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Name: Lauren
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Birthday: 2/1/1984
Gender: Female
Expertise: finding different ways to express my creative nerdiness :) and trying to be a true woman of God
Occupation: seminary student
Message: message me
Member Since:
9/28/2004
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| Cuttin' and pastin' it all from last year...shutting down my other Xanga.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/au2006/farmer.html
7:20 PM - add eprops - add comments - email it
Friday, August 03, 2007
Tag, I'm it!
The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog
I'm not going to tag anyone, because pretty much all the people I know on Xanga have already been tagged :) so you guys are in luck, unless you haven't done this yet and want to - then go for it!
1. I didn't learn to swallow pills until I was in college. That means whenever I got sick and had to fill a prescription up until then, I had to make a special request for the liquid, cherry/vanilla/grape/whatever-flavored version and pray that the medicine came in liquid form. I still can't swallow super big pills.
2. I am ambidextrous. I write and brush my teeth left-handed, but pretty much everything else I do right-handed/footed: throw a ball, kick a soccer ball, brush my hair, cut scissors, shoot an arrow in archery, bowl, hit a tennis racquet, etc. Kinda weird
3. I LOVE caffeinated drinks i.e. Diet Coke, but if I drink too much caffeine I get really dehydrated. So I can't drink regular coffee because it makes me thirsty to the nth degree = I drink decaf in the morning. It doesn't wake me up but I still drink it because it's warm and I put lots of creamer and sweetener in it.
4. Certain foods make me flatulate embarrassingly: bananas, eggplant, soybeans (and most other beans in extreme quantities). If you see me eating these foods, WALK AWAY
5. I love airplane food and going on long flights when you have to eat it, even if it doesn't taste the greatest. I love getting all the mini packaged items, like the tiny rolls in plastic wrap and the salad dressings and desserts. And I usually eat everything for that very reason
6. When I was in first grade, I saw the movie "Edward Scissorhands" at my friend's house. Even though Edward was a nice guy in the movie, it freaked me out that I came to believe that he was living in my parents' bedroom at night. Their room in our old house was at the end of a long hallway, so if I had to be down there at night I would run as fast as I could to get in and get out as to prevent being attacked at any given moment by Edward.
7. I am really good at remembering directions and how to get places. If I pay attention when I'm going somewhere I can usually remember how to get there another time, even if I don't write anything down (but I have to write it down the first time if I'm going by myself). It's a gift.
8. When I watch movies by myself, I like to say all the lines out loud and sing along if there are any songs. I realize how annoying this is when other people are around, so I try to control myself then
1:21 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Friday, July 27, 2007
Currently Listening
Queen - Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 &2
By Queen
We Are the Champions
see related
Final Update – Summer in Miami
Hi everyone!
I can’t believe it’s already the end of July. Where has the year gone?!?! I remember arriving in Miami last September and thinking to myself, “wow, I have a long year ahead of me.” I am writing this from back home in California, which of course means I’m done with my year of volunteer service.
The past few months have been full of changes. I laughed as I read over my last newsletter because on the same day I wrote it, I decided that afternoon to quit my placement at PACT. I realized that I had been staying there to please everyone (i.e. my supervisor, the program itself) but myself and I had come to the point where I was miserable being unproductive and frustrated that nothing positive was coming out of it. Needless to say it was one of the best decisions I made all year! I only wish I had made it sooner Looking back, this entire process has been a good lesson in communicating my needs to other and making sure my voice is heard, especially when others try to talk me out of doing what I think is best for me. I know God has taught me to persevere through difficult circumstances, but not to the point where I ignore taking care of myself first.
After leaving PACT, my time in Miami was a mix of work and play. I took this as an opportunity to make up for lost time in the PACT office and to experience a bit more of Miami. I spent a week painting two murals for the youth programs at Family and Children Faith Coalition, one of the organizations that has had DOOR interns in the past. I was excited to do something creative, and luckily the murals turned out great! Allison, one of my fellow volunteers, has taken charge of the youth group activities at her church in Homestead, and I had a great time accompanying them on several outings and kicking off the summer with a picnic for the entire church. We went out to the movies, canoed through mangroves in Biscayne Bay, stood four feet away from alligators in the Everglades, and roller-skated amidst throngs of summer camp munchkins at the local rink. I had a lot of fun getting to know the kids and watching them building camaraderie in the group. I also spent a lot of time helping out at my church, Riviera. I loved getting to know better several other church members who help out during the week and the rest of the church staff. I worked with my mentor, Diane, in coordinating meetings of Riviera parents for implementing a new Sunday School curriculum this fall, and attended several Peace and Justice meetings at other nearby faith congregations with pastor Laurie. I painted an interpretation of the Trinity during one Sunday service and loved sharing my artistry with the congregation. On my final Sunday I shared my thoughts on prayer, specifically listening to God, and they sent me off with a blessing and a little reception after the service. I will miss worshipping there and Riviera’s presence as a wonderful community of faith. I am grateful that both Riviera and my other experiences in Miami have opened my eyes to the importance of acting on the Bible’s call to social justice, whether it be through writing letters to politicians, confronting government representatives in community meetings, or buying fair trade goods. I certainly realized the importance of these issues in the past. However, seeing them up-close in Miami has made me consider how my actions, no matter how small, do affect people and that I should do all that I can to make a difference. God calls us to act on behalf of those without a voice, and we must not let our fear or apathy stop us from doing so.
I am very grateful to have had free time the last few months in Miami! My boyfriend John (volunteer in Miami from a Catholic program similar to mine) and I road-tripped to Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend for my friend Christy’s wedding. We had a blast driving to Stone Mountain, going to a Braves game, and visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. center. The wedding was beautiful and we stayed with a girl we met at the Princeton conference in February. I know we were both glad for a break from South Florida. We also took a day trip to Sanibel and Captiva islands, off the west coast just north of Naples (about 2 ½ hours away). It was beautiful! We even saw a pod of dolphins swimming off the beach while watching the sunset – definitely memorable My parents came to visit in mid-June and we had so much fun! We spent one day in Key West, checking out the tourist sites and eating (I had the most delicious chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick!). Unfortunately it rained for much of the weekend, but we were able to enjoy the sunshine walking down Lincoln Road, the pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants in Miami Beach. We also took a duck-boat tour of Miami Beach, including stops by the famous tattoo parlor Miami Ink and the back of Shaquille O’Neal’s house on Star Island. What fun! Our site coordinator, Heidi, had a huge birthday party at her house complete with boat and running races and tons of food. I spent 4th of July at my pastor’s house on Key Biscayne with several other young adults. The view of the fireworks from the beach was perfect! I’m also happy to have spent a lot of time with my housemates and other volunteers before I left. We had a final group dinner at Flanigan’s and spent an afternoon reminiscing about the year. I already miss them and am truly blessed to have gotten to know them – they are wonderful people!
I left Miami on the 22nd, driving up to and spending the night in St. Augustine, FL before finishing the drive to Atlanta the following day. I met with my church’s session the night I arrived home and am happy to report that they approved to endorse me to the local presbytery to come under care as an “inquirer” (the first step in the very long ordination process in the Presbyterian Church). My next step will be to gain the presbytery’s approval and begin psychological and vocational testing, which will probably happen sometime in January when I am back in town. I head back to Atlanta on August 27th to move into my apartment on-campus in the graduate housing. Orientation begins August 29th and classes start on September 4th – I can’t wait! I would love to talk to any of you about my year, especially while I’m back home, so feel free to pound me with questions if you wish
Again, thank you all so much for your prayers and support this year. It was quite a challenge at times, but I have learned so much in the process and have been blessed with many happy memories too. I leave you with one of my favorite sayings from the year: "God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good!"
In Christ,
Lauren
P.S. My new mailing address for the next year, in case you ever need it, is:
2445 Dooley Drive, #G303
Decatur, GA 30033
5:19 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
My sermon
Great Expectations
Lighthouse 4-21-07
I had been trying to think of a theme to tie together my experience in Miami so far with how God’s been working in my life. I came up with the theme of expectations, so that’s what I’ll be preaching on tonight. In case you are wondering,
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines “expectation” as:
A. looking forward to; anticipation
B. a looking for as due, proper, or necessary
C. a thing looked forward to
D. a reason or warrant for looking forward to something; prospect for the future, as of advancement or prosperity
E. the probability of the occurrence, duration, etc. of something
Charles Dickens wrote a book a long time ago called Great Expectations. I haven’t read it, but from what I know (and correct me if I’m wrong) it’s the story of a guy named Pip who experiences a lot of disappointment because everything he comes to expect ends up not happening, and that’s really sad. Similarly God tends to work in unexpected ways, which can lead to disappointment but usually (and more frequently) lead to great joy.
We grow up learning to expect things. When we’re little we expect our parents to take care of us, feed us, take us to soccer practice. Most people think of life as a usual laid-out plan of graduating from high school, usually going to college, getting a job, getting married, having kids, getting old and wrinkly, retiring, and dying, all that normal stuff. For me, I was expected to go to college and do well. I remember being gung-ho stuck on going to the University of North Carolina, sitting around waiting for my acceptance letter to arrive in the mail. I kept waiting and waiting and finally…I was waitlisted twice, and then denied. I was crushed. So I decided to go to Wake Forest in NC. I had also been accepted to Vanderbilt and my mom insisted we visit Nashville on our way home from NC. I remember thinking, “no way Mom, Tennessee is full of rednecks and country music”. And then in the airport I saw the cute Vanderbilt men’s golf team and thought hmm, if this is any indication of the rest of Vandy I should look further into it J Fast forward 3 ½ years to the fall of my senior year at Vandy, and having no clue of life after college and being freaked out about it. The message conveyed to me at Vanderbilt was that you graduate and either go to grad school or get a job. I decided I didn’t want to waste money in grad school for something I wasn’t truly passionate about, and all the jobs I applied for didn’t work out. Those of you who know me well know how much I like to plan things out and be organized, so my freakout level was a bit high. I heard about the YAV program through my campus ministry and thought “wow, what a great program, I don’t have anything else planned, so why not apply for it.” God was definitely telling me to do it as nothing else worked out. And now here I sit in front of you.
Switching gears a bit now…People had great expectations for Jesus, too. The Jewish people thought a great king (literally) was going to come and rescue them from their oppression. When you think of a king, you think of someone who is high and mighty and doesn’t really connect with the people he rules. He lives in a palace and doesn’t really care about day-to-day life for anyone except himself. Jesus did fulfill the prophecies and save His people, but not in the way they expected Him to! Isaiah 53:2-6 says… So Jesus was not the hot white guy with the beard that we see in all the paintings of Him. He shook up the customs of the day, from throwing the moneylenders out of the temple to hanging out with tax collectors and prostitutes. People didn’t understand why He did the things He did. He did everything that wasn’t expected of Him. He could have used His power to save Himself, but He didn’t. I look to the story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Christ cried out to God in prayer even when He knew what was going to happen to Him – that He was going to suffer the most painful physical and emotional agony a human being could ever experience. Despite that, He remained steadfast (Matthew 26:39 not my will, but Your will), and God lifted Him up to the highest position in heaven next to Him. Don’t you think that the God of the universe will look out for us just as much, because of how much He loves and cares for us? We certainly should expect Him to, but I know for me it’s difficult when my fear gets in the way.
God calls us to suffer because of our beliefs. In 2 Timothy 1:8-9, Paul writes…(read verse). It’s both an invitation and a call to respond to God’s grace and the purpose He has set out for us. Yes, taking that plunge is scary, but it’s what makes our faith grow stronger as God works through our weaknesses to make us more like Him. In 2 Corinthians, Paul asked God to take the thorn out of his side, but God said no. 2 Cor. 12:9-10 says… My own experience in Miami has been a similar struggle to Paul’s. I got to Miami thinking, this city is so wonderfully diverse and there are going to be all these wonderful cross-cultural exchanges to experience. I was crushed to find these expectations shattered as I adjusted to living in a Latin neighborhood where people wouldn’t say good morning back to me, and seeing diverse groups of people stick to themselves instead of interacting frequently. I kept asking myself, if this kind of stuff can’t happen in Miami where there is so much rich diversity, then where can it happen? The loudness and awful traffic didn’t help much either. I spent many early mornings and Teas with God (our house’s weekly prayer and share time) in tears crying out to God, asking Him why He’d brought me here and what my purpose was supposed to be. I was ANGRY! I kept saying to God, “I’m here giving you this year of my life to serve You when I could be out working and making money, and this is what I get in return? Why can’t I see You working through me at all?” My point here is, I became extremely frustrated and bitter because I wasn’t seeing God work in the way I thought He should. I got mad at God because I wanted to feel warm and fuzzy about serving Him – but to me that meant serving Him MY way with MY expectations. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s NOT ABOUT ME. I had to step back and say “Hey, this isn’t about what I want or what I think is best for me,” but what God wants and knows what’s best for me. It’s moments like this when we must allow God to step in and BE GOD. God says, “I am who I am.”
Allowing God to work through our fears means putting God’s expectations for us above our own. Sometimes I ask myself, what’s the point since I know I’m a sinner and I’ll never be able to be 100% like Christ was? The point is that Christ is the one who makes up for our weaknesses, so we can rely on Christ to be our intercessor when we fail. We should expect Him to! This is where our faith comes in and must be greater than our doubt, and we should never let our inadequacies stop us from becoming who God wants us to be. Expect God to work in and through you, because He will, but you have to LET Him do it in His own ways. One thing I’ve learned is to be open to the Spirit’s promptings – God will exceed your expectations in ways you could never imagined. I’ve shared this story with a few of you before, so please bear with me because I love sharing it. When I was about 13, my dad and I went out for lunch one Saturday afternoon. We boxed up our leftovers and were walking back to the car when I noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. He looked tired and dirty and obviously hungry, and I heard a voice in my head say “give him your pizza.” Of course being the 13-year-old that I was, I panicked and kept on walking, not wanting to make myself feel uncomfortable. To this day I’ve always wondered what would have happened had I given the man the pizza. Fast forward to a few months ago. One day Dalia’s agency, Touching Miami with Love, asked us to pass out flyers in Overtown for their free tax preparation days. As soon as I found out we were going to do this I freaked out. I kept thinking, “oh God, we’re going to go there and get stared at and probably shot, I really don’t want to do this.” I was nervous the entire time, especially when Mel and I walked by three teenage guys sitting and talking near one of the apartment buildings. We had to get more flyers from the other girls and our path allowed no other choice but to walk by them. I walked by as quickly as I could and offered a weak smile in their direction, gathering up more flyers and sticking them on people’s front doors. A voice in my head told me, “go back and talk to those guys.” NO WAY, GOD, I’M NOT GONNA DO IT! “Go back”, the voice in my head whispered again. So I walk back to them, offering a flyer and asking if they’re interested. Of course, they’re not, so I say “okay, thanks” and turn to walk away. All of a sudden one of them said, “excuse me, do you play for Vanderbilt basketball?” HUH? I had forgotten I was wearing that t-shirt, and simply said, “oh no, I went to school there, I just like to watch it.” And they smiled and said, “oh okay, cool.” For one moment I connected with these guys whom I had nothing in common with at the moment except for college basketball. I know this was a God moment and it would never have happened unless I hadn’t pushed my fear aside and listened to God’s voice.
1 John 4:18 says “perfect love drives out fear”. We have to LET God work through our fears and step back to see what He brings about. I now see moments like this one in Overtown as opportunities to be honest with God, to say, “okay God, I’m scared, I don’t want to believe that You’re looking out for me right now because my limited knowledge and current situation make me think You’re not. Despite that, I’m going to trust you anyway, because You’ve shown me Your goodness in the past and I’m going to believe that You’re going to keep on being good.” God has taught me that His scope is much broader and bigger than my own – think about it: we’re humans. Each one of us is one out of 6 BILLION people on this planet. Why should we think we know everything, especially about God Himself? Read Matthew 24:44. Our job is to let God be God and to be ready when He sends the unexpected our way, exactly at the moment when we don’t expect Him to. God is a God full of surprises, so don’t put Him in a box!
Things may not always turn out the way we want them to, but that goes to show that what we want isn’t always God’s best for us. We often can’t and don’t understand why God puts us in a certain place at a given moment, but we have to trust in God’s goodness and promise in His word. Read Romans 8:28. This verse has been a huge comfort to me over the past few years as I’ve struggled through my fears and insecurities. I still ask God every day, “Why did you bring me to Miami? What can I glean from all of this?” I didn’t want to come back here after Christmas break. I cried all the way to the airport and wanted to quit instead of coming back to possibly more disappointment. However I knew I made a commitment to be here, and that God would get me through it even though it potentially would be difficult. Honestly, I still don’t know all the reasons why God brought me here (I definitely know it wasn’t for my placement J). I may not know for a long time. But I do know that God is with me, and has been with me through all of the good and bad times because His promises are true! Read Hebrews 13:5. I chose Miami instead of Nashville because I knew I would regret it if I didn’t get out of my comfort zone, and would always wonder “what if?” if I didn’t do something different. Both my campus minister and college pastor at home encouraged me to look at seminary, and of course I said no way. Then I began to wonder, “well, why not? What is keeping me from pursuing this passion of mine?” Of course it was my own fear telling me that this isn’t what the world expects of me. And now here I am going to seminary this fall and I couldn’t be more excited because I know in my heart that God is calling me to do this. I had to step out in faith and choose to listen to God’s voice amidst all of the distractions the world throws at me.
I leave you with this: be careful what you pray for, because God has a sense of humor and will probably make happen exactly what you don’t want or don’t expect to happen. Trust that He has all the answers – you might just have to keep your hand raised a little longer than you expect to for Him to answer your questions.
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Monday, May 21, 2007
May in Miami
Hi everyone,
I hope you are all doing well. May is wrapping up quickly and I’ll be done here in less than 3 months. I’m very excited to say the least.
Our program retreat to Key West was a blast! We drove down on a Tuesday afternoon and stayed at a youth hostel while we were there. Hugo, the DOOR site director in San Antonio, led our discussion on a book called Divided by Faith. We discussed race and racial reconciliation, especially in the church, and how people’s perceptions of other races have affected the church and how people of faith interact with one another. Needless to say we’ve got a lot of work to do. The rest of our retreat included a great snorkeling and boating trip, watching the sunset in Mallory Square, walking around the main drag shopping, and going out to eat. I was really thankful to have this time to be refreshed and especially spend time with the other YAVs, as our schedules are so busy that this doesn’t happen too often. Unfortunately, Allison (one of the other volunteers) had to miss out. She attended Virginia Tech, and the awful shootings happened the day before we left. She felt like she had to go home and be with her family, and we supported her decision to do what was best for her.
Another exciting thing happened for me in April – I preached at Lighthouse! You heard me right, I preached! Lighthouse doesn’t have a regular pastor, and relies on several “lay leaders” (I don’t know what other term to use) and people in the congregation to preach when they are asked. I was honored to be asked to preach, and although I was very nervous beforehand I really enjoyed it and felt God speak through me. I preached on the theme of expectations and wove several of my past experiences as well as being in Miami into that theme. If you want to read my sermon let me know and I’d be happy to e-mail you a copy. I hope to have the chance to preach again before I leave.
Other than that I haven’t been too busy. PACT has begun its summer support drive to raise money for the organization, and people in the congregations are busy asking for donations. They are also planning several meetings with corporate sponsors to solicit donations from them. I have been helping out a lot more at Riviera (my church), which has been great. I love spending time there and getting more involved in the church community. The Christian Education division is working on a new Sunday school curriculum for this fall, and I am excited to paint during worship on June 3rd. I really appreciate Riviera’s commitment to embracing diversity and expressions of worship through art, music, dance, etc. It is a rich, vibrant faith community and I am grateful to be a part of it. I went to North Carolina almost a month ago for a family friend’s wedding, and it was wonderful to spend time (albeit too short!) with my family. They are the best! A few other fun things I’ve done in the past month: line dancing at a country western club in Fort Lauderdale, going to the beach several times, visiting the Miami Science Museum, and attending a ladies’ brunch at my roommate Melanie’s church. It’s been great to get out and explore more of what Miami has to offer.
I have several prayer requests to share, so please bear with me:
· numerous family health concerns (both emotionally and physically), and people being affected by them. On the flipside, I am thankful for my family’s support system and everyone being there for one another
· general attitudes about the rest of our program and our time here – people are getting worn out and frustrated
· my own attitude – needing to finish strong, finding places here to put in my time and energy, staying positive
· transitioning from the program back into the “real world” – I am nervous about becoming part of a new community in Atlanta, and fearful that I won’t have the kind of support I want and need from the program at Emory. General anxieties about what God’s calling me to do and what the next three years will look like for me, especially as a woman going into ministry.
In Christ,
Lauren
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Currently Listening
It Just Comes Natural
By George Strait
see related
pastor in training :)
I preached at Lighthouse on Saturday night and I think it went really well! I talked about the theme of expectations. My basic spiel was that we make our own expectations and get disappointed when they're not fulfilled, but the problem is that we put what we want ahead of what God wants for us. I wove that in with my experience in Miami so far, and how I was mad at God for so long because I didn't see Him working in the way I wanted Him to. I also threw in that Jesus did everything that wasn't expected of Him, and people thought He was crazy. And now He's sitting next to God in heaven. Lots of cool stuff. I felt really good about it afterwards, and people said I did a good job, so that was encouraging and affirming that I CAN do this and it's not as scary as it seems. Funny...the sermon at church on Sunday touched on a lot of the same things I talked about. Coincidence? Thanks for all your prayers! They helped I was nervous when I began speaking, but calmed down after a bit - I know it was God workin'! He's so great. Yay God. Ben and Bria were in town and came to Lighthouse, so it was wonderful to see them.
Things are good. I'll leave it at that.
5:56 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Monday, April 16, 2007
prayers
the VA Tech community in light of today's awful events
my cousin Connor (2 1/2) - he's now a candidate for growth hormone therapy to make him grow stronger and taller, so please pray that they decide to do what is best for his health
safe travels tomorrow through Thurs. on our group retreat
gratefulness for God working in unexpected ways
I'm preaching at Lighthouse on Saturday, and am very excited! Please pray for me as I prepare my sermon, and that God would speak through me.
7:37 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Monday, April 09, 2007
April in Miami
Hi everyone,
I want to apologize for my lack of a March update; however, I can explain! I wanted to wait until I decided on a seminary to let you all know. This fall I’ll begin my Master of Divinity at Candler School of Theology at Emory in Atlanta! I am very excited to live in the South again, be 4 hours away from Nashville, reconnect with old friends already in the city, and explore new opportunities for ministry.
I say this every month, but I can’t believe it’s April already. March went by way too fast. On March 14th, the Miami-Dade County School Board voted in favor of the MINT teacher induction program PACT has been working on for the past two years, and the program will go into full force this fall. It was encouraging for me to finally see something positive come out of all this tedious work! The majority of March was devoted to preparing for PACT’s action meeting on March 26th. We held it at a Catholic church and nearly filled the sanctuary to capacity – almost 1000 people! Two school board members attended and spoke about the positive changes that the MINT program will bring, and the chief of police’s first lieutenant promised to address targeted locations of crime that PACT members presented to him. Unfortunately, both the mayor of Miami and school board superintendent did not show up, and PACT members plan to send faxes and letters to their respective offices expressing their disappointment in their absences. Overall the evening ran smoothly and it was great to see so many people come out in support of improving their communities.
As I mentioned previously, I visited Atlanta recently to finish my school searches. I spent two days looking at schools and was able to have dinner in Virginia Highlands with Lisa (Vandy) and in Decatur with Mary Catherine (co-counselor at camp) and her husband. I loved the beautiful homes, rolling hills with trees and parks, and the cute neighborhoods with restaurants and shops scattered everywhere. I also drove to Athens and spent the night with Lindsay and Guy (Vandy friends) and had a blast meeting their grad school posse. It’s so nice to have a network of people to connect with again and make new friends too. I also spent an afternoon visiting the Georgia Aquarium and walking around downtown Atlanta. I can’t wait to go to a Braves game and the art museum and do more fun stuff!
The morning after I returned to Miami Heidi (my site coordinator) and I flew to the Mennonite Brethren youth conference in Anaheim. We spent one night at home with Mom and Dad and I helped Heidi coordinate the Orange County projects for the youth’s day of service. Everything went very well and it was great to have an excuse to go home for a few days! I spoke at my church on Sunday morning, saw old friends, and had delicious California cuisine (specifically Mexican and In-N-Out Burger!). Always good to be home
Other than that, things have been pretty good in Miami. I ask for your continued prayers as I transition to another job placement. I don’t know where or what I’ll be doing, but I definitely need a new environment and something more stimulating for the rest of my time here. I have spent several weekend afternoons at the beach with friends, playing sand volleyball on Sunday nights, cooking an Indian dinner with friends and watching Casino Royale, and going to the Marlins-Phillies game last weekend. I’ve enjoyed getting out more and hanging out with new people. Easter Sunday was great: I attended Lighthouse’s sunrise service in the morning and then went to breakfast and service at Riviera. The joyful music and enthusiastic worship were both indeed evident signs of Christ’s resurrection at work! Next week our DOOR group will spend 3 days camping, snorkeling, and doing other touristy things in Key West for our spring retreat. I am very excited for a bit of down time and fun in the sun!
As always, my prayers are with you. God is at work everywhere, sometimes we just have to look for Him in unexpected ways. Happy spring!
Lauren
5:10 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Friday, March 30, 2007
aaaaand the winner is...
Emory! :)
1:52 AM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
I love Atlanta!
I got here today to visit Columbia Theological Seminary and Emory (Candler School of Theology), and met up with my co-counselor (from almost 3 summers ago! I can't believe it's been that long!) Mary Catherine and her husband Drew in Decatur for dinner. We had awesome Mexican food and they drove me to the DeKalb County Farmers' Market, which is A-freakin-MAZING, and down Ponce de Leon to downtown Atlanta. I absolutely love it here! It's so charming and quaint and there are tons of fun restaurants and shops and beautiful homes and parks. So I think there is a very very good chance I will be here this fall...and I haven't even done my school visits yet! Yay!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Bittersweetness
Vandy lost by one point, but it was a freakin' awesome game. I still aDORE them :)
UCLA won!
I received a 3-year, half-tuition scholarship to Emory (= ~$7500/year)!!!! Just one more incentive to go there, pending on my visits next week...
Our Indian dinner and James Bond night was really fun :) We should dinner party more often.
It's been a tad rainy in Miami, but otherwise the weather is BEAUTIFUL! I love it 80 degrees and sunny.
I'm in a good mood and feeling very blessed...God is awesome!
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Things
waitlisted at Duke...probably a good thing so my mom will get off my back about tellng me to go there :)
PACT action meeting is Monday night, and we're hoping to have over 1000 people there...PRAY HARD
Atlanta next Tuesday! so very excited :) and hoping to see lovely people while I'm there, so lemme know if you'll be around
UCLA is playing tonight...and they're gonna WIN!
Indian dinner tomorrow night with a little Casino Royale on the side, woohoo!
random story: I was heating up a piece of pizza in the microwave last night after I got home late from work, and as I was taking it out it slipped off the plate and flipped over onto my hand, then sorta fell halfway into the trash can. I looked at it for a few seconds cause I still wanted to eat it, and in the process realized my hand was burning from the pizza sauce and cheese that had landed upon it. I managed to salvage the slice of pizza, but now have a cool blister on my left pinky as a battle wound from the event.
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Sunday, March 18, 2007
Allleluia!
VANDERBILT IS IN THE SWEET SIXTEEN!
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Thursday, March 15, 2007
Channeling Dick Vitale...
...cause IT'S AWESOME, BABY! I am referring to the glorious celebration of intercollegiate basketball that occurs once every year around this time, otherwise known as March Madness :) I started filling out the pools in 8th grade and I love love love it. Vandy and UCLA are going to whoop some tush and I can't wait to cheer them on to victory!
I'm going to Atlanta in a couple weeks to look at Emory and Columbia, and am very excited about seeing friends while there. Let me know if you'll be around March 27-30 and we can catch up! I fly back to Miami late Friday night (3/30) and fly out again early the next morning to California! Heidi and I are going to a Mennonite Brethren youth conference in Anaheim Sat. through Wed. and I will be popping in and out of home and visiting IPC on Sunday. Yay! I'm so excited to sleep in my own bed again.
On a more random note...I have been trying to be diligent about lifting weights, and my arms feel somewhat solid so I am happy about that. Woo trying to be in shape! haha :)
Oh and our house is going ice skating this Friday night! Mel is calling it "Wesley on Ice" (since our house is owned by Wesley United Methodist Church)...I left my tutu at home :) We started our Bible study on the Old Testament last night and I think it went really well. I look forward to more deep conversations with these fantastic people.
Aaand...Dalia, Ali, and I went to the Round Up last night! It's a country bar and dance hall in Davie (Ft. Lauderdale) and we got free drinks and danced a bit. I had a blast! I've heard about it so often on the radio and have always wanted to go, so this was a treat. I am in awe of people who know all the line dances. I really want to take a class or go early and learn more of them. Anyone up for it? :)
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Monday, March 12, 2007
exciting things
I was accepted to Louisville Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary (with FREE tution at SFTS the first year)...but I don't really care about going either place anymore. Is that bad?
bonzai brownies at Flanigan's are the best thing EVER, especially when shared with friends :)
the Calle Ocho festival on Sunday was really cool - 20 blocks of Latin food, music, dancing = fun!
reincarnation of Sunday night volleyball games at UM
never underestimate the power of a good nap
sunsets in the Everglades and dinner in Key Largo with friends make me happy
PSF came to Miami last week for spring break and I got to hang out with them! Yay! (especially for having an excuse to leave early from work, hang out, and go to the beach! tee hee) On the downside it really made me miss school, but that's something new to look forward to this fall!
Friday, March 09, 2007
:)
woo I got in Columbia! :)
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Monday, March 05, 2007
wow
I just got back from an amazing 4-day conference in Princeton, NJ - literally life-changing! God was at work in every moment of my time there and it was so encouraging to meet other young adults passionate about their faith and working to build the Kingdom. I am even more certain that seminary and a career in ministry are for me, so woohoo for God! Everyone was so nice and it was great to have ecumenical diversity and thought-provoking conversations with a bunch of cool people (with whom I look forward to keeping in touch). Our leaders were fantastic and welcoming and Princeton is beautiful. We even spent a day around NYC visiting Harlem, Chelsea, the Bronx, and Union Theological Seminary. Honestly I have so much joy, it's unbelievable! My heart leaps at how much I felt God's presence in and amongst these people and places. I know it's only a sign of more great things to come. God is good all the time!
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I love my school!
And here's why:
#18 national university in the country (U.S. News and World Report
men's basketball: #19 (AP Poll) / #23 (ESPN/USA Today poll)
women's basketball: #13 (AP Poll)
baseball: #3
yeah, we're pretty much gonna take over the world
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
woohoo!
I got in Princeton and Fuller!
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Saturday, February 10, 2007
February!
"To endure means to abide under, not to run away. In meekness we can persevere because we see everything as coming from God and, therefore, having a divine purpose." -Kay Arthur
Hi everyone,
Another month has come and gone and Miami remains the same. Oh how dramatic I sound Just kidding! I hope this update finds you well.
Things have been coming and going in waves in terms of excitement. On January 27th I ran the Tropical 5K, which took place the day before the ING Miami Marathon. The course went over the MacArthur Causeway (I-395) from downtown Miami to Miami Beach, and it was absolutely beautiful running next to the water and the cruise ships docked in the port. I had a lot of fun and am toying with the idea of running a longer race at some point in the future My friend Laura (a former Miami YAV from 03-04) from church ran it as well, so it was fun to build camaraderie with her.
My birthday was February 1st and my roommates surprised me with a delicious dinner! It was really sweet of them to cook for me. Afterwards we went to my favorite ice cream place in Miami, called Wall’s, for their Great Wall of ice cream (think Vermonster at Ben and Jerry’s). It was fabulous! Erin baked me a delicious chocolate layer cake and it was so nice to have all my friends around for the festivities.
Last weekend I went to Tampa with Heidi, Allison, and Erin for a conference for Lutheran (ELCA) youth workers. We had a great time! The worship was energetic and the speakers were enthusiastic. I felt really encouraged by the new ideas I heard and was excited to promote DOOR. We met a lot of cool people, including several our age, and we went out for dinner and drinks every night after finishing our work stuff. Other highlights of the conference included an amazing gospel brunch on Sunday morning and a fun Super Bowl party that evening. I learned quite a bit more about Lutherans at one workshop and left with a good impression. I met a lot of people currently in seminary, and after several conversations I am even more convinced that is where God wants me next year. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to go back to school and learn more and grow in my faith. Us four ladies also had quality bonding time and we took several pictures as mementos
Other exciting news: I received my first acceptance to seminary last weekend! I was admitted to Emory’s Candler School of Theology and I am thrilled. I would love to be in Atlanta next year and I look forward to visiting the campus in March. I will also be attending a conference in a few weeks at Princeton Theological Seminary. It is put on by the Lilly foundation and the Fund for Theological Education, specifically for participants in the ten U.S. volunteer programs of several major Christian denominations. I am thrilled to have this opportunity and learn more about vocations in ministry, as well as a free trip to check out one of my prospective seminaries!
God continues to teach me a lot every day. I’ve prayed a lot about my placement at PACT and for other opportunities to get involved elsewhere. I spoke with Heidi and Camille, my new supervisor, and hope to have more responsibilities at my church here and with the Lighthouse music ministry. That all comes as a huge relief as I have been so frustrated with my work. Through it all God shows me that He remains steadfast. His love for us does not change despite how difficult things may be, and He rises above our circumstances even when we don’t understand what is happening. When I pray God reminds me to keep trusting Him, often when I don’t want to or don’t see the point. God also shows me His sense of humor quite often. Whatever expectations I have for something, often the opposite of what I want or think should be actually happens. I am continuing a devotion on the beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and recently began the book of Job because I think I can learn a lot from a man who remained faithful to God despite everything awful that happened to him. He knew there was some purpose behind his suffering even though that purpose remained hidden from him for so long. Our understanding of things is nothing compared to God’s all-encompassing view, and that is where our faith must step in and trust God for the rest.
I am eager about what lies ahead, even though I have no clue of what’s to be after seminary. It is an interesting contrast to our current book study of Urban Ministry for a New Millennium by David Claerbaut. The book gives a very real, sociological perspective of the sources and effects of poverty on 40 million people in the United States. For me thus far it has been a depressing but vital read to better understand the depth of these issues and the church’s responsibility to actively pursue solutions and work for justice. I hope to be able to apply some of the things I’ve learned to my work with various churches.
Once again I’ve written a novel instead of a newsletter I’d love to hear how you are too, so gimme a holler!
In Christ,
Lauren
Saturday, February 03, 2007
I got in Emory! Woohoo! :)
Dear Lauren,
Congratulations on your acceptance to Candler School of Theology! The standardized tests, the paperwork, and the waiting are all at an end, and you have arrived at an important beginning. It gives me great pleasure to invite you to join the Emory University community as a member of our entering class. Your academic record is an impressive match for our challenging learning environment.
When you join us, you will become part of a university that has a commitment to excellence spanning 170 years. Emory University offers a challenging, diverse and supportive environment where you can discover and explore your gift. We will benefit from your outlook and insights, and we know you will benefit from the variety of programs and services available to you as a member of our dynamic community.
Official notification is being sent to your address this week and will include more details about your admission. Please pay close attention to this letter, which includes information about the deposit due to reserve a place in our class and any other conditions of your acceptance.
Outstanding students are the lifeblood of this great university. I hope you will join us at Emory University where you can use your gift to make our community a better place. Our faculty, staff, students and alumni are looking forward to welcoming you to the Emory family.
Sincerely,
Shonda R. Jones
Assistance Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Candler School of Theology
http://candler.emory.edu/
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Currently Listening
Some Hearts
By Carrie Underwood
see related
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, everyone! Another year has begun and I’m off to a fresh start in Miami. It will be interesting to see what 2007 brings here.
I had a great Christmas break at home in California with my family. It was wonderful to be home, relax, and catch up with old friends. I enjoyed my vacation but realized how stressed out I had been in Miami once I got home. I have been struggling a lot with how things are going, and have spent a lot of time in prayer asking God to change my negative attitude. I’ve realized over the past few months that I can only do so much, and the rest is up to God. If I do my part, I cannot control how other people will act or react, and that is okay. It has made a huge difference and lowered the pressure I’ve felt on myself. I want to learn the most I can from this experience and be open to whatever God has in store for me. I remember praying before I got to Miami, asking God to make me uncomfortable, and He certainly has done so! I look back now and wish things had been easier, but God does not make people grow stronger in their faith by making things less difficult for them – myself included.
There have been some positive things out of my struggles. Never before have I relied on God for strength and focus each day. I look forward to my quiet time each morning when I get up. I’ve found that when I make the time to be with God, the rest of my day falls into place. It doesn’t necessarily end up being the perfect day, but I have a much better attitude and positive focus when I start off on the right foot. Yes, there are mornings I want to stay in bed, especially when it’s dark, but God makes it worth getting up for. Thankfully (and ironically), I’ve also found that I’m much less tired than I used to be, despite getting up earlier every day – woohoo!
Many things have been happening at work that are worth noting. We are gearing up for our February 26th rally when all of the issue committees will report on their progress, and Justice Ministry Network members from each congregation will give their turnout commitments for the March action meeting. I also came back to find out that my boss Aaron has accepted another position in Washington D.C. and will be leaving at the end of February. DART, PACT’s umbrella organization, is working on finding a replacement for Aaron. Please pray for the entire situation, as there has been a lot of tension and general negativity floating around since the new year began. I don’t really know how to react to it all and am concerned about where the organization will go as time goes on.
In other news, I have finished my seminary applications! I am so excited they are done, and I can’t wait to start hearing back from schools. I ended up applying to Columbia Theological Seminary (GA), Duke Divinity School, Candler School of Theology at Emory (GA), Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Fuller Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and San Francisco Theological Seminary. I feel very much at peace about the whole situation and am grateful knowing that God will lead me where He wants me to be next year.
Everything else in the program is going relatively well. I am so thankful for my housemates and teammates – they are really amazing people and they bless me each day with their friendship. Heidi, our site coordinator, has been wonderful in making sure things are going successfully at our job placements. It’s so nice to have someone looking out for us! One concern frequently coming up is funding. DOOR is greatly lacking in this department and many people have not yet raised enough support, for various reasons. Please prayerfully consider giving toward our program if you have not already done so. Your donations are welcome if you have already given, too! Please make checks out to DOOR Miami and send them to DOOR Miami, 430 W. 9th Ave., Denver, CO 80204. All donations are tax-deductible. If you cannot support financially, please pray that God will provide what we need for the rest of the year. Thank you!
Other prayers:
- continued improvement and/or well-being in regards to everyone’s placement site
- time for refreshment and rest for everyone involved
- God’s guidance and direction as we start thinking about our plans next year
- Gratefulness for God’s provision thus far, and for His goodness overall – what an awesome God we serve!
Thanks for reading this far. If you want to read something else cool, check out Psalm 37. I read it this morning and I think you should read it too Please let me know how I can be praying for you.
Blessings,
Lauren
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Monday, December 25, 2006
Currently Listening
Brenda Lee Christmas
By Brenda Lee
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
see related
Merry Christmas!
Hope everybody had a wonderful day - I sure did! :)
I arrived home last Wednesday morning (20th) after an early flight out of Fort Lauderdale. Jet Blue is awesome - the TVs on the seats are a great way to pass the time, and they have yummy snacks. Frankie Muniz, the actor from Malcolm in the Middle, also sat in front of me, so that was kind of fun to see him in person. He's short too! haha
It's so nice to be at home! I forget how much I miss it when I am away. Being here for Christmas is really making me think about returning to CA after I'm done in Miami. Thursday morning I went to the dentist, and then that afternoon my dad drove me up to Pasadena and I visited Fuller Seminary. My visit was quick but I enjoyed it and definitely want to learn more. Everyone there was very nice. I like how the campus is self-contained but also right in the heart of Pasadena, with everything close by. I keep hearing different views that "oh it's way too conservative and 'evangelical'" (from the liberal crowd) and "oh it's a little bit liberal" (from the conservative crowd). This whole conservative/liberal thing is really annoying me. I'd consider myself a conservative moderate, if that makes any sense. I am more lenient on some issues but on others, not so much. Being in Miami is making me question the beliefs I hold, which scares me in the sense that I don't think all of my beliefs are Scripturally-based. For example: the debate on ordaining homosexuals for ministry, and condoning same-sex relationships in the church. I hear so many opposing viewpoints on this, and the Scripture on this issue is so often taken out of context and misconstrued that I don't know where to begin. And then I hear that it's not a good idea to attend a non-Presbyterian seminary, so now I'm wondering if my future job prospects will be affected by my choice of where I study. I think it's safe to say that I am confused! Please pray that God will give me clarity in choosing the right school to attend, and that He will guide me to a better idea of where I stand spiritually. It's frustrating!
Anyway, Thursday night I went to college Bible study at IPC and it was great to see the old gang again. Friday morning I had a doctor's appointment, and Saturday I baked Christmas sugar cookies and red velvet cupcakes before my grandma (dad's mom) and her friend flew down from NorCal. We went out for Chinese food for dinner - yummy! Sunday morning my mom and I went to church, and then we cooked ham and other goodies for Christmas Eve dinner. Every year (when we are home) we go to our friends' house, the Stevensons, for Christmas Eve. They have dinner for all of their family members and friends and it's nice to catch up with people I don't get to see often. I saw my best friend from kindergarten-3rd grade and her brother, both of whom I hadn't seen since high school, and their parents - they live around the corner from where we used to live. It was a nice way to mark the holiday. This morning my dad made waffles for breakfast, and we opened presents and sat around watching football and playing poker. My mom and I drove to Newport and walked along the beach for about 45 minutes. It was a beautiful day and warm too!
I am not looking forward to going back to Miami! :) I freaked out a bit the day I arrived because I realized how closed-in I feel in Miami: the traffic, the "urbanism", the loud noises, always being around people (even though my housemates are great)...it's hard to have privacy. I realized I don't know when I'll be home again after Christmas and I would only have this week to enjoy the quiet and space, and that was hard for me to deal with. I am definitely more appreciative of being at home than I ever have been.
Please pray for my dog, Beau - he was attacked by an animal the night before I got home. We took him to the vet and he has several puncture wounds in his neck and his left ear. He will be fine but he is still shaken up and not feeling well.
Rejoice in Christ's birth and remember the Reason for the Season!
in Him,
Lauren
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
80 degree Christmas in Miami?!?!
Hi everyone,
I can't believe it's less than two weeks until Christmas. The month has flown by already and 2006 is coming to an end. It's crazy to think that 3 months ago I was packing up my stuff to move to Miami and not having a clue what was going to happen. Funny thing is...most days I still don't have a clue :) I hope that pattern doesn't continue for the rest of my life, haha.
One thing that has been weird about the holidays here in Miami is the weather. Thanksgiving Day was gorgeous and sunny, probably 75 degrees. We had all the windows open in our house for turkey dinner and I'm sitting there thinking about the snowstorms in the midwest and northeast. And then all the stores here have snowmen and Santa Clauses and snowflakes, and it's warm enough to wear shorts outside. I'm so confused! They should sell mini palm trees in pots to decorate with lights and ornaments instead of shipping down Christmas trees that will dry out before they get here.
Since I've been talking about holidays, now would be a good time to recap them thus far! I was worried that Thanksgiving would be a sad day since it was my first ever away from family. It turned out to be a really fun day and I am so thankful (pun intended, har har) for all the people who helped to make it happen. Riviera Presbyterian Church, the congregation I have been attending down here, hosted a pancake breakfast on Thanksgiving morning. The men of the church were wonderful chefs and I enjoyed getting to know some of the members better. I ate an early dinner with my mentor Diane's extended family and they were so nice and hospitable. The food was fabulous too! Juliet, one of the former YAVs who now lives in Miami with her husband, cooked the Thanksgiving dinner we shared at our house with a DOOR group in town for the week from a United Church of Christ in St. Augustine. Everyone in the group was very friendly and their decision to take the week off to serve others in Miami was very humbling to me. On that note, I've noticed how much I love hosting people at our house. My housemates call me "the house soccer mom" because I am always baking treats for people or often making dinner for everyone if I get home early. They joke that I'm waiting to get married and have kids so I can drive them around in a minivan and make them lunch for school. We'll see about that one :)
Speaking of being thankful, I have to mention the two churches I have been worshipping at here: Riviera Presbyterian Church and the Lighthouse. I am grateful that each community of faith has been so welcoming. I like that each group is small enough that I can at least recognize everyone's faces, but not so small that I still don't know everyone yet. At Riviera I have been participating in the pastor's Sunday School book study. We recently completed The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels and it was an interesting commentary on early church relationships and how Christians viewed other believers as well as those outside of the church. We will begin Beyond Belief, another Pagels work, in January, and then move into a study of the Gnostic gospels (church writings that were excluded from the Bible). At Lighthouse, I love the young adult focus and the engaging worship. It is refreshing to see people on fire for God and the close friendships that form there. I look forward to the weekends and being in fellowship with these wonderful people.
As part of our program book study, each house participated in an afternoon solitude retreat. We headed to the beach of Key Biscayne for 5 hours of silence alone. I went in expecting some kind of divine revelation to come upon me since we were being so "diligent" and "soul-seeking" in setting that time apart to be with God. Instead, I ended up feeling extremely frustrated and "dry". It was difficult to purposely be alone for that period of time and not to seek out the company of others. I can relate it to my idea of having expectations in Miami. I didn't know what to expect before I got here and most of the expectations that have popped up in my head since then continue to turn out quite differently. Obviously, one thing I am gathering out of all of this is to not have expectations, lest they be unfulfilled!
Further along those lines I'll talk about the DART training I attended for PACT. There were about sixty of us from all over the eastern U.S. who spent five days learning about community organizing. It was exhausting, but I learned a lot and enjoyed getting to know the other participants. I felt a bit awkward being the youngest person there, as people would ask me what my role was and I'd have to explain the YAV program and how I was sort of an organizer for PACT (but not really). We practiced one-on-one conversations in group settings in order to receive feedback from the workshop leaders. While I was being interviewed, some of the questions I was asked dredged up some thoughts and emotions from high school that I had not dealt with before. That was unexpected and while nerve-wracking at first, I appreciated the chance to evaluate them and to share openly with people. I learned a lot about organizing practices, but in all honesty still frequently feel like a "deer in the headlights". I shared this with one of the ladies at the office and her advice was to "let the Holy Spirit move you when you don't know what to say or do". It's good to know I'm not the only one experiencing this, as many of my housemates have brought up the same concerns in their placements.
Last night my housemates and I had our Secret Santa gift exchange! We had picked names out of a hat earlier, and filled out slips of paper with information about what we like, people we'd want to eat dinner with, etc. I chose Oprah, Rachael Ray (from the Food Network), and my future husband as people I want to have dinner with. Dalia, my gift-giver, made up a piece of paper with a picture of Nacho Libre (the movie with Jack Black) on it and an entire profile from "Yours Truly" a.k.a. my future husband. It was hilarious and very thoughtful of her, and I will post a picture online so you can see how funny it is. I also attended a Christmas party last Friday night for the Branches youth group, one of the ministries in Florida City (south house). It was fun to see the youth dressed up and enjoy a delicious dinner. We also boogied on down to classic hits from the Village People, the Bee Gees, and Gloria Gaynor. I felt like I was at a middle school dance again - fabulous! The south house also hosted a Christmas/birthday party on Sunday, complete with a fire pit and s'mores. Again, it was weird to sit around a fire in the middle of December when it was in the high 60s that night!
In other exciting news, I have finally decided where to apply to seminary to begin my Master of Divinity next fall. I am confident that this is where God is calling me next. I am excited to begin studies and increase my nerdiness in church knowledge :) I am applying to Louisville (KY) Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Columbia (GA) Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, Fuller (CA) Theological Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Candler School of Theology (Emory University). Please pray that God will help me further discern where to go and that sufficient funds will show up too. I never thought I would say this, but I can't wait to be back in school so I can study and learn. It will be great!
Each day that comes closer to Christmas I ask God to remind me of the importance of the season. We tend to get caught up in the commercialized version of Christmas: presents, cards, food, all of that stuff. That's not to say I don't enjoy a Christmas cookie (or two...no, more like four or five) every now and then, but to be aware of keeping Christ at the center of our reasons for celebrating. I pray that God will put Christ's presence in our hearts not just now, but all year long.
I'm looking forward to a relaxing 10 days at home for Christmas. I leave next Wednesday, December 20th, and I can't wait to go home! If you'll be in Irvine I would love to see you, so please let me know.
Merry Christmas!
Lauren
P.S.
Before I forget, I have noticed that my emails haven't had a link to my Yahoo picture page. So now, for your viewing pleasure, here it is: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/goofyfrito2002/album/576460762321774725#page1
Enjoy!
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Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you all have had a wonderful day with your families and friends! Be happy
Things I am thankful for:
my wonderful family and friends
all of you!
yummy Thanksgiving food
nice weather
all the wonderful people who have helped us in Miami
chocolate, pancakes, and other culinary delights
God's provision for all my needs
God's love, most of all!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Currently Listening
Feels Like Today
By Rascal Flatts
Oklahoma-Texas Line
see related
November newsletter :)
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then
I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Hi everybody,
The time has come for another monthly update. I was reading over my journal entries from the past month trying to figure out what to share with you all. It was funny to read things that happened pretty recently, but now seem like forever ago. When I think about what lies ahead it seems far away, yet I know the time will fly by before I know it. Just thought that was an interesting comparison to make.
I can't believe it's already November! Somehow it doesn't seem like it's time for Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season. The past few weekends have been exciting. My cousin David got married
on October 28th in North Carolina, and I traveled up there for the wedding. It was beautiful and I know he and his wife, Catherine, will be very happy together. I had fun visiting with my family too. This past weekend I went to Nashville! I visited Vanderbilt Divinity School and the gang at Presbyterian Student Fellowship, and saw a
bunch of other friends from school. I also drove up to Louisville, KY to visit Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary – it was great! I spent the rest of the weekend with Craig and Sherri Parrish, who lead the college ministry at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, the church I attended while I was at Vanderbilt. We had a wonderful weekend hanging out and catching up. Sunday was "college Sunday" at First Pres. and it was great! Students from the college ministry led both worship services, and I did the minute for missions. I spoke about my time in Miami and how First Pres. helped me get to where I am now. I was really nervous but I ended up enjoying speaking and people said I did a good job, so that was encouraging. I am also getting ready to apply to seminary to begin my Master of Divinity next fall. Please pray that the application process goes smoothly and that I know which schools are the best fit for me. I am so excited to have this sense of God's call and the idea of preparing for ministry as a potential career, as well as the opportunity to study theology in depth. And yes, I realize how nerdy that sounds. I had a bit of a revelation the last night I was in Nashville. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning, feeling a bit distraught over the different possibilities that lay ahead and generally being confused about it all. An idea popped into my head about a ministry for teenage girls: providing after-school programs like health education, small groups and Bible study, self-esteem boosters, etiquette, college preparation,
life skills workshops, mentors, etc. all with a Christian foundation. Mind you I had never thought of this before! I really think it was God's idea and in the midst of my half-awake stage He put it in my head. Needless to say I'm excited for this possibility, so please pray that God will show me what He wants me to do with it (if anything).
Work-wise, PACT's annual meeting on October 23rd went smoothly and they have formed five committees based on the top voting priorities: crime, education, health, housing, and immigration. I will be working with the education committee and they are focusing on several different issues to research and take on for the next few months: an induction/mentoring program for new teachers, reading programs for younger students, and establishing health clinics in elementary schools. November 13-17 I will travel to Eustis, FL (5 hours north of Miami) for the DART network training. The training will involve all of the DART member organizations (which are all grassroots community organizing groups, including PACT) from around the country and cover all the bases of organizing. I am looking forward to better understanding the different processes and being more involved in
working on the issues.
I hate to say it, but I'm still frustrated with how things are going at work. I often feel like I'm not using my talents or making much of an impact in helping the organization. I know this year is supposed to be challenging, and that it's not all about what I can get out of it. At the same time, I want to serve where I can be of some help and
where I can best use my gifts to serve God. I have been praying a lot and asking God to show me what I can learn from this position and to be open to this experience. I know He is ultimately in control and that things will work out for the best, however He sees best. One thing that God has taught me in all of this is to rely on Him
completely. I think about the times I struggle and want to be in control, and then I need to quiet myself and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart. Each time I feel God saying to me to be content in the moment and that He is enough for me. I often try to "fill myself up" with other things which aren't necessarily bad, like spending time
with friends or even going to Starbucks, but can take the place where God should fulfill me instead. In that sense, I'm grateful for the difficulties I've experienced because they give me the chance to step back, let God be my strength, and meet my every need.
This has gotten long enough – thanks for reading this far. Please continue to pray for my fellow volunteers and everyone we work with in our placements, both in Miami and at all of the other YAV sites around the world. Pray for the people of Miami – they are all so different and those differences cause a lot of segregation and distrust. Pray for our families, loved ones, and friends, especially those we don't stay in touch with as frequently as we'd like to. Pray for our program leaders, supervisors, pastors, mentors. Pray for the people you pass walking down the street. Pray for the people you see every day who are always forgotten, like janitors and mailmen and the people who pick up the trash. Pray for yourself. Just pray. I love and miss you all!
In Christ,
Lauren
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Tuesday, November 07, 2006
way too long
My cousin David and his wife Catherine got married two weekends ago in Atlantic Beach, NC, and I traveled up there for the wedding. It was great to see my family and have a bit of a break! The wedding was beautiful and I know they will be very happy together.
updated seminary list (any comments?):
Asbury Seminary - Wilmore, KY and Orlando, FL
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary - Austin, TX
Beeson Divinity School at Samford Univ. - Birmingham, AL
Boston College Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
Boston University School of Theology
Brite Divinity School at TCU - Fort Worth, TX
Candler School of Theology at Emory Univ. - Atlanta, GA
Claremont School of Theology - Claremont, CA
Columbia Theological Seminary - Decatur, GA
Dallas Theological Seminary
Denver Seminary
Duke Divinity School
Fuller Theological Seminary - Pasadena, CA
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern Univ.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - MA and NC
Harvard Divinity School
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Pepperdine University
Perkins School of Theology at SMU - Dallas, TX
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
San Francisco Theological Seminary
Vanderbilt Divinity School
I went to Nashville this past weekend and it was great! I visited Vandy Div. School and PSF, drove to Louisville and visited LPTS (loved it!), had dinner with some folks on Friday, spent the weekend at Craig and Sherri's house, and participated in the fantastically successful college Sunday at First Pres. I didn't want to leave! It was wonderful to be back there and see the leaves changing color and be in nice crisp weather
Next week is DART (Direct Action and Research Training network) training - it's for all of the member non-profits to learn more about the processes of community organizing. I'm looking forward to it because there's a lot I still don't know, and hopefully this will give me a better understanding of my job and get me more excited about what I'm doing. However I've been out of town so much the past 2 weeks that it'd be nice to be in one place for a while!
Anywho, that's it for right now...continued prayers for us YAVs as we keep chugging along at our placements (some better than others), and for all the people we work with each day. Miami needs a lot of prayer too - there is so much going on here and it's hard to keep it in perspective sometimes.
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Monday, October 23, 2006
and then there were eight
Jordan left yesterday. We're all sad and trying to adjust to the changes. Please pray for the whole situation, that our group and the DOOR program can adjust well, that Jordan will have a smooth transition into being back home and that God will show him where he needs to be...just pray for everything. Thanks
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Friday, October 20, 2006
a master's degree?
Mmmkay, so some of you may know that I like to plan ahead. A lot. Miami is teaching me more and more every day to "go with the flow" and be more flexible, so that's been a lesson in simmerin' down a bit All of us YAVs have mentors outside of the program, and I met with mine for the first time last night. Her name is Diane and she's a Presbyterian minister at a small church in Miami. She's great! She got her MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta when she was 40! How awesome is that? She even went to Vandy her first year of undergrad, but decided it wasn't the place for her.
Anyway, Diane is super nice and we had a really good conversation. I mentioned thinking about going for my MDiv next year after I'm done in Miami, and she offered lots of advice and suggestions for the process. She suggested I consider other programs in addition to the MDiv (since most candidates for that end up as pastors of some sort), like an MATS (Master of Theological Studies), which would be more in-depth study of the Word but not necessarily for a pastoral position. We also discussed seminary (completely separate institution only for theological study, and often related to a specific church denomination) vs. divinity school (school of theology that's part of a larger university, like a school of business or law school would be). She suggested looking into divinity schools since I'm not sure if I want to be a pastor, and she said a div school would provide more options for further study in other areas (i.e. art). Oh, and I'd have to get in my applications by the end of the year (06) for the best shot at going next fall. Whew! Just a tad bit overwhelming
So with that in mind, I would really appreciate advice or info from any of you who've done the whole advanced degree in theology thing, or know someone who has. I've researched schools and these are the ones I'm putting more thought into at this point:
Asbury Seminary - Wilmore, KY and Orlando, FL
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary - Austin, TX
Beeson Divinity School at Samford Univ. - Birmingham, AL
Boston College Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
Boston University School of Theology
Brite Divinity School at TCU - Fort Worth, TX
Candler School of Theology at Emory Univ. - Atlanta, GA
Claremont School of Theology - Claremont, CA
Columbia Theological Seminary - Decatur, GA
Dallas Theological Seminary
Denver Seminary
Duke Divinity School
Fuller Theological Seminary - Pasadena, CA
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern Univ.
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - MA and NC
Harvard Divinity School
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Pepperdine University
Perkins School of Theology at SMU - Dallas, TX
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
San Francisco Theological Seminary
Vanderbilt Divinity School
...help me narrow them down!
1:56 PM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it
Thursday, October 19, 2006
A bit of reflection
It's a slow day at work so I thought I'd take a few minutes to update here...
One night a week (usually Tuesdays) my housemates and I have what we call "Tea with God". We all get together for about an hour to share our highs and lows of the past week, drink tea or coffee if we so desire, and pray. I really enjoy this time set aside to be with my housemates and God. So often I get wrapped up in my own struggles that it's a great reminder that God is working in each one of us and we all go through the same issues. These girls are such a blessing to me!
Tuesday has been the highlight of my week so far. I mentioned our grass-cutting adventure earlier - it was a LOT of fun! I've never been one for yard work but I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself, especially getting to spend time with the other YAVs and Heidi. And who knew how invigorating it is to whack dead grass with a machete? Just kidding. We ate a lot of yummy pizza for lunch and afterwards hung out for dinner and a movie. It's little times like those that make me appreciate the fellowship we have here, and how God can turn not-so-fun stuff into something joyful. Yay God!
Later on Tuesday night I had some free time in the evening, so I sat down with my iPod and journal and read back over entries I wrote since arriving in Miami. It was refreshing to read prayers I wrote down, like struggles and desires and praises, and to see how God has worked in those prayers over time. I noticed some patterns in my prayers, specifically on the issue of pride. I have been struggling a lot with trying to humble myself and put other people first. I know people always say that when they feel humble, that's the exact point when they stop being humble! I have to remind myself each day that it's not about me and that God has placed me here this year TO serve, not to BE served. We brought this up in our book study the other day - that so often our focus lies on what we can get out of things. For example, in daily devotions, it's usually about what we can get out of the Scripture and how each verse applies to us. This is not saying devotions are bad, because meditation on the Word is vital to strengthen our relationship with Christ. All of these things are teaching me to try to step back and look at the bigger picture first, instead of focusing on how I'm being affected. Anyway, my point is: prayers for humility and not getting wrapped up in myself. Thanks
Things I'm looking forward to:
meeting with my mentor tonight for the first time (each YAV is assigned a mentor ouside of the program) - she's a Presbyterian minister here in Miami
my sorority's alumnae meeting coming up this Saturday morning and making connections with other sisters in Miami
my cousin David's wedding in North Carolina next weekend, and seeing my family!
trip to Nashville! Nov. 2-5 to recruit for YAV, visit Presbyterian Student Fellowship at Vandy, and participate in First Presbyterian Church Nashville's college-led services on Sunday!
Other prayer requests:
safety for the south house and people they work with: there has been a lot of gang activity in Homestead near their various ministries
people we come in contact with every day at our jobs, at our different churches, around the neighborhood, etc., that we can show them the love of Christ even when it scares us
for PACT's annual meeting coming up this Monday night...also related: one of the priests at a member church was recently accused of child molestation from many years back. He resigned from his parish on the same day, so prayers that the situation will work out for God's best.
family and friends who I don't get to talk to as much anymore...I miss y'all!
no stress for last minute wedding details, and blessings on David and Catherine's marriage
Love y'all!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
I forgot to mention...
GLORIOUSNESS! (is that even a word?)
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=262870061
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Currently Listening
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
By Original Soundtrack
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We have a yard!
Hey everyone,
Since I've been here, one of the main topics of conversation in my house has been the hideousness of our yard. The people who lived here over the summer for some reason didn't think it was necessary to cut the grass. So we arrive and have a 3-foot tall jungle of grass dominating the backyard. It's been our mission for a month and a half to figure out how to get it cut without spending $300 (as was quoted by a gardener). Yesterday we tackled this mission and took on the challenge of cutting the grass. We used 5 or 6 machetes, a weedeater, electric hedgetrimmer, and a slightly disabled lawnmower to achieve our goal.
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
a few bits of good stuff
- We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. That enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but is a beginning, a step along the way, and opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
- We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
- We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
- It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
all by Archbishop Oscar Romero
from a couple of BCM (Baptist Campus Ministry) emails:
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus promises He will be with us, so what do we have to fear? Even if the thought of it makes you uncomfortable, call up a friend you need to see, say the difficult words necessary to repair a relationship, or just talk to that person you don't think could ever be your friend who sits beside you in class. Some interactions can seem as though they will be so scary, but Jesus promises to be with us ALWAYS. Be brave; He is with us. What else can we need?
Love One Another
(A Little Snippet of Last Week's Message from Scott Patty):
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world." John 17:17-18
We are sent into the world, NOT commanded to live in a Christian bubble. Talk to God and listen for a way to go out INTO THE WORLD and LOVE this week.
4:45 PM - add eprops - add comments - email it
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Miami, one month later
Hi everyone,
I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I arrived in Miami. The time has flown by and it has been full of challenges and excitement...
Overall, I am still having difficulty adjusting to this new lifestyle. Sometimes I drive around and think, am I still in the United States? It is so culturally diverse and while that is one point in its favor, it is unlike any other place I’ve ever been and therefore that much more intimidating. One thing I didn’t expect was the bias placed toward me. I have walked around the neighborhood on some mornings, and when I say “Buenos dias” to people on the street they often send an awkward glance my way (or ignore me altogether). Maybe I’m taking it too personally, but it is frustrating to see how little interaction people have with their neighbors here. I am truly appreciative of the wonderful people in my program. They are great examples to me each day of Christ’s love and I look forward to more fun times with them.
My job at PACT (People Acting for Community Together) is coming along. The main part of my work right now is meeting with individuals from different congregations who are part of PACT. I have 2 to 3 meetings each day to hear people’s ideas about their communities, and to invite them to be part of their organization’s Justice Ministry Network – those who represent their congregation within the larger body of PACT. We are preparing for our large community action meeting on October 23rd. The 38 member organizations will send their Justice Ministry Network teams to discuss and vote on the issues they have brought up in discussion. Soon afterwards we will form committees for each issue to research what can be done to alleviate the problems. I am looking forward to having more hands-on involvement in the process. I ask for your prayers in this situation, as I feel like I haven’t been very successful yet in recruiting enough people for the October meeting. Those of you who know me well know how much I want to make a direct impact in helping out PACT, so these past few weeks have been frustrating. I know God wants me in Miami right now, but why exactly I’m not sure. Please pray that God would make His plan for this year clear to me and provide me with a sense of purpose for being here.
On a lighter note, this past weekend (November 27th-October 1st) was the National Young Adult Volunteer retreat. About 75 of us volunteers placed in sites across the U.S. traveled to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, one of the Presbyterian Church’s retreat centers. It was wonderful to be in a different environment for a little while and hear about the work of other volunteers. I especially enjoyed our worship services and the hikes we took on the ranch property. One was to Kitchen Mesa, a huge mesa overlooking the ranch, and Box Canyon, which has beautiful sandstone rock formations. I also loved the cottonwood trees scattered around the property, as they’re turning yellow with the fall weather. I was refreshed to get away from Miami’s hustle and bustle and enjoy the quiet of God’s creation.
I’m looking forward to visiting my family in North Carolina at the end of October for my cousin’s wedding. I will be in Nashville the first weekend of November to recruit for the Young Adult Volunteer program and participate in a service at my church there. I would love to hear from you all and get the scoop on new and exciting things in your lives. Thank you again for all of your support. It means the world to me to have you all behind me. Know you are in my prayers and I miss you all very much.
In Christ’s love,
Lauren
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Currently Listening
Mi Vida Es Cantar
By Celia Cruz
La vida es un carnaval
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quick update:
- first week of work was good, I had a few appointments with people and am setting up more for the rest of the week.
- vigil tonight at the county government center for the housing board meeting tomorrow...I have no idea what to expect but I think it'll be cool; plus a justice workshop on Saturday
- birthday/housewarming party last weekend at the south house for Allison's birthday - lots of fun!
- salsa dancing lesson last night with Emily, one of my housemates - can't wait to go and boogie again
- Nicaraguan food is delicious and really cheap
- they have cafe Cubano (a.k.a. Cuban coffee) here that you drink in little tiny plastic shot cups (coladas), and it tastes like espresso with sugar added....mmmm good!
- people honk a lot when they're driving and like to run yellow and red lights - basically yellow lights don't exist. If you're a girl and walking down the street (even with other girls) you WILL get honked and whistled at.
- in my experience, if you go to the grocery store or any other public place, everyone is speaking Spanish until they see you're a gringa (white person) and then will only speak English to you even if you try to speak Spanish to them...kinda annoying
- Miami weather is gorgeous, albeit really humid right now...hooray for sunshine!
- the people in my office are really cool:
Aaron: my boss and head of the office, Caucasian, originally from Minnesota;
Willy: Hispanic, from Venezuela;
Gerard: from Haiti, speaks French and Creole and is of African descent;
Camille: African-American, originally from Michigan, her husband is from Ghana;
Ana: Hispanic, from Texas
= yay diversity! Just one more thing I love about Miami.
- soo excited for the premiere of Grey's on Thursday night
- really missing all you Vandy and Irvine people! Come visit!
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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Hola de Miami!
I am so excited to write this because we don't have Internet at our house. I'm at the library right now and it is quite wonderful to be connected online again. Part of the deal for our first month here is no Internet at home and no TV, and we haven't started receiving our subscription to the Miami Herald (local newspaper) yet, so this is a treat.
I can't believe I've already been here for a week. It's funny how fast the time goes by when you least expect it. I am having a blast thus far! My mom and I arrived here last Thursday (Aug. 31st) after a fun road trip from NC, with stops in Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and Daytona Beach. I moved into my house last Friday and it's great! We live just north of Coral Gables and west of Little Havana, in a nice residential neighborhood. Our house is bright blue and I park my car in the yard, it's pretty funny. I share a room with Andrea, from Chicago, and the other girls in the house are Emily (from Delaware), Dalia (from Montreal), and Melanie (from New Zealand). They are all wonderful and I'm so grateful to be living with them. We've had a lot of fun chatting and hanging out and I'm excited to get to know them better. The other 4 YAVs (Young Adult Volunteers) are Allison (from Virginia), Erin, Jordan (both from South Carolina), and Tony (from Ohio). They live in a house in Homestead, a little over a 30 minute drive south from our house.
We have been BUSY! Saturday nights we worship at a church called Lighthouse. It meets at First United Methodist downtown and Richard, Heidi's (our head honcho here) husband, leads the worship band. It's very rock-driven music and they are all extremely talented. It's still taking a while for me to get used to that style of worship, but everyone has been so nice and I've really enjoyed the fellowship there. We eat dinner before worship and then all hang out together afterwards. I feel so blessed to have this instant community. Many of the people there served as YAVs in the past, and everyone has been so helpful trying to get us situated and feeling comfortable in a new city. It's great! :)
The rest of the time we've spent doing orientation-type things, like filling out forms, riding on public transportation (also required for the first month we're here), and going to the beach (twice already!). We spent Labor Day afternoon hanging out on South Beach - it is gorgeous and the water is so clear. I hope it becomes a regular habit :) Thursday night we sold soda to raise money for DOOR (our umbrella organization) at the NFL Kickoff concert on South Beach, so if you saw that on TV we were there. It was so much fun to see Diddy (who needs to stop changing his name all the time), Ozomatli, and a few other artists play there. Yesterday (Friday) we traveled to our worksites for the first time. My office is just north of downtown and I'll be traveling in and out a lot meeting with people. My supervisor, Aaron, is the executive director of PACT ( www.miamipact.org) and I'm excited to work with him and the other people in the office. Monday is my first official day so I hope it goes well. Today I went to a volunteer organization at Shake-a-Leg, a non-profit in Coconut Grove that provides watersports and other programs to the community. I hope to start volunteering there soon and learn how to sail for (almost) free! I'm excited.
From what I have seen so far, Miami is a vibrant city with so much going on. I love the cultural diversity - right down the street from us we have Guatemalan and Venezuelan restaurants and Cuban-food cafeterias are in every supermarket. They serve cafe cubano, or Cuban coffee, which is a lot like espresso with sugar added - delicious! I am looking forward to tasting more yummy food and gaining a better understanding of different cultures.
Thank you for reading this far - I can't believe I typed this much! I appreciate all of your support so much. I know in my gut that God wants me here and I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. I'm excited to see what God will accomplish this year - our team is amazing and I know we're going to see great things happen. Please keep us all in your prayers, let me know how I can be praying for you as well, and tell me what's going on with you too! I hope to get pictures up on Facebook and Yahoo soon, so I'll let you know when I do.
Love,
Lauren
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
Hi everyone!
The official Xanga-ing has begun I hope to post on here regularly, at least once a month (hopefully more) to fill you all in on my work and life in Miami.
First of all, I want to send out a HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported me financially. I definitely could not have been able to do any of this without you! God has been so faithful and provided me with more than my $6000 fundraising goal, so I am truly grateful for His provision through all of you. It assures me even more that this is what God has planned for me this year and has made it happen with your help. Thank you so much!
I leave August 28th for North Carolina, and will drive with my mom from my grandma's house to Miami over a 3-day period. We're stopping in Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA (with a pit stop at The Lady and Sons restaurant, owned by Paula Deen of the Food Network - I love her! ), and a night somewhere in north Florida. If anyone has any suggestions as to where else to stop/eat/play, please let me know.
Friday, September 1st is my first official day as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV)! I will be living in a house with 4 other girls on the outskirts of Coral Gables, near the Little Havana area. There are a total of 10 YAVs in Miami this year, 8 girls and 2 guys. The other 5 will live in a house in Homestead, which is south of Miami. I am excited to get to know all these cool people and make some great friends We'll spend our first couple of weeks in town getting situated, moving in, filling out all the fun paperwork (not! ), etc. and officially begin our jobs on September 11th.
As far as my job, I will be working for an organization called PACT - People Acting in Community Together. You can click on the link to visit their website and get a better idea of what they do. It is a Christian organization that works with churches and other interfaith groups to achieve social change by bridging the gap between community leaders (i.e. pastors) and local government. If you click here you can read a job description of what I'll be doing (minus the pay). I am excited to be a part of this work and serve others as God leads me, and brush up on my Spanish of course!
Please keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare ourselves to begin what I know will be an exciting year. Pray that we would be open to new experiences and willing to be used where God puts us. Pray that we will find communities of faith in which to grow and build relationships with others. Pray for the people we come in contact with, that we will be able to cross cultural and language barriers and love them unconditionally.
I am a little nervous, but definitely excited for what God has in store for me this year. God has brought me this far in leading me to this position, and I know He will continue to guide me through the ups and downs. I want to share a couple of my favorite Bible verses that have been important to me for the past year or so, especially last year at school as I was praying about what to do after graduation.
"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." -Romans 8:28
"...never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5
I hope these might encourage you a little bit as they have encouraged me. It has been a long process getting here, and I have had more moments of doubt and frustration than I can count, but God remains steadfast regardless of whatever situation we find ourselves in. Pretty awesome, huh?
I will post Miami pictures on my Yahoo picture page as soon as I take some. Again, thank you all for sharing this experience with me, and please let me know how I can be praying for you as well.
Blessings, Lauren
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| My aunt sent me this and I really liked it...hope you do too 
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress."
"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups …and then began eyeing each other's cups."
" Now consider this: Life is the coffee , and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups . . . enjoy your coffee.
"Being happy :) doesn't mean everything's perfect; it means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections."
Live in peace and peace will live in you.
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| just posted stuff about Miami...xanga.com/miami_lauren | | |
| ...please watch this. I think everyone needs to see how awful it was, especially through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand.
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