26 April 2008
I'm an Aunt!
What a blessing, this morning early (at 1:18 eastern) my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl I just got the call from my parents and I was so excited I had to tell someone. May the Lord bless them as they get to know this awesome gift of life - Ella. I will post some fotos when they send me some....and it just a few weeks I will get to see her myself.
WOW - how awesome...I am so excited for them.
WOW - how awesome...I am so excited for them.
13 April 2008
Back from Bolivia......
This last week I spent about 5 days in Cochabamba, Bolivia (attending the FH Latin American Regional Conference). It was great to see a bit of Bolivia if even for just a short while (most of the time I spent in a cold conference room). Bolivia is a beautiful country I will definitely want to visit again. It was a blessing to have a change of pace, and take in some fresh mountain air. Actually even the conference time was a blessing - giving us a chance to hear and discuss how FH as an organization is supposed to carry out the vision the lord has given us:
God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended world wide.
This vision is clearly a tall order. It often seems in our work that we are constantly running up hill towards this vision, a vision for which we know we must count on the Lord (and not our own strenght and ability) to carry out. During the conference, through our devotions, as well as various presentations about finances, project planning, reporting, policies, procedures, and other such "administrative" topics - it became clear that it is the Lord who works through these things to bring about transformation and development in the famlies, churches, leaders and communities we work with. As we offer up our various jobs to the glory of God, in service of those most in need, God also works in us to transform our lives that we might be agents of His transformation in the lives of others. Yes we do our jobs, but is the Lord that uses that work to make lasting change (and we are not in charge of that part).
That message is something that I think I have really needed to hear. In the last few months I have been so busy with my work managing and/ or coordination the various rehabilitation and reconstruction projects FH is carrying out in Chincha, an earthquake affected area; it has been overwhelming at times....most of the time really. I have come to know the people in the communities we are serving and I see there is so much need - and not only need for homes to be rebuilt, but a need for transformation, and I often faced with the reality that I am not in control of whether or not these needs (physical - like new homes, or spiritual). Trying to meet the needs of the families we are working with has been a heavy burden I have spent many months trying to carry - frustrating as well, knowing that I am not able to meet all of those needs.
But this last week I have been reminded that I am not the one who is in control or in charge and that is a good thing. The Lord is in charge and in control of every step of the work we do including the work He has allowed us to do in Chincha. While I might play a role in the process of transformation of these communities and families, it is the Lord who does the work of transformation, and He is completely faithful to complete the good work He has begun in my life and in the lives of the families He allows me to serve.
Tomorrow we are beginning our reconstruction training project in reinforced adobe. My prayer is that the training would go well, that people would learn a cost effective alternative to rebuilding their homes in a safe way. I pray for the communities, for the families involved in the project that they are able to use this training to rebuild, and I pray for the government officials of Peru that they would put in line the right systems so that families can access the necessary building materials they need to utilize the teaching they are receiving. But over all of this I pray that the Lord would be gracious with me and with the other FH staff - that He would continue to use us to be agents of transformation, that families would not only have new homes built, but that their lives and the life of there community would be open to he transforming power of God. I recognize that these things are not in my control to carry out - that they are in the hands of the Lord, who is faithful to carry out our best.
And so I put these things in the hands of the Lord and ask that this too would be your prayer for me, for the work of FH here in Peru and for the communities we are serving in Chincha.
Dios les bendiga,
Lauren
God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended world wide.
This vision is clearly a tall order. It often seems in our work that we are constantly running up hill towards this vision, a vision for which we know we must count on the Lord (and not our own strenght and ability) to carry out. During the conference, through our devotions, as well as various presentations about finances, project planning, reporting, policies, procedures, and other such "administrative" topics - it became clear that it is the Lord who works through these things to bring about transformation and development in the famlies, churches, leaders and communities we work with. As we offer up our various jobs to the glory of God, in service of those most in need, God also works in us to transform our lives that we might be agents of His transformation in the lives of others. Yes we do our jobs, but is the Lord that uses that work to make lasting change (and we are not in charge of that part).
That message is something that I think I have really needed to hear. In the last few months I have been so busy with my work managing and/ or coordination the various rehabilitation and reconstruction projects FH is carrying out in Chincha, an earthquake affected area; it has been overwhelming at times....most of the time really. I have come to know the people in the communities we are serving and I see there is so much need - and not only need for homes to be rebuilt, but a need for transformation, and I often faced with the reality that I am not in control of whether or not these needs (physical - like new homes, or spiritual). Trying to meet the needs of the families we are working with has been a heavy burden I have spent many months trying to carry - frustrating as well, knowing that I am not able to meet all of those needs.
But this last week I have been reminded that I am not the one who is in control or in charge and that is a good thing. The Lord is in charge and in control of every step of the work we do including the work He has allowed us to do in Chincha. While I might play a role in the process of transformation of these communities and families, it is the Lord who does the work of transformation, and He is completely faithful to complete the good work He has begun in my life and in the lives of the families He allows me to serve.
Tomorrow we are beginning our reconstruction training project in reinforced adobe. My prayer is that the training would go well, that people would learn a cost effective alternative to rebuilding their homes in a safe way. I pray for the communities, for the families involved in the project that they are able to use this training to rebuild, and I pray for the government officials of Peru that they would put in line the right systems so that families can access the necessary building materials they need to utilize the teaching they are receiving. But over all of this I pray that the Lord would be gracious with me and with the other FH staff - that He would continue to use us to be agents of transformation, that families would not only have new homes built, but that their lives and the life of there community would be open to he transforming power of God. I recognize that these things are not in my control to carry out - that they are in the hands of the Lord, who is faithful to carry out our best.
And so I put these things in the hands of the Lord and ask that this too would be your prayer for me, for the work of FH here in Peru and for the communities we are serving in Chincha.
Dios les bendiga,
Lauren
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