***Hey guys I know some of you have been having trouble posting comments on my updates, so I wanted to let everyone know an easy way to leave me comments on my website. First hit post a comment and it will take you to another page when a text box to write me a note in. Under the text box it says choose an identity. Check the anonymous button and then write your message and make sure you sign your name to the end of your note. Do not check google/blogger or other because it requires to you have an account with the server I am using. Anonymous will allow anyone to posta comment. Hope this helps!***

Also, here is my e-mail address to write me if you so desire (I love to hear from you guys, it helps when I get homesick): laurenconrad88@hotmail.com

Hey Guys,

I figured you were probably tired of my preaching and teaching that I have been picking up in class, so I decided I would share some of our recent outreach ministries. To the left is a picture of me and a litte boy named Alfonso. Alfonso is one of many children at an abused woman's shelter. Many women have fled their husbands or boyfriends taking their kids with them and found shelter here. This little boy in particular was special to me. His father had beaten him so terribly that his all of his front top teeth had been broken and shattered leaving him with at least 8 metal coverings. Such a sweet baby, and it just broke my heart. There were so many children, and they were all yearning for attention and love.

We have also been visiting several churches around Ensenada and the surrounding pueblos. I think we have visited about 6 in the last week. Each time we found out about a day or maybe even 7 hours before we were going and we would have to plan testimonies, worship and preaching all in that time. That was intense, but God was so faithful! He provided all we needed and the Holy Spirit did some amazing work. Keep praying!

My ear has healed completely, however I lost the piercing (my parents are probably rejoicing). My stomach and cold have settled and all is going well. I must say I missed the 4th of July and I miss you all so much, but I am resting in the arms of Christ and He is comforting me and strengthening me day by day. I love you all and will continue to keep you updated. God bless you- Lauren

The Power and Necessity of Forgiveness

What is the Christian life about? Simple answer, to fall deeper in love with God and be His hands and feet to a world in need. Isn’t that what the word says? LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, all your strength, and all your mind, and LOVE your neighbor as yourself. But this action is not so easy to put into practice. In order to live a lifestyle of love, we must necessarily walk in a river of forgiveness. Why? Think about it. People are difficult to live with. I mean honestly, if we are ever going to be the true hands and feet of Jesus, our lives need to represent Him in all that we do, and he not only loved us, but gave himself up in order to bring us forgiveness. Look at these scriptures- Colossians 3:13, Luke 6:37, Matthew 6:14-16, Mark 11:25. They all have one common topic, forgiveness. This subject is a core theme in Christianity. These verses state that to be forgiven, we must forgive. Now our unforgiveness does not jeopardize our salvation because we are saved by grace, but it can hinder, stunt, or even stop our growth in Christ. So if you want to remain complacent and stagnant, then continue to live a life of unforgiveness, but to progress in your walk with Christ, FORGIVE. You cannot go deeper with Christ with a root of unforgiveness in your life, because that root will spread like a cancer through your body.
Here are some of God’s examples of forgiveness. In Nehemiah 9:17 it says, “They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.” God had the right, the authority, and the power to desert and destroy this people, but look closely, it says he is a forgiving God. Another beautiful example of this forgiveness is found in Hosea. In the Old Testament there is a story of a man that God appointed as a prophet. He told Hosea, go and marry a prostitute, because through you, I want to demonstrate my forgiving love to my people. So Hosea married a woman named Gomar, and Gomar fled her husband time and again, selling her body to other men. Deserting her husband and shaming him to the point where she sold herself into slavery. Hosea went and bought her back. He brought her back into his bed, into intimacy, into love. You see, that is us. We are prostitutes who look for any and every other thing to put above God. A famous theologian said that our hearts are idol factories. But God forgives us. Look closely at the story of Hosea. Generally I find that when I am hurt once, I shut off to that person. I guard my heart so that I won’t feel pain again. However, Hosea did it differently. Like I said he brought his wife back into intimacy, into love, into relationship. We are called to go beyond the status-quo of turning our cheek and simply forgiving. We need to bring those people that have hurt us back into relationship with us.
Our responsibility is that. To forgive, offer grace, and bring people back into a loving relationship. We must follow God’s example that is demonstrated all throughout history. If we don’t have lives of forgiveness, Christ cannot flow through us. So live in this river of forgiveness, get caught in its flow, and let Christ work in and through you. This is how we are to live.