Introducing Laura

Not only is she adorable, but this baby bean can be pretty silly too!

"Goodnight, Baby Bean"

Meet Laura. Isn't she adorable? Ah, I LOVE THIS GIRL! I don't think anyone can make me laugh or think as much as Laura can. Despite the fact that she is our only 7th grader and military kid, she fits right in :)

This is Laura's first year at BFA while her father is serving at the US embassy in Maldova. At the young age of 13, Laura has lived in or visited more countries than I have at age 22. It's incredible! How many American middle school girls can say that their favorite place is Thailand?

A few interesting facts about Laura:

-She wants to be an anstronaut when she grows up

-She loves asking Who? What? When? Where? Why? (she is my inquisitive one)

-Her mom, Lynn, gave her the nickname 'Baby Bean,' which is really special to Laura so I like to bring a bit of home into the dorm when I tuck her in by saying, "Good Night, my little Baby Bean." This encounter always makes us laugh.

-Her favorite worship song is "Shout to the Lord"

-Laura enjoys a fresh bowl of Korean ramen for her afterschool snacks (especially the spicy seafood ones)

-Laura recently took the Myers Briggs personality test and she and I are complete opposites! I am an INFJ and she is an ESTP. Laura is far from being shy and quiet--oftentimes, she is the life of the party at Liel (so when you put Laura and Priscilla together...it's double the trouble...haha)

My special moment with Laura

[To preface my story...] Every Sunday morning, it has become a tradition for several of the Liel girls to sit with me in church. We have our "spot"...left side, second row, at least four of the middle seats :) To worship with these young girls is the little bit of sacred that I experience in every week. You see, just as families in America go to church together and sit in their normal spot, so do we! We enjoy spending time together so much that we can't help but want to share worship together too. We truly have become a family.

During one Sunday morning worship, I experienced my special moment with Laura...

At the end of January as Pastor Harrop concluded his prayer over the elements of Holy Communion, he invited the church to come to the table. There were several stations set up throughout the church where individuals, couples, and families could come forward to share communion together and pray with one another. As families begin to make their way to the table, Mr. Hill plays a beautiful hymn on the piano, and then Laura leans over and whispers in my ear, "Lauren, will you go up with me? Can we do this together?" I smiled, "Absolutely, Laura." The other girls came along too. It was a sacred, holy, and intimate moment...five girls--Korean, American, German, Swiss, short, tall, some young, some older, unrelated--so different in so many ways and yet we are sisters in Christ...we are family.

I appreciate Laura and I admire her so much! She is an initiator--she loves people and she seeks them out. She is not afraid to be herself and she is not afraid to get to know someone. She loves with reckless abandon. She asks questions without shame. She values relationships. She is a thinker. She is bold. She is feisty. She is goofy. She is my little baby bean :)

No hugs allowed

The image above might be self-explanatory...I have been sick :( Pink eye, strep throat, chicken pox, and seasonal flu are making their way through the BFA community.
For the past week and a half, I have been visited by a lovely little virus known as 'shingles.'
After accompanying me to the local German doctor, Sue (dorm mom) instructed all the students in Liel that no one was allowed to give me hugs in an effort to prevent any more outbreaks. This is the worst part of being sick, but the students here have been so sweet...Joyce hugs my right arm...Britta and Ira have written me encouraging notes... and Lauren and Elaine (fellow RAs) have brought me orange roses. And so, despite the pain ...and the rash...and the itching...and all the medicine, I rejoice because of these sweet sisters of mine that make my heart glad.
I would be so grateful for your prayers--for relief from the itching and pain, for patience as I wait on the virus to pass, and for continued hope that God will use all of my afflictions for good.
You might also pray for the other BFA students and staff who are sick right now and unable to attend school. If the Lord is willing, He has the power to make us well!
Thanking God for you today,
Lauren

Ira Girl

In my last entry for today, I wanted to take a moment and introduce you to Ira...
'Ira' is her Russian name. 'Hye Reen' is her Korean name. And to me, she is affectionately known as 'Ira Girl.'
Ira is a missionary kid who has grown up in both South Korea and Tajikistan. Her parents are currently in South Korea for their home assignment (a brief time of rest) before returning to their outreach with the Tajik people as professors at a university.
Ira has an incredible gift for languages. She speaks Korean, Russian, and English fluently and she can write proficiently in each language. On a daily basis, she journals about her thoughts in Russian, attends classes at BFA in English, and speaks with the other Korean students in our house in her native tongue. During dorm devotionals on Sunday nights, we invite our students to pray in whatever tongue they wish, so it has been so beautiful to hear her pray in Korean and Russian. She speaks so softly and sweetly.

Ira is extraordinarly creative. She has recently picked up crocheting and starts and finishes new projects...daily :)--headbands, bags, coin purses, scarves, MP3 holders, etc. She also has a gift for drawing--her work is displayed all over her room. She especially loves to draw people and faces. This reminds me of a funny story at the beginning of the year...Ira was decorating her room and using glue to attach her drawings to the wall and ceiling. She didn't think it was that sticky while it was wet! haha. I found Ira doing this and I had to explain that as the glue dries it hardens and adheres to surfaces. She was so apologetic and understanding. Together, we took down the pictures and scrubbed down the walls/ceilings from the residue of dried paper and glue. It was a sweet moment of seeing her innocence in a new culture.

Ira has really blessed me by her servant heart. She chastens me when she notices that my hands are dry and cracking. She will then take the initiative to go retrieve her lotion and come bak to me ready to massage my hands. I love this about her! She is so tender and so caring. When her roommate, Kate (pictured above on the left), is sick she will go out of her way to help her feel better with a special hot drink or snack.

She loves to be asked about her family, her home, and her experiences growing up. It has been so neat hearing her describe her Korean family and the Tajik people, as well as the relations between North and South Korea. She is so intelligent.

Ira is also incredibly affectionate--she loves to be tucked in and hugged before bed. Last night, as I walked into her room, she said, "What's up, babe?" in her sweet little Ira voice. And this just made me smile :)

Please join me in praying for Ira. She especially needs prayer for fellowship--she has so much to offer in a friendship, but in this new place, it can be so hard to make yourself open and vulnerable. Pray that God would raise up a friend for her.

Aren't they lovely?

This past Monday, BFA didn't have school so we took our students on a 3 km hike to a local castle in Lorrach. While at the castle, we took several pictures together...one was a serious family shot, but my favorite was our goofy shot. This is the one that best illustrates what we're like in real life--silly, distracted, chill, wild, close...family :)

Can you feel the LOVE tonight?

So, it's 1:39 AM in Germany, which means that we are officially able to celebrate Valentines Day! Tomorrow is my day off, so I was able to stay up late tonight to work on a special little project for the ones who are sleeping now :) After tucking the last girls into bed, I spent the next few hours writing notes to the girls, boys, Bob and Sue, and our dorm brother, Marshall. In each note, I shared a verse of Scripture about the steadfast love of the Lord because it is that love that I am reminded of today...it is that love that I celebrate today.

I also wanted to share those things about them that just make me love them--Joyce's heart for worship, Priscilla always trying to tickle me under the chin while I am praying before bed, G.I.'s adorable laugh and the way he calls me 'Miss Angels," Kate's enthusiam for life, Luke's passion for reading, AJ and his daily cornflakes (eaten with several spoonfuls of sugar), Laura's inquisitiveness before bed ("Lauren, what will heaven be like? Lauren, what how do you imagine God to look? Lauren, does Satan really have horns? Lauren, what will your wedding dress look like?), Britta's appreciation for tea and her daily requests for hugs, the way Ira takes notice of my dry hands and proceeds to bless me with hand massages and lotion, and Josh's innocent humor. These children are so special to me and the more time I spend with them, the more I love the silly things they say and do...the more I love their individual personalities and creative natures, and the more I love them just because they are!

So, in an effort to bless them tonight/today/this morning ...haha...(what time of day is it if I haven't gone to bed yet?) I attached Valentine Fruit Roll-Ups (those special treats that Mom would pack in my lunch in elementary school and middle school) to heart-shaped notes and placed them in front of their doors. I also made this into a bit of a prank because I can't forget to tell you that I cut up several pieces of red and pink paper and covered the floor in front of their doors with this confetti. I am secretly hoping to hear laughing when they wake up :)

Happy Valentine's Day, Friends :)

"Once thing God has spoken,

two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,

and that you, O Lord, are loving."

Psalm 62:11

"But I will sing of your strength;

I will sing aloud of your steadfast love

in the morning.

For you have been to me a fortress

and a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,

for you, O God, are my fortress,

the God who shows me steadfast love."

Psalm 59:16-17

"The soul is healed by being with children." -Fyodor Dostoevsky

It seems that I don't really know where to begin today. And yet, there is so much to tell, so much to rejoice in because of the children who surround me and heal my soul...


(Left: Liel Family Photo, Christmas 2010)


I'll start with the title of today's blog...
Dostoevsky? I recently picked up a copy of The Brothers Karamazov and I am excited to continue reading Dostoevsky again as the foreward explains that this story will change me as a reader. To those who may not be familiar with this Russian novelist, Dostoevsky was a brillant writer! He is known as the "novelist of ideas" and he was a deeply religious man that passionately believed in Love, Christ-like Love.


I was surprised this week when I received a package in the mail from a dear friend of mine, Megan Maley. Megan teaches at Grove City Christian Academy and her 5th and 6th grade students are pen-pals with my 10 middle schoolers at BFA. The package consisted of the second round of letters between our students as well as one addressed to me from Megan. The card was handmade and on the front of the note it said, "The soul is healed by being with children. --Fyodor Dostoevsky"

After the past several weeks, I am beginning to identify Dostoevsky's brillance because I can testify to a soul being healed by the love of Christ and His children.

This year, my journal entries/blog posts have been an opportunity for you to meet our middle schoolers, receive a glimpse of this residence life ministry, and also share in the some of the spiritual truths and lessons that I have been learning. What I have not shared in great detail are the events of this year that have been hard, hurtful, burdensome, and deeply challenging. Because of the reality that this is a public domain, there are certain things I cannot share. Out of respect for our students' safety and privacy, there are other things that I cannot share.

But this year has been hard.

I honestly did not expect my first year in missions to be as hard as it has been, BUT I can tell you that when my soul was wounded...when my heart was hurting....when I was feeling empty, Christ came, Christ rescued, Christ healed... through various means:


Through the children...

• During the first week of Spring semester, after my personal computer was left in the States to be fixed and repaired, Joyce gifted me her old MP3 player with 396 of her favorite worship songs
• During one of my days off this semester, I received a note under my door from one of my girls that said, "Lauren, JESUS LOVES YOU and so do I!"
• During the first weekend of the semester, the girls and I were watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Ira came and filled my lap for the first time

Through my co-workers...

• The prayers of His people are beautiful! I have been profoundly encouraged and blessed by the laying on of hands--by dorm parents, the chaplain's assistant, fellow RAs, and my small group leader. In experiencing difficult circumstances, God has helped me to value my community of believers as I had neglected to do before. Over the past two weeks, these sweet friends and brothers and sisters in Christ have spoken truth to me that I had forgotten.
• Gifts of comfort from a fellow co-worker: wool socks and Irish tea :)
• Staff Support: when there is a situation that I am not qualified to handle in the dorm relating to a student's health (physical, emotional, or spiritual), I am able to process with these staff members at any time, call them at any time, and ask for advice at any time. It is a relief to know that I am neither working alone nor bearing student's burdens alone

Through Scripture/Devotionals/Truths...

• Psalm 33 "Our soul waits for the LORD, He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."
• Jerimiah 29 "For I know the plans I have for you....plans to give you hope..."
• Streams in the Desert, January 20, "God never uses anyone to a great degree until He breaks the person completely. Joseph experienced more sorrow than the other sons of Jacob and it led him into a ministry of food for all nations... It takes sorrow to expand and deepen the soul."
• Prayer of a friend, "Christ has pursued you to His death..."
• Prayer of a friend, "God's will and His plans for you fit you exquisitely."
• Streams in the Desert, January 23, "Darkness is a treasure. There is immeasurable wealth in tribulation."
• Commentary on Psalm 10, "However distant may be the day of justice, one promise is not delayed: THOU WILT STRENGTHEN THEIR HEART."
  

In short, I guess I never anticipated what it would take for the children and the people here to minister to me. I expected that I would do the ministering! I expected that I would do the praying. I expected to be the missionary! Afterall, I thought I came to give, not receive. Yet, I was so very wrong. How silly it was to think that I would not have sorrow here. How silly it was to think that I would not have needs.

And yet, God knew I needed to be made broken before I could do any kingdom building here. He knew that before I could be a comforter, I needed to experience real pain. He knew that before I could exhort someone to walk by faith, I needed to learn how to trust. He knew that I needed to experience loss in order to understand true gain.

The Christian life was never meant to be an easy one. It is neither about wealth nor health. Jesus commands us to take up our cross! How could I ever expect this to be painless? Just because I said 'yes' to Jesus does not mean that I deserve an easy life. Just because I decided to be a missionary does not mean that I will never walk through a valley. Peter was crucified upside down. Paul was imprisoned. Stephen was stoned. These men were deeply committed to Jesus--they loved Him and they were willing to endure all things to stand for Christ.

Christians and missionaries alike are not exempt from having wounds, suffering, and needing help. And just because Lauren Roop suffers, does not mean that she is loved any less by her Heavenly Father. May we all learn to more gladly receive and embrace our suffering and our sorrow as we trust God to use it for something beautiful and good. Afterall, He turned the cross into something glorious.

I praise God today that my soul has been/will be/and is being healed by Christ through His Word and through His children, both young and old.

To the One who makes all things whole,
Lauren