Happy Independance Day, DR

It's Independance Day in Republica Dominicana! I've been here for 8 days now! After I spent two days with Julia in Santiago, I met up with the rest of my group  and we headed to Jarabacoa. There are three girl interns this year plus one Dominican girl our age named Michel. We joke because she's like our friend/companion/helper/babysitter! Us three girl interns couldn't be more different! Laura is from Oklahoma and Karina is from California! We're spread out across the country and our personalities are so different. I hope you will pray for great friendships between us and that The Lord really unites us to work our best for Him!!

Once we got to camp, we spent two days settling in. We went on a scavenger hunt to get to know the town so we know where to buy groceries, meds, etc. We got a cell phone to call our dominican friends and we learned how to call our taxi driver, Carlos. We learned what our projects would be this spring from our boss Jose Ignasio and we learned some of the tools in the Woodshed from Berto. We have 4 main projects this spring: we are finishing a fence for the driveway on the side of a mountain, starting and finishing a kitchen expansion, buliding a woodshed so Berto can work even when campers are here, and cutting down problem trees and pulling their stumps out (we are also pulling trees out that block camp views)! We will trade off each week working on these projects with a group of Americans here for a week-long mission trip.

After only two days at camp, we loaded up once again for Santo Domingo for a homestay with Area Director Fernando and his wife Ester. They were wonderful, gracious host. We had so much great time for contact work with the leaders in the area and Dominican kids in the neighborhood where Fernando and Ester live. We experience real Dominican life! We got used to cold showers and blackouts in the middle of the day, loss of water, and roosters crowing at all hours of the night. It was wonderful. I love living like Dominicans do. It will be hard to come back home, I feel so grateful for everything I get here: warm water, clean drinking water, etc. it humbles me that these are luxuries here. In Santo Domingo, we helped fundraise in the streets ( we raised 1500pecos/37US dollars in an hour... And they were all so excited!!) , we painted a basketball court in Fernando and Ester's neighborhood, got to see a Dominican Young Life Club, and had lots of time for relational ministry! It is so wonderful to feel like this is my home! I do not feel like a foreigner on vacation, I love being inside the houses and lives of Dominicans!

I got really close really quickly to a 13 year old girl in Santo Domingo named Hilary. She spoke some English, so we spoke broken Spanglish to each other!! She loved that I would come talk to her even when a big group was around! She just kept telling me to talk, that she love having conversation with me. Her mom doesn't let her go to Young Life club and is very strict. She talked to me a lot about how hard that was! We're now friends on Facebook :) and I hope to be able to continue a relationship with her. I hope I'll be able to visit Santo Doningo again soon!

We returned to Jarabacoa yesterday! We really missed Pico Escondido!! Our first work group gets here Saturday, and I think I'll be really thankful that I've had time to rest once they get here! Please pray for all the great relationships that I've been able to make, and for rest before the real work begins! Praise to The Lord for an incredible first week!

Love, ali

Greetings from Santiago!!

Hi!!! I arrived in Santiago last night around 9. I got off the plane, went through security and immediately started scanning the hundreds of people for my friend Julia. Julia is area director for Young Life in Santiago! I finally saw her and ran towards her! It was so comforting to see a familiar face (we met on my week long trip last March). Especially after bring a single traveler all day and entering a country where I don't know the language well! She took me to one of her YL girl's house and we spent the night! I loved Nicol and Angelica... Two of her YL girls! She asked if I was hungry and had one of Nicol's  brother go but some pasta! Turns out it was "blue box Mac and cheese"! It was so good, just my grandmother makes it :) It was the perfect piece of home :)

Today we've been running around hanging out with some of get Young Life girls! Contact work at its finest! Julia is a great translator for me... But I hope I pick up on more Spanish soon!! Tonight a YL girl's mom is hosting a dinner party for us, Julia's campaigners Bible study group, and a few other American friends. We're having been Dominican soup!!

Just a little bit on my first day, I go to Pico Escondido tomorrow night, so hopefully during the day tomorrow we'll see a little bit more of the city! Can't wait to tell more about life here soon!!

Love, Ali

It's Time!!

Tomorrow Morning I leave for my two month adventure to serve with Young Life in the Dominican Republic.  I meet up with my team on Wednesday, but tomorrow I am flying in to stay with a friend in Santiago, DR.  She is an Area Director for Young Life in Santiago and was our host for the week when I went to Pico Escondido last year.  She has graciously agreed to host me for a few days and show me touristy things, as well as let me what contact work with Young Life kids looks like in the DR!  I made sure to pack some great Valentine's Candy for her :)

So many things have come together on this trip.  About a week ago, I reached my fundraising goal!  I am now $10 over what I needed in support! This is such a huge praise to God! It also solidifies how he wants me to be in the DR this spring.  I just knew He wouldn't limit my trip by money, and he has shown how extremely faithful He is when I'm following His will for me!

I'll be honest, I have no idea what to expect over the next seven weeks! I'm so thankful God will allow me to be part of His work in the Dominican Republic, but I'm not quite sure what that will look like.  Right now I would ask for prayers for the work teams that will come on week long trips from the US to help with construction at the camp.  I would also pray just for the Lord to use my willingness to serve how He sees fit.  I know it seems a bit vague, but I will keep updating as I see what my projects are for the spring and how it looks like God will be using me over the next months!

Please also pray for safe travels tomorrow! It's always a bit nerve-wracking to start a new adventure :)

Love,
Ali

My YL team from Rome, GA when we went to Pico Escondido March 2012. They'll be coming back for a week this spring!!

Vida Joven!!