For my Baja friends

A letter to my Baja friends:

Today I’m writing (on the long abandoned blog) just to say gracias.

As you may or may not know by now, I have had a slow “rolling-off” of the Baja Missions staff.

But have no fear, I didn’t roll too far.

For the past year, I began to feel ready to transition back to The States but came to realize it would be MUCH easier felt, planned, or said than done.  

As I’m sure many of you can relate, Baja has changed my life so much.  My heart was so heavy at just the thought of moving it took a long time to get up the courage to try.  It was heavy with gratitude.

You see, looking back, I really had no clue what I was signing up for when I committed to joining the Baja Missions team. Really.

I kinda stretched the fact that I knew Spanish (sorry, Rex) and just knew the Lord had placed Christian, non-profit work on my heart and somehow was granted great favor and grace to even show up alongside these spiritual giants. The only other thing I knew was that I had one of my first memorable experiences with the Holy Spirit in high school singing in the “gym kitchen” at the City of Children.  So, I took a deep breath, swallowed in it and said, “If you met me there then, you will meet me there, again. I want to be where you are, Lord.”

So one year became, two, two became three…

And by no means was I ever “ready” to leave.

These people had now become family, they had trusted me with their stories and their friendship. They looked after me as their own.

Well, a bit overwhelmed, I planned to take a few months off to re-group, be present for events back home, and then proceed to do my best to follow where God was leading me (because it was unknown and scary!).

And well, along the way, had to process something I thought I could just avoid, taking time off and taking baby steps back into America. That something is what I like to call “post missionary disorder”

Man, it’s hard. Never really being ready.  Then trying to jump back into the corporate world and struggling to summarize the “experience” into neat bullets points on a resume.  When really life is just plain messy and I had to smile through many unknowns and learn by trial and error.

Or explaining a “typical day” in Mexico.  A typical day like taking hours to pay bills, having car break downs, or being constantly inconvenienced by drought restrictions and no running water. Singing and talking to myself in the car with no radio, being scared to even go to the grocery alone at first. Yeah those are pleasant topics! Or the many beautiful experiences of just simply sitting, listening, being and crying with our sweet brothers and sisters.  That’s tough to explain.

Realizing that a workplace may not value the 3+ years you have dedicated to loving and serving in this radically different environment, or shall we say the "least of these" in a “third world country.”  

Sure the term “third world country” draws attention. But I don’t see it as three worlds. I think God created one world and we're all one big family.

One world but unfortunately broken up by these nasty borders and violent cultures that surround them.  Yes, I know physical borders are necessary. But they’re man made. What about the mental borders or walls we have created towards certain peoples?

In what I’ve witnessed from frequent trips across the U.S. & Mexican border is that the rain falls on both sides (when it rains, ha!), the birds fly freely without need of a visa, and the Lord’s hand is upon all nations in an equally loving, Master Creator way.  He gave His BEST designs to each continent; He gave His BEST most creative thoughts to form each of us, His children.

Speaking of the border, I have to share that the motivation for me to be back in the States was always coupled with a new desire to become involved in immigration.  Seeing the transient way people live in a border town became so fascinating to me the more I learned over the years. Hearing personal, real-life immigration struggles over and over sparked my desire to become directly involved in this field. 

God placed on my heart that I needed to be a bridge, when everyone else was looking at how to build more walls.

I started having these thoughts in early Spring 2016. Yes, that’s correct. Before the election and before I had any clue how much of a crazy topic this would become.

So, what’s my place in this ever changing, media topic?

Well that has to be all up to God. Because once again I feel lead to land where I have zero experience, and only the Lord’s leading.

Maybe it’s just immigrating more people to Him. After all, we’re all just citizens of Heaven.  (Phil 3:20)

So, I share this (in a long-winded way) to also say thank you to the wonderful people that I’ve been so blessed to meet over the past few years.

Thank you for welcoming me, sharing with me, encouraging me, teaching me, blessing me, feeding me, being patient with me, believing in me and loving me.

I can’t believe how many Americanos (hermanos y hermanas) I met in Mexico that I probably would have never met in the States. It’s amazing.

So please know my desire to be in San Diego is coupled with the desire to stay involved as a volunteer with Baja Missions.

While I won’t be around all the time, my heart is still there and I plan to stay involved however I can going forward.

Here’s to taking one more step in faith and hoping to be malleable to the hand of God, even more still.  

I ask for your prayers as I do my best to make a positive impact in my new community. I am thankful to share that I will be working with an immigration law firm that specializes in agriculture.  As you proabably know, most all families I had the opportunity to meet in Baja work in this industry and many have come to the States on temporary job assignments.  

He's evident in the details. He is good. I desire to give Him the glory!

If you read all of this, I love you and God bless you!

With mucho amor!

Laura

One body. One church. One bride. One family.

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”

Philippians 3:20

waiting on the weight

I can be really indecisive sometimes and overthink making decisions. And once I do make a decision, I’m stressing about whether or not it was right AND if everyone involved or potentially affected is going to be pleased with the said choice.

All this just leading to over churning, thinking, analyzing, stressing, playing scenarios over and over in my head…is it going to be ok?!

How often do we jump in without a plan, speak before understanding, act before thinking, and on and on. And as a result, we create a ball of stress and uncertainty for no silly reason…

And in the aftermath, the Father tells me, if you would just listen to Me, you would learn to wait.

You would learn to wait on Me.

I make things so simple. Decisions so clear.

How often do we forget about our great Helper? Our world of self-sufficiency has forgotten our Holy Spirit aid. Our rushed and stressed schedule does not have time to wait.

I want to wait on Him for help and guidance in all things.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7 

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26

He will teach us everything.

I’m so thankful for the guidance that will help us discern and make good choices. And not only good choices, but set us free from over thinking if others are also pleased.  If it’s from God who really cares what they think or if it doesn’t make sense in the present. We trust in Him.

I aim to do a better job at relying on our great Helper, Holy Spirit.

Reflecting on what this looks like in our lives, I realize that in the days and seasons when I have felt immersed in His presence, there has also been such a beautiful weight about it.

We slow down when we make the choice to ask and engage Him in all things. When He is in the midst, He also brings the weight of His presence that also causes us to carry the moment with greater importance.

A weight that is, at the same time, so light and free.

What?

How can something weighty or heavy feel weightless? How can it be that the weight I feel from His presence, from Heaven, allows me to drop all my other “weights” I feel from the world?

The weight I feel comes from the amazement that God’s Spirit, that dwells in agreement with Heaven, is present in my life.

And then when I ponder all the things the Spirit offers and provides for us, it’s no wonder we feel such a heaviness. It is saturated with all we could ever need.

 peace  >>     

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  John 14: 27 

fullness of joy >>

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11 

rest >>

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30 

freedom >>

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  2 Corinthians 3:17

completion >>

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6 

life >>

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.  Romans 8:11

victory >> 

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.  1 John 4:4

I ponder and write on this concept to desire to wait on Him in all things. To ask for His guidance and for His presence to dwell in me and in my life, and to live captivated by the weight of Heaven that only He brings.

How vast are your blessings, Lord. How complete are we when we are communication with our Creator. Thank you for sending your Spirit and providing what we so desperately need.

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And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.  Romans 8:26-27

Then sings my soul...

How GREAT your love is.

Now more than ever, we need love. I need big, bold reassuring love from our Heavenly Father that life is ok. That He knows the beginning and the end. That He IS the Beginning and the End. That He loves us so much, he wants our main purpose in life to be full of adoration to Him and testifying of this great love.

How hard can that be when the world around us shares death, heartache and grief? How hard can that be when we experience extremely unfair circumstances in our own family and community? How hard can that be when we are persecuted for following Him or have an extremely difficult season while trying to do His will?

Really hard.

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?” ...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:35,37

I pray in our current world of suffering; it does not prevent us from seeing the promises.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:18

I believe we hold on to our promise through PRAISE

Praise reminds us who God is and sets us free.

Praise elevates God above all other things in our lives.

In EVERY season and in the waiting, I want to praise.  

We wait with eager hope.

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including new bodies he has promised us.  Romans 8:23

My thoughts on praise in the suffering, praise to take hold of our freedom, praise to take hold of our promised land came from reading through the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt and Moses pleading to Pharaoh again and again for their freedom.

I had a new revelation reading this part of scripture in a story/ phrase we all know.

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let me people go, so they can worship me.”  Exodus 10:3

Let my people go, so they can worship me.

I don’t know about you, but I love when my eyes see and ears hear something in a new way. I have always heard “let my people go”, but I have always missed the why... SO THEY CAN WORSHIP ME

My mind immediately saw that God wishes to release all types of slavery, bondage and sin so we can worship Him.

He does not want us to be slaves to our sin.  Jesus came to release us from this bondage.

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba Father.” Romans 8:15

We know and hate the physical slavery that still exists today. We also know the realness of being slaves to sin in our lives.

God wants to declare a release of our bondage so we can worship Him. What a beautiful thing that is.

I’m not sure there is any greater feeling than getting lost in worship. I feel so free in the presence of God. I pray that I will praise in all seasons. To take hold of the freedom we have in Christ.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1

Understanding our bondage makes us thankful in ways I don't think we can comprehend for a Savior who has set us FREE and saved us from death.

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:6

I’m ready to take hold of God’s glory this year. Take hold of His promises. Take new ground that has been dreamed.

“Shout! For the Lord has give you the city!”  Joshua 6:16

I want to lift up shouts of praise to Him! He is so good!

Thank you Father.