Sunday, January 13, 2013

To Lebaonon and Beyond!


For those of you who are not on my email, address list here is my support letter! Thank you for considering investing in this amazing oportunity! :)


Dear Family and Friends,
 I've had the honor this year of going to the Bethel School of Ministry here in Redding, California something that I didn't plan on doing when I moved to California. I've written in my past emails that it is the best thing that I never knew I needed, and that is certainly true. As part of our school, we get to go on missions trips in the Spring apart from our tuition. At the time of choosing my missions trip I still had over a thousand dollars left to pay on my tuition here at school. As we were choosing missions trips, I was really tempted to pick trips that were only state-side, making them cheaper than international trips. While this would have been great, and ministry is so needed anywhere and in every context, after spending time with the Lord I realized I was choosing those out of fear, and not because I was feeling called to those places. Since being here the Lord has really been stirring my heart more and more for the nations. For probably the last 8 years or so I have been praying more specifically and feeling more drawn to the culture of the Middle East. I have fallen in love more specifically with the women of that culture and read a lot of their stories. Even though I have always had a desire to get to the Middle East, it has always been something that I viewed as far off, somewhere I would go when I was older and 'more experienced.' However, as I was reading through the mission trips choices, 3 of M.E. countries stood out to me. With faith, I chose the countries I felt like Holy Spirit was highlighting to me, not the countries that my bank account told me I could go to.

I love how God works...a week later my tuition got paid off in full, and a month later I found out that God wanted to turn a far off dream, into a reality today. March 29-April 12 I am planning on going to Lebanon with a group of 15 from the school. For those of you who don't have the Middle East memorized, Lebanon is the country in between Israel and Syria along the Mediterranean Sea. While in country, we will be partnering with a ministry that is already established in country called Tent of Praise to serve their vision in the area. We will be working to bring the love of God from the top of the Lebanon Mountain Range to the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, from villages to Universities. We will work to encourage the local churches, praying with them for breakthrough and also partnering with them in outreaches. We will also be doing street ministry and stepping out in faith to see amazing things happen in people's lives as they're touched by the love of God. And what better way to pray into both Syria and Israel than from the country that shares a border in one trip?

The heart and passion of the Bethel Mission Trips Department is to see the sons and daughters of God in all the nations awaken to His goodness and love. As children of Heaven, we have access to His Kingdom and demonstrate His love, glory, and power in all aspects of society. Their strategy is to raise up a generation of world changers in their own nations to begin to run with their God-given inheritance to bring heaven to earth and transform their nation. This trip, through Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM), ultimately reflects the vision of the Bethel Mission Trips Department and I am excited to have a part along with 1,100 of my classmates. :)

It is in great humility that I ask if you would like to partner with me once again to make this a reality. I am so excited already about what God is going to do. It is in my heart to see as many people in the world burning with realization of who they are and just how much God loves them. I am asking that you seek the Lord if and how you are to give, whether financially or through prayer. The trip altogether is $2645, and I need to raise at least $1445 by JANUARY 22nd in order to secure my plane ticket. Because of amazing people like you, I have already been able to raise $400 of that! THANK YOU! I will need to raise the remaining $1200 by February 26th. If you would like to give, just follow these instructions:
 
Financial gifts may be made online at https://missiontrips.ibethel.org. (this is tax deductible if needed) Go to 'Give today' and under 'Find a traveler' type student's  name, select it and fill out payment information. 
If online payment is not an option, check donations can be made payable to Bethel Church and mailed to the following address:  
Bethel Mission Trips Department
Redding, CA 96003.  ( Please include a note with the donation designating which student’s trip 
you are supporting.) 

I also cannot tell you how much I value your prayers. I do realize very much the area I am walking into willingly and the dangers there are. I don't pretend to be naive, but I do know who God is, and I do know what kind of people are praying for me. The covering you create is too great to place a value on. I know that I (and probably my mother this time around) value your prayers very much. They are rich, and very felt. 

I know that an email cannot tell you all how excited I am for this trip. It feels like the beginning of something completely new for me. Thank you so much for how you've supported me as I travel to the near places and the not-so-near ones trying to be obedient, and to learn how to trust. While I don't know exactly how far He'll lead me, it is so comforting to know the support I have. Thank you for considering investing and partnering with what I know the Lord is doing in my life. My breakthroughs are always yours, and my blessings I pray will be given to you 100 times over. I love you all and will keep you updated on this great adventure of dreams coming true!
God bless!
Lara

(if you have any questions, my phone number is (319) 750-2385)


2013/2012 pondering and randomness

So those of you who know me best know that I love to dream. I love to think about what God can do, what's in my heart to do and what He's going to do that's 'better than I can even ask or imagine.' Well it's 13 days into 2013 and until last night I'd done none of that for this new year. That's pretty much unheard of in my world. I love to dream. I love to help other people dream, plan and create. So why the hod up this new year?
Of all the wild years, I think 2012 topped them for me. I never had as many surprises, twists and turns. I've never been so challenged both in good ways and in harder ways. I've laughed so hard, cried so deep, and everything in between. As I look back on my last year I don't even recognize the person who's sitting in this chair; or rather the person who was sitting in this chair a year ago. I've come a far  and yet I'm more fully aware more than ever of how far I have to go. 12 months ago I had just moved here, no idea really why except I heard 'go' and had an open door. 2012 has been a crazy ride.

Some of the highlights:
-moved to redding, ca
-had a job within 5 days of moving here
-got to go to Ireland for 9 days to pray and enjoy that beautiful land
-have the honor of helping one or my spiritual moms with her ministry
-the morning after asking The Lord for another source of income got called back for a second job
-completely reprinted a whole house, and had the joy of preparing it for its owner.
-had a dream that I should go back to school at a time when resources were quite low
-saw God provide for all of my schooling
-had the largest financial breakthrough of my life which enabled me to go home for Christmas to my family
-got word that I get to go on a missions trip to the Middle East this spring fulfilling a dream in my heart that almost no one knew about.
-had a week with my parents
-was physically healed of a 2 week long headache
-have had more dreams birthed in me this year than my whole life combined
-have had so many wonderful people come visit! :)
-get to go to school, specifically, revival group with some of the most amazing, radical, lovely people on the face or the planet from all over the planet.

S yeah, I'm sure I missed a whole bunch of things, but where do you start? I'm learning more and more about how to dream with passion and intentionality but also how to give those dreams back to The Lord and TRUSTING Him with them. (Go figure, it still has to do with trust) when we can lay down our rights to be in control of everything, it's amazing what He can do. I just really didn't think I wanted or needed to be in school but I'm so very glad that it happened. I'm so very glad that I was so wrong.

So what's this got to do with 2013? Or anything for that matter? I'm not 100% sure. I do have things I would love to see happen in the coming year. I have goals and hopes and dreams that are so crazy that unless I give them to God are downright impossible. Impossible. Previous years of my life I would have looked at this past year and said impossible. I want my life to be impossible. This happens by taking my life and completely placing it in His hands. More than anything I want to stay right at his feet. Taking what He gives me and putting it back under His control. Allowing Him to take me to places I never planned. I long for 2013 to be a year that I learn more and more how to pour myself outas a drink offering to Him. To allow Him to overcome me, to trust Him with my heart, and to give Him away to everyone that I meet.

Well, if that wasn't the most incongruent blog I've written I don't know what is.

Also, I apologize for mistakes, for some reason I can't go back and edit. :( weird.

Love you all!
-Lara