Lorie Voshell
August 8, 2005

Hello everyone,

Well, here I am, back in Minnesota!  What a good summer it has been so far… Thank you all so much for making that possible.  As most of you know I was involved with the Steiger School and Rainbow Gathering trip this year again.  I also had a great time of rest and reunion in Georgia for a week visiting my parents and relatives. 

This year was difficult for me in many ways, yet God was very faithful to provide everything that I needed to accomplish His purposes.  I was the co-coordinator for the school this year and I also spoke at one of the sessions about “community”.  God provided me with the patience and wisdom to lead this school of about 20 people, I know that some of you can’t imagine me in this role :).  Although it was challenging to cook for everyone and make sure that we were on schedule, it was such an amazing experience!  I was blessed by so many people and the team this year was awesome.  The school was a little different this year because we held it at Oliver Presbyterian church, which happens to about 50 yards from my backyard.  The pastors and staff there (4 different inner city churches that all spoke different languages) were extremely hospitable and opened up their church to us.  This saved an enormous amount of money on gas and let us be close to the ministry that we did every night. 

It was really good to hear the speakers speak on some of the same things but we also had a few new topics.  As I mentioned I spoke as did my friend Noah.  Community is something that I have been learning so much about for the last year.  You all know that I live in a community house and also that I am part of the leadership at my church here.  The people in my life here are incredible and are great instruments of my growth and wisdom.  This played a key part in my experience at the gathering this year.  It was amazing to feel the connection with my team members.  God did so many powerful things this year at the gathering (as usual) and it is hard to pick something to share.  If I learned on thing very tangibly this year, it was that I can’t live without my community.  I can not fully experience God in my life without the interdependency of my friends.  I have also learned that if anything is preventing me from a healthy relationship, then I have to get that taken care of because it is so important to be in fellowship.  Whatever it takes.  Pride gets in our way in so many aspects.  It was a great experience to truly love everyone on the team, and to pray with them.  At the gathering I prayed for a lot of people, talked to many people, and served rice to hundreds.  God taught me that it not about me, it’s about us, and about fully knowing Him through community.  I can’t minister without my brothers and sisters, and they can’t without me.  I also can’t minister without actually speaking the name of Jesus out loud.  I get caught in this lie that I can live a good example and people will be affected by that.  But that’s not good enough… my community needs me to speak the name of Christ and so do the people I come in contact with.  God was faithful to provide money, food, willing servants that did what I asked, times of rest and times of real hardship.  The gathering is always the worst and best part of my year.  But what I experience is really real.  Real beyond this world. 

Please, please pray for me as I grow in my relationship with God and being a disciplined follower of Him.  Pray for me as I maintain and build my relationships here with my community.  Also, please pray for the ministry here in Minneapolis.  Like any other mission field, it is hard, uphill work, but praise God for his grace and mercy that I even get to understand and experience my life as a Christian.  Thank you so much for your support.  I got a lot of posistive feedback about the “personal” letter that I wrote, so you can expect another one with more stories from my life.  I love you all. 

 Lorie