February Newsletter

Dear Prayer Partners,

February is always a month full of celebrations here in the DR. Between baptisms, the 100th day of school, Valentines Day (known as the day of love and friendship here), and Independence Day we've had a lot to celebrate and thank the Lord for this month!

Updates

• On February 16th we had 9 individuals follow the Lord in baptism at IBEM. Among them were some Las Palmas students, women who work at Mercy workshop, and a girl who is a missionary kid of one of the families that I have become close friends with here. It is always such a blessing to hear each of their stories and see how God worked in his sovereignty to bring each of them to a saving faith in Him.

  

  

  
  
  

• We celebrated the 100th day of school on February 17th. This is always a special day as we get to reflect on the first 100 days of school and how much the students have learned and grown since day 1. We dressed up as 100 year olds and did some fun activities throughout the day, but my favorite part was our class devotional time. In our devotional that morning I talked with my students about what it means for God to be faithful. I had students share how God has been faithful and good to them this school year. We prayed and thanked God for these blessings and sang "La Bondad de Dios" (The Goodness of God) together as a class. I love that I get to share moments like this with my class and worship together with them.

  

  

  
  
  

• February 27th was Independence Day for the Dominican Republic! On the 26th the students got to dress up in traditional Dominican attire and we had a special celebration for the elementary school. Many of the students participated in presenting the flag or reciting speeches for this program and the parents were invited to come and watch. At the end of the program our campus pastor shared with all in attendance about the blessing it is to celebrate our country and, more than that, to celebrate our citizenship in heaven. It is a blessing to be able to serve here in the Dominican and it is a great blessing to serve at a school that seeks out opportunities to share the Gospel with both students and their families to make an impact for eternity.

• On February 27th we had a vocal workshop for our IBEM praise team. A family friend of one of the missionaries here is a vocal instructor and offered to come visit the D.R. and do a training with our praise team. She gave us some insight into proper posture and technique for singing as well as how to care for our voices to keep them healthy for years to come. She encouraged us to continue using our talents for the Lord and helped us practice singing together as a team. It was a blessing to have her work with our team.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for my dad and the team from Faith Baptist Church that is visiting on a mission trip at the end of this month. This will be the first team I have hosted here, and I am excited to share my ministry with them and see how God will use their team during their time here. They will be here March 25-April 1. Please pray for safe travels and a successful trip.

• Pray for our upcoming Easter program. We are continuing to work with our praise team to prepare songs and a drama for this program. Pray that God uses this program to open eyes and reach the hearts of those who attend.

• Continue praying for our Sunday night chapel services. We are having another block party on March 9th and are continuing to pray for growth and new connections with the members of this community.

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and prayers!

Blessings,

Natasha