Don't Worry, Be Happy

In exactly three weeks I will be on a plane headed to Honduras!  What in the world?!?  Many people have been asking how things are going, how they can help, what I am feeling, and so on. Well, as my parents would probably tell you, I have not been the most pleasant person the last couple of weeks.  While I am beyond excited and anxious to move, I have been completely overwhelmed.  The paperwork, packing, accepting reality, and financial strain have all been STRESSING ME OUT!  I think the devil has been working overtime (but I don't need to give him any credit).  


As of today though, I can finally say that my boxes are packed and shipped, most of my paperwork is finished, and things are starting to look up.  My family and I traveled to Tennessee today to meet Bobby and Julie, a married couple that I will be working with in Honduras.  They are wonderful!!  They have listended to my ranting, answered my many questions, and are so graciously taking my boxes to the shipping location so I don't have to pay to ship them.  For the first time in a few weeks, I finally rediscovered the excitement and positivity that has been lacking.  

Even in the midst of frustration, I am constantly amazed at how God works and how He is constantly affirming my move.  It seems that He places someone in my path, almost weekly, who has a connection to Honduras.  I spent a week in Birmingham, Alabama on a World Changers mission project and a guy on my crew has a ministry in Honduras...crazy, huh?  We were able to talk, share, and enjoy special stories from our personal experiences.  Last week, I spoke to an Acteens group at a church and a lady from Honduras was actually visiting.  I spent the last part of the evening talking and connecting with her.

Finances have been a big stresss lately.  It has been very difficult for me adjusting to the fact that I am going to have to rely a lot on outside support and donations/assistance from individuals, rather than getting a "normal" paycheck.  I keep telling my parents that I don't want to be a burden to them or other people, and I'm really not good with asking for help.  But again, God always comes through.  A very wise person shared with me, "There are goers and there are senders."  Not everyone can go, so the senders helps the goers go.  Let me just say, the senders are just as much a part of the mission as the goers - we couldn't go without the senders.

 Funny thing is, I'm not even in Honduras yet and God is already taking care of all the details.  Thank you to everyone for your encouragement, love, and your prayers.  You don't realize how much your kindness helps.  

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6

If you are interested in "sending", here are some great ways to help:

- Prayer

- Financial support

- Sharing my story

- Donating school supplies

If you would like more information about any of these, please feel free to contact me at Lmwood86@gmail.com

With a heart full of gratitude,

Lauren

Goodbyes are never easy...

Well, I'm already terrible at keeping up with this thing, but I promise I will get better!  The countdown has begun and I can't believe that in a month and a half I will be in Honduras!!  People keep asking me if I am excited, scared, nervous, etc,. and I keep telling them that I  really don't know what to feel because this doesn't seem real.  However, the main emotion is excitement!  Not that I'm ready to leave my friends and family, but I am excited to see what God has in store and to get going...I feel like I'm just sitting and waiting and I'm ready to go!  
Okay, to the goodbye part...school ended on June 10th and I spent that day and the ones before saying goodbye to the people and life which had become "home" to me during the last 2 years.  In response to me teaching middle school, and above that, middle school in urban Charlotte, people would say, "Why?", "Wow, I'll be sure to pray for you!", "You're crazy!", and so on.  I remember feeling terrified about teaching at Albemarle Road Middle because I had heard nothing but terrible things - gang violence, low-performing school, bad behavior, no parent involvement.  Here I was, small-town gal that had no real "diverse" experiences, and was taking the only opportunity that was given to me.  You will hear me say this a lot, but God really knows what He is doing.  For the past two years, my life cup has been continually overflowing with laughter and love.  I told my students that I would pack each of them up and take them with me if I could.  Needless to say, there were many tears on those last few days.  What beautiful children God blessed me with!  I sometimes think that teachers are looked down upon because of social status or whatever, but there will never be a better paycheck than the one of "thank you's", "love you's", hugs, and sweet memories that I have been blessed to receive.  If you are someone who works with the kids of today, I encourage you to love them, even when they may not love you back.  Sometimes we forget that they are kids and in the midst of their nasty attitudes, crazy antics, drama, and everything else, they need hope and love just like the rest of us.

God knew what He was doing when He placed me out of my comfort zone.  It took a small step to lead  to a bigger step.  I now know that I would not be prepared and able to move to Honduras if I had not had the experience of teaching in Charlotte.  Upon my move to Charlotte, God opened only one door for a reason, and He has opened my door to Honduras for a reason.  So Honduras, get ready...I'm coming!

Praying and Preparing

Well hello, blog world!  Nice to finally meet you!  So, the news is official...I am moving to Tegucigalpa, Honduras in August!!!!  Crazy, right?!?  Never in a million years would I have imagined my life taking this direction.  It wasn't long ago that I was in the car with my family and I was in tears because my heart was longing for "something" but still was hearing just silence from God.  I have gone my entire life hearing everyone say, "It's all about timing...things will happen when the timing is right...blah, blah, blah."  I can now honestly say, they were all right.  With all the mess, both beautiful and not, God has led me to this moment and I am so in love and in awe of Him.

For those of you who don't know the "story", I don't mind to share...

In March, I took an 8-day trip to San Ignacio, Honduras with a team from my church in Canton.  Up until that time, I had been feeling very unsettled about my plans for the future.  I had been planning on leaving Charlotte and moving back to Canton, but my heart did not feel at peace about that decision.  I was praying and yearning that God would just speak to me.  I remember praying, "God just show me where You want me to be.  I'm here...waiting."  From the moment I stepped on the ground in Honduras, I fell in love.  I have never met more beautiful people.  Outside of the daily struggles, poverty, sickness, and what we may see as hopelessness, I discovered the liveliness of God.  For those of you who know me, you know I tend to be a little, how should I say....high maintenance?  Bugs, cold showers, and random power outages are not usually my thing, however, those were the smallest of things compared to the beautiful blessings I received.  My heart has never been more at peace, calm, and sure of God in my entire life.  As we were preparing to leave, I shared with my team that I felt God calling me into missions.  Now, for all you teachers out there, I have seen teaching as my mission field and continue to see that it as a mission field for all of us, but it was time for God to use me in another way.  When arriving back to the U.S., I called my mom and tearfully told her that I felt God calling me to the mission field and possibly back to Honduras.  After many minutes, hours, and days of talking to God, I knew this was a door that God would have to open.  If He wanted me in Honduras or in the mission field of some sort, He would have to provide the opportunity.  Not even two weeks later, I was talking to my roommate's aunt about my plans for next year.  I mentioned my trip to Honduras and shared with her that if I could do anything, I would move to Honduras and teach.  Her eyes grew large and she cupped her mouth...and this is where God just loves to show His awesomeness...she then told me that her husband's family started a mission group in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and their school has been looking for American teachers to come to their school.  Yeah, crazy!!!!!  Long story short, she contacted her family, who then contacted me, we talked and talked, and I have accepted a teaching position at the Honors Academy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras!!  

My heart and soul are just busting at the seams in excitement!  I'm not going to deny that I'm a little terrified...I'm leaving my family, friends, and everything comfortable, but am so humbled that God would choose me to do something like this.  

So, as God is continuing to prepare me for this journey, I ask that you would pray for me.  And if you are someone who is searching for God and His direction for your life, don't give up...keep praying!  Trust me, He's listening!

<3 Lauren