Dominican Republic Trip and Samaritans Purse Shoeboxes

This kids and I recently got back from a Dominican Republic trip. My parents are renting a condo there for the winter and so we got to join them for a week. Such gorgeous beaches and we were also able to spend one afternoon handing out Samaritans Purse shoeboxes… We fill boxes like this every Christmas, so it was really neat to see the other side of the ministry.

Dominican Republic Trip –

Unfortunately, my husband had to work, so it was just the kids and I on this little trip. My parents like to get away from the snow for the winter and have found that beachside condos in the DR are a fraction of the cost of what something similar would be in Florida… plus the Dominican is way warmer than FL this time of year. They use vacation rental by owner for booking if you are interested in checking this out. They also get a great deal renting the same spot for 3 months… one month rental is just a bit more than the weekly rate at the place they are staying! The place they are staying could not have been more gorgeous and their balcony overlooked this pool, which was right next to the beach… WOW!

We spent most of this Dominican Republic trip just relaxing by the beach and pool, looking for shells and spending time with my parents…. Here are some highlight photos of those activities…

We spent most late afternoons combing the beach looking for sea glass… found some treasures!

Have you played Monopoly Deal? It’s a super fun, fast version of Monopoly that the kids can play and we all love.

We were also able to team up with Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child for an afternoon of passing out Shoeboxes. It was so cool for the kids to see the other side of this service project as we pack boxes each Nov… So cool to see them actually getting into the hands of excited kids.

Rose was a little nervous in the room packed with kids, but we got her to give out this box to a little girl before we were finished.

We also took a little side trip to see this gorgeous waterfall. My youngest was the only one who wanted to swim across the pool to the falls… she inspired me, as I never would have gone in the cold water alone! My son and Dad walked around to the back, but we all got wet from the spray. {haha}

Want to see more of our travels? Check out all our trips here.