Every fall, with the exception of 2020, a Thrive in Joy mission team has served in the Dominican Republic (DR). Including our past spring and summer trips, fall 2026 marked our 25th DR mission trip. Although our team was a bit smaller than usual, each person was drawn back by earlier experiences serving with us and our numbers didn’t deter our impact. It was a joy for Jay and Mary to be joined by Anne Butfiloski (who hasn’t missed a fall trip since our first one in 2014), Carlos DeMarchena (Jay’s friend from college who was born in the DR and has lots of family in Santo Domingo), and Thrive in Joy Board Member and Director of Dominican Republic Programming, Josue Najera (who was a good friend of Nick’s since they met playing baseball together in Little League). Here’s how our trip unfolded:
Santo Domingo: Dedicating the Remar Orphanage Playground
Our first stop after landing in Santo Domingo was the Remar Orphanage for the dedication of a brand new playground structure that had just been installed, thanks to the generosity of the American Endowment Foundation supported by Brian and Jennifer Jones, Mary Fagnano's cousins, who had joined Mary and Jay on a fall trip two years ago.
The playground was built by twin brothers Abel and Isaac who are Casa Misionera students. They launched a ministry called Project Playground through which they use their architecture and engineering education to build playgrounds and share their faith with the children who benefit from the joy the playground provides. We were thrilled to officially dedicate the structure, and even happier to watch the Remar youth light up as they climbed, slid, and played.
A Surprise Farm Visit and Lessons in Entrepreneurship
On day two, we experienced something new: a visit to a farm that Remar took over about four months ago. The farm gives youth hands-on exposure to agriculture while producing revenue and food for Remar's youth programs in the DR and Haiti.
One of our key goals this fall was exploring ways to build job skills and economic sustainability, and Remar is already leading the way. At the orphanage, the youth are learning the four Ps of marketing (price, product, promotion, and placement) by developing a signature cookie with consistent flavor, size, and appearance. We think they have a winner, especially dunked in a cup of rich Dominican coffee! They are also doing research and development on special bracelets, for which we placed an order for some customized for Thrive in Joy. Stay tuned–we’ll be sharing what they look like in our next newsletter!
It is inspiring to watch these opportunities take shape under the dedication and passion of Remar's Directors, the husband and wife team of Yenny and Paco.
Pen Pal Friends, Food, and Faith
On Friday, we delivered letters written by St. Brendan School students in Los Angeles to the students of Tia Tatiana School in Santo Domingo. The Tia Tatiana students were so excited to receive them! After spending time in each classroom, we headed to a church in Herrera, where we packed bags of food and provisions and delivered them to families in need.
One of the most powerful parts of this activity is being alongside the Casa Misionera students as they pray with the families. We are humbled to be part of a mission that brings not only food, but hope and love.
Sharing Nick's Story Through Character Strengths
Saturday was a milestone. DR mission trips are always so full that we’ve yet had the time to share Thrive in Joy's three-part C11 strength of character workshop series with the whole group of Casa Misionera students. On this trip, it finally happened!
The students embraced their character strengths discovered through the Values in Action character strength survey they each completed. By identifying the people who inspire them, they reflected on how they are an inspiration for others. To make it tangible, they each created their own gratitude jar. Students read Nick's letter to himself which we translated into Spanish, and then each student wrote a letter of their own. Woven throughout was Nick's story: who he was, and how his life on earth began the inspiration that he continues today from heaven.
We are so grateful to Nelson, Founder and Director of Casa Misionera, for the impact he and the Casa Misionera students have had on our lives. Saying goodbye to everyone in Santo Domingo was hard, but we were happy that some of them joined us for our next stop in Nagua.
Nagua: A Full Circle Moment
Two years ago, we saw kids playing baseball in an open field in Nagua. This time, we returned to find an incredible batting facility next to the field, built by Nagua native and former Padres MLB player, Webster Rivas. We shared with the youth and their coaches how Thrive in Joy began in Nick's memory, inspired by the baseball equipment drive he organized at 13 years old for youth in the Dominican Republic. Now, 25 trips later, we were finally able to repeat that very same effort.
We gathered with more than 50 young baseball players and presented three duffle bags of baseball gear donated by Los Angeles youth teams- Wilshire Warriors and BATRS. It was a full circle moment for Thrive in Joy. We served hot dogs and chips and encouraged the players to keep practicing while keeping school and family first. They told us the field will be the next area of renovation and we can't wait to come back and keep supporting these young players and their passion for the game.
Earlier that day, we heard the beautiful singing of Casa Misionera students and our trip coordinator, Crisbel, at Pastor Elisandro's church, where we always feel so welcome. We then visited five homes of families in great need providing them with food provisions, prayer, and encouragement. We ended the day at our favorite Nagua seafood spot and, of course, made our mandatory stop at Helados Bon for ice cream!
Our Last Night: Gratitude
Our final night in the DR is always special. We take time to reflect on the blessings of the trip and thank God for all we were able to accomplish as a team. It is also a time to remember the 20 years of joy we had with Nick, who inspires our work.
Without Nick's heart for service, we would never have made that first trip to the DR, nor would we have the reach and impact of our LA-based character strength and entrepreneurial social impact programs in our partner high schools. We are so thankful for Nick's life and for every member of the Thrive in Joy community, from Casa Misionera to all our students, school partners, community partners, donors, board members, and volunteers.