bit of space...

Hey guys! Okay, so getting up close to the trip, I would just like to take a bit of space on the blog to say... THANKS 4 all of your support!!! From Free Dress Friday to Jamba Juice fundraisers, you guys are awesome and you have no idea what this means to me, my family, and the whole team but especially the kids in the DR! It makes me so happy to see you guys have a heart for someone in another country that is less fortunate. I think, "Wow, look at all my friends that CARE." To say we are stuck up American teenagers isn't quite right. So thanks for the help, prayers, and uniforms of course!

(Pray that Allie and I have a nice flight too!)

:) Alina <3

btw, the picture is supposed to be enthusiastic :P

For my Prayer Partners...

Hey guys, the trip again is only in 6 days! The D.R. Krew is anxious to go to Dominican, thus we are prepared (or preparing) for the 6-7 day trip! Packing needed items such as First Aid Kits, clothes, and other neccesities are well needed, but prayer is the biggest one. Here's just a list of all the things you can pray for while we are gone to Domincan.

1. A safe trip to and fro from Domincan.
2. The weather to be amazing and awesome
3. That no one gets hurt
4. No one forgets anything
5. For the "Vlog" to working accordingly
6. For our families here in the U.S.
7. and last but not least, for our luggage not to get lost. You have to prepare for the worst, right?

Thanks Prayer Parters! I hope that our trip goes smoothly and great as we have planned.

-Nick "Chilexican" Saldivar

Lina's Prayer

Hey guys.. Here are my prayer requests:

-For a safe flight there and from

-Pick up good Spanish tips in the 100% foreign environment

-The weather

-All the chaperones sanity ;)

-No frustration when we are flustered

-Kind words for all, even when we get tired and smelly!

-Remember our purpose there

-Have fun!!!

-Grow together spiritually and build a bond no one can mess with!

-Have an unforgettable experience physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually

:) Alina <3 

Caitlyn's Prayer Requests

These are my prayer requests for the Dominican Republic trip on Thanksgiving Break! If you signed up to be a prayer partner for any one of us, please read our requests and just pray for them while we are gone!! Thank you so much!

PLEASE...

• pray for everyone who is going on the trip, including all the parents!
  
• pray for our safety on the plane ride and while we are ministering to the kids over there!
• pray for pre-trip butterflies, stress and nervousness to go away
  
• pray for everyone's health before and during the trip. Hopefully, no one will get sick in less than a week!
• pray that we are able to serve and teach the children in the D.R. about God
• Pray that from this experience we learn important lessons and that we are so fortunate compared to many other people! We shouldn't take things for granted!!
• pray that we can reach out to everyone there and make their Thanksgiving Day be the most wonderful experience they've ever had!

Thank you so much for supporting us from buying Jamba Juice to carrying boxes to the shed. Most important, thanks for praying for us and thinking of us on your break!! We love you guys!!

I'm so excited!!!

Hey everyone it's Caitlyn!! As you all know I along with five other students will be going to the Dominican Republic in about less than a week. This being the week for last minute preparations and packing our summer clothes, i think all six of us are so anxious and excited to leave for the airport. This one last week before we leave is going to be tough to focus in school! God has blessed me with wonderful people to spend my Thanksgiving week with. He has blessed me with this amazing opportunity to serve many children in the D.R. Throughout this whole process, I have already grown closer to God. My whole life, I have seen God's grace through my parents, siblings, friends, school, and now this trip. He has shown me that he will always be there for me. I hope all of you stay updated by our blog and hopefully you'll check it every night for info on what we did in the D.R.

This is a little note to the D.R Krew:
Hey guys!! I just want to let you know that I am so excited to go to the D.R. with the five of you! I know i am a little quiet but that's because I haven't gotten to know you guys yet. I really hope that on this trip I come out of my shell and we can become really great friends!!

-Caitlyn

Italis Prayer Requests!(:

heyyy guys!!!(:

its Itali..again! lol(: well um i have some prayer requests for you guys(:

• our overall trip basically..
• -please pray for Me, Catlin, Alina, Allison, Nick, Jacob K., My Mom, Mrs.Karim(Jacobs mommy), Mr.G(principal), Mr.Gaines(Bible teacher), and Mr. & Mrs. Mota (Alina's parents).
• - our flight to the Dominican Republic
• - Alina and her parents and also Allison are leaving 2 days before us so bless there flight too.
• - that no one gets sick before the trip.
• -that if people are stressing pray for the stress to go away(:
• - and that the butterflies will go away.
• -and please pray that we would be safe over there
• - and pray that we touch lives of others over there!!! especially..
• • - let us get a wake up call on how we are suppose to be living our completely safe lives, and that we learn that "we as Christians shall not be tamed"
  
  thank youu guys soo much keep us in your prayers pretty please(:

In exactly 7 days....

Next Sunday, my 5 friends and I will meet at LAX to fly to Puerto Rico, then a second flight to Dominican. I've been asked if I'm excited, and the answer has always been a smile and "Yes". I can't wait to be on the plane flying to Dominican with my 5 friends!

Jake and I have had many ideas of what to do for getting our Dominican Trip to your computer screen, and we've come up with the idea to have a "Vlog", a Video Blog. We'll post different scenarios that were in, and it will probably start with LAX. Words can tell people many things, but a video can "show" you whats been happening easily.

I can't wait for the first video to be up, and I can't wait to be in Dominican!

-Nick "Chilexican" Saldivar

It's Coming! (:

Woohoo! This is my first blog entry! Hey guys it's Alina. I am sitting here in my nice comfy chair on my expensive computer, typing away... While children are starving and are forced to work to support their family... A few years back, when I was in the 1st grade I had the idea to send uniforms from our school to my grandfather's foundation in the Dominican Republic because that is how they could go to school. I cried and cried over what was happening, it also made me more thankful, even as a little pipsqueak six-year old :P Since then it has expanded right before my eyes, from shoes to school supplies. To make the school more involved and open the eyes of some average American kids, this year (7 DAYS!!!!) we are taking a team down to the DR, no not the doctor, and we are going to serve others for Thanksgiving Week!!! This experience will change each of the members for the better. God is going to open up our eyes to see what it is like to truly serve. It will teach us to be humble, say please and thank you, and have the right attitude when we are blessed. Let's show everybody what we can do! It's time for me to see my dream come true, and have a mission from God fulfilled!!

Romans 12:3-8

Alina :)

Jacob's thoughts

Hey this is Jacob here. WOW i cant believe we are leaving in only 10 days. 10 i can count that on my hands. It is crazy i am sooo excited. I not scared just hoping that the language isn't to much of a problem. If i think making out what Senora says is hard this is going to be a whole different ball game. But i don't think it will be a problem. I have seen some poverty in my life when i was in mexico and in New Orleans after Katrina but i haven't ever seen what i am about to. I can't wait to just hang out with all the little kids. Over there something so so small like a ball or a bowl of chicken is such a big deal to them, Stuff we take for granted every day. Something my youth paster said really made me think about this trip. He said,"If you own a car, a house, and TV you are in the top 5% of people to ever walk the planet Earth". WOW i have a lot more than that so i have more than 95% of the people to ever live.


Well i can't say it enough how excited i am to get to go on this trip, meet the people, serve the children, try the food, and most importantly spread the word of God. well thanks for reading this whole thing


God Bless


-Jacob

The dayyy is coming!!(:

<--thats my cousin allan(left)
then me (middle) and thats our close family friend like a cousin josh (right)


Hey guys. my name is Itali Andrade(: and i am one of the students that were selected to go to the Dominican Republic over Thanksgiving Break and Serve the children in need, and just hang out with them because they're just like us. I am getting very nervous, we are leaving in 11 days from now!! wow, it's so close(: God has blessed my life in so many ways but man this is just such an amazing blessing God has put upon my life! i love to do mission work so this is so exciting for me! (: My desire has always been to just go out into the world and ... change it for the better. I know i can do it, i just have to have faith(: I am only 13 years old and i am able to go to the Dominican to serve (: wow! its amazing how God works sometimes! i can't help to think that when i go over to the Dominican Republic that i am hopefully going to change lives and get a whole new view of the world. Since i grew up in a Christian home i haven't really seen this world but i do know that I am not of this world! i know this world is not close to perfect, and everyone has different views. I think that we all will experience at least once in our lives a question that no one has been or will be ever to answer correctly. "How did the world come to be?" it is all God. that is the answer only God knows the answer to that one(: well, i know i am not prepared for what i am about to see in the Dominican Republic but what can i do, God will do whatever he would like. I might get scared, or even start crying when i see all the children and how they live but you know it's reality but i was raised different so i haven't really seen that. I am happy i get to come to this place with a different view and see how i can change this world. God has called us to change this world, so why wait? all i can ask from you is to please pray for all of the students and parents that are coming with us this thanksgiving. thank you.
-Love in Christ always and forever, Itali Andrade(: