Moving Forward; thoughts on my heart

Waiting to go to Brazil has been a test of my faith. Yet, I continue to feel the Lord leading me to move forward.

I see myself as a small child on a long walk with this great man, named Jesus. His legs are long and strong; mine so short and weary. I must walk quickly to keep up with His long stride. I feel so safe next to Him, yet I am becoming tired and my mind is full of many questions. His hand is holding tightly, securely to mine. As my pace begins to slow, Jesus speaks, “Come on Laura, let’s keep walking.” He continues to lead me forward. He speaks His love to me and encourages me to keep going. I pause and cry out to Him, “But Lord, we have been walking for so long now. What is going on? Shouldn’t we be there by now?”

He simply speaks, “Trust Me.”

TRUST
“O’ for grace to trust Him more,” my heart cries…

Suddenly, truths from the Word, flood my mind,

“He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps. I have kept to His ways without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread." ~ Job 23:10-12 ~

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." ~ Prov. 3:5-6 ~

He continues to speak with His loving voice, “Move forward, My child. Do not fear, trust Me. I am with you.”

I listen to His words of life. I respond in obedience. I hold tightly to His hand. I step out, following His lead. With my eyes and heart set on Him alone, I am moving forward…by faith.

Prayer

During this season of waiting, I have really been praying about how I can better prepare for the soon coming season of serving with YWAM in Brazil.

Through my times of prayer, I feel like the Lord really wants me to also have a small core group of people who:
1. Will commit to pray for me on a weekly basis.
2. I can turn to for counsel and encouragement when needed.
3. I can share more personal prayer needs and struggles.

Please pray and ask the Lord if He would want you to be a part of this small group of people. I simply want those who feel purposed by the Holy Spirit to respond to this call. No pressure from me at all, please just ask the Lord. If you would like to be a part of this core group, just let me know and we will go from there! :+)

Please email me at: laurabookout@yahoo.com

Waiting

I am in a waiting season... Waiting for my visa to come through so I can go to Brazil.

Originally I was scheduled to depart September 7th, and that has been postponed until my visa is approved. I am thankful for this extra time at home to rest and prepare, to spend precious time with friends and family, and to work a little more too! I know the Lord is ordering my steps. He is leading the way, and all He asks is that I follow Him.

"All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am." John 12:26 NLT

Lately, I have been feeling like a small child who is following after and calling out to this big man up ahead of me named Jesus.

I cry out to Him, "Hey Jesus, where are you going?"

I run to try to keep up... I am not sure exactly what's going on or even where we are going. Those details really don't matter. All I know is that I want to follow Jesus. I want to be with Him. I want to go where He goes and do what He does. He is my hero. I just have to keep my eyes on Him and keep moving forward, following His leading.

That truly is my desire to follow Him like a child full of faith, adoration, and trust.
O' for grace to trust Him more...

This is a photo taken in the summer of 2000. I went to Brazil for three months with a team of five students from Lee University. While in Brazil we primarily worked in a home for street children called 'City of Refuge'. These girls were all admitted to the home while we were working there. During this trip the Lord placed a desire to work with hurting children in my heart. There is so much need all over the world, but in Brazil alone there are over 17 million children living on the streets.

I love this photo because it shows so much... You can see so much in the faces of these children who have experienced so much at such a young age. And yes, the baby I am holding was rescued from living on the streets too.

These are the kind of children I will get to know, love, care for, and invest in when I go to Brazil.
Their lives are worth so much!

He is a Father to the Fatherless...

Currently I am getting ready for my 15 months in Brazil! There is so much to do before I leave and so many precious people to see and spend time with. I am very excited about this adventure the Lord is leading me in. I am stepping out in faith. I am taking a risk that is very scary at times, but I know He is with me.

Just this afternoon the Lord has been confirming even more that working with street children and orphans is what He desires me to do....

I randomly flipped on the TV today and turned right to a documentary on street children in Peru. As I was watching the documentary, my heart broke as I listened to the stories of the children who sleep on the streets night after night. The documentary also showed interviews of these kids sharing their hopes, dreams, sorrows, and fears. The things they said struck my heart and were hard to listen to. The children in this documentary have experienced much pain and abuse living on the streets.

I was really struck by one 18 year old young man who was interviewed. He has been living on the streets since he was 6 years old and has been through much pain and sorrow as a result of being abandoned by his parents.

During the interview he was asked the question, "If you could say anything to your parents, what would you say?" He simply responded, "I want to see you, and get to know you, and know how you are doing." The pain and loneliness in his eyes was heart breaking. The longing for a mother and a father was so apparent.

Still....at 18 years old. All this young man wants is to know his mother and father. To be with them, to talk with them, to be LOVED by them. In his face you could see such a longing for LOVE and a longing to BELONG to a family.

Imagine your child or yourself as a child. You have no home. No parents. No warm bed to sleep in at night. No appropriate clothing or shoes to cover you. Little food. No protection. No safety. No comfort. No tangible love. Fear crowds around on every side. Life is about survival. That is reality to millions of street children all over the world.

But Jesus comes and HE GIVES....... to these precious ones.
He is a Father to the Fatherless.
He heals their hearts and holds them safely in His arms.
He puts clothes on their bodies.
He puts food in their bellies.
He offers protection and safety from the storm.
He GIVES of Himself and LOVES....

I so humbled and privileged to partner with Jesus... and to be able to GO and LOVE these hurting ones.