Team EA

Dear loved ones,

I hope that this letter finds you well. As many of you know, I am currently a senior at the University of Mary Hardin- Baylor in Belton, TX. I am studying psychology and am planning on graduating in December. Currently I am serving at Temple Bible Church as life group leader to ten sophomore girls and they are my heart beat on my campus. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with a position of leadership in their lives and I have grown tremendously in my walk by pouring into them. I have also recently begun an internship with women’s ministry at TBC.  The Lord has recently taught me so much about what it means to love people exactly where they are and love people in their brokenness. That is how the Lord loves us.

This New Year, I had the opportunity to go to the Passion conference in Atlanta, Georgia. While I was there, my eyes were open to modern day slavery. I learned about the 27 million people who are still in slavery today and that is more people than our entire history has ever seen. Half of those 27 million are in sexual slavery, or human trafficking, and half of those in sexual slavery are children. That is 6.75 million children that are being sexually exploited. This is not okay. Coming back from the conference, I felt very restless and irritated being at school feeling like there was nothing I could do to end this atrocity. Within just a couple of weeks of being back in Belton the Lord gave me an incredible opportunity to be a part of the work he is already doing to end sexual slavery. On June 17^th I will be leaving for East Asia to work in an American style bakery. This bakery is employed by girls who have been rescued from slavery and they are given a safe and loving environment to work in so they can earn a living and stay out of the sex industry. I will be leading them in a bible study and do a lot of prayer walking over the city. Since the ministry is fairly new, I will also be doing mapping for the ministry. This will help the missionaries there identify where the brothels are located in the city.

This will be a very difficult trip to go on. I am so very excited to see the way the Lord uses me for the work he is already doing in East Asia, however the nature of this trip is very heavy and will require me to lean on the Lord for understanding each and every day that I am there. I am asking you to first and foremost pray with me. Pray that the people I will meet will be receptive to the gospel. Pray that I would adjust to the culture and language quickly and learn how to communicate efficiently. Also pray that the funds would come in for my trip. My trip is a total of $3400 including airfare, housing, food and other expenses. If you feel led to help support my trip, you can either donate online at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=98f714 and type my name in the box that says "write in student's name". You can also donate to my trip using a check. Make your check payable to Go Now Missions. Write my name on the memo line.  You can mail your checks to:
Go Now Missions
P.O. Box 195439
Arlington, TX 76019

Please let me know if there is any way I can be praying for you. Feel free to contact me anytime through my e-mail, larodriguez@mail.umhb.edu , or by calling me or texting me at 832-495-8130. Thank you all so much for the love support you have shown me. I am so blessed by having you in my life. 

Let's play ketchup

Hello sweet readers!

It has been too long, and I sure have missed you.
I hate diary-ish posts, but It has been a while since I blogged and there are some big things that have happened in life that cannot go unblogged (not a word, but that's okay) about. Let me just give you a laundry list of God's work in my life over the past two months:

- Haiti. This will be it's own post in due time, promise. God is continuing a work in me that started in Haiti and I am forever changed. However to tie us over until then...

- Spent an amazing week in New Orleans with my sweet, precious family. My cousin was in the Junior Olympics! (proud cousin right here.)

- Started Junior year of college...

- ...as an education major. (a whole other post soon.)

Until next time! 


<3L

It's Here.

Have you ever been on the premise of a moment that you know is going to change your life forever? I'm leaving my apartment in 15 minutes and then I'll be on my way to Haiti. It all feels so surreal. It a really hard feeling to describe, but God has really been doing a work in my heart and in my life this summer. Everything looks different to me now, and I can't help but think that it has all led up to this point. I know God is going to do something big in this next week and I cannot wait to come back and share all of it! 


While we are in Haiti, our team will be updating our blog every night. So I will not have access to my own blog, but you can read the blog we write as a team every night here:


http://sharingthebreadoflife.blogspot.com/


Thank you all so much for your prayers and your encouraging words. You all have no idea how much it means to me. 

Okay five minutes until I'm out the door! 

L