It's Been A While...
My dear friend,
I have been SO excited for all that's been happening in my ministry with Life-Gate and so full of joy to be learning and serving and reaching out to people. My Friday night Street Outreach ministry is by far one of the greatest highlights of my week!!! It's so hard to express to you the incredible excitement I have each week and the wonder and joy of being able to share God's love and grace with each person we meet. These days, I'm getting used to being spontaneously hugged by random people as they're touched by the simple message I speak to each heart: "You are so precious to God!"
It's been so long since I last wrote a ministry update... I guess you understand yourself, how life just flies by and, caught up in the moment we find it hard to fit in the "optional extras" like blog updates!
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| A beautiful friend, at Outreach. |
...But my street outreach hours only make up about 15% of my week (the nerd in me just whipped out my calculator and did a rough estimate!)...
Early this year, God opened an incredible new door to us!!! Following the impact our art-therapy program had last year on the 20+ troubled youth who participated, the secondary college we had partnered with invited us to run a permanent in-school art-therapy program for these very vulnerable youth!!!... Wow. A secular secondary school, with a principal who is very anti-religion, asked us (knowing we're a Christian organisation) to run a permanent class!!!
That class began in July and now, every Monday, myself and another Life-Gate volunteer, teach art and bring life lessons and emotional intelligence training to 15 students who all live in very volatile situations and struggle with drug addictions, abuse and deep emotional scars. It has been very challenging and exhausting but deeply rewarding to see the slow change in the behaviour and attitudes of each young person. It's so thrilling to know God opened this door and prepared in advance the good works we're now walking into (Ephesians 2:10) and I am constantly amazed (though I guess it shouldn't amaze me) at the favour He is giving us and the way He is providing and guiding us.
The other exciting new opportunity God has opened to me is a Bible Study I now run with some of the young women we've led to Christ over the last couple of years. Most of them attend rather sporadically at this point (please pray for them!) but there is one girl who never misses a Bible Study and who is growing at an incredible rate. She is constantly expressing her thankfulness to God for my encouragement and for the opportunity to be able to study the Word together, and I am constantly encouraged and blessed myself as I witness the transformation that is taking place in her heart and life! Our God is so good!
This year, I've also put more time into grant writing (to seek funding for our ministry and initiatives) and been blessed with a lot more support and help from volunteers and students who have also assisted with grant writing. It's a time-consuming task and (often) a struggle to write inspiring applications when you suspect you probably won't receive the money you're asking for. This year, we've already been awarded funding for FIVE of the grants we've written (that equates to over $44,000 in funding!) and have been short-listed for a couple more. It is so clear that God is giving us favour! We can see He is moving and opening doors and blessing us and our ministry in some incredible ways and we're so thankful and excited to see where it's all heading!
So you see, dear friend, if you stopped to count the number of times I've used the word "exciting" in this update, you're no doubt aware that my role with Life-Gate and our ministry here has been deeply rewarding over the last quarter! I'm so thankful for you and your prayers... for every milk bottle lid you and your friends have been collecting for our art-therapy program... for every dollar you have sacrificed and given to support me financially... and for your phone calls and emails and encouragement. I feel so deeply loved and supported and only wish I could bless you as greatly as you have blessed me!
Until my next ministry update, I love you and pray for God's abundant blessing in your life no matter the circumstances in which you currently find yourself. Even if the word "exciting" isn't on your radar right now, know that He loves you deeply and is always leading us in triumph and victory through every season of our lives, through Jesus! (2 Cor 2:14)
Love Laur
Early this year, God opened an incredible new door to us!!! Following the impact our art-therapy program had last year on the 20+ troubled youth who participated, the secondary college we had partnered with invited us to run a permanent in-school art-therapy program for these very vulnerable youth!!!... Wow. A secular secondary school, with a principal who is very anti-religion, asked us (knowing we're a Christian organisation) to run a permanent class!!!
That class began in July and now, every Monday, myself and another Life-Gate volunteer, teach art and bring life lessons and emotional intelligence training to 15 students who all live in very volatile situations and struggle with drug addictions, abuse and deep emotional scars. It has been very challenging and exhausting but deeply rewarding to see the slow change in the behaviour and attitudes of each young person. It's so thrilling to know God opened this door and prepared in advance the good works we're now walking into (Ephesians 2:10) and I am constantly amazed (though I guess it shouldn't amaze me) at the favour He is giving us and the way He is providing and guiding us.
The other exciting new opportunity God has opened to me is a Bible Study I now run with some of the young women we've led to Christ over the last couple of years. Most of them attend rather sporadically at this point (please pray for them!) but there is one girl who never misses a Bible Study and who is growing at an incredible rate. She is constantly expressing her thankfulness to God for my encouragement and for the opportunity to be able to study the Word together, and I am constantly encouraged and blessed myself as I witness the transformation that is taking place in her heart and life! Our God is so good!
This year, I've also put more time into grant writing (to seek funding for our ministry and initiatives) and been blessed with a lot more support and help from volunteers and students who have also assisted with grant writing. It's a time-consuming task and (often) a struggle to write inspiring applications when you suspect you probably won't receive the money you're asking for. This year, we've already been awarded funding for FIVE of the grants we've written (that equates to over $44,000 in funding!) and have been short-listed for a couple more. It is so clear that God is giving us favour! We can see He is moving and opening doors and blessing us and our ministry in some incredible ways and we're so thankful and excited to see where it's all heading!
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| Quality time with my oldest niece, Ana Laura |
So you see, dear friend, if you stopped to count the number of times I've used the word "exciting" in this update, you're no doubt aware that my role with Life-Gate and our ministry here has been deeply rewarding over the last quarter! I'm so thankful for you and your prayers... for every milk bottle lid you and your friends have been collecting for our art-therapy program... for every dollar you have sacrificed and given to support me financially... and for your phone calls and emails and encouragement. I feel so deeply loved and supported and only wish I could bless you as greatly as you have blessed me!
Until my next ministry update, I love you and pray for God's abundant blessing in your life no matter the circumstances in which you currently find yourself. Even if the word "exciting" isn't on your radar right now, know that He loves you deeply and is always leading us in triumph and victory through every season of our lives, through Jesus! (2 Cor 2:14)
Love Laur
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