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Mission Trips
to Samaná,
Dominican Republic

plan your trip
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Testimonials

On my first mission trip to the children’s home, the Lord changed my heart forever. Never before, had I ever experienced a feeling where my heart was breaking, but also filled with so much love at the same time. I can’t put into words what happened on that first trip, but I came home feeling like the most blessed person in the world.. and a burning desire to return to these beautiful people. Every time I return, I see the love of God in these beautiful children and my heart is filled with joy and the goodness of God.

Georgia

I was initially moved to visit the Children's Home as a result of a desire to share with my daughter, Camille, how others live in different countries under difficult circumstances. That quickly morphed into a love of the kids, their smile and the mission itself. It is such a noble endeavor to create hope and provide the tools and skills to enable young people to move forward and thrive. It is an honor and privilege to be associated with that mission.

Ridgely Goldsborough
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Trip Cost

Mission Trips - You can either join us on one of our trips or come on your own with your own group.

5-Day Trips
Includes lodging and all meals
Total Cost is approx. $500 per person
Optional add-on excursion adventures (can run about $100-$200 pp based on selections)

Stay Longer - Internships Available

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Location

Advocates of Love
12460 Crabapple Rd, Ste 202-244
Alpharetta, GA 30004

Mission Trip Sign Up Form
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Advocates of Love Volunteer Policy 2024

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Terms and Agreement - Please read carefully
At Advocates of Love, we strive to promote Christ’s love in action. We are committed to the well-rounded development of the children in our care. Our main goals focus on physical, emotional, educational and spiritual well-being. The expectation of our volunteers is that they promote themselves in a way that reflects in a spirit of unity with Advocates of Love and build upon the four goals of this ministry.

Physical: Here are some examples you might choose; playing a game of basketball or baseball with the children, leading a class in personal hygiene or promoting healthy eating.

Emotional: Some ways to help build up the students would be by playing a board game and encouraging cooperation, using positive reinforcement like, “Hey those are great colors you choose in that picture” , “I like the way you shared your treat” , “Excellent job cleaning up the art supplies!” or giving a side hug.

Educational: Help improve skills by reading a book, teaching English, baking cookies with the students, or another instructional activity.

Spiritual: Build into the student’s life by leading in a praise song time, teaching a Bible lesson, praying before a meal or helping at a VBS program during school break.

Our top priority is making sure these vulnerable children are kept safe as they learn skills. The following guidelines will be enforced going forward. We appreciate your cooperation in the following expectations.

No Phones with children - We ask that you consider leaving your phone in your car if it is too difficult for you to say no. This is for the safety of the children and it is also for your protection.

Respect - We expect that all volunteers show respect to the employees of Advocates of Love; this includes guards,Tias, office staff and American staff. Please, keep your opinions positive towards all workers especially in front of the children. We are fostering an environment of respect with all the students and staff and would like your help in this area.

Supervision - Please make sure you are not alone with a child. This protects the children from inappropriate activity and protects you from being accused of anything.

Time - We expect events to begin on the time planned - please be courteous and communicate if you are running late. The time scheduled will be held for 20 minutes and after that the event will be canceled unless prior arrangements have been made.

Confidentiality - Please do not discuss private or observed behavior with other people as we want to build up those we serve.

Always be in training mode - If you notice a behavior that needs correcting (ie. student not responding to directions, or trash not cleaned up) please encourage the student to follow through with good behavior.

Please & Thank you - We recognize that you might want to give a gift to the students. Please expect a “Thank you”. We are working hard to make sure these kids don’t just expect hand-outs. Let us know if one of the students acted entitled and didn’t say thanks.

Donations and Gifts - If a donation or gift is given, it is given with “no strings attached”. Regardless of the value of the donation, no privileges are to be expected in exchange for the donation. Any donation that would involve any kind of physical change to the facilities needs explicit written permission from the Advocates of Love Board of Directors.

Side Hugs are permitted however no kissing or other forms of inappropriate affection will be tolerated at all. No sitting on laps. Please allow children to show affection on their terms. You should never request a hug from a child.

Privacy - Children’s dorms are private spaces for them, visitors are not allowed in these areas.

Scheduling - If you would like to schedule an event, please contact the Advocates of Love office. A weekly event needs the approval of Rafaelina and a weekend event needs the approval from the weekend team (Michael & Jennifer).

Trips and offsite events - All off site events need to have appropriate supervision based on the size of the group. Our policy insists on at least 2 employees for every group or more if needed.


We appreciate your willingness to serve the children at Advocates of Love. Thank you for your time, talent and financial resources that you give to this ministry. Please know that the above recommendations are to help the students, our staff and to protect you as well. This policy will be reviewed yearly, and changes may occur as we deem necessary.

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Faq’s

You will want to fly into Santo Domingo (the capital of Dominican Republic). The airport code is SDQ. The flight is 2h 20m Nonstop from major Southeast airport hubs, like Miami. Getting around the country is best through private transportation. We can help you arrange transportation to the Advocates of Love campus.

When you bring currency into the country, it can be exchanged into pesos. We recommend waiting and completing a currency exchange when someone from our team is with you to ensure the best rate. We don’t recommend exchanging money at the airport, because you will not get the best rate.

** IMPORTANT** There is an E-ticket that must be filled out before checking into the departure flight from the US. You won’t be able to check-in unless it is filled out.

E-ticket link - https://eticket.migracion.gob.do/

Cuisine is prepared by our kitchen staff and it is a local menu with seasonally fresh proteins and produce – very farm to table in style. We like to give mission trip guests an authentic Dominican culinary experience. It’s not fancy, just fresh and local!. Your group can request meals and exclusions ahead of time – we accommodate what we can, and we ask that you make us aware of any food allergies or sensitivities ahead of time, also. Examples of meal basics include rice and beans, eggs, plantains, and more.

The accommodation for short-term mission trips (5-Day trips) is our Mission Hotel. Here we can offer comfortable housing for 15-20 guests. For longer-term stays and internships, we have an Internship Domicile called Casa Rosa. This home can house up to six (6) interns at one time.

From the time your group arrives to when you depart, you will be with our staff and hired support teams. There is very little, if any, time spent in unknown areas or with people unknown to us. Any independent day excursions your group would like to take are fully vetted, planned and communicated. For example, the transportation team we partner with are very local and are very well known. We know all of the drivers and the owners. This goes for all of the activities we plan. Dominican Republic is a relatively safe country and many on our team feel comfortable traveling in the country alone, with just the accompaniment of our staff. As with any travel through a major city, there are risks. To mitigate risk, we recommend traveling earlier in the day vs at night. Try to select the flights with earliest arrival times to ensure an earlier arrival at the Children’s Home.

The question is what is there not to do?!  Samaná is a tourist paradise. Here are some of our favorite things to do on Mission Trips: 

  • Take a ferry to a beautiful barrier Island for relaxation and exploration
  • Many different boating activities
  • Hiking trips up mountains to witness stunning waterfalls
  • Horseback riding
  • Whale watching (Season is Jan 1 – Mar 31)
  • Spelunking through local caves
  • Explore natural springs
  • Ziplining
  • And so much more

No, when traveling from the USA no vaccines or shots are needed. COVID testing requirements are in pace, but change as the situation does. For the most up to date information, please refer to the US Embassy

No, when traveling from the USA, no Visa is needed.

Recommended packing list can be found here

There are different types of insurance options when traveling abroad. These are not required, but they are recommended. Travel insurance is usually sold with your flight and will protect your airfare cost. International health insurance may be offered by your healthcare provider or you can purchase short-term healthcare through a third party. We do not offer insurance on our Mission Trips.

The first day is usually a full travel day to get to the Advocates of Love campus. The trip really begins at the first meal (either Dinner or breakfast the following morning) when guests have all arrived and we kick off the Mission Trip with prayer and delicious, nourishing food altogether. 


The remainder of the trip depends on the type of Mission Trip you would like to plan and the trip objectives. Here are some examples of past and upcoming trips: 


  • Five (5) families comprised of 20 people on a baseball team will visit in November 2021 to host baseball games and a tournament with the children. In between games, they are planning arts, crafts, and a beach day with the children. 


  • A church group that came to host a Vacation Bible School for our children and also opened the camp to other children in the community. There were 60 children served in total. The group had a structured outline and we worked with them to gather the necessary supplies for all the crafts, activities, games, and Bible stories. The items we didn’t have locally they brought with them. 


We typically find it works best to plan the trip around a central theme. Then, like a party, we have a day or two of festivities, activities and adventures leading up to the special event. Our children are very creative and love art, music, cooking, carpentry, and more. They thoroughly enjoy practicing and rehearsing for a show or event of any kind. 


Many Mission Trip groups enjoy outreach within the community. Our mission trip guests have gone into the community with our children to deliver toys, Bibles, groceries and baked goods to locals who don’t have these items. The children also enjoy delivering food baskets and visiting the elderly, as well as reading the Word and praying with them. The elderly in Samaná are very lonely and express deep gratitude when our children visit with them.  


We look forward to learning how your heart is leading you and your group to serve and then working with you to plan the perfect Mission Trip.