Dying to live

John 12:24   Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 

This passage has becoming new to me again in the situation we are going through with our church plant La Conexion.  We are seeing a sort of change that looks from the outside as if something is dying.  I have decided that it is fruitless to look back and try to anylize all of the what if´s..it is a fruitless waste of time to which I need to practice taking every thought captive (2 Cor 12:5) and practice allowing his presence to mould my thoughts even towards the future.  Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  I think this is an image for us at this present time, we are being asked to die to an image that we take comfort in (our present expression of church community) and being asked to allow it to be reborn 1Peter 1:23 says For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. So that we can become something that will be lasting that will endure and in the spiritual realm will multiply imperishable.  This is a journey that requires the type of faith that Hebrews 10 that encourages us to preserve and not to shrink back in times when we walking by faith and not by sight. But to see what is in front of us as an incredible opportunity for growth! To allow ourselves to be broken so that what is put back together is immovable and imperishable!

Nadie se lo imagino Jesus Adrian Romero.wmv

Celebration Morning

Well once a month our Contemplative Prayer Group meets together to celebrate all the ways that the Lord has been with us and answering our prayers.  Everyone brings something to share and we eat breakfast together and reflect on how good our God is! Three of these ladies aren´t apart of our community La Conexion but they have brought us together and really given us a sense of community.  Aren´t they beautiful!!!
love Sandra

Contemplative Prayer

This is to me a painting of the community that takes place Thursday mornings at our Contemplative Prayer group.  There are many women from La Conexion that faithfully come, some even travel two hours by metro and then bus just to enjoy the morning together.  We also have more than a hand full of women that come from our community.  We always here comments of how it is the high light of their week, that the time goes too quickly.  Its really a very simple thing that we share together.  We worship together and we meditate on a small piece of scripture, allowing  questions to draw us deeper into the verse and allowing in to penetrate our hearts. Then we always have time to share our hearts together, what have we heard this morning? and how can we care for each other in prayer.  It is beautiful! So this picture is of how when we come together and feast of the living bread of life, how he meets us and sustains us, he brings refreshing to our tired bodies, he brings hope to our discouragement and he allows his presence as we meditate on him to heal our wounded hearts.  All together drawing us together in community.
love Sandra

Teaching English!

So I am totally enjoying the kids school with English Conversation! I think it is a great way to serve and give back to the school for loving my girls and taking great care of them.  Plus I get to hang out at school and peek in on them! These are all great kids and though they are learning english grammar they don't have a native speaker to converse with.  I hope they are having as much fun as I am. 

love Sandra

Moving Again!

Well Nathan gets to share with our church La Conexion tomorrow that they will be making their 4th move.  We are anticipating that some could react to this news with discouragement and wondering God what are you doing? But what if we took each challenge that came our way and saw it as an opportunity for growth, to be refined and sometimes maybe even redefined? What would our lives look like? I think we would be like Psalm 1
Psalm 1:3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

This is my prayer for us and for all who attend La Conexion that our roots would grow even deeper, so deep that we are not effected by the storms that pass by us, that are here for a season and then gone.  We may show marks that we remember their effects but that did not derail us.  We continue to bloom in season and out!

this is a painting of a picture I saw as I prayed for our situation.  Still not sure where the road is leading. But I see God´s faithfulness in the Sunsetting we know that it will rise again, it always does.  

love Sandra

Two Weeks Ago

Well I was a little nervous about the fact that Nathan was going to be in Costa Rica for a leadership course for two weeks.  You know all the crazy what if´s that you think about...But now that it is over I am so glad I had the time alone!!! It was great to just have a quiet house (when the girls aren´t home that is) and be able to go at a little slower pace.  I felt to peaceful and relaxed the whole time.  Last wednesday night Julia all of a sudden started turning red and covered with a rash and hives.  So I immediately was able to take her to a doctor (friend of a friend) who looked at Jules and was so sweet she didn´t even charge us for the visit.  My thursday morning Contemplative Prayer groups have continued to bless me, I am just to privileged to see God move and draw women to himself.  Our small group proved to be exciting as well, although sometimes I felt a little out of control but God is using it and people are growing and maturing!!! To end off  my alone time I had three mexican friends over for a pyjamada it was a great time of just having fun and pampering each other and of course of very little sleep.  Enjoy the picture!!! love Sandra