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The year is over...I'm happy.  and processing the year.  I'll write a more detailed update soon...hopefully! :)  I come home in 9 days!  SINGLE DIGITS!

Photos!

Here's a link to some of my favorite photos from this year!   Also I just sent out my June Update Letter.  Let me know if you want a copy!  Leave your email address and I'll put you on my update list!

Awesome DR Photos

Birthday: Part 2

So yes.  Yesterday was awesome.  The day ended with me getting SOAKED by the kids...all of them.  1st-7th graders attacked me with buckets, cups, cones, bottles, anything that could hold water.  It was great.

  So my friend Karyn knows that I love Diet
Coke.  Throughout the day, every 24 minutes to be precise, I received a new soda with a letter on it.  When all the letters were to be had, it spelled out Natalie, Happy Birthday! 24!  (There are 24 sodas, just in case you were wondering!)  Since I only have 19 days left in the DR, I think I'm going to have to share with my roommates! :) :)
I got 2 sleep outfits from my students, some peanut M&M's, and a little Dominican statue/pen holder. Holly gave me 2 canvas paintings that she had painted, and Laura gave me a set of Seasons paintings that she had done.

After school, I went out to dinner with my friends here.  It was fun to spend time with them, talking, eating pizza, cheesecake, and frappucinos.

From left to right:
Karen, Jenny, Tim, Laura, me, Holly, Karyn, Brooke, and Nat

Happy Birthday!

So today is the best day of the year.  In case you didn't know, it was my birthday. I share my birthday with a very special little boy, named Jose Leonel.  He's in 1st grade, so of course I had to snag a picture with him and his ridiculously large hat.  :)

The kids soaked me!  This is an awesome Dominican tradition that I got held down by my kids while one of my students, Christofer, threw a huge bucket of water on me.  It was awesome.

My students threw a surprise party for me.  It was awesome!  They diverted me by getting me soaked then sending me to change.  Unfortunately,  I didn't go home and change.  I just chilled up in the library.  They all brought in snacks and Laura, the 5th grade teacher, made a cake.  I felt so loved.  I feel so blessed to spend time with my students and to be celebrated by them.

Marta, my student Nicole's mom, brought me an amazing lunch today of rice, beans, tostones, green salad, potato salad, grilled chicken, fried chicken, chuleta (the English word is escaping me...maybe pork chop?), yuca balls, and a cupcake.  Karyn and I shared it and I still have tons of leftovers!  Yay for having lunch for the next 2 days...

I had a blessed birthday.  And pray the blessings will continue.  Going out to dinner and dessert tonight with some really awesome people.  Thank you God for the many blessings that you have given me over the past 2 years of being here in the DR!

Names in the Book of Heaven

Today I was blessed with the opportunity to share with my students about the love of Jesus and accepting Him as their Lord and Savior.  It was awesome.  I love that God gave me awesome words to use and to share with my students about how great it is to be loved by someone who is always with you. 
After our talk about things you need to know in your heart before you accept Jesus, many of them prayed with me.  I pray that as they continue to grow older, they will honor this promise to grow in a relationship with Christ, not slipping into a cultural lifestyle of apathy. 

I am so proud of my kids.  I love them a lot. 
Please continue praying for them...

Amazing Girl.

I give You my heart; 

I give You my heart full of sin and regret.
I give You my soul; 

I give You my soul to rejoice in your name.
I give You my love: 

because You deserve it, and so much more.

 

Like those lyrics?  Thought so.  I know this wonderful, beautiful girl who is graduating from our high school this year.  Her desire is to continue to grow in the Lord and attend a Christian university where it will snow.  :)  Tonight, at Young Life, I was privileged to hear her share not only her testimony but a beautiful song she had written about the struggles and joys of following Christ. (yeah, she wrote those lyrics above...)  I love hearing her heart and pray that God continues to direct her steps in a path that will lead her closer and closer to His heart.

Unfortunately, college is expensive.  Especially Christian college.  Please consider financially helping her be able to get the opportunity that right now is just a dream. 

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Hebrews 6:10

God is not unjust; 

he will not forget your work 

and the love you have shown him 

as you have helped his  people 

and continue to help them.

Elections in the DR

Piedad Wins!!!


 Yesterday, Sunday, were the local elections here in the DR.  Needless to say, from an American mindset, these elections looked interesting.  Each candidate’s party has a color.  For example, the red party and the purple party and the white party, etc.  (No the red party is not related t o communism.)  At our school, there are a few political parties represented.  Sharlene’s grandma is running for mayor (the purple party), Ambar’s uncle is running for Deputy (red party), and Jose Leonel’s father is running for mayor as well (blue, yellow, red party).   Although there is no animocity towards each other at school, it is definitely interesting to me how the election system works here in the DR.

Mayoral Candidate, Piedad Quezada de Dominguez, (purple) recently paved a street in one of the barrios to obtain the votes of the poorer people.  Mayoral Candidate and Deputy, Carlos Jose and Rogelio Genao, (red) recently through a huge block party about 4 blocks away from our house.  They brought in a famous Dominican rapper, OMEGA!, and threw money out into the crowds.   There are hugs caravans of purple or red that you can see going throughout the streets on different occasions. Many people don their red (or whatever color of the party they support) shirts, grab a homemade red flag, and honk like it’s their job.  Motorcycles, SUV’s, Daihatsu trucks, 4-wheelers, whatever mode of transportation you can get on, you go!  Ten or fifteen people sticking out of an SUV, 30 people piled in the back of a Daihatsu, 5 people on a motorcycle…I think the goal is to have as many people on as few vehicles. 

I’ve attached some videos because I don’t think words (or even the videos really) can give justice to the craziness of the elections here.  Thankfully they’ve been peaceful thus far, schools here in Jarabacoa do not have school today “just in case” there were riots or negative repercussions from the elections…

Red Party Caravan




Red/Yellow/Blue Party March



Purple Party (Piedad) Caravan, when the President (Leonel) came



Party Color Pride before Elections



Purple Party Motorcycle Caravan