June Newsletter

Dear Prayer Partners,

June was a month full of lasts. We finished out our school year on June 13th. Leading up to the last day of school we had many activities and celebrations with the students. Our students watched the senior chapel during the last week of school and then cheered the seniors on as they did their last walkthrough of Las Palmas before their graduation. This was the largest senior class in the history of our school and our school is continuing to grow. Praise the Lord! We also had class parties and award ceremonies to celebrate the end of the school year with our students. After the school year ended, we had a few days to clean our classrooms and pack up. I was then able to go on a weekend trip to Jarabacoa with some of my missionary friends. This was a great time for me to deepen these friendships and relax after a busy end to the school year. I have been greatly blessed by the community of believers the Lord has surrounded me with in the DR.

Updates

• On June 8th a group that was visiting from the United States helped run a field day at Las Palmas. I volunteered to help with this field day. The students who came played a variety of games including wiffleball, American football, and basketball. I got to participate in some of the games and had fun playing alongside one of my students. After the games, Mark (a missionary in the DR who runs sports ministries) clearly presented the gospel to everyone who came and a few of the people from the visiting group shared their testimonies as well. It was encouraging to hear their testimonies and pray together with all the students.

• On June 11th we had baptisms at IBEM. Three individuals from our church followed the Lord in Baptism that day. One of these individuals was a student who was a senior at Las Palmas this year. It was exciting to see her take this next step in her faith.

Flying Home

On June 27th I was scheduled to fly home. I flew from the DR to the JFK airport. When I landed, I was notified that my flight to Columbus had been cancelled. I discovered that over 1,000 flights into and out of the East Coast were canceled on Tuesday due to severe weather. After talking to a flight agent, I was able to book the next available flight on Thursday evening. This meant I was stranded alone in New York City for two days with nowhere to stay, no transportation, and no working American phone number. With hotels and buses filling up, I was trying to come up with a plan. I reached out to the other teachers at Las Palmas and asked if anyone had connections in New York City. After a few hours, I was told that the wife of one of the Dominican pastors was staying in New York City with her sister’s family. Our school director arranged for them to come pick me up from the airport. When they picked me up, they were very kind. They called me family and assured the school director that they would care for me like their own child. They welcomed me into their home for two days and I was very grateful for them. It made my transition into life in the States a little easier. Culture shock was starting to impact me when I was flying back to the States.

One of the hardest parts of being a missionary for me and others I’ve talked to is returning “home” and having it feel foreign. I’ve heard others describe it as your home country being blue, the country you serve in being yellow, and you being green. You don’t perfectly fit into one place or culture anymore. You carry parts of both with you. And even after only one year I can feel that this is becoming true of me. The family that let me stay with them in New York City were from the Dominican Republic but had been living in New York for years. Because of this their house was a blend of Dominican and American culture. They spoke mostly in Spanish with one another, but the kids spoke mostly in English. They also cooked mainly Dominican food. I thought to myself this was a “green” home. I felt very much at home, even being with a family I had never met before. I am very grateful God blessed me with this time as I was transitioning back into life in the States.

Summer Plans

I will be home in the States until mid-August. I am planning to use this time to rest, work, and spend time with friends and family. I will be raising some additional support for the coming school year.

If you already support me financially, I will be sending an email soon about continued support for the coming school year. If you do not support me financially and would be interested in helping me reach my support level for this coming year, please visit my website for step-by-step directions to give a one-time gift or monthly support. You can find my website here: https://natashadobson633.wixsite.com/onmission/partnership.

I greatly appreciate your support, prayers, and encouragement throughout this school year. The Lord worked in great ways this year! Many students came to Christ through our ministry at the school this year and many others were reached with the Gospel through DR Vision ministries. I have seen the faithfulness, provision, power, and love of God on full display this year. I am excited to see what he will continue to do through these ministries in years to come.

Blessings,

Natasha