In All Things, Giving Thanks

- July 06, 2020

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