April Newsletter

Dear Prayer Partners,

April was a month of ups and downs. Sickness, the increasing heat, and nearing the end of the school year brought some unique challenges in ministry. However, looking back on this month, I am reminded of some of the celebrations and moments of joy that God orchestrated. I am happy to share these moments with you.

Updates

• At the beginning of April, we had a "Celebration of Cultures" event for the Las Palmas staff. Each staff member was encouraged to bring food and items to represent their home country. We got to walk around and try food from different countries and hear about what makes each culture unique. We played games, shared information and prayer requests for each country, worshiped together, and were reminded that despite our differences, we are one in Christ.
  

• On April 7th my church had a special Sunday night service specifically for visitors. I had the opportunity to help lead worship for this service. Our pastor encouraged us to invite unbelievers to come to hear a Gospel message that night. I invited the parents of the student that I have been doing one-on-one discipleship with and I was excited to see them attend the service. During the service the Gospel was clearly presented, and multiple church members shared their testimonies. We had many visitors come, and one visitor accepted Christ as their Savior that night!
  

• On April 30th we had a visiting mission group from the States host an event for the female missionaries that are part of our team. They provided dinner for us, took prayer requests, led us through a makeup lesson, and played a group game with us. It was a blessing to have a night of community with the other missionaries and to be poured into in this way.
  

• I have been continuing to serve weekly at the INVI chapel by leading worship. This chapel is continuing to grow and reach new people in the community. The chapel is connected with the baseball ministry in the area and many players (teenage boys) have been attending the chapels regularly. Three of these players recently trusted Christ as their Savior. I wrote in a previous newsletter that we were praying for someone to work with the children during the chapel services. One of the other missionary families that is part of DR Vision has now committed to meet that need. This means we can start inviting more children from the neighborhood to come each week. I am excited to see how God will use this to help reach more families with the Gospel.

Prayer Requests

• We are nearing the end of the school year, and the students have a lot of energy. Please pray for me to have the strength and energy to finish the year well with my students. Our last day of school will be June 11th.

• I hope to do a few more home visits before the end of the school year. Please pray for open doors for Gospel conversations on these visits and pray that I would be able to communicate clearly in Spanish.

• This summer I am planning to spend a few weeks at home in Ohio, and then travel to Texas to visit my roommate who will be on deputation. During my time in the States, I will be traveling to different churches to share my ministry in the DR and to raise additional support. Please pray that God would open doors for me to share my ministry, and that God would provide for me financially so I can continue serving in the DR.

• I am still waiting for my residency. I had a medical appointment a few months ago that was supposed to be the last step before getting residency. This has been processing for a while now, but it was finally entered into the system as being completed this week. I am now waiting for a final appointment date to get my residency. I am hoping to be able to get residency before going home for the summer so I will not have to pay the exit fee to leave the country. Please continue to pray that this is processed quickly and there are no further delays.

Thank you again for following along with what the Lord is doing here in the DR. I am grateful for your faithful support and prayers.

Blessings,

Natasha