Possible changes to our mission

Michael & Jeli, Rain, Riley and Nathalie / Simon and Ana

Dear friends,

We recently held our Annual Trustees Meeting for Life And More Abundant Ministries, and there was quite a bit to talk about! We have been asking God what direction we should take in these strange days, when for us everything has come to a halt. It has been a good time to pray about what we should stop doing, what to start and what to continue. It also seems a good time to begin handing over the leadership of LAMA House to our grown up children and let them run with their VISON – a WORSHIP CENTRE FOR YOUTH (with me and Peter still available to guide behind the scenes. We will be asking the Charity Commission if we can make some changes.

We have not been able to function as a Residential Home since May 2020 and there are no signs yet of ‘back-to-normal’ for us as we are still under tight restrictions. So we have decided to stop providing Residential Care and focus instead on the other parts of our Charity – which are to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in places where there is no church. The new vision is for Michael, Simon and Ana (and a team) to bring worship and the Gospel to the other Government-run homes for children and youth in our area.

It is in God’s Presence that bodies and minds are healed and souls restored.

Before the pandemic Michael, Simon and Ana (with LAMA boys) were bringing Worship to the Regional Rehabilitation Centre for Youth, where around 150 boys are detained on criminal charges. The Presence of God was tangible in the Chapel services, most of the boys responded to the Gospel, in God’s Presence their souls were restored and bodies healed, court cases resolved. The Centre Head noticed the difference this made and has asked Michael to continue the worship services virtually, we are not allowed to visit in person. With approval they plan to expand this to DSWD Home for Girls in Agoo, and Home for Special Needs in Tarlac and other centers. The DSWD in our region have begun to set up a Half-way Home for Children in Crisis, a Home for Women and Children escaping Domestic Violence and a Rehabilitation Program for Recovering Addicts where we also hope to bring worship and prayer ministry. We hope to reach more young people and children this way – when allowed to visit. As things get back to normal we plan to use LAMA House for training young people in prayer ministry, worship and street evangelism. There are also plans for a Worship Festival for Youth every Easter on our campus.

“Find out what God is doing – and join in!”

Meanwhile, we have sold a piece of farm land that was bought years ago for our independent living program, and our Trustees have approved donations to Church Army, Teen Challenge Belfast and SAT-7 UK. We are SO excited to be part of what God is doing in the World today. You may have heard the saying, “Find out what God is doing, and join in!” I prayed during lockdown – “Lord, what are You doing, I want us to join in!” God is ALWAYS working, it is not hard to find out where, with so much information available. I read about Teen Challenge Belfast – addicts set free; Church Army, where my parents began ministry, serving in deprived areas around UK. And SAT-7 post marvelous testimonies from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). You can find out more about them by visiting the websites. While we can, LAMA Ministries will JOIN IN wherever the Holy Spirit highlights – while continuing to assist our former boys and girls and their families and people in need around us.

We are thankful to have finished renovating LAMA House, but are still restricted with gatherings and going out into the community. For now, we do what we can, staying connected to the Lord Jesus through worship, prayer and God’s Word and sharing worship sessions on Youtube, Facebook and other platforms available. THANK YOU for helping us. We are excited about the vision God has given us. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. We will keep you updated how things progress.

Peter & Lesley, Michael, Jeli, Ana and Simon

Posted by Lesley Gomez on Thursday, January 20th, 2022 @ 2:14PM
Categories: Latest news