I’m sorry, I really didn’t explain myself very well last week. A lot was going on, and it was just hard to handle for whatever reason. My friend Alejandra from the prison had told me she had been struggling for a number of years with an eating disorder. We talked and prayed about this, and I had actually brought with me a book that I thought might be helpful. I gave her the book (Who I Am in Christ), and prayed over the weekend that God would use it to speak to the root of the issue. The next Wednesday I came (5 days after I had given her the book) she could hardly contain herself. When I got there, she said, “There’s something about this book- I can’t quite explain it, but I feel like a completely changed person! I see that God wants me to love my body the way it is!” It was such a testament to the Holy Spirit’s power- as good as the book is, no book alone can completely change a person so drastically in a matter of days.
All of my supporters should have received my prayer newsletter in the mail by now, in which I talked about my friends Laura and Adolfo. If you haven’t, I will try to post the pdf or something… when we went on Sunday morning to visit them, Laura told us Adolfo hadn’t come back the night before- he had been out all night drinking. They decided to split up, though I didn’t understand whether she was assuming this to be a temporary thing or not… pray for their marriage, and for our time when we visit her/ them. She still came to church on Sunday, and I really can see God moving a ton in her heart. Its hard to know what to say to her in terms of forgiving her husband, because I know that part of the conflict was her moving towards God and his still hanging back- perhaps because of the pact he made with the devil. I don’t know- its heavy stuff- pray for wisdom in our Estrella team, for the time we spend hanging out with them.
This week has been a project week- we’ve been doing construction on the church (where we live). I never really knew how many steps it took to lay down cement! The sanctuary is going to be bigger, the guys will eventually have rooms to live in, and at some point the girls will be a little more spread out (right now we’re six to a room- quite an adjustment after living in my flat (apartment!), with my own room for almost 2 years. Its a good change, but hard on our bodies! Yesterday when I went to the prison I could hardly keep my eyes open!
I miss everybody a lot! Can’t wait for Christmas break!
It was great getting to know you….you were a very hard worker and that was very much appreciated. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to all of you. Please keep in touch and let me know how things progress for you. I think God has great plans for your life
your friend, Jay
Oh my dear dear Lauren,
I love so much to be able to hear what God is doing in your life! Thanks for the ways that you are letting us know how we can pray for you. Also, can it really be true that you are coming home for Christmas break? And does home mean Texas at the moment?