In All Things, Giving Thanks

-
Dear friends,

I have tried over and over to find words for this update. It is difficult to put into words what the last weeks and months have been like. But I don’t have to tell you about the complications that the presence of Covid-19 has grafted into daily life. Many of the challenges that we have dealt with in Kandern, Germany are very similar to the changes each of you have experienced. I want to start by saying thank you, though it doesn’t feel like enough. Thank you for praying, for caring, for loving, for giving financially. Your partnership has meant the world to me during this time, and because of your partnership, God has empowered me, and those I work with, to endeavor to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Your support, in every form, has reached farther than ever. 

Like many other schools, BFA has been in online-learning mode since mid-March, and finished the school year this way. Also in mid-march, about half of our student population migrated back to their parens and families around the world, and most of these students did not return to campus. For the duration of the school year, we were busy trying to help our six dorms adjust to the ever-changing guidelines and restrictions we were being asked to follow. Some of our students were allowed to return to campus, but not all, so you can imagine the challenges we faced in ensuring that students completed school work and stayed focused. Personally, I was compelled to engage with the Resident Assistants on a more frequent basis, helping them understand new expectations, contribute well to their staff leadership teams, care well for their students, all while processing their own emotions well. The experience of many individuals during the virus has not been illness, but rather the need to confront their own weaknesses, sin, and emotional baggage, among other things. Immersing ourselves in God’s Word has never been more important. 

So today, I am exhausted. I am thankful to be home in NJ for a few weeks, and am almost finished quarantining. While I am definitely going to rest, I am also very much in need of raising additional support. This coming school year will likely be my final year at Black Forest Academy, for the time being. God is doing amazing things, and the opportunities to speak into the lives of our staff and students will be many! Would you like to join me in this? Here's how:


1) Will you pray with me that God will move 20 new monthly partners or one-time donors to partner with me? Pray that God will move in the hearts of those who will also be blessed by this partnership. 

2) Will you join my team for the first time? In these times of frequent change, it's going to be an exciting ride! Click this link: https://give.teachbeyond.org/support/lauren-holland/

3) If you have partnered with me financially before, would you consider doing it again? In partnering with me, you are also coming alongside the families of missionaries around the world, and they need this support now more than ever. 

Will you join my team or increase your gift, and enable me to finish this season strong? I am asking God for 20 new monthly supporters. Could this be you?

In case you missed it before, here's the link again: https://give.teachbeyond.org/support/lauren-holland/

So I end as I started - with thanks!! Praise the Lord for the many needs, seen and unseen, that have been met. Thank Him for His goodness and provision in my life, and in yours. May He bless and keep you. 


Blessings,

Lauren

Dear friends who support and lead the Residence Life Program

Jen has been a steady presence in my life for 8 years - what a gift!

When the grade 8 trip to the Netherlands was cancelled, the students brought windmills to BFA!

A very different way to view graduation! We are thankful we were able to have a ceremony in spite of restrictions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Easter Week

-
Image
    It’s been a while! This summer marks three years of living life and seeking normal in the United States. I haven’t figured it out. But I have realized that writing helps, so I’m going to do more of that. Putting my thoughts here sometimes feels like I’m writing to a void, but if you’re a human and you’re reading this, I'm grateful. I'm just looking for a place for my thoughts to belong. I’m working on a new title, too, so stay tuned.      Easter week holds a wide range of emotions for me and at the close of Holy Week, they're feeling a little more pronounced. I have happy memories of childhood celebrations with my grandmother and immediate family. Chocolate and celebrations of Christ’s resurrection are closely associated in my core memories, which can’t be a bad thing. In adulthood, learning how to celebrate with new traditions has been a difficult process. When I approach this week, though, several key memories from the recent past are on my mind. Near...
Read more

Commissioning

-
It's funny to discover how God has directed our paths even when we didn't realize He was doing it. My pastor had scheduled a Commissioning Service for me during tonight's evening service on Wednesday, and we were thankful God had directed him this way when we found out I was leaving on Monday! Tonight's service was a huge blessing. A former missionary, and great student of the Word, gave the challenge to me out of Micah 6:8. This was very special because God had begun to use that verse in my life during the time at Csehy this summer. Now it's meaning is intensified for me.   " He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8  The first two commands pertain to dealing with mankind, and the last to my relationship with God. If God is first in a person's life, everything else will fall into place. This is my prayer as I enter this new phase in m...
Read more

I really hope He knows what He's doing

-
A few days ago, I learned a lesson that I’d love to share with you. Our dorm dad, Marty, was working on a student’s ipod. The ipod was sitting in about a thousand pieces on the table in the living room, and Marty was hovering over it working away. Charlie, the owner of the ipod, was also hovering nearby. In fact, he sat next to Marty for nearly an hour, watching with great intent and concern on his face. At one point, I happened to catch Charlie’s eye. He gave me this incredibly serious look that said “I really, really hope that he knows what he’s doing!” From Charlie’s vantage point, Marty was picking apart his beloved ipod, and at times it definitely looked like it was beyond repair.  I walked away a minute later, and I realized that I’m really glad that I can’t always see just how God is working in my life. If I could sit and watch, like Charlie was doing, I know that I would experience a lot more anxiety. I would probably have the “I really, really hope that He knows what He’s ...
Read more