Living Sacrifices

I've been learning a lot about the birds and the bees recently.

Our stray female dog, Duquesa, who has adopted our home as her own, is in heat and has called every male dog within a mile radius to our property.

Duquesa with one of her many friends

For the past week, every hour of every day and every night, the dogs have been barking and fighting over her.  It started out with 2 or 3 dogs loitering on the property and now we're up to 9 or 10.  This is the first time I've actually witnessed this interaction and, though I know it's completely natural, I'm finding myself getting extremely agitated and downright angry with these dogs.

I've taken up my broom as a means of scattering their incessant antics.  I don't think poor Lucas understands fully what's going on... but he sure enjoys making his presence known with growling and barking when he hears the others fighting.

Lucas just wants to play!

Sure, this is all normal and part of nature, yet I have found a deep, churning indignation inside of me of which  I haven't been able to let go.

Just this morning, the Lord revealed to me why.  I don't know why it took me so long to realize it... it's quite obvious.

The young men and women here act no different than dogs in heat.

Honestly.

I mean no harm by these words but I say them, rather, to make a point... we are not dogs. God gave us dominion over animals, not to act like them.

Just this week, I came face-to-face with difficult conversations with the girls in Talita Cum and it has challenged me to refine the direction we are heading.

On Tuesday, I picked up one of my girls, Keila, as I saw her walking along the road to our class in Villa Enmanuel. Little did I know that this was a door God was opening.  She helped me unload the supplies and also pack them up again after class.  As we were headed back to the van, we went over to the director of the school, Evely, to thank her and say goodbye.  It was then that Evely abruptly informed me that Keila, who is 13, has an 18 year-old boyfriend.  Evely asked Keila if she wants to become a mother so soon, saying this not to pass judgement but out of concern for her education and well-being.

Beautiful Keila

I have to admit, the walk back to the van was a little awkward after that conversation, but I'm so grateful that God allowed such a direct confrontation to occur.  I told Keila that I in no way look down upon her, nor does Evely, but we only speak out of love and concern.  Young men see her beauty and don't care that she's just a little girl.  Keila is a beautiful individual with a gentle and quiet spirit, and neither one of us wants to see her get hurt.

On the ride home, God began tugging on my heart to share with her my decision to wait.  I told her how I've never had a boyfriend and how I pray everyday for the man God has chosen to be my husband.  I encouraged her that her life is too precious to be wasted on a boy, especially at her age.  She's too young to be experiencing relations that are meant for marriage.  But I had to give her to Jesus as I dropped her off and just pray that He draws her heart unto Him.

Then Thursday afternoon came... as well as 10 more new girls in Zion's Talita Cum class. With each new girl that entered the room, my instinct was to panic, but God's word quickly came to me from Isaiah 54:2 once more...

"Enlarge the place of your tent, 

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; 

do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes"

We began the lesson with our memory verse from Romans 12:1-2...

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

It is amazing how perfect this verse is for such a time as this.

We then made a list of decisions we face in life in relation to their level of importance.  For example, the choice of what item to buy for a snack at the colmado would be a decision of lesser importance in comparison to the decision to attend university or to whom one will marry.

We were about to move on to a new topic when I felt a tug in my spirit again to bring up one decision no one had mentioned... the decision to have sex before marriage or to wait.

I was explaining how this would be a decision of great importance when one of the girls in the back of the classroom interrupted, arguing that it is a decision of lesser importance.  She went on to imply that sex is no more difficult of a decision than choosing to breathe.  I certainly wasn't expecting such opposition so soon.  All eyes turned to me as the girls were eager to see how I would respond.

Once more this week, I shared with this ever-growing group of young girls my personal decision to wait for marriage.  I told them how old I am and how I view this part of me as a gift from God to be given to one man.  I've wanted to be sensitive to the Lord's timing in sharing this and when I came face-to-face that day with the lie so many believe about their self-worth, I knew God was opening the door.

I've learned that many of the young girls, having no respect for their bodies, get dressed up at night to hang out as men go "a la caza" or "on the hunt," as if women were animals. My friend Judith, a missionary from Mexico, shared with me how she overheard a young man openly and proudly confessing these words, and how when someone corrected him in saying that these girls are not animals, he begged to differ.

Now you tell me... how is that any different than dogs in heat? 

This brings me to answered prayer.

I've shared how, since the moment I stepped foot in Zion Village the beginning of this year, the Lord not only placed empower girls on my heart, but a discipleship program for the boys, as well. I have been praying and praying for this, because I know no lasting change will occur in the lives of these girls as long as they have men chasing after them and continually speaking the lie that women have no value.

I am THRILLED to announce that Judith's husband, Daniel, is leading a sports discipleship program to reach these young men.

Daniel with the boys

Now, more than ever, we need your prayers. Would you join me in praying Matthew 9:37-38?

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

With our numbers growing, Daniel and I can't do this alone.  I'm praying the Lord sends us selfless workers who speak Spanish fluently and who are passionately on fire for God and leading young men and women. There is no doubt in me that God plans to strengthen and expand this ministry in reaching more of His lost and hurting children.  We need discernment and wisdom, and we're boldly asking Jesus for His resurrection power and life-changing miracles.

I cannot thank my readers and supporters enough for your financial and prayerful support of this mission.  I stand firmly by my belief that your prayers are the greatest gift you could ever offer and I'm pleading for more. You are just as important in this mission as any one person here and your prayers for lives to be changed and transformed are working as you read this... Hallelujah!

The dogs won't change their mating habits, they are already living out God's design.  But are we?

I believe God is doing a new work, raising the dead to life, and His people will return to Him as they come to know the love of Jesus.

Hold Nothing Back

Eleven year-old Erica arrived to the girls program Thursday afternoon with her little brother, not knowing what to expect.  I informed her no one came last week to the afternoon program in Zion, but we could go together to invite more girls.  She told me there were tons of girls in lower Zion where she lives, so we set out to find them.

Erica at our first program with her drawing of what she 

wants to be when she grows up, a nurse.

Just as we were leaving, three other girls from the area joined us.  We walked down the hill to lower Zion, and Erica, with a quiet confidence, approached the houses of families she knew had young girls.  I saw two girls down by the street in Enmanuel and asked her, "quieres invitarles?" (do you want to invite them?).  There was no hesitation in her as she followed me down the hill.  Though the girls acted cold and wanted nothing to do with us, I walked away like a proud mother.

We climbed back up the hill with one more girl, now making us a team of six.  We hung a left at the main road towards Villa Botania as we left Zion and a few of the girls began complaining that they'd have to walk longer.

Hanging a left at Upper Zion (Sion Arriba)

They told me they would just wait for us at the entrance of Zion... where the boys just so happened to be playing basketball.  To their surprise, I wasn't born yesterday, so they reluctantly came along and found out it wasn't that bad after all.  Oh the joys of raising tweens...

The boys in their basketball outreach program

There were girls along the way that we invited... some followed and some stayed behind.  I can't help thinking of Jesus' invitation to "leave your nets and follow Me" and how scary that call is for His followers.  There is no doubt in my heart that Jesus was calling girls to come and follow Him that day and He gave courage to those who stepped out into the unknown with us.

You may have thought it strange that I've shared how I was filled with the pride of a mother or that I'm "raising" tweens, but God has carved out a place in my heart and is filling it with a mother's love for these girls.

Now, the Lord revealed Himself to me as my Husband last year through Isaiah 54:4-6 , and as I was sharing this revelation with someone earlier this summer and inviting her to read the passage, she shared with me the NIV title of this chapter... "The Future Glory of Zion."  Ever since then, the Lord has kept me there... and His pull is stronger everyday.

When I first came here, I thought I'd just be teaching a couple classes in Zion... not 5 classes in 3 different villages (just added one more this week). I had my moments of despair and panic, but when the Lord released His Words from Isaiah 54 once more, there was no turning back...

" 'Sing, o barren one, who did not bear; 

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor! 

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,' says the Lord. 

'Enlarge the place of your tent, 

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out, 

do not hold back; lengthen your cords, 

and strengthen your stakes. 

For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left; 

and your offspring will possess nations and will people the desolate cities...'"

Isaiah 54:1-4 

In a season of life where everyone (and their mother) around me seem to be marrying off and having babies, the Lord declares His plans over me.  He has wooed me as His beloved and is now giving me more children than I could ever possibly bear!

The girls in Villa Enmanuel trying out the human-knot

We had 13 new girls Thursday as a result of walking down the hill to lower Zion and up the way to Villa Botania.  Word has broken loose and we had 10 new girls in Villa Enmanuel on Tuesday and 1 new girl in Villa Liberacion on Wednesday... that's 24 new girls this week alone and 72 girls in total... so far.

Praying with the girls in Villa Liberacion 

Talita Cum is bigger than me and it's bigger than any mission organization. Talita Cum are Jesus' Words and He's speaking them into the hearts of His daughters... The part I haven't figured out yet is if He's crazy or extremely trusting as He's given His precious daughters into my hands to discipline and love with the love He's shown me.

Motherhood includes the little ones in Zion, too... I've lost count!

Instead of allowing anxiety and fear engulf me as the numbers rise and the classrooms get tighter, I'm just going to stretch out the curtains of my tent, lengthen my cords, strengthen my stakes in Him, and hold nothing back...

God certainly hasn't held anything back from me.

Talita Cum

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a young girl living in the Dominican Republic.

You awaken with the roosters and start your morning.  At your mother's request, you watch after your younger siblings, wash the dishes and clothes, run to the colmado to retrieve items for lunch, and assist in preparing the mid-day meal.  When it's time for school, you bathe, put on your school uniform, and walk or catch a moto to class.

At school, there is rarely any order and any education you are receiving  is quickly swallowed up by the constant gossip, harassment, and peer pressure of your classmates.  You walk or catch a moto home to begin preparing the evening meal. Day turns into night and you complete your homework in candle light as the electricity is out again.  You turn in for bed (which you share with your siblings) and try to sleep before starting another day.

Like any other girl, you have dreams of becoming something grand and doing something important... just like every other girl, you long to be loved and accepted for who you are.

Yet, the opportunities for young girls here are few.  Sports are not really encouraged and the cost for dance or English classes would come last to feeding the family and paying the power bill.  Girls go to school, help at home, and train for the day they have their own family, which for many, is closer than you'd think.

Every girl is taught to find a man whom will take care of them once they leave their parents' home.  Unfortunately, it is believed that the "sure-fire" way to keep a man is to have his children.  But even then, many of the men refuse to be legally bound in marriage, coming and going as they please.

The area in which we live there is also an understanding that the white man, or gringo, is the answer to all of life's problems.  Not only does this leave people dependent on handouts, but this finds many young girls and women walking the streets of Sosua in search of their own Cinderella story.  Young girls become young single-mothers as they learn to enlist the help of their own daughters in the everyday tasks of life.

And so the cycle repeats.

But Jesus came to break the cycles man made.  He came to bring hope of a better love, a higher calling, and an eternal life.

When we were praying about a name for this girls' program, we bounced a lot of ideas around... Chicas Dinamica (Girl Power), ¡Las Chicas Pueden! (Girls Can!), Chicas Puras y Preparadas (Pure and Ready Girls)... but one name stood out above all names for me.

When Jesus' words to a little girl in Mark 5 were suggested for this program, chills fell upon me and I knew this was it.

How did I know?

Because Jesus spoke the same words to me not very long ago.

As I've mentioned before, the Lord did a real cleansing and healing work in my life before He sent me to the DR, and it was at this time that Jesus extended His hand and told me the same words He spoke to Jairus' daughter...

While [Jesus] was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." And He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.  They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.  And when He had entered, He said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at Him.  But He put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with Him and went in where the child was.  Taking her by the hand He said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.  And He strictly charged them that no one should know of this, and told them to give her something to eat."     Mark 5:35-44

Jesus ministered to the hurt 12 year-old girl in me and invited me to arise for His glory.  THIS is the name God has for these girls.  These precious girls are to no longer lie dead in the sins and patterns of this world but to arise victoriously in Him.

 "Talita cum... Chica, a ti te digo, ¡levántate!"

Jesus is reaching out His hand to every one of the girls in Villa Enmanuel, Villa Liberacion, and Villa Zion and calling them to ARISE...  Levántate... Talita Cum.

As I've shared the program's name with Dominican women and pastors, the reaction has been thrilling... I could see the Holy Spirit do something in each one as they inhaled to proclaim, "¡Santos! ¡Hallelujah!" 

Sharing this name with the girls yielded a different response... "Talita... huh?" But in each group of girls at least one knew the story.  As we read Mark 5 aloud, chills fell upon me again.  God is personally inviting each girl to take His hand and arise for His glory.  

We began each class with an ice-breaker in asking, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  The girls all have aspirations to be and do great things, and they long so dearly for someone to believe in them and love them right here and now.

                                           Abogadas (Lawyers)                                    

                                Una Biologa (Biologist)                                   Enfermeras (Nurses)

 Profesoras (Teachers)

Cantantes (Singers)

Actriz (Actress)

I shared with the girls a little bit of my own hurt at their age (you can read about it HERE), and how Jesus has greater plans than the enemy... They may not know it yet, but every lie ever breathed that they're not good enough or that they have to strive to be loved has already been destroyed.  We've overcome the world through Jesus! (1 John 5:4)

God has placed the strongest burden on my heart to encourage each girl that He has a purpose for them and loves them with the purest love of a Father.  He knows each girl intimately and is calling them by name.  He knows every hair on their heads and every passion in their hearts... unique passions only He can fulfill in His timing for His glory.

And He wants nothing more than the love of His daughters.  In a country so broken and twisted, Jesus is reaching out His hand and inviting these girls to arise and follow Him. (I can't get enough of this!) 

Please be praying for each of the girls, that they all come to know and accept His calling to follow Him and Him alone. 

O Daughters of Zion

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be sharing what I'm about to share with you.

This is something that I used to lie about in college and I was even made to feel ashamed of. Back then, I wanted to fit in, to go out with my friends, and to just be loved by someone...

Yet even before I was intimately walking with the Lord, He placed His hand of protection over me, for He knew the plans He had for me.

I was recently asked if we provide contraceptives or teach about safe-sex because "the teens are going to have sex anyways."

That hit me hard, right in the gut.

I knew I had to share my testimony.  I also knew it would rub some people the wrong way, but I'm not ashamed of the gospel nor of the convictions God has placed on my life.  God has called His children the "light of the world" who are not to be placed under a basket, but on a stand to shine before others so that they may see and give glory to the Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:15-16)

So here it goes...

I'm waiting till marriage.

Yes, you heard right, I'm a 27 year old virgin.

I credit God for my singleness as everything in me knows why He hasn't brought my husband to me yet.  He's placed in me a heart to wait on Him and to minister to young girls and women how He desires them above all things.  He has anointed me and set me aside for such a time as this, and though I long terribly for my husband, I will wait all eternity on Him.

The Lord has brought me to a country where men buy women for a night who are desperate to make enough money to feed their children and where girls as young as 11 and 12 years old are becoming pregnant. I heard that it's even a right of passage for young girls to have sex once they have their first period.  It becomes a competition among the youth of who can lose their virginity first... where did this even come from?

Sure, it would be an easy fix to hand out condoms and encourage kids to practice safe-sex, but it would be better for me to have a great millstone fastened around my neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea than causing one of these little ones who believe in Him to sin (Matthew 18:6).  I know sex out of marriage is not God's perfect plan for them.  I can't fix what is already done, but I can encourage these young girls now to pursue the Lord and wait for the man God has for them.

I can hear Jesus calling to each little girl,

"I adjure you, O daughters of [Zion], by the gazelles or the does of their field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." (Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5)  

Each one is a precious princess of the Most High King, adorned with pearls and given a holy gift that is not to be thrown at the feet of pigs or given to the dogs (Matthew 7:6).

Sweet Christina (9), one of many girls from Zion who will be in the girls program

Right now the community just knows that I'm single and living alone.  That in itself is an oddity.  But next week, the first week of classes, I'm going to share with each group of girls my decision to wait.  I guarantee you there will be stunned disbelief as such a choice is unheard of here.  (Let's face it, I'm older than many of the mothers in Zion, and according to society, I should have a 12 year old child by now.)

  Our first theme for the class?  "Choices."  How appropriate! At the end of the first 6 weeks, the girls will be given the opportunity to choose to accept Jesus as their Savior.  Please join me in praying that God would give me the authority to speak into the girls lives, that He would capture each one of their hearts for His glory, and that their hearts and minds would begin to be transformed and renewed in their Father's love.

I can't wait to share what we're naming the program, but you'll just have to wait for the next blog on that one! You'll feel the Spirit rush chills all over you.

Man's Best Friend... and a dog

Meet Lucas.

Sounds like "Luka."

Sweet, fun-loving, all-over-the-place, Lucas.

I just met him this week, too.  He already doesn't like to be left alone and he just loves biting at my hands and feet, hoping that I'll play.

So, how did I end up with a dog?  Oh, this is a good one...

I was at worship practice on Wednesday afternoon when Jose Luis came in and told me, "You have a surprise waiting for you at your house... well, in the community center."

A surprise for me? At first, I just thought Mike brought more furniture for me to store at my house (it's an on-going joke because my house has the most storage space since I live alone).  To my question of whether it was another couch or a table, Jose replied, "Well... it does have four legs..."

I thought he was joking at first.  Nope.  There was a dog waiting for me in the community center when I came home. He was curled up under stacks of chairs in the dark. I had no idea how big or small he would be or if he was going to be covered in wounds or dirt.  I prepared myself for the worst.

To my surprise, he was precious.  Bringing home a dog was nowhere on my radar when I woke up that morning, and though admittedly I was hoping to find a reason to say "no,"  I couldn't turn this puppy away.

A prayer of Shayna, Luis, and my heart has been that God's Light would be manifested through our lives as we begin ministering this fall.  With that in mind, as well as a powerful word the Lord spoke to me from the book of Luke recently,  I instantly knew his name would be Lucas, which means "Light Bearer."

But really, this story goes back even further.

Mike and Jose Luis were at the prison on Wednesday and saw Lucas (formerly known as "Scooby Dump" and before that "Boca Negra").  He was trying to play with another dog but was clearly alone. They pursued more information and discovered that he and his siblings were thrown out with the trash not too long ago. The other two dogs were adopted respectively by a carrito driver and another woman, but Lucas hadn't found a home yet.  Upon hearing this, Mike put Lucas in the car.

But really, this story goes even further back.

I had been feeling an urgency in my spirit to pray for protection.  At times, being a single woman living alone in a foreign country can be unsettling;  however, God has spoken promise after promise over me since I returned of how He is my Protector, my Guardian, and my shield, and I know to whom I belong.

Last year the Lord engraved Isaiah 54:4-5 in my heart, and once the Lord gives you a promise, you know it's forever...

"Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.  For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called."

Then when I was tempted to fear a month ago with male advances and the community's knowledge of my living situation, God spoke to me again in Genesis 15:1...

"Fear not... I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

He answered my cries through Psalm 12:5...

"I will place [her] in the safety for which [she] longs." 

I know that I know that I know that God is protecting me and I cling to His promise night and day.

Yet still, there had been a heaviness in my spirit to pray for protection. I can't put my finger on it.  It could be spiritual warfare or just an awareness that though I know God's promise is true, I am also called to be vigilant.

I confessed this feeling to Shayna and Luis on Monday during a prayer meeting and we asked God to send angels to encamp around our property and for rest in His promise of protection.

Then Wednesday happened.

Do I think Lucas entering my life was an accident?  Not at all. I think he was sent to me by God to be my guard, to bring a sort of light into the darkness, and to be my friend.

He's just a pup now but he's learning who feeds him, who walks him, who plays with him, and who cares for him.  It wont be long before he's fully grown (only God knows just how big that'll be..) and singling me out as his to defend and protect.

God never ceases to amaze me in how He answers prayers.  It is HE who provides protection and HE who is my protection.  There is no safer place to be than in the center of God's will.

Impossible

Do you ever feel like you live in a world of impossible?

I do... and just when I want to complain about this, I must remind myself of our great I AM and how He manifests His awesome power through such impossibilities.

In the summer of 2011, the Lord planted Mark 9:23 in my heart, "All things are possible for one who believes."  He knew I'd be stepping into a life of the seemingly impossible. And the closer I draw to God's heart and the further I travel with Him, the more difficult life appears to be.

Then I think of Moses.

We know for a fact that Moses saw his God-given mission of delivering the Israelites from Pharoah's rule with discouragement.  Upon hearing God's plan for him, Moses pretty much replied, "But... but... but... That's impossible.  You don't really mean me."

I frequently step into Moses' shoes when I cry out, "Lord, I can't possibly do what You're asking of me!"

However, I've come to believe that God purposely calls those who know they can't do it alone so He can move through them.

This summer, I was offered to teach three other girls' empowerment classes in two villages besides Zion.  These classes of girls have already graduated the first and second levels of the program and need someone to step in as their leader.

"Who, me?"

I'm still asking God that one, even though I know He's saying, "Yes, you."

Confirmation? Two sisters in Zion, Mariel and Mariela, are enrolled in the program in one of the villages.  I've grown particularly close to Mariel as she frequently comes to visit me.  She and two others offered to assist me in going door-to-door in Zion to record the name, age, and house number of every girl interested in the program.  She even walked me down the hill to lower Zion to ask those girls!

She is hungry to learn about God and wants everyone to experience the class that is drawing her closer to Him.  I have already enlisted her help with the first level in Zion.

That is God moving.  

"But, Lord, my Spanish is still weak.  How am I going to translate and communicate everything You want them to know?"

Just as God gave Moses his brother, Aaron, I've learned that my newest neighbor, Rebecca, speaks fluent English and Spanish.  In fact, her husband will be working as a translator for the ministry that began the three empower girls classes.  Oh, and did I mention she expressed interest in helping with this girls' program?

Do you see that? Look how God gloriously and miraculously provides because He knows I can't do it alone!

All things are possible for one who believes.

I'm stepping out in faith obediently and expecting God to do great things.  This doesn't mean that there won't be any resistance from my own personal "pharaohs"... but I certainly pray against any plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, and locusts... Lord knows we already have enough cockroaches and spiders in my house.

This new life will cost me greatly, but I'm ready to see God work miracles in His Son's Name. I'm ready for revival and restoration.  I'm ready to see whole villages transformed in a country rich in evangelism but weak in discipleship.

Many here have heard the gospel their whole lives but have never been discipled or shown what it means to truly live it out.  This is what I feel God has called our Cups of Cold Water team here to do.  To demonstrate by our lives what God has asks of us... To live a blameless life devoted to Him.  Though we are unable to do so alone, through Jesus, we can.

I covet your prayers for the Lord to open my mouth to speak Spanish more fluently and for relationships to grow and flourish between the girls and myself.  I know if God has called me here and began this work, He is faithful to complete it.

Nothing is impossible!

From left to right around the board: Yaeimi, Mariel, Mariela, Eimi, Mayelin

Good to Be Home

If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be living in the rural country-side of a nation where more than a third of the population lives in severe poverty, I might not have believed you.  I probably would have gone into a panic at the thought of it.

But today, I am filled with an overwhelming joy to be right in the middle of it.

My first week back in the Dominican Republic has been more than amazing.  I've been settling into my new home in Ingrid’s Village, just a short walk away from Zion.  I’m slowly making the house my home and know it will truly feel like home in a matter of no time.

My new home!

My Bedroom

My messy bathroom

 My kitchen

 My stove/oven, fridge, and freezer... because the power outage tends to spoil food.

The third day I was here, Mike took me through the village to introduce me as the new missionary to their community.  It has been amazing to see how everyone has already embraced me, eagerly welcoming me to visit in their homes as their guest. The children cried “Gringa! Gringa!” when I first walked in… maybe one day I'll hear “Laurena! Laurena!” and not “White girl! White girl!”

I pretty much have hit the ground running, too.  Four days after I landed, we picked up a team from Village Baptist Church in Destin, FL.  We sure kept everyone busy!

The men started right away with building the roof over our new community center where Shayna and I will be teaching English.

Before

Starting out

After!

A blue roof for Ingrid, the primary sponsor of this project

.

The women painted primer outside the first day and then we put them to work in Zion

To get an idea about the medical health of the people and how better to serve them, we spent Monday and Tuesday morning recording medical history and performing basic assessments (blood pressure, height and weight measurement) of every adult and child.  I even had to step in to help translate for a while.  My Spanish is still a huge work in progress but the fact I was able to translate a little gives me hope.

In one of the medical assessment rooms... Rosalba snuck in to sit on my lap

The afternoons were spent ministering to the children and women.  Story time, hand-washing and cleanliness demonstrations, door-to-door praying with the women and delivering gift bags, singing, nail painting, and hand stamps.


We also had a movie showing one night in Zion.  Unexpectedly, Mike called me up to formally introduce me to Zion and asked me to speak… my eyes opened wide in panic! Not a huge fan of public speaking…nor in Spanish.  I could have spoken in English and had it translated, but something inside me said, “no, speak in Spanish.”  I said, “Yo estoy muy emocionada a vivir aqui y no puedo esperar a empezar!” Pretty much, “I’m very excited to live here and I can’t wait to start!”

Now, had I known I’d be speaking, I would have prepared something to say that was a little more eloquent, but I was reminded of what Jesus said to His disciples,

“Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” (Luke 21:14)

Of course, this word was given to encourage the disciples about their impending persecution, but the Holy Spirit brings God’s Word to remembrance at His will.

Our last full day with the team was spent distributing soup and cups of cold water to the people living in the dump.  My heart shattered into a million little pieces.  I tried holding back tears but at some point they have nowhere else to go.

I hate to admit it, but there comes a point when you can become immune to poverty if you’re around it so much, but the Lord drew me back into His heart and opened my eyes. How can there be such lavish lifestyles in this world while others are living off of the garbage of others?  When I thought about how all of my trash goes directly to this dump, it hurts even more.  When a new dump truck comes in, people flock to see what treasures they may find.  I came home that night and couldn't even find the words to pray.  Where does one start? My tears were the only offering I had.

We toured Redemption village after our trip to the Dump and it could not have come a moment sooner.  Upon walking up the entry way, I spotted Juliana and her friend sitting on the church steps.  Once we caught each other's eyes, they both jumped up and we all started running towards each other.

Familiarity is a good thing some times.

Even in the deep poverty of Redemption village, there was deep joy in being reunited with the children God used to capture my heart for this country and His present calling on my life.

It has been an amazing 10 days back in the Dominican Republic. And it's only begun.

Jesus, thank you for choosing me to be part of this ministry… There is no place I’d rather be than here with You.

Marching to Zion

With only 1 more day before I fly to the Dominican Republic, I've been reflecting on my time in the states.  Some days it has felt like I've been here FOREVER and a day, when in reality it has only been 5 months.  And what an incredibly blessed 5 months it has been...

It seems like ages ago when I woke up at 3am to drive 2 hours through mountainous roads to Santiago for the flight into Miami.  I flew back with my dear friend Shayna on Valentine's day as she and her new husband prayerfully made the decision to have their baby in the states.  Though it was a tearful goodbye for Shayna to leave Luis, it was such a blessing to be able to travel with her.

Shayna's friendship is so precious to me and an answer to many prayers.  I was able to drive over to her home in Lakeland a few times since our return and even met their new little baby, Isaías, in May before they flew home to be reunited as a family in the D.R.!

So you may have been wondering, "what has Lauren been doing all this time?"  Well, to say I've been busy would be an understatement!

The purpose of my return to the states was to begin raising support for this new chapter God has opened for me.  I will be living completely off of the financial sacrifices of others and am always amazed at how God brings people into my life to make this possible.

Since my return in February, I have transitioned to a different mission organization in New Way Missions and began reaching out to friends and family to share what the Lord has placed on my heart. These past few months consisted of sending out letters, meeting with past supporters, and sharing my testimony and what God is doing with anyone with ears to hear.

In April, Mike Williams came to my church to share about the Cups of Cold Water Project and I was able to share my role in this project to encourage and empower the young girls and children in Zion.  My jaw has not lifted off the floor since that day... I have been in constant awe of God's faithfulness in providing me with the financial support needed to do His will.

June began with a trip to Illinois to visit extended family and to attend my cousin's wedding. I had the opportunity to share about Zion Village and the program for at-risk girls with my grandmother's bible group (at 6:30 in the morning, no less!) and was humbled by their generosity and support.  Some of the women in this group had even compiled recipes for a cookbook which they sold to the church community, and they decided to send all the proceeds to help me in the DR.  I am still overwhelmed by their love and eagerness to support this mission!

My sister and me with my grandma and her mother! I can't believe Grandma Great is 97 years old!

What perhaps has been the most inspiring event during my furlough occurred the final week in June.  Nancy, the children's director of my home church, as well as my mentor and friend, invited me to share about the Cups of Cold Water Project with the kids for Vacation Bible School and announced that I would be their fundraising project for the week.  I was speechless.

All 255 kids and their awesome adult and youth volunteers!

It was so thrilling to be "back in the classroom" again! To share with the children about how God has called us all to be His hands and feet in the world fills my heart with such joy.  I knew God was moving in their little hearts when one girl anxiously pleaded, "how can WE help!?"  One boy even came up to me and matter-of-factly shared, "my family likes to donate and I have $20... I can bring that in."

Oh, the lessons we can learn from children... God is constantly teaching me about true, life-giving faith through the words and actions of children.  I know I've written this before, but this is why Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Luke 18:17).  

The kids were keeping track of their progress through the week!

By the end of that VBS Friday, the children raised just under $900, including last minute donations!

The CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES raised this money! I started crying when Nancy and Kimmy presented me with the check... on my birthday of all days!  What a blessing!

I'm the type of person who doesn't believe in coincidences, but divine appointments. The Lord has made several of those appointments in these 5 months.  From the financial advice of new and old friends to others who have also felt that tug on their heart for a life of missions, the Lord has placed these people in my life for such a time as this. God brought me brothers and sisters who have encouraged and discipled me, and brothers and sisters whom He gave me to encourage and disciple.  Isn't it funny how He does that?

I close these 5 months treasuring all these things in my heart. Words will never begin to express my deep gratefulness to everyone who has encouraged and sacrificially supported the work God has called me to do in Zion and the D.R.

One more day before I will be on a plane headed home to Zion... the hymn "We're Marching to Zion" comes to mind and I part you with this refrain...

"We're marching to Zion,  

beautiful, beautiful Zion;  

We're marching upward to Zion, 

 the beautiful city of God."

  

See you in Zion!

Broken and Redeemed

"It is finished."

How awesome are those words? Especially coming from your Savior.

Jesus encourages us in John 16:33 to take heart, because He has already overcome the world.  He's our Redeemer.

The Lord continues to reveal to me how beautiful His redemption truly is.  I recently heard a sermon by Dick Reuben, a Messianic Jewish teacher, who paralleled the traditions of guilt offerings and the annual Passover sacrifice to that of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.  It was mind blowing.  He unraveled hidden connections that fulfilled scripture beyond the four gospels.

From the Jewish priests' immersion in the ritual bath, to the process behind the changing of priesthoods, to the wood and bronze altar for sacrifices in the temple... Jesus' baptism, life, and sacrifice as our Great High Priest fulfilled scripture and God's purpose of redemption far beyond what my mind could possibly conceive.

These truths inspire me to look for how God is fulfilling His purposes all around me and wooing a broken and lost world back to Himself.

~

In 2010, I felt a stirring in my heart to go deeper.  Up to this point, I had been growing in the Lord through my campus ministry for two years and felt like I had reached a point where I needed help.  I remember praying, "Lord, break me... reveal to me my brokenness."

Mind you, this is a dangerous prayer.  He answered... and my prayer quickly became, "Lord, HEAL ME!"

God revealed to me issues from my past that I simply could not deal with on my own, so I sought help through counseling.  For the next two years, I opened up and became vulnerable for what seems like the first time in my life as God scraped out, cleansed, and bandaged my inner wounds.

Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful childhood and the love of both my parents.  I have been incredibly blessed, and as Psalm 16:6 says, "the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed I have a beautiful inheritance."

However, we still have an adversary, the father of lies (John 8:44), who repeatedly whispered untruths to me as I grew up.

My family has moved six times and some transfers were easier than others.  Our move to Maryland was especially difficult.  Not only was I in the most awkward physical stage of life, I had also just left my friends in Lakeland, FL and had to start all over... in middle school, no less.

My 8th grade year, in particular, brought deep hurt in the form of betrayal and bullying.  After 7 hours of rejection at school, I would return home and collapse at the bottom of our staircase in tears as the front door closed behind me. My mother tried so hard to console me.  This happened every day without fail for several months.

 Easter 1999 (7th grade)

There were moments when I questioned why I was even born.  I couldn't understand why I was being treated so horribly or called such unspeakable names.  I was so desperate to be accepted and tried winning the girls' approval which only brought more heartache.

Easter 2000 (8th grade)

I eventually made new friends and became involved in extracurricular activities in high school, but I never let go of my fear of rejection. I put up strong walls to protect myself from ever being hurt again and tried filling my God-sized void with temporary fixes.  With a mask of perfection, I hid my brokenness, my fears, and my sadness.

This only scratches the surface to my past, and honestly, I'm no different than you.  We all have scars, wounds, and fears.  We all are broken.  Living in a fallen world does that to you.  However, it's what you do with your brokenness that ultimately defines who you will become.

Ten years later, I sought the Lord's healing.  Through counseling, God carried me through deeper brokenness, helped me jump over my self-made walls, and began to cancel the many lies I believed as a little girl.  

"I'm not important or of any value"

"I'm unworthy of love"

"I'm a horrible person undeserving of anything good"

"I'll never be enough"

One by one, the Lord spoke truth over these lies (Psalm 51:6), delivered me from fears (Psalm 34:4), and truly set me free.  He taught me how to love and accept myself the way He loves and accepts me.
  

~

Ok, so why did I share all that?

Because Jesus said, "It is finished."

His will was always to love, heal, and draw us back into His embrace.  

For me, this transformation certainly did not happen over night...  nor is it close to being over.  Just when I think an issue is resolved, God presses His finger on another point in my life.  I'm a work in progress.  It takes hours of hard work, prayer, and communion with God.  It takes surrendering my pride and letting forgiveness and mercy wash over me... daily.  

In this, God sets my feet on solid ground, puts a new song in my mouth, and calls me to share this deliverance with others (Psalm 40).

I believe, in some way, this is fulfillment.

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. There is no question why the Lord has placed such a burden on my heart for these girls in the Dominican Republic.  Though my life can't even begin to relate to what these girls may have experienced, I do know what it is like to believe satan's lies.  I know what it is like to feel alone, worthless, and unloved... but I fortunately did not have the lure of prostitution in front of me.

If Jesus set me free, how can I not share this and lead others in the truth of the Lord?

The very lies the Lord delivered me from are what the girls' program is aimed at canceling.  God didn't set me free to sit back and enjoy it for myself... He set me free to lead others in freedom.  He has chosen me, He has chosen these girls, and He has chosen you.

Just as Jesus fulfilled His purpose on earth, God has called us to fulfill His purposes in this world.  I do believe we've all been given callings to be carried out through Him, and these callings may grow and transform as we travel through and emerge from our personal seasons of testing and trials.

I wouldn't be who I am today had I not experienced the pain of rejection and triumphed over the lies in my past... and this is only the beginning.

Romans 8:28 says,

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." 

I don't think God places painful experiences in our lives to hurt us, yet He allows them to happen.  God uses what the enemy intends for evil and destruction, and redeems it for His good according to His purpose... that is, if we let Him.

He is our Healer, our Wonderful Counselor, and our Redeemer.  He heals our brokenness and uses it to bring others into His Kingdom.  Whatever you've gone through, whatever you're going through, and whatever lies ahead, God can transform it all into something beautiful.