Next Stop Graduation!

I cannot believe that it has been 4 years here at Southern Wesleyan! In some ways it seems that it has taken forever but for the most part it has flown by. In about 2 1/2 weeks I will be walking across the stage and graduating from college! It seems very unreal and part of me does not want these next few weeks to fly by and yet I am excited about what is next on my journey because only God knows what begins after schools ends! I would appreciate any and all prayers during these next few weeks because I have a feeling that they might be emotional toward the end.

God Bless!!

Swaziland-02

Dear God,
Things are definetly not what I had expected here in Swazi. I had all these thoughts about what I would be doing and where I would be staying. None of these expectations have happened so far. I just don't feel that Manzini, Swaziland is where you have called me. I truly know that I am where you want me for this moment but I still don't know what that purpose is yet. Maybe I won't know until years down the road. I really want to get to the Care Centers, maybe I can do something there. By the way it is kind of a let down when I come to Africa and everyone speaks English, unless I start the conversation then I cannot have a converstion in SiSwati. I know that you have a plan and that I am included in that plan but right now I really can't see it. Please continue to work in me and help me to see where you want me to be.

Love,
Lauren

Swaziland-01

Swazi is so beautiful. I can go out on the porch and see mountains and hills for miles all around. It is amazing that God created all the hills just so...they are perfectly arranged to where you can see for miles. The children have stolen my heart...all they have to do is smile and I can just melt. I want to make a difference in these kids lives. Many of them see tough love...I want to just show them love that greats them with open arms and holds them when they are upset or scared. I don't know if any of these kids have AIDS but most of them have probably lost family to it. I want God to break my heart for them! That is my goal for this month...have my heart completely, not partially, broken by God for these people!

Prayer for Swazi-01

Father God,

I want to come to you on behalf of the AIDS orphans in Africa, especially Swaziland. God, many of kids don’t know that they are loved by someone. God, help me to show them your love through my prayers for them and by loving on them. God I pray that even right now you will begin to prepare the hearts of the kids that I will be teaching and working with. Holy Spirit, go ahead of me and soften hearts where they are hardened by pain and disease. Father, begin to soften my heart so that I can see through your eyes and that I will see your likeness in each and every child that I come in contact with while I am there.

In Jesus name I pray:

AMEN!

Wake UP!!!!

This generation has slept in for far too long. God has called us to take His LOVE to everyone that we come in contact with. I know that in my own life that I have spent way too much time taking care of what I want. I do everything I can to fulfill my own desires and doing all I can to satisfy the flesh.
We have been called to so much more than that kind of life. We have been called to leave our comfort zones and to take up our cross and follow Jesus. Jesus didn't spend His time on this earth satisfying Himself. Jesus knew that His time on this earth was precious and limited. Jesus did more in the last three years of His life than most do in their entire 80 to 90 years. We are not promised tomorrow. When will today's Christians begin to grasp the idea that we don't know how long we will live and that each and every moment is precious and could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to show and tell someone about Christ. If Jesus came back tonight would He find his disciples working hard to increase His Kingdom or would He find them living a complacent and monotone lifestyle. We need to WAKE UP!!!
We have to prepare ourselves for battle! Jesus has already won the war but Satan is doing all he can to take as many hostages as he can. If this generation of Christians will wake up and realize that we are going to have to fight our way through this life then we would be so much more prepared for the lies that Satan throws at us and tries to confuse us with.

This is my prayer for this generation: GOD, WAKE US UP!!!!

Post-Guatemala '09

This trip held many surprises; the maestro that we worked with came to Christ on the second day of work. On the last day down at the lake we went up to a village called Poacorral, a village that had only seen white people 3 times, and spent one hour with the people. That night we found out that there had been an invitation to the children to come and talk privately with the pastor if they wanted to know more, and 11 children came to know Christ that day. Don't tell me God can't work through language barriers!!
Our trip to Guatemala is now over, we probably won't see it again until next year. Those who know me know that a very large portion of my heart belongs to the people of Guatemala, especially the children. It's hard to let go, sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to.

Pre-Guatemala '09

This year for Guatemala has brought many new changes. First of all this is the first time that a group from my church has gone to Guatemala during the summer, second this is the first time that we have had the blessing of one of the team members working for a shipping company. That shipping company is paying for 7 crates each weighing close to 800 pounds to go to Guatamala. Those crates include close to 1000 pairs of shoes, almost 3000 Bibles and many crates filled to the top with VBS supplies or other ministry items. God has blessed this trip in so many ways. He provided the crates and the shipping company, He provided the Bibles and all the other items that were donated by people from the team, people from the church and by people who know the people from the church. This trip is coming together very quickly, on June 6th the Faith Wesleyan Guatemala team of '09 will board the plan for Guatemala and will begin a brand new adventure.