Hey guys, Things are pretty good here! Pretty much doing the same things i said in the last post... :) Right now, i'm staying with the other missionary family for a few days, and they have 2 children : Maria (2) and Lluvia (1). My entire experience has been a big blessing! this will probably be the last post i write, I will be coming home the end of this month, and since I have little Internet access, i can't promise any more posts. I hope you are all doing well, i can't wait to see every one of you! I love you all! My prayer requests right now would be for patience, as God is teaching me to be content even when there are frustrations. I need to keep being reminded that my struggles are way less than the struggles of many people here. I ask God that he would keep me in check and always remind me that Even when there are things that don't make sense to me or frustrate me, Even when I don't understand why things are done the way they are, there is always the need to praise God no matter what the situation, no matter what your surroundings are, God has a plan, and a purpose, and I pray that God would work on my heart these last couple weeks to be willing to humble myself completely in order to put other's needs before my own. Thank you all for your prayers, it means a lot! I love you all, and I will be seeing you all soon Lord willing. In Christ,

Lauren

Hey everyone!!! going on week #5.... This week I started tutoring a girl in English which has been interesting because she speaks no english, so with my little Spanish I am trying to teach her.... :) it has been pretty fun though :) Also, I started doing Bible study with children from the community, We learned a lesson from the Bible in Spanish answered questions, did an activity and then followed with a craft. They are awesome kids, two of them know english so that helps a lot.... The team from Chicago put in a bathroom for the rentaria family, who is the family we have been visiting each week and doing bible study with... Mr Rentaria has been in bed for the last 5 weeks or so, he can not move but is slowly recovering... This family has been through a lot of hardships and it has been a blessing to reach out to them and minister to one of many families who is struggling physically but prospering in the Lord....
On the other hand, Jossy left the 18th for Europe and I miss her a lot.... if you get a chance to read this Jos, I love you so much and i'm praying for you while you're serving the Lord.... Thank you so much for you encouragement... It means so much to me.... Every time i get discouraged I think of you and just remind myself that we are serving God together in two different places.... And if you can do it for "11"months haha, then i can surely stay strong for 2 months... :) I love you so much babe and I miss you but I hope everything is going great for you... i loved your story about the bike ride, haha that made my day, i felt sorry for you but it was also really funny ;) i'm sure you'll have lots more experiences like that... but hey, that's what makes things interesting.... :) love ya sis!!!! i'm staying strong for you, stay strong for me!
Laurita!

week 3

Hey everyone! Going on to week 3.... :) the Portage group left thursday and I miss them, but they accomplished a lot while they were here.... A lot of Mark and Perla's house is up... The beginning stuff is almost done, and now that the group from Chicago is here, we are hoping to complete more of the house... I have been working with a lot of different kids, and even though it's hard to communicate, there are also a lot of people who can speak English as well.... I am hoping to learn more spanish though by the time i come home... I miss everyone back home, but God is definitely at work, and it is good to see him moving in different ways here... I hope you all are doing good! let me know what's happening back home ! In Christ, Love Lauren

Hey everyone!!! I am here in Mexico, and I don't have internet that often, but I wanted to let you all know that God is amazing and has really given me strength and joy for this trip... he has already taught me a lot about patience, and my complaining ;) haha, i have learned to appreciate the things i take advantage of, because people here are so grateful for the little they have... Well, Mexico is supposed to be a dry heat huh? nope... it has been raining a lot, so the humidity level is intense.. about 100 + with mucho humidity :)... Any ways, the people here are amazing, and I have gotten to form a lot of relationships here.... Please pray that God would be generous with this wonderful weather :) It has a tendancy to wear you out and make you sick, but other than that and missing my family, God has really opened my eyes to what he is doing here in Juarez... Thanks so much for all your prayers, God bless,
Lauren

Mexico here I come!

Hey Everyone,
So, this is what i'm making my blog page. I leave for Mexico in 10 days (July 31, 2008) and I am so excited to serve the people there. There is that nervousness as well, but I am praying that the Lord would completely capture me with his love and give me that strength to depend on him for literally "Everything." If you have any questions or would like to e-mail me, my e-mail is Keys923@aol.com, and I would love to hear from you or answer any questions. I'm not sure how the internet connection will be in Mexico, so if you don't hear from me in a while, that will probably be the reason. Thank you all for your support, God Bless!!
Lauren

What about Suicide?

To live, or not to live? that is the question... Now, i'm wondering, just because i've felt like giving up before, what makes a person commit suicide? Maybe it's cause:
1) life is too stressful
2) People treat you like they wish you weren't alive
3) Satan's feeding you a lie that you're not going to make it through
4) there is too much pain inside, you could not possibly get over it
5) hormones?
6) parents
7) anger/grief/regrets that you don't want to live with/convictions that you
don't want to deal with

whatever it may be, life isn't easy... Whenever I post something, i'm going to bring up my blog name : 1 Life 1 Purpose... I'm convinced somtimes that the only reason I am here is to Serve the Lord... and maybe that's why I don't give up.... because God's got a plan, and I can't just throw that out of the way when I am considering all of the reasons why living isn't "worth it." Now, don't get me wrong, I don't actually think that I would commit such an act, but I'm pretty sure that many people think about this, and get into those situations where they feel like giving up... I don't think that there are any simple solutions here, but I do believe in hope, and pushing onward to the goal, no matter how hard it may seem... there's got to be something better coming along.. and God promises that.. He tells us that he will make a way, that there is a time for mourning, and a time for joy... If we endure the tests he has for us, we will see in the end that they are only there to mold us, and to make us stronger... And that, my friends, is why we live... 1 To glorify God, and 2 To be molded... Being a Christian includes hard times, struggles, fighting temptations, and pushing onward toward the Goal that God has set for us... There is so much more I could say, but I hope this can be an encouragement for anyone facing hard times... I can't say that you shouldn't feel like giving up, but rather that you shouldn't give up... because to feel like giving up is normal, but letting it control you and the way you act towards the feeling, well, that is called "letting Satan take charge." Don't give up... Weep, mourn, and cry to Jesus, and he will hear you, even if it seems like he is distant, he is near, and will reveal himself in due time.... In Christ,
Lauren

Christains vs. non-Christians

Romans 6:1-14/ Dead to sin, Alive in Christ"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that Grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; How can we live in it any longer? Ok, so I'm wondering what you all think the difference is b/t Christians and non-Christians... not just what sets us apart from the rest of the world, but also, how we differ, or should differ, in the way we live... some people say that the only difference b/t the two is that Christians are going to Heaven, and everyone else is just going to burn in hell..... is that it?? please tell me not... If you think that Jesus died on the cross to watch us act like the rest of the world, and to live our "new life" in him, the same way we lived our "old life," then tell me why.. i'd love to pray for you.... Now I don't mean to be hypocritical, but Christians are supposed to keep each other accountable, and during our teen years, we're so susceptible to the lies that Satan and our peers feed us... God's grace is amazing, yes, but our sin is not... Paul tells us that we are to turn from our old ways, and explains how God's grace is something we often take advantage of... I'm curious to know what exactly sets you, personally, apart from the rest of your non-Christian friends.. Or if you're not a Christian, how similarly your Christian friends act around you, just to fit in... Some people, believe it or not, think that because we are saved, nothing we do will be judged... Wrong! So many people take advantage of this gift of "Christ's death for our Living"... It says that we were given a new life... "For we know that our old self was crucified with him, so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin... therefore, when people continue to live in their sin, it is questionable whether they have really thrown out their old self... Don't get me wrong, we all struggle, but I think that Once you've made Jesus your all in all, You put those struggles behind you, and make the choice to abstain from these things that hinder you... (there's got to be some kind of self-discipline.. Christianity isn't easy, was never meant to be)... Let me know where you stand on this issue.... i'm open for discussion....