"Our house...in the middle of the street"

Do any of you guys remember that song that goes, "Our house, in the middle of the street?"

As I thinking how to begin the update of our house situation, that song popped into my head! hehe.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some updates regarding our future house. Yesterday, I talked with a gentleman that has been weekly checking to see if our house has been assigned to a realtor. He mentioned to me that he recently talked with someone who stated that a foreclosed house isn't assigned to a realtor at least 2 months after foreclosure. Since the house foreclosed at midnight of the 25th of May, this means that the house could be assigned by the 26th of July. That's next Monday!!!

This morning, the first thought to go through my head was..."Today, we are getting the house." Sometimes I get over zealous, but I believe with all of my heart that TODAY the house could be assigned to a realtor. Would you guys join me in prayer for this situation, as well as even begin praying for the realtor who will be assigned to the house? Let God's love and light be shown to each person that deals with this home!

Also, I got to catch up with the couple that will be purchasing the home for us. They mentioned that this past month has been extremely difficult for them and that Satan has been attacking them very strongly. They are experiencing a lot of hurt and pain and would be very appreciative of your prayers. I know that the enemy is raging against the mission and vision of this community and prayers for protection over this generous family would be coveted.

"See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 1:21

God is faithful.

Let it be.

Lately, God has been pressing on my heart that nothing is impossible for Him. In my prayer life and throughout my faith journey, I have been challenged to fully trust God in ALL things. So often, my prayers become suggestions to God that I know without a doubt are plausible. Unfortunately, there are too many times when I have allowed my child-like faith and imagination to take the back burner to safe and comfortable prayers.

But, then I read things like, "Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it," says the Lord. And, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God," as well as, "Present your requests to the Lord and He'll give you a peace that transcends all understanding."

So, here I am..with a request.

As many of you know, in one month, almost all of the girls from our future community will be returning to Grand Rapids for the school year. Not only will we be beginning a new semester of college, but we'll be learning what it means to serve and live with 11 other girls.

But, we still don't have our house. At this point, we are still waiting for a realtor to be assigned to the home. Since the house requires several renovations, as well as time to complete the buying process, there is definitely a need to continue seeking out God's will and wisdom for what steps to take now.

On my walk this morning, I asked the Lord how to pray for our community and the situation with our house. Thinking that it would take some time to receive a response, I rapidly received, "Pray for the impossible."

So, as our community joins in a time of prayer together tomorrow, I would love for you to join us.

Here are a few specific prayer needs:

A realtor would be assigned to the house ASAP

The next Immersion team would be able to help with renovations (their trip begins July 23rd)

Our community would rest in God in the midst of the waiting

Our community would be united by Christ even though we are not in the same location this summer

Thanks again for all of your support.

Learning to fully embrace being loved by the King.

His Daughter,

Lindsay

Praises to the King

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it has taken me since June 11th to update on life here in Grand Rapids. Time has surely been racing these past several weeks.

If I attempted to update ya'll on everything that has been going in the past month, this blog may actually take a full month to read. In order to save you some time, I figured I would turn this entry into a time of praising God for some of the ways He has been powerfully and intimately moving.

Praise to the King

Carly (my sister) and Mike Stender were united as husband and wife on June 19th. The entire day felt like a worship song, as each part of the celebration praised and thanked God for His goodness. Carly was a princess. :)

Praise to the King

The first round of Immersion was completed at the end of June. The first group was a tight-knit group of high school students from Sunshine church that are filled with passion for the Lord. They spent the week enthusiastically serving our community and seeking after God's heart. I'll never forget how they spent their "free-night" on their second to last night in downtown GR. For three hours, the students chose to worship in the Tabernacle with doors open for the whole neighborhood to hear. God is raising up a generation of devout worshippers.

Praise to the King

I was covered with God's grace, day after day, as I had the opportunity to cook for the students during the Immersion trip. Each day, God provided just the right amount of food, as well as He gave me a wonderful kitchen crew to help out with meals.

Praise to the King

Two weeks ago, about 25 young women joined together to unite in prayer regarding the Sanctity of Life. The evening retreat took place at the Omega House in downtown Grand Rapids. The Omega House, located next to a local abortion clinic, is primarily a home that hosts retreats for post-abortive women. During the evening event of prayer and worship, newly acquainted women were able to cry out for the unborn, as well as ask God to shower His love and grace over women who have had abortions or are planning on having an abortion. We also took time to seek what it means for us women and all of God's people to embrace abundant life in Him. He's desperate for us to be fully alive.

Praise to the King

In less than a month, the NEAR 24/7 prayer schedule will be "finished". For the past 6 months, the Bridge Street House of Prayer and Boiler Room have hosted prayer slots, where people have been praying every hour. I can't even fathom the shift that has occurred in the heavenlies, as well as in this city, due to the fervent prayer of His children. We are now praying about what lies ahead, as we all agree we are being called to pray day and night. "Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice." Ps. 55:17

Praise to the King

While our community for the fall hasn't heard any news about our house, we have decided that as a whole, we need to enter into a time of prayer for wisdom and discernment regarding what steps to take next. Personally, I still feel confident that the house we have been "claiming" is truly supposed to be our home. We would covet your prayers since we know that summer will soon draw to a close and we will need a home for our community.

Praise to the King

This past weekend, I was able to join my boyfriend and his family for a wonderful weekend up in Baldwin, MI. It was my first time to meet most of Andrew's family and we had a great time enjoying God's creation, swimming in the lake, slacklining, canoeing, and eating too much yummy food! ha!

...and lastly...

Praise to the King

God is sending out his people left and right to be light in this broken world. Three of my future roommates are spending their summers doing missions abroad, as well as so many other young people are taking the opportunity to serve, pray, unite, give, and travel, all for glory of the Lord.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire. "' Hebrews 12:28

Love,

Linds

Relentless

"I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; nor will I relent." Ezekiel 24:14

Dearest friends, I feel as though I haven't updated how things are going on the west side in quite a while. Sorry about that! The past week or so, there has been a press on my heart to rest, which means updates on the blog are near the bottom of the to-do list. Nonetheless, in the midst of busy schedules, new relationships, and BSHOP community events, God hasn't been resting.

In fact, I feel as though the words "will not relent" help describe how God has been pursuing the people in our neighborhood. Everyday, people are walking into the Pavilion in need of attention. Some of the calls for attention are in genuine hope of seeking after something or someone that will give them hope, direction, and love.

For instance, we have a dear neighbor who has spent most of her life in drug addiction and alcoholism. Ever since the Pavilion has opened full time, she has made sure to stop by everyday, get her glass of ice-tea, as well as find encouragement from the volunteer staff. In the past several weeks, this woman has been captured by God's grace and is desperately seeking after the hope to which God has called her. One afternoon, I had the opportunity to pray for our friend and ask that God would provide a stable job for her, as well as cover her with His Shalom from her head to her toes. Less than 15 minutes after we had prayed, this young lady came running back into the Pavilion exclaiming that she had just received a call regarding a full-time job position until at least December!

And then, there are also the instances when the calls for attention cause our volunteer staff and BSHOP community to seek wisdom and discernment. Many of the people that walk in the Pavilion doors are stuck in a lifestyle of poverty. They have a mentality of "gimme, gimme" and rather than enabling them to stay in this lifestyle, our hope is that they would break free from this oppression and seek the abundant life that Christ offers them. Therefore, we are asking God to show us how to truly help and provide for those that we come in contact with.

In other news, in less than a week, the BSHOP will be heading up a 10 day mission trip called Immersion. We will be having 3 1o-day trips throughout the summer, one of which starts exactly one week from today. Next Friday, 11 high school students from Sunshine Church will be packed up for a 2 day hiking trip, where they will begin their time of becoming vulnerable with one another, gaining unity among their group, and learning what it means to grow in intimacy with the Lord. The next 8 days of the trip are spent in downtown GR, in the middle of our neighborhood, where they will be doing service projects throughout the West side. I'm telling you, this trip is going to cause a shift in this neighborhood! I can't wait to see what God has in store for these young, passionate teenagers, as well as for all those that are impacted by their service. (P.S. My responsibility for Immersion is being the cook during the week. I will have the blessing of interacting with the students in the kitchen as we prepare for meals each day).

Tomorrow, the BSHOP celebrates their fifth year of existence. In celebration, we are holding a Party in the Park, located in the park right across from our neighborhood. We will be hosting a Jubilee sale, also known as a free garage sale, kid's activities, a potluck, and worship. It's going to be an incredible day of rejoicing and praising God for the work He has done, is doing, and will continue to do.

On a more personal note, God has put a call on my heart to discover what it means to be holy as He is holy. I have a feeling that this will be a lifetime discovery. But, as of now, He is leading me to know more of His character. He is revealing Himself as Jehovah-M'Kaddesh, the Lord who Sanctifies. I'm also realizing the importance of rest during this busy summer. I think that rest is an activity that most of us wish we would participate more in, but tend to place it on the back burner. Fortunately, God has placed a few accountability partners in my life who have been reminding me to take time to rest in the Lord. What a blessing!

I also have the privilege of throwing Carly's bachelorette party this next week. Let me repeat that, MY SISTER IS HAVING HER BACHELORETTE PARTY NEXT WEEK! This means, that in just over a week my sister will no longer be a Schrauger, but a Stender!!! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!! I can't even describe how excited I am for their wedding ceremony...it's going to be a ceremony of worship! How awesome!

My brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read about the work that God is doing here in Grand Rapids. I believe your support and prayers are greatly contributing to the power that is breaking forth in this city.

Grace and Shalom.

Linds

He's faithful to the end.

Hey friends,

I don't have too much time to update, but just wanted to give you an update on the house situation.

Today the house that 11 of girls are looking to move into in the fall officially foreclosed. We weren't sure what would happen once the house foreclosed, but we have been fervently praying that the house would be available for us to buy as soon as possible.

On my way home from running errands, I noticed that 3 vehicles were parked in front of "our" house. So, in usual creeper fashion, I walked over to the driveway. There were several people cleaning out the garage and backyard. A gentleman named Chuck greeted me and told me that he is from the bank that now owns the house. He gave me his business card, a number to call regarding purchasing the home, and the loan number to the house.

I immediately called Matt, the man from my church who is purchasing the home. While I haven't heard from him since earlier this afternoon, we now know that we are one step closer to owning "our" house.

So, the point is.. God is faithful. We still aren't 100% sure that the house is ours, but all of us girls, as well as Matt and Jodi, can tell that there is a stake in the ground that has claimed that house as His house. Now, we continue praying, as well as praising our awesome God!

Thanks for all your prayers during this time. Can't even express how grateful all of us have been.

Blessed.

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come." Song of Songs 2:12

This week has been a week full of blessings. On Monday, the Pavilion doors opened for the first time at noon until 5pm. Many of the regular Thursday night attenders came in to say hello and enjoy a warm cup of coffee. While we've had no idea what the Pavilion would look like during the new day time hours, we're realizing that this time is for deepening relationships. During the day, there will be several adults or teenagers just looking for someone to talk to. It's a perfect opportunity to listen to them and give them the attention that many of them are longing for. This week I'm hoping to come up with an outline for a weekly bible study/life-group for the teenage girls that come to the Pavilion. I'm excited to get plans on paper!

This week also consisted of seeing prayers answered! While darkness is revolting against this neighborhood, our fervent prayers are being heard. A few new neighbors moved into the area who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. One of the neighbors just happened to walk into the Tabernacle while our community was beginning prayer. With a willing and vulnerable spirit, she shared her story with us and allowed us to pray over her. She told us that she wants to tell everyone about the Pavilion and this prayer community. In a recent phone conversation with her mom, she mentioned, "Mom, you'll never believe it...I just moved into a neighborhood full of Christians!" God is intimately seeking after the hearts of people in this neighborhood. He is pursuing them, redeeming them, delivering them, and His name is being exalted. His kingdom is coming on earth as it is in heaven.

I'd be silly not to mention another blessing that occurred this week. After spending days in prayer and seeking the Lord's will regarding beginning a relationship with a certain gentleman, God has poured His peace and joy over us, giving us a green light. I am looking forward to the ways that we join together to minister to this neighborhood, as well as continue to build on our friendship. This gentleman has a servant's heart and it has been a blessing seeing God capture his heart and reveal more of His heart to him. Yay for another new journey!! (p.s. I can't lie, I've had a smile on my face the whole week hehe).

Prayer Requests for this week:

*That a young man named Alex would continue to open his heart to the Lord and that his heartbreak of being abandoned and unloved would be healed.

*That the house we are looking to buy would foreclose on Tuesday and that a sale sign would go up on the house this week!!

*That I would find balance and wisdom in how to spend my time. That my first priority would be to be at the feet of Jesus, entering into His word.

*That the ministry at the Pavilion would continue to exalt Jesus and that we would be attentive to the opportunities of reaching out to people in the neighborhood.

Thanks, friends and family. I love you immensely.

Linds

"Awkward Turtle"

"It's so awkward going into the Pavilion. I feel like Jesus is all over me." -teenage girl outside of the coffee shop

Until next week, the coffee shop is only open Thursday nights. So, last night, it was another joy-filled evening as the Pavilion was filled with people. It was a beautiful sight to see about 40 people packed in the Pavilion, engaging in conversation, doing art, playing board games, and enjoying free beverages and snacks. One of the older men that I have gotten to know well from the Pavilion is Jeff. While his life has been gripped by poverty, I have never met someone so determined to trust in the Lord in all things. Each Saturday there is worship at the Tabernacle where Jeff will stand beside me and worship loudly and boldly. He also loves gospel music; therefore, we never shy away from doing a little dancing during worship!

Last night at the Pavilion Jeff said something I"ll never forget. He said, "Lindsay, do you know where I find my peace and comfort?" Thinking he would give the credit to God, I pointed to the sky, but Jeff quickly pointed straight towards the coffee shop. He said, "In there, inside the Pavilion, is where I come to find rest and safety." It's truly amazing to see how God's presence is filling the Pavilion!

On Tuesday, the BSHOP community had an incredible gathering with 20+ people that are interested and/or committed to being intercessors for our community. During a time of hearing the mission, vision, and means of the BSHOP, we were also surrounded by intercessors who prayed over us as a community, lifted up our neighborhood, and listened to our personal prayer requests for this summer. I'm telling you, prayer is the foundation. As Ryan from our community says, "Prayer seems like the worst game plan...", yet we know that as we continue pressing in, God's heart is being revealed and lives are being transformed.

I also started my first day at the Pregnancy Resource Center yesterday. As I was greeted by several of the other employees, I felt as though I was being showered with more blessings. I can tell the PRC is filled with women with hearts for the Lord, as well as for the ministry of reaching out to new moms. During my first day, I was given a tour of the building, started learning the new data system, and listened to the Spanish voice messages. The building that I work at is connected to a large warehouse full of baby clothes, baby food, baby toys, and basically any other resources that a young child needs. Woman who are expecting or who have already had their child are then able to come and "shop" in the warehouse where they can receive free materials. So, basically, each day I will have the privilege of seeing new born babies and young children. Can't complain about that! :)

One prayer request regarding this position is that I would be able to strengthen my Spanish-speaking abilities. The PRC welcomes in many Spanish-speakers and I would love to be able to communicate with them and love on them. At this point, I don't feel particularly confident in my Spanish-speaking, but because God has given me a passion to learn this language, I want to pursue this challenge with all that I have.

Well, dear friends, it's time that I get out of bed and embark on this new day. I love you, guys.

God's love never fails.