Oh how faithful is our God

Hello from the beautiful Boulder Flatiron Mountains!! 

By God's grace and provision I am here! Thank you again for investing in the work of justice. It is thrilling to actually be here in Boulder and start working with Freedom 58! 

It is surreal to think that just 3 months ago I was living in Dallas, about to relocate for work, and now am living in Boulder, CO working to mobilize the work of justice across the globe. The Lord sure does have a way of working. He does what he wants when he wants. Not in an aggressive way necessarily, but he moves when he is ready to move and will move with or without us. We never know the activity of the Lord. One day you are sitting in your cubicle then 2 weeks later you have handed in your 2 weeks notice and have to raise what seems like an enormous amount of money in 2 months so you can begin a new job in a different time zone. Again I say, we never know the activity of the Lord. 

No matter how many times I say this, it still amazes me. I like to think I am not the easiest to surprise. I like to think I am right there with the Lord, following his train of thought and plan but he sure does know how to surprise me. I am so glad too! I need the adventure and his leadership in my life. I need the reminders that his plan is not always my plan and that he is capable of way more than I could ever ask or imagine. 

Looking back over the last 5 years of my life God has surprised me A LOT. I love it. My pride needs it. Undoubtedly, this summer I began learning more of God's character. I will continually be reminded that I can try to plan but it will just not always go as planned. I can pray for God to act within my plan. I can have faith that he can and will act as prayed; but, that is just not the way it always works. All I have planned and prayed for may be good and necessary but that isn't a pass go and it is going to happen now. 

Wouldn't you know that I left Texas, began the 20 hour trek to Colorado, without a place to live, and 2 hours outside of Denver, my roommate called and said we had a house? All summer we scoured the internet looking for and contacting various housing options. All summer we prayed the Lord would provide this good necessity. But wouldn't you know it was upon crossing the Colorado state line that we finally got something. 

God is constantly working. I know he answers prayers. I know he is faithful. The question has become, "Am I faithful?" 

Am I going to continue to be faithful to trust the Almighty? Am I going to be faithful to persevere and run the good race? Even when God is taking longer than I planned, even when the season is longer than what my definition of a season would be, am I going to be faithful to cling to the Great I Am and let him lead? Am I going to be faithful to keep in his word and prayer? 

I except God to be faithful. Our Father deserves the same faithfulness. Praise be to Jesus, literally, that our Father extends grace upon grace for our own lack of zeal and moments where we lack the same faithfulness.

It is a beautiful thing to be molded by the hands of the Creator. As I work to mobilize people's hearts for justice this year, I pray for God's faithfulness and that I would respond with the same. Oh how faithful is our God. 

Join me in praying. 

 - Opportunities to speak at CRU winter conferences across the country

 - Connections with students on campus who have a heart for justice

 - Praises for our beautiful office space and the church who is letting us office there (below)

 - Praises for you being on my ministry team! I am so so thrilled to share in this justice        journey with you

Philippines 3:14, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12: 1-2

Press on. 

Run the race.

Fight the good fight. 

We run for eternal life with Jesus. We run to be made righteous in the eyes of the Lord, as the Lord is righteous so we an bask in his presences and worship at his feet.

Jesus endured earth, the cross, because he saw the joy that awaited him as he sat at the right hand of God. He thought it all worth it. He ran the race. He ran hard.

fix my eyes on Jesus! 

I don't have to make it complicated or more than it is. Jesus asks me to follow Him. He asks me to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.

Am I doing those things? Not am I in the right career, am I to be living here versus there or am I studying the right major. Am I acting justly, loving mercifully and walking humbly with God? I think the with is important. It's not am I doing those things on my own. It says act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. I don't run the race on my own. I fix my eyes on Jesus and run with him. I try all the time to run the race alone. It's running the race in community and with the Lord that is important. (and hard for me)

Thank you Father for your eyes that are always upon us. Jesus you have provided a way. You fill a void that none other can fill. We don't have to just have faith that you exist. We can experience a true, forever relationship with the God of the universe. Thank you. Thank you Jesus for making a way.

I love you Lord. 

Everlasting Joy and Purpose

Philippines 2:17-18, 4:4   I Thessalonians 3:7-13

Lord God your word is alive.

There are so many questions I should ask myself as I read and study the living word.

Yet it is so easy to take it only at face value.

Pull me deeper into the word Spirit.

Help me to ask good questions to myself and to others.

Father thank you for seeing Christ when you see me. I truly am so far from holy without Christ. I don't like to think about it or admit it but it is so true. Thank you for not expecting perfection from me. Or rather for expecting it but realizing I can't achieve perfection. 

Thank you for making a way for me - for all of us! 

Jesus thank you for fulfilling God's plan to reconcile God's people for his glorious name's sake. 

Jesus I wouldn't have wanted to leave heaven. To leave the creator and Father of all, to be here on earth with us nasty sinners. We think this place is beautiful because we know nothing else. Heaven has nothing on Earth. 

Your creativity, thoroughness and precision astounds me Lord. You are so wise in all you do. You are the greatest planner of all time. You never cease to amaze me with what you have planned for me. 

Lord I want so badly to please you, to do everything perfect down to a T. I so easily let myself get engulfed in the minute details and am paralyzed to make a move out of fear it's not in line with your plan. 

The glorious thing I am reminded of by the Spirit is that you work with me and the decisions I make. You impart wisdom. Furthermore, you don't see me anyways!  You see Christ! 

Jesus this is so hard to fathom! But thank you thank you for following through with God's redemptive plan, dying for us so we could be seen as holy, when you so easily could have said no. 

Holy Spirit may my heart never become cold to what Christ did for us.

May Jesus' death never become old news.

May it always bring life to my soul, to my day and excite me to no end! 

Spirit continue to transform my mind and knowledge of the Gospel so it would sink down deep within me. 

Paul, in Philippines and 1 Thessalonians, lives in the daily excitement and recognition of Christ. l In 1 Thessalonians, Timothy and Paul give a wonderful example of how we can pray for those we are grooming in the faith. Furthermore, they show us that we truly live when we are leading others to Christ and the glory of God! Seeing others grow in their faith supplies Paul and Timothy with all the joy and reason to continue being persecuted and in prisoned for the faith. Nothing brought Timothy or Paul greater joy and purpose in life than seeing others transformed by the powerful death of Christ. How encouraging is that! That is what they lived for! When I look back at my college years, leading girls on campus, whether through bible study, being an RA, one-on-one discipleship, being intentional in conversation and creating community or just being someone they could walk through life with, was the most rewarding and life giving way to spend my four years. I loved it! 

I loved pouring into them and seeing them grow. Lord thank you for the opportunity to watch a group of girls enter college and grow for the last three years. My heart comes alive seeing them standing stronger and in worship of the Lord. That is what I live for. It has been the greatest source of purpose and joy. I had no idea this is what the Lord offers us. But is it not amazing what He does when we follow him? 

Lord no matter where I go, what I do, I pray I would never stop leading others to you through Christ. Provide ways, opportunities, courage, patience, prayer and people Spirit. 

Spirit help me to communicate this to those around me and mobilize them to invest in the lives of others. Speak to the hearts of the thousands of Christians who are satisfied with knowing you and only living for themselves. 

I pray for revival Spirit. 

Awaken out hearts. 

Show us the glory of the Lord. 

In Jesus name, 

Amen

back to blogging

Well I am back. It hit today during my time with the Lord that I love to write and share what I am learning with the Lord. So I am getting back to blogging. Why only blog when I am out of the country or doing some type of mission work? Everyday should be lived on mission. The Lord is constantly teaching me things whether I am sitting in international microeconomics, talking with friends or hearing a talk at Cru. I want to share those things. I want to encourage others that there is something greater worth living worth and it is worth chasing after. When I sit down in the Word I journal the passages of scripture I am reading with my reflections and prayers. a little plug - if you don't journal I would highly recommend it!

The blogs I will be posting will come directly from my prayer journal. I pray they encourage you and bring you into a deeper intimacy with our creator and Father.

Recently I have been going through Philippians. Today's post comes from Philippians 2:14-15, Matthew 5:14-16 and Ephesians 5:8-14.

Lord we are to be light in the darkness; a city on a hill. You have exposed me to the light and now I see. You have given us the ministry of reconciliation which means leading others into the light, exposing the darkness that covers their eyes. You have given me so many tools through Cru and life here in Arkansas and abroad to be a light shining for you but I haven't been taking full advantage of those tools. We, your children, shine like starts in the universe! I am feeling a little dull Lord. I want to shine brightly Father!

Paul reminds us in Ephesians to expose the fruitless deeds of the darkness. For me, that means speaking up more. I am quiet. Quietness can easily be taken as approval for those living in darkness. It's not that I should start being overly boisterous, condemning people or being rude in calling them out. There is a Christ loving way to do that. Me not saying anything does not show them love either. Holy Spirit awake the truths, convictions and emotions within me that reflect the Lord and His light. God you created us with emotions because  we are created in your image and you have emotions. Your heart aches for the lost. I pray Holy Spirit my heart wouldn't turn cold to the injustices, darkness and lust of this world. Set a fire within me all of my days Holy Spirit that would cause me to act, to expose the darkness in this world!

I pray I wouldn't sit back idol, tolerating or accepting the deeds of the lost but instead point them to Christ. I pray for boldness Spirit. Boldness to speak, to answer and talk about you when someone asks how I am, what I have been up to or says something I don't agree with. Spirit I pray I would do this all in an attitude reflective of Christ. I pray you would lead me through the conversation, giving me the worlds but more than anything the courage to speak, to act to expose the darkness. "We want something that is different, we have to do something that is different." - Christine Caine

Just like David with Goliath. David didn't wait for you to say "go kill Goliath and do it with 5 stones." No. David saw how Goliath and the other Philistines were acting and speaking out against you. David was stirred to move. He saw darkness and acted to expose it. He didn't wait for any green light. He acted, stepping out in faith,  knowing you would be with him. That is what I want Lord.
To move. To act.
Not to wait for signs and arrows. 
To see injustice. 
To see darkness and act on it. 
Spirit I am a new creation in Christ, with you living within me. May I walk in the light and power of the cross, the new creation I am and lead people to the light. In Christ's name,

Amen

Well folks I am not even sure what to write. In 2 weeks I will be home in Richmond, Texas welcomed by the heat and humidity, quite the contrast to the winter that has already begun here. I have already broke out the pea coat yall! I should also add that as I write this I am listening to my HOGS playing baseball at the super regional finals as they make their way to Omaha! We have a special saying for this - OmaHOGS!!! wooo pig! I have to say it is kinda weird listening this... it has been so long. I decided this is good practice to start readjusting haha.

I really can't believe I am really leaving. It is finally my time. After seeing countless students come and go through their respective study abroad times it is actually time for the 10 monther, aka me, to go home too. I don't feel like I am leaving yet but I have also been focused on finishing school and taking advantages of  my last moments here. Today I am happy to report that I finished one of my classes! Wahoo! By this time next week I figure I will be running all over the city to see friends, do last minute errands and visit the last places on my list. So I thought it would be appropriate to call this my last argentine blog. The truth is I can't sum up my experience in a few sentences. I don't even think I could do that in one blog. There has been so many wonderful experiences, memories, friendships, lessons, opportunities, and adventures. I loved my time here. It is still hard for me to believe that I even had this opportunity and am actually here! Sometime in middle school I learned of my Aunt Sara's study abroad to germany in college. I have always looked up to her and needless to say when I heard she went abroad I wanted to do the same thing. From middle school onward I awaited the day I too would be soaking up the rich culture of a latin country, learning one of the romantic languages and taking new adventures. And the time has come and gone! I am here! I am here in Argentina preparing myself to end a dream that started a long time ago.
Cosas de locos pero cuan grande es nuestro Señor no!?
I am a huge believer in that our true desires and passions come from the Lord. When we chose to fall him and put his will first he dosen't forget about those passions. He was the one who put them there. He knows where we can best serve him and he will lead us down paths of righteousness where he sees to it that those dreams are fulfilled. My desire was not originally to do missions while studying abroad. My dream was not even to study abroad for a year! The Lord did that. He started off small back in middle school with the desire to just go abroad and learn spanish. Then somewhere in high school he put Argentina on my heart. After entering college and having a personal encounter with the Lord, my relationship with the Lord went down a whole new path. Then it was him who spoke saying, "Lauren go Argentina for a year but you are not just going to study abroad. I have something else for you."

It is absolutely spectacular to look back and see and how the Lord has brought me to Libertador 6255, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is always moving. Always working. Yes, it is sad to be leaving; to know that my this time I have been dreaming of forever has actually come and gone. But equally it does not mean that this is the end. In turn it is still just the beginning. With the Lord it is never the end. Who knows where He will bring me next. What I do know is that I will continue to follow him and He will get me there.

I am excited to be coming home. I am excited to see all of you! I am excited to spend time with my family for a bit before heading back off to Hog heaven. I am excited to share this year with you all in much more detail!! The Lord has been so faithful and totally deserves all the glory. I so have appreciated all the support you all have given not only this year but in years past as well. I pray you have been equally blessed through your giving and have grown in your walk with the Lord. As for a few more announcements, in regards to ministry here, when I first got here I wrote that the Agriculture campus where I would be serving was lacking a girl's movement. I am happy to announce that throughout this semester the Lord has greatly developed the girl's movement on AG! We have seen 4 girls come to know the Lord! The movement as a whole has also continued to grow and has taken some huge steps of faith. The Lord has definitely be at work. It has been so wonderful to see how the body of believers works together all over the globe. Thanks for being a part of that! Praise be to the Father!

Well my flight leaves June 24 at 9:30 pm and I roll up into Houston bright and early the next morning. We are talking 6:30ish am people. I am so glad my family loves me :) I would love to catch up with you all and tell you more about Argentina and the year the Lord gave me! Don't hesitate to ask! :D

Until the 25th, Howdy Texas y chau a Argentina.

ps. just in case you were wondering OMAHOGS! We are going to the college world series!

This past weekend was not only Memorial Day but also marked my last month here in Argentina. What?! 

Where did the time go? I remember at different points thinking, "I just wish it was May already so I would be going home soon." And now here we are practically in June. My grandpa has this saying that just like a toilet paper roll, the time goes faster and faster as you reach the end. Well I know I am no where near the end, shoot I just turned 21, but I can definitely see the truth in this. Every year, the older I get, the faster the time seems to go. 

After being here this long, I have been around to experience political, economic, and social changes. When I arrived in September empanadas, the staple argentine go-to food, was 5 pesos and if you were lucky 4. Now the are more than 6 or 7 pesos! Inflation is not cool. Currently the inflation and exchange rate of the peso to the dollar isn't even accurate. The dollar is super important to argentine life. All big purchases, technology, homes, rent, etc are paid in dollars. Starting around January, President Christina implemented strong economic protectionist policies. Strengthening over the months, the argentines currently find themselves in an unstable environment politically, economically, and socially. What started out as a restriction on the amount of dollars one could obtain has now turned into an all out dollar blockade. Details on the matter are quite extensive so I will skip to the point. 

We, as american citizens, are beyond blessed. Yes our country has issues, politically, economically, socially and all the rest. I know. So many citizens of other countries look to the US and practically idolize it. I will be honest, this irritates the heck out of me. In my experience here, some many argentines seem to think that nothing bad could happen in the "good ol' US of A". When we both know that is far from the truth. But the more I thought about it and really tried to put myself in their shoes, in my cases the Argentine's, we are better off. No our country isn't perfect and we have our own mound of problems; but when I think about permanently living here in Argentina, where the government could take your money from the bank at any point (happened twice to the woman I live with), not allow you to withdraw foreign currency (even when you are abroad because that much control exists) or where the police are bribed and the government functions on a whole other level of corruption that we as US citizens do not know, I have to realize american citizens are blessed. 

One night as I was walking back to my apartment, the Lord really opened my eyes to see that no matter how much it irritates me to hear people's idolized thoughts of America, the truth remains that if I were them I might be idolizing it too. It is not to negate our country's problems. In fact it is just the opposite. The United States of America is still the land of the free. A place where I can walk the street without fear. A country where our criminal justice system is trustworthy and our elected officials have laws and rules that they abide by. I know there are exceptions. In the middle of my walk home, I realized I want it to stay that way and I started to pray. Over the years I have heard that we should pray for our government officials and our country. However, the number of times I actually did that would probably fill one hand. I didn't see the importance. 

The Lord is the most powerful of all the universe. He can do anything. He loves, better yet longs to hear our prayers. Our government is no less important to him. I can't control people and their actions. I can't change our government. But the Lord can. 

Praise the Lord for the blessing it is to live in the US. It is a huge blessing that I all too often take for granted. But don't just stop there. 

Pray with a sincere heart for our government. It is never to late for the Lord to work. 

Pray for those currently in office, whether believer or not, that they would truly be for the people and not their own interests. 

Pray that those christian brothers and sisters in office would stand firm for the Lord and make decisions that reflect him. That the Holy Spirit would strengthen them in an environment extremely tempting and challenging. 

Pray that the Spirit would prepare future government leaders and they would obey the Lord's call to dive into the battle that is politics. 

We who are in Christ are all missionaries. We have been called to all ends of the earth to spread the good news we have in Christ. All ends of the earth includes the realm of politics. We have a blessing living in the US and equally an obligation to pray for it to stay or even improve its current state. How beautiful and powerful would it be if we, as a body of believers, lifted up our nation to the Lord.  

Well apparently the Lord wanted to tell me something. Last weekend Vida (cru) had a weekend student retreat in the near by city of La Plata. Our students and staff from Buenos Aires got together with the students and staff in La Plata for a weekend together to grow in the word, prayer, evangelism, and more. The first two days of the retreat I found myself serving in the kitchen the whole time. Even when I wasn't signed up to help cook I was in the kitchen. By the second night, I started asking myself why I wasn't participating more in the workshops and such. I could. The other STINTers were serving but were also participating. But why wasn't I wanting to be in the workshops? The Lord whispered that I should look at fear. For me it is easier to be in the kitchen with other english speaking gringos rather than having to work to engage in spanish conversation. It is easier to do something that doesn't require much thought and be in a safe place where the Lord can't convict me of anything. However, next day I stayed out of the kitchen trying to listen to the Lord.

Apparently it needs to sink in a little more because today he spoke again. I hide behind service. Think about it - how many times do we say "Everything is good just keeping busy." I don't know about you but I get tired of hearing that word. We are all busy. But why do we keep so busy? For me, part of the reason is that it is easier to hide behind doing something rather than facing the problem, having to come to God asking him to walk me through my sin. All this "busyness" keeps us from acknowledging our true thirst for love, friendships, truth and thus thirst for the Lord. I heard this devotional a few weeks ago about Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42.

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feetlistening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” 


Martha is so distracted by her service that she doesn't even take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus. She is missing out on just being with him, spending time together, and learning from him. Although small, there are tons of messages packed in this passage. Hearing this passage was the first time the Lord started signaling my service filled life. The Lord asks us to serve and some people are given gifts of service. However for me, my service was stemming from something else, a heart issue that needed to be addressed. I find myself being a Martha, hiding behind my service, "just keeping busy" so I don't have to actually see where Jesus truly wants me. It is hard to do nothing and just be in the presence of the Lord, listening and enjoying his presence. But I am tired of hiding in the service and being busy because it is easy. I want true freedom. And as backwards as it may seem, true freedom comes in Christ. For me it is a big step of faith to drop the busy service where I am comfortable and sit at the feet of Christ as he directs my path. But the Lord has called and I am taking the step.