another amazing week

Dear all who read this, I want to begin by saying it is a blessing to be able to share with all of you the things I am learning. My hope is that you will recognize the huge need there is in the world for justice. This week our speaker Colleen Milstein, spoke about the importance of keeping the Bible as our strategic manual for everything we set out to do. This to me was a great message, because she stressed the significance of reading the Bible in order to learn something and not only to “just read it”. There are so many instructions in the Bible that God gave us for our own sake, it is incredible to me! He specified to the smallest detail so that we could live more comfortable, organized and healthy lives. And yet we decide to go against his instructions and do what we want. This is completely mind boggling to me.

The Bible tells us over and over again that our God is a God of justice and that He is calling us, his people, to care for those who are least fortunate. He didn’t instruct to only care for a few, or for a certain social class or certain race. No, he loves us all equally. John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world”, not only a part of it but all, “that he gave his only begotten son”.

Another important thing our speaker spoke about and that completely impressed me and made me be even in greater awe of God is that God is in EVERY area of life. We should not limit God’s representation anywhere. Yes, we might be called to a certain area of life but it does not necessarily mean that God isn’t in other places doing work as well.

Colleen emphasized the much needed work in all spheres of society. You might ask yourself, what are the “spheres of society” as defined in our classroom and in YWAM (Youth With a Mission) they are divided as follows:

                Art

                Business

Communications

Discovery/ Science

Education

Family

Government

Holiness/ Church

All of these are spheres everyone can be involved in and be serving God. Yes we all have a specific calling and because of that calling we all have specific gifts! We cannot ignore that any longer, we must honor God by exercising those gifts that he in his Mercy and Goodness granted us.

God has been revealing himself to me in extremely amazing ways this past week, and he has been constantly reminding me that he has created me with a calling and a purpose and that I must be obedient to him in order for His name to be glorified. I am so amazed that God has chosen to partner with us in order to bring restoration and justice to the world. I have decided not to ignore his call any longer.

I feel his strong calling to work with women, men and children that have been swallowed up by the prostitution industry. It is such a hard and sad issue to address, but I do believe God wants to see all of these people restored and brought back to him and his original purpose. The ministry that I will be working with is called Freedom Streets and what we do is, usually once or twice a week we g to the streets where the prostitute gather to work and try to engage in conversation with anyone willing to talk. As we do this we believe that we are building relationships that can grow into friendships and in the process we can show them God’s love and hopefully we can make them understand that there is an alternative life that they can have outside of prostitution.

My future goal and prayer is that an open house will be built where the women who are ready to leave prostitution behind can have shelter and care, and where they can heal emotionally, physically and spiritually.

As I work towards that goal I will need financial, emotional and prayerful support. I am a part of YWAM (Youth With a Mission) and International Interdenominational Christian Organization that offers no salaries and the work we do is voluntary. I will love to continue with this project that we have and your support will be extremely helpful.

If you pray and feel led to partner with me I would love to be in touch with you via email. You could reach me at brendadluna-72@hotmail.com and I could answer any questions or provide any other information you would like to have.

God Bless and have an amazing fun day!

I will be loved no matter what!!

Last week was week two in our Children at Risk School and our topic of study was Inner Healing. Our speaker was an amazing woman named Christy Scott. She was so extremely helpful in my understanding of God’s unconditional and unfailing love.

Inner healing, True Christian inner healing is firmly grounded in all aspects of the truth, biblical truth, factual truth and moral truth. The person is brought into the light of God's Word, the light of logic and right thinking and factuality and the light of repentance and forgiveness.

Inner healing is the application of the grace and peace of Jesus Christ to the pain and confusion of the damaged emotional life.


So many times I’ve told myself, there is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING I can do that will separate me from God’s love, and this information has always been in my head. But, for some reason this information stays in our minds and does not go to our hearts. Mathew 21 says that God will be our savior and our redeemer and I believe that with my entire heart. And I cannot be more grateful for a Father that looks past my sham, my human mistakes and loves me the same.


But this week I have had the realization that indeed I cannot be loved more or be loved any less by God, He already loves me unconditionally. He knows everything that I have done and everything that I have yet to do and he will love me regardless of anything.


This concept is extremely wild to me! I am so loved and he has already forgiven me for the things I have done and the things I will do! God has not come to add to our burden but to ease it and bring hope and restoration!! How amazing is the God we serve!


This past week was also an incredible week to fully restore my identity in Christ. Right from the beginning we were made in God’s image, we have an identity, a value, a purpose, all in God.


He knows me so intimately that there is nothing I can hide from him. And although there is so much beauty in that, there is also such a great responsibility! The creator of the Universe will hold me accountable for all I have done, and because of that I have to honor him in my actions and with the words I speak.

introduction

I am a YWAMer, a temporary missionary in Costa Rica, I am learning a=bout the injustices of the world and I am also learning of all the things God can do thru me in these situations. A prayer that I share with many of my peers is that God breaks our heart for what breaks His. We do not take this prayer lightly and we are serious about wanting to serve God in whatever situation he wants us to.
if you would like to know more about our cause and what we do feel free to contact me at brendadluna-72@hotmail.com or comment on my blogs.
God bless!!

The first step into restoration

You provide the fire, Ill provide the sacrifice. You provide the spirit, and Ill open up inside. Fill me up Lord, fill me up Lord. This song has been stuck in my head for the past two days and as I sing it I ask myself, WILL I provide the sacrifice? Am I willing to give some things up if God asks me to? There are so many things in my life that I like to do, like use the “h” word, watch rated R movies,  listen to secular music and other things of a more personal matter. One might think that there is nothing wrong with these things, that they are not hurting anyone so why would I have to stop? But, what if God is asking me to stop? Small things such as these can bring separation between me and God.

 If I am singing this song is because I genuinely want God to fill me up.  I have now realized that I am full of things that God doesn’t like, and they are taking the place of the things God has for me. So I MUST get rid of my selfish desires, my negative thoughts, my pride, my doubts, my insecurities so that God can fill me up with HIS purpose, his blessings, His love, His reassurance and His confidence.

As I renounce to these things and much more I learn that God does not condemn me, rather He make me a new creature and every day as he renews his blessings and His calling in my life.  I am a part of His family and because of this I will live according to the plan he has for me. 

Hello World.

This is the blog of Brenda Luna, who is currently awesomely in Costa Rica doing awesome Costa Rican things with her Costa Rica missionary peoples. W00t!