Happy Thanksgiving 2014!

This Thanksgiving 2014 will be my 9th Thanksgiving in Peru.  What a blessing these last 9 years have been.  To celebrate here are the top 9 things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:

               #9 - Getting to be part of the ministry of FH to the most vulnerable in Peru 

View from top of a community where FH works in Lim

FH Peru, Lima Staff

               #8 - Having a home near tranquil green spaces in the midst of the hustle and                                bustle of Lima 

Family photo in park near our home

               #7-  Amazing friendships (both in the US and Peru)

               #6 - My family (both in the US and Peru)

               #5 - My ministry supporters

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now 

Philipians 1:3-5

               #4 - My energetic two year old, Caleb

Caleb meeting a vaca (calf) for the first time

               #3 - My sweet baby, Liana

My little lady bug 

               #2 - My amazing, wonderful, loving husband, Cristian

On our wedding day

               #1 - Experiencing God´s love and grace in my life on a daily basis

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Psalm 107:1

May the Lord bless you richly as you remember all that we have to be Thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Lauren, Cristian, Caleb and Liana

Video to Breaking Patterns of Violence Post

In the post I just made something happened to the embeded video, so here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZskrpGMLU

Click and take a moment to hear about Rosa and how her life is being changed by FH Peru violence prevention project.

Breaking Patterns of Violence

A while back I shared with you all that Food for the Hungry/Peru had begun developing a curriculum to train families in parenting skills, communication and conflict resolution in response to the overwhelming need expressed by communities to address issues of violence in homes and in the community.  Click here to read more about the need for violence prevention in Peru.  

A couple years ago, one of my jobs here at FH/Peru was to help revise and edit the violence prevention curriculum that was developed.  Currently my focus has been working with community leaders to help them develop community disaster risk reduction plans, but our violence prevention project has continued - training community volunteer peer counselors who use the parenting skills/ violence prevention curriculum to share important parenting lessons with their neighbors.  Through this program, FH is helping families break patterns of violence.  This video shares about one such mother, Rosa, and how her life, and her family are being transformed by this project.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZskrpGMLU