On the roof

Let me paint a picture for you.

August, San Juan, the Dominican Republic.  The house appears quiet on the outside, but walk in the door and you are greeted with people, smells, dirt, business and back-packs almost everywhere you turn.  No space, no solitude, just people all the time.  Cooking, cleaning, studying, chatting, but(t)ching, moving, not a moment’s peace.  Sometimes, you just feel so overwhelmed you want to go hide in your sleeping bag…  Oh wait, your bedroom is the dining room floor.  You can’t leave the house alone, but everywhere you turn somebody is in your way.

Some days, you just need to get out of the house.  But go out front, and neighbors stare at you.  Go out back, and run into all the laundry hanging on the line.  So where do you go from there?

So it was that Lauren and I ended up on the roof.  What we thought was creative thinking and good climbing skills probably would have scared almost anybody who saw us wrestling our way from the second story balcony onto the roof of the house.  Though a swinging screen door isn’t the most conventional ladder, it suited our need for escape.  After watching Lauren’s red pajama pants swing over the ledge, I carefully followed.

Suddenly, everything was free, everything was opened.  We giggled and ran around like mischievous little kids, hanging out somewhere they shouldn’t.  We could look all over the city of San Juan and marvel at our ingenuity and adventurous spirits, venturing where no World Racer had gone before… The roof of our house.  Somehow, above the crowd, above the hustle and bustle of our living space, something happened that evening.  As we lay on our backs, with what was our ceiling now our floor, we poured our hearts out into the open sky and into each other.

The clouds were our paint brushes, our conversation the spark that ignited our passion for the one who is passionate for us.  As iron sharpens iron, so our spirits sharpened one another.  Desires and passions shared encouraged the other, visions and words spoke into life the work being done by the Lord.  Our fellowship seemed to transform the very sky above us, turbulent and excited and changing as quickly as the storm that swirled in the air.  Dark clouds contrasted the brilliant sunset, bringing spiritual battle to our eyes as God brought it to the awareness of our hearts.

So we sat, entranced, captivated in conversation, even as the tropical storm brought rain resting gently on our skin and glorious lightening to the sky.  We could look around, and from every direction see a new view: North, South, East and West each had a new and amazing picture painted by the fingers of God.  Color blinded our eyes and intensified our bond.  I don’t even know how we left that roof that evening, cause I can only remember our time together there, above everything, pursuing true fellowship in the meeting of minds and hearts by the only One of any value at all.

Lauren Newborn is a woman of faith, a woman on fire for the Lord, fighting for the gospel in a manner that some would say is fanatical.  Lauren is my sister, my friend, an inspiration and an encouragement to me.  She has given me so much, and God has called her to so much here on the World Race.

Lauren Newborn needs our help.  Lauren is $1,500 short of the funds she needs by the end of this month.  If she does not meet the deadline, she will be sent home.  Please consider joining with her in ministry, praying for her and donating to her support account.  As her squadmate, I am advocating for her to you.  As her sister, I am asking that you be the one that steps up, the one that is the hands and feet; nay, the WALLET of Christ.  You think it is too weird that God can use your money to further His kingdom?  I don’t think that is outside of His bounds.  Your support for Lauren will enable her to continue spreading her fire and passion for the Lord everywhere that the World Race takes her.

For donations, you can visit her blog at www.laurennewborn.theworldrace.org.  Donations are easily made by clicking on the link on the left hand side that says: “help me raise the $8,735 left to go 🙂“