Category: Oasis Community Center

We Are Women

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed […]

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Gilbert Caraveo

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed and brushed it off in the moment but later I realized that he had a valid point. I’d been mulling it over off and on when I gathered with a group of women for tea yesterday.

I looked around the room. This tea brought 30 women together. We began to speak about the topic at hand that day which was the privilege of being adopted into the family of Christ and what responsibility that carried with it. The women began their stories slowly and softly as is always the case. They began to tell of where the Lord had brought them from and where they thought they were going. These were women who had earned the privilege of being called a WOMAN. Two hours later and a few cups of tea, there were women who were laughing, crying, comforting, counseling and you began to feel the camaraderie of women who had made their way through some STUFF! I realized I was in the company of some strong women, some women who had, as my uncle said, “gone through so much”.

The things that were discussed in that room, stay in that room. Suffice it say that there was breakthrough and prayer and that when women get together and pray SOMETHING HAPPENS. The next day at church, I saw a sparkle in the eyes of those who attended. I saw a look of acceptance and love and knowing, we had opened up our hearts to each other and the payoff was love. One thing I know about women is we can be each other’s biggest enemy but also each other’s biggest ally.

Although we may not have walked in the footsteps of the other, we had walked through things which had hurt us deeply and we had come through. We understood the pain, the trial of overcoming and the triumph. We also understand the gift our God has given us of redemption and restoration and future and a hope.

My uncle is right. We aren’t girls, we’ve come through a lot to be women. Now we need to own it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Today I just have a few random thoughts:

I am grateful for the scene I saw yesterday in the store. Loved it actually! I was wheeling my cart out the door after the check-out. It was a madhouse at the store. A little boy about 7ish, was walking with a bag of groceries and his father, who was this boy’s older twin by the way, grabs him by the hood of his coat and says, “Son, wait.” The boy asks why and begins looking at me. The father says, “Men always let women go out ahead of them. If the door isn’t automatic, they open it.” The boy goes, “Why?” I smiled at the dad and said “Thank you”. I am sure the conversation continued. I am grateful that there are still men who are teaching their boys manners. It makes me smile!

I am grateful for Pastor Juan Hernandez’ family because his grandchildren are singing praises to their God and a legacy continues.

I am grateful for this scripture because I can make myself at home in His presence and that is the greatest gift I’ve been given and the thing that blesses me so!

Psalm 100:1 On your feet now – applaud God! 2 Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. 3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. 4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. 5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

TLC’s Conference

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We were honored to have such powerful conference this weekend. Almost 150 women gathered to discuss why God asks us not to arouse or awaken love before it so desires. Women from the ages of 10-100 came and learned what God’s plan was and why he said wait. I was so impressed by our teens who were honestly saying that they had never really considered why God said wait.

Some of the comments that touched my heart were:

“Now I understand why my dad acts like he hates boys to talk to me you know? He is trying to protect me. I mean, he’s still not doing it right but I see his heart now you know?”

“I would never do the things I do in front of my dad but I had never considered that my father in heaven is always watching. It makes you think.”


“I can’t talk to my mom because she always runs and tells her sisters and her friends.”

“I can’t talk to my mom because she always starts yelling and judging.”

“I feel helpless when my daughter comes to me because I see my baby asking 13 year-old questions and it scares me.”

“I sometimes don’t know what to say to my daughter so I revert to rules.”

“I still wear scars by the things boys said to me in high school”

“I didn’t live what I am teaching and I want more for my daughter but I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m scared of what I see happening to the young girls today.”

“My mom just lectures and I have no one to talk to but my friends.”

Thank you Jesus for a ministry that allows us to come forth with the questions of our heart. Thank you that you see every question and that it is meaningful to you!

Oasis At Work!

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God never ceases to amaze me. On Thursday morning I woke up and had one thought…”Oh God, it’s supposed to be so hot today, 105, and for the next seven days it’s supposed to be like this.” Then in what I know is a God-inspired question…..”What will the homeless do now that the rescue mission has closed?”

From there sparked an idea. Not a fix by any means, but a respite, is probably a more appropriate word. What if we got water and food and went out to the rail trail and passed them out? It’s not a solution but it’s something. Our city spent some bucks on a beautiful walk trail in our city and we can’t really use it because the homeless hang out there and in the evenings they are pretty hammered and sometimes give people a hard time, but we know where to find them!

My next prayer was, “Lord, you know my calendar. Who can help me today? Who can kick this into gear for me?”

As God is so wonderful, upon getting out of the shower I hear the buzz of a text message on my phone. I read with a smile a note from Cruz, my TLC Leader. “I have meeting with Lauren in one hour. After that, I am available to help you with whatever you need help with today.” Father! You are just too amazing for words!

“Cruz, I have a burden on my heart today,” I tell her when I see her. I explain the whole morning and say, “Can you get on the phone and make this happen? It’s supposed to be hot over the next several days, I need some crews to get together.”

Within hours, our sweet little Kingdom Kidz are on the rail trail giving out cold water and a ready-to-eat flavored tuna packs that we had put away for disaster relief food.

A great big THANKS to Cruz for her service to the Lord! A great big shout out to our precious Kingdom Kidz, who know most of the homeless people on the rail trail because their parents take them to Manna Ministries each time it’s our turn to cook for the disadvantaged and so they consider these men and women friends. They greet them when they see them walking around town and they care about them!

Most of all thank you LORD, for the wonderful way in which you direct our path and put such wonderful people in our lives!!

Oasis YOU ROCK! WOOT WOOT!

For The Future

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So last night we had V.I.P.’s, our youth group, service at the new building. It was significant in that our vision is reach the next generation for Christ. That building is not the church until the people unite there. It was built so that generations from now, followers of Christ will still have the opportunity to unite in the name of Jesus.

I don’t know if the youth understood the significance of the moment until I pointed it out. Then I saw the lightbulb go off and the smiles come onto their faces and I saw a different posture. A posture of ownership and meaning. We had communion there last night, before the grand opening and the first sermon, a gathering the willing leaders of the future.  The youth looked as solemn as youth can look when in the presence of other youth.

You’ll never know how that touched my heart. I am part of something so much bigger than myself and it makes everything else in my life so insignificant. To work to bring Jesus to the hearts of youth blesses me. To work daily in the service of our Lord is a privilege. Sometimes, I must admit, that I am like the youth were yesterday in that I fail to recognize the honor in what I get to do, and then it hits me, and humbles me, like it did last night.

We sang this song last night, acoustically, a guitar and youth voices. It doesn’t get better than that!

TLC4Women

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This year we gave out our first scholarship to a high school senior. We got a committee together of three women and had two meetings. One to determine the criteria for the scholarship and one to read the applicant’s essays. We three unanimously choose one girl whose letter touched our hearts.

Then the three of us arrived at the high school last Monday night and walked up to the microphone and nervously presented our first annual scholarship. We were so excited! Our winner is Damaris Raluy and I wanted to share our picture with her.

Our Pastor challenged us with a question several years ago. He said, “Do you want to be a small part of something big or a big part of something small?” We all unquestionably answered that we wanted to be a small part of something big. Here is the women’s ministry of our church’s response to that call. Here is a small seed into the education of a young woman, which is a big thing! Praise you Lord that I stand beside these two mighty women of God and together we made a small thing happen that we pray will reap big results. Congratulations Damaris! We will pray diligently for your success!

In this photo left to right: ME, Damaris Raluy, Tracy Jurado, Vikki Grijalva

Plans

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This is a picture of me, Pastor Doug and Bishop Holley taken this last week. The dog is Missy and she is Bishop Holley’s dog.

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as Bishop Holley and Dr. Gayla Holley came to help us wrap up the final plans of the church, work tirelessly on the store and just generally be the great friends and pastors that they are to pastors around the world. We are blessed to have such great support!

We are wrapping up the final part of the building and moving back home. I am excited to be back to our permanent place. Our temporary place has been a blessing but there’s nothing like being home after an extended stay away.

So many things are happening at Oasis. TLC will give its first scholarship away to a deserving high school senior tonight. For us, it is important that when we believe Romans 12:2, renewing your mind causes your life to transform, that we put put faith and finances to that action. To be a little part of helping a young Christian life get started on their first grown-up adventure is exciting.

This past weekend we did a giveaway of vitamins and toys and school supplies to our community. I’m proud of our church. They aren’t content to sit in the four walls and be consumers. They are producers as well. It doesn’t get better than that!