Changes

I know it's been a while since I wrote, and I'm sorry for that but so much was going on that life felt a bit like a whirlwind! I am going to keep it as brief as possible, but I do want to update everyone on the latest changes in StreetLight Mission.
Most any one who knows me knows that I am a person who doesn't mind changes, some would even say I love changes.  But there is a limit to that, and I have found it, or maybe I should say God pushed me to that limit.  Back in March, it was announced to the staff at the Mission that our focus was changing.  It wasn't a surprise, because all of the us on staff could see that it was time and it was necessary, but we just weren't sure what the direction would look like.
I had written in an earlier post about the carts of brand new coats and boots for children that my friends had bought for the Mission, and on the tail end of that trip to New Hampshire, Paul sat me down and told me that we as a Mission were going to be focusing on at risk youth and families.  No longer are we going to be providing a monthly food pantry, job services, and IDs for adults. All the services that we had been providing were available at multiple other places in the city.  Instead of seeing people's lives changed, which has always been the main goal of the Mission, we had become enablers.
The board of StreetLight, spent much time in prayer and conversation about how exactly the future should look.  They also looked at where exactly the fruit of our labor was being produced, and that was in youth and families.  We have a monthly girl's night that is well attended, VBS that overflows our location, and back in January we took 3 huge vehicles of young ladies to a conference on being "the bride of Christ."
With these things in mind, the leaders decided to focus and pour our resources into those places where we were making a difference, where we were seeing God bringing fruit, as well as expand and start some new things specifically for the young people and their families. I am so excited with the changes, and I firmly believe that the leaders are seeking God and allowing Him to lead the next steps. As with all major changes, there is much learning that is happening. Also much prayer is needed so that the plans of the enemy will fail, and as all of us at the Mission, but especially the leaders seek to honor God with every step, that we will be open to whatever it is that He calls us to do.

One exciting thing that I am glad to be a part of, God has allowed me through my job to partner with StreetLight and provide some school supplies, donated from the college students, for our youth. Pencils, notebooks, paper, and more. It is so exciting to be used in this way to pour into our kids. I have become more involved and even attended a fall retreat with our kids (more to come in my next blog). I can't wait to see how God is going to grow these wonderful young people that I have come to know!  

As always reach out to me if you need anything or want more information crucibleandcrown@gmail.com

Hardest Days

I think days like today are the hardest for me, and I think the same must be true of anyone who lives far from family.  I see the posts and the pictures of my nieces and nephews growing up and I'm missing it.  My best friend is planning her wedding and as if that wasn't stressful enough, she is dealing with some very stressful family issues, and I can't be there for her.  It's so hard to feel so isolated from people I love so much.
I am so thankful for technology that allows me to have pictures and to call and talk to them and hear their voices.  That I can get a text with silly pictures of my niece, a phone call with my sister in law and then my niece which lasted an hour and a half, Facebook which allows me to see the growth of the little ones, that are growing and changing so fast.  I am writing this with tears in my eyes because I miss my family.  My heart aches to hold them in my arms and spoil them rotten.
But then I have to stop and look at the facts of my life.  I know that my enemy is pacing around furious at me because I am learning to walk in the freedom that God has set before me.  Last week I was able to for the first time share my story for the women at the mission, and I got to pray with them and I believe that God used my story to touch some of their lives.  It was so powerful. Then last night I was able to have a 3 hour conversation with a dear friend of mine who needed to hear what has been going on in my life, because she needed hope that the same can happen for her.  I was able to love on her because of what I am learning.
The enemy likes to get us focused on the hard parts of our days and the hard days in our lives.  And we as humans fall into that trap all to often, because it's easier to focus on the bad things or the things we feel we are missing.  And when he can get us focused on those things we forget the glory of our God.  We forget the many things that God has added to our lives, things we didn't deserve, but God our FATHER has given them to us because He loves us.  So, our choice is what are we going to focus on?  Am I going to focus on the fact that my family is far away and I miss them?  Or am I going to focus on the good in my life?  Like the fact that I have great relationships with my family even though they are far away, that God has given me another family here in New Jersey that has accepted me as their own complete with a couple of young girls that I can spend time with and invest in, and that God has brought me to a new place of freedom that I could never have experienced unless I walked the path He called me to walk.
So tonight as I choose to look at the positives I extend that challenge to you... Are you going to choose to focus on the things you don't have that you desire or are you going to focus on the goodness of our Father?  We will not make the right choice all the time, I know I don't, but every time we choose to look upward at our Father and thank Him for the things He has given us, we win a victory over our enemy, and that makes it easier to do again!  I challenge you to look at your own heart and your own choices and choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15)

As always if you need prayer or just to talk reach out to me crucibleandcrown@gmail.com

Time away

My heart is overfull as I sit here in my apartment tonight.  I had gone away last week to New Hampshire.  I had gone to visit some friends that I had made when they came down here to serve StreetLight.  I connected with them instantly, and that connection has grown over the last 2 months. So when they invited me to come up to visit them I accepted.
After a 9 hour, arduous, and somewhat dangerous trip in the pouring rain, I arrived.  We stayed up for a while talking and it just felt natural being there.  For me this trip really was about getting away, from everything.  I enjoy my job, I love New Jersey and I love StreetLight, but I needed to escape all of it for a little while.  I had become overwhelmed with all of the responsibility that was washing over me.  But it turned into so much more than just a trip away.
We went to an ice castle, we went shopping, we drove around the mountains, they took me out on a frozen lake, and I even stuck my arm in an ice fisherman's hole. There were all these first time experiences for me.  Then on the way home, I stopped a few hours away from where I was staying for lunch with another 2 ladies from the team that came to Jersey to visit.  It was nice just to sit and eat and laugh, and broke up the trip back!
Thursday evening we went to someone's house for a game night (which was so much fun just as an aside!), and one of the women, Wanda mentioned that she had seen child's boots and coats on clearance at Wal-Mart and that she wished she had the money to buy them for the children we serve at StreetLight.  One of the men piped up and said "let's do it.  Let's go in the morning.  I'll cover it."  We set a time and went to Wal-Mart.  These 2 lovely people almost cleared out the children's clearance department of boots and coats.  We had 4 shopping carts full of coats and boots, which they then loaded into my car.  My eyes were full of tears.  These family members that I have only known since the middle of December cared so much for me and the Mission that they wanted to give what they could give.  They can't do the work for us, but they can come alongside us as partners and provide for us what we don't have.
When I got back to New Jersey, we counted out and there were 47 pairs of shoes and 49 coats.  Many of the coats were the coats that have a liner that can be used as a spring or fall jacket and then a heavier layer over it, and they were SOOOO CUTE.  Sorry but the girl in me has to show itself!  As I stepped back and looked at the enormity of what my friends had done for the Mission that I care so much about I couldn't help but be overwhelmed.  I can't help but feel bound to them in a way that transcends human understanding.
And that's really what it is.  Our Father God has connected us in a way that I can't comprehend.  I spent a day and a half with this team of people and yet God has used them to touch my life in irreversible and unfathomable ways.  I have included some pictures from the trip so that you can see a bit of what I experienced.  I would encourage each one of you to find those people in your lives that God wants to connect you to, the ones that will get in behind your defenses and alter the course of your life.
As always you can contact me at crucibleandcrown@gmail.com... feel free to look at the pictures I have attached!

Snow makes everything better

I know it's been a while since I've written, life has been a little crazy lately.  I also know that some people on my Facebook will staunchly disagree with the title of this blog, and to that I say let's agree to disagree.  Our total ended up around 28 inches, which was about 10 inches more than they predicted, but I really want to tell you about a journey I took today.

I woke up needing to get out of my apartment, and so I decided to take a walk.  This journey that I was embarking on was to return the dvds that I had rented from redbox, or at least so I thought.  But now looking back I believe that the journey was to see a whole different side of this city that I have come to know and love.
There are a number of things that people dislike about New Jersey, and people from New Jersey, and in many cases the stereotypes are true.  People are rude and unfriendly, they use their horns WAY too much, and it is a dirty place.  All three of these things I was just complaining to a friend about on Friday.  But let me explain how the snow transformed this place.  I walked out of my building and there were more people outside on my block than I have ever seen.  Some were walking like I, but most were digging out their cars.  I was amazed to hear the sound of talking and laughing.  As I looked around every person who was shoveling had sweat on their forehead and a smile on their face. I began to notice that not only were they laughing but people were helping each other.  There were Arab men helping Haitian women, and Hispanics helping a older black lady who wasn't able to dig herself out.  People who didn't even speak the same language were pitching in and helping each other. It was a beautiful sight!  Not once in the hour I was out and about did I hear a cross word from anyone!!
The second thing I noticed was the relative silence.  People weren't honking their horns.  They were driving and allowing people to go in front of them, they were sharing the right of way like normal human beings from any other part of the country.  I saw not one cross look as people had to wait for another car to come through, I saw people waving cars to go in front of them, which hardly ever happens here in Jersey, especially here in Elizabeth.
The third and last thing I noticed is that everything looked so beautiful and clean and white.  The snow covered over the blemishes that are so prevalent in this city.  Everywhere I looked was a white blanket draped over Elizabeth.  It was overwhelming to look around and see.  And then to see the faces of the people of this city whom I have come here to serve walking around with smiles and interacting with others was almost more than I could fathom.  It showed me what could be here in Elizabeth.
Actually one of the most incredible things that I saw was when I was near the Red Box.  There's a church on the same road as the Walgreens, and there were some men shoveling off the steps of this church.  They were talking to a neighbor, who was struggling with his snow, and the whole group of men laughingly came over and dug out this man's car.  There was no reward, there was no begrudging, it was done out of a heart of servitude.  They were then talking with the man as they went back to shoveling the walk of the church.  Now I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but watching the man's face transform as he watched the work get done and then began to chat with the ones that had helped him was moving.  May all of us inside the Church be so focused on serving!
What's my point?  I don't know that I have one specifically, but this is just another snap shot into my life.  If you think of it, pray for me, and us at the Mission.  Pray for wisdom as God moves us forward, that we will constantly seek Him before anything else!

As always you are welcome to reach out to me!  Crucibleandcrown@gmail.com

Christmastime in the city

My morning started out with a horrible migraine.  I could barely see straight, every noise echoed, the light overwhelmed my senses.  I was supposed to be coordinating the volunteers at the StreetLight Mission Christmas party, not to mention that I was also a member of the StreetLight Women's choir and planning to sing with them to help spread the message of Christ to our guests.  Honestly, I was pretty devastated.  The Christmas party is so much fun, but more than the fun, is the chance to see all of our guests together in one place at one time.

To give some insight into the day, the mission invites 600 people to a four course sit down dinner. The servers are in dress pants and shirts, and we welcome them with a standing ovation.  For some of our guests the only Christmas they will have is that one day. To see the sparkle on all of their faces as they walk in and are greeted and see the beauty of the ballroom is overwhelming.  We also have volunteers there who host the tables as if the guests were in their home.  They make sure every guest has everything they need.  On stage there is entertainment all centered around our Savior.  There's a photo booth where each guest gets a chance to take their photos with whomever they choose.  At the end of the night the children all get a Christmas present.  It's an incredible day! 

My heart was broken because I couldn't see how I could be a part of this day.  But to make a long story short God healed me.  And I don't think I have ever been more glad to be healed from a migraine.  It was the first and smallest in a line of miraculous events of the day!  The next one was that the maintenance lady who worked at the ballroom began a conversation with one of the table hosts and surrendered her life to Christ.  There are some things that never get less powerful, and Christ saving a soul is one of those things.  

I could tell stories about Sunday all night, and still not capture the power that encapsulated the afternoon.  The Spirit of God was all over the event.  Women in abusive relationships standing up for themselves because of a little kindness from one of our volunteers, women having the courage to stand up in front of 500 people and sing into a microphone, and a young woman from a small town who somehow managed to help coordinate 200 people and help put on an event for the people she's always wanted to help.  

I have been sitting here staring at the computer screen for 10 minutes trying to fully express how special this day was to me.  I am not sure that there are words.  My heart and thoughts are so full.  If you haven't known me for years,then maybe you can't fully understand how much of a dream come true the chance to work with StreetLight is for me, and compiling all of the guests into one place was like seeing it all in front of me.  To give you a little bit of a picture of the evening I am going to attach a picture for you!  Merry Christmas to you all!

The sign at the front of the party.

A snapshot of some of the guests.

Photo booth photos.

It's almost December??

The last few weeks have been insane, between the mission, work, and travelling, it's slightly overwhelming.  I had started a blog 2 weeks ago, and had gotten 3 sentences written, and then I got distracted and completely forgot about it and it sat untouched on my computer, until today.  So if you will bear with me, I will write one long post and catch you up!

We as a mission partner with a podiatrist every year and they come in and provide our guests with a full foot exam, toenail trim, and then we give them a few pairs of socks and a pair of brand new shoes.  We spend 2 hours as a team helping our guests with their needs.  It's a great way to kick off the colder season.  Some of the people that come in have shoes that are worn through that they were given last year.  I've even seen some people with 2 or 3 pairs of socks on to protect their feet from the weather because their shoes have stopped doing their job.  My heart broke when I saw the way some of their feet looked, but my heart was warmed to see the people that came to help others.  As I was ushering in the guests to the chairs where they had their exams, I realized just how many of them I knew.  And not just knew their names, but knew their lives.  I came home overwhelmed with the enormity of what God has entrusted to me.  To be involved with these people and get to make a difference in their lives impacts me more than I ever thought possible.

Flash forward a week, and the next big event happened.  We also partner with a church, and a grocery store, and set up our truck and the church comes over after service and purchases the needed groceries for a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need.  We can't provide for all the needy families for Thanksgiving without their help.  

 

They have coordinated with the grocery store to order 300 complete meals. The meals included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese, apples, oranges, corn, green beans, kidney beans, rice, cranberry jelly, cake mix, icing, and pumpkin pie. 

                  

Sorry for all the pictures, but I couldn't use words to explain the enormity of the amount of food that we received.  The entire room was packed with food as we brought it back to the mission and sorted it by food type.  There was so much work, but it was so much fun.  The laughter and friendship and teamwork that was exhibited was beautiful.   It's a perfect example of the way the body of Christ should function.  Coming together to serve.  The love of Christ displayed in action.  I hope as the days draw darker that we as the body of Christ can more often come together to love and worship through service.

As always, if you need prayer or have questions, or just need someone to talk to to: crucibleandcrown@gmail.com

You can call me the Honorary Latina

For anyone that has known me very long at all, you know that I LOVE everything Latin.  The culture, the food, the language, the music, all of it.  Since I've moved to New Jersey, I have been exposed to so much of all of it.  There are times that I walk home from work and almost feel like I'm back in Colombia.  The restaurants, the music blasting out of the restaurants, even the Italian Ice street vendor reminds me of Colombia.

Not long after I moved up to Jersey, God led me to the English ministry of a Hispanic church.  I went to this church and immediately felt at home.  These people took me in and made me a part of their church family.  Within my first month, I was talking to Pastor Bernie and he called me an "honorary Latina".  I felt so honored!!  

So now we will flash forward a few months, and God laid on the hearts of my pastors to open StreetLight Church.  From the moment I heard about it, I knew that God was asking me to go there. It was very difficult for me to do, and for the first time in my adult life I was tempted to be overtly disobedient to God.  I'm not saying that I'm 100 percent obedient because I'm human, but generally when I know very clearly that God is asking something of me, I follow where He leads.  But this time, I was very tempted to do what I wanted.  These people had become so dear to me and I couldn't imagine my life without them in it.  

But after much prayer, and fighting with God, I decided to do what I knew He wanted.  I sat down and had a very difficult conversation first with one of the leaders, and then with Pastor Bernie.  Both of them were so understanding but more than that they encouraged me to be obedient. They encouraged me to follow what God had laid on my heart.  They prayed for me and sent me out into the fullness of what God had for me. I walked out of church that night uncertain if I would see them again.  Not because of a lack of desire but because life is so busy.  And for a few months I didn't, with the exception of a very fun Thanksgiving dinner with the pastor and family.  

But God in His incredible wisdom and mercy and blessing brought me back to them.  Now I get to see them pretty much on a weekly basis.  And in some ways I feel like I'm more a part of them now than I was before.  These people have become my "Hispanic family".  And it has been better than I could've imagined.  I have found a family in them, and I know that they pray for me, and they love me, and encourage me.  I could list them all individually and tell each of the ways that they bless me but then I would be here all night.  But I have to give much credit to Hubie and Ivette and Pastor Bernie and Lorraine and their children.  My first Sunday, Ivette chased me down outside the church just to greet me.  And when she brought me back inside and introduced me to her husband who now lovingly calls me "L-dog".  The ways that God has used them in my life are innumerable.  And Pastor Bernie's family.  Oh my, they are in so many ways my Aaron and Hur.  God seems to make it happen that when I am feeling weak and need a little extra support they are there.  When my arms are falling and I feel like the battle is being lost, they swoop in and raise my arms back up and remind me of the awesomeness that is our God.  The role they play is different than any of the other people in my life, but it is one that is much needed.

All of this is to say that God gave me the best of both worlds! That's how God works, if we will let go of what we want God gives us way better than we could have hoped!! Tonight at a young adult gathering Pastor Bernie spoke about staying the course, and keeping God at the center of all we do, and being willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of God's call and will for our lives.  It was so encouraging, and something that we all need to remember daily.  If other things become more important than God, than we are placing idols in God's role!  My prayer is that each of you will remember this, and that God will help you keep him in the number one spot in your heart!  

As always here is my contact information: crucibleandcrown@gmail.com.  Love you all!! <3 nbsp="">