Latvia Mission Trip

Welcome to my fundraising for my mission trip the Latvia this summer!

My name is Lauren Broderick, and I am so glad to be preparing to be deployed to Latvia July 15-25 to serve the people of Vecmīlgrāvis, Latvia. Our team is preparing to help support the only evangelical church in the area. Our mission is to reach out to children of the city using VBS, crafts, sports, English, drama and music. Because of the culture, many of these children are a) orphaned, b) not exposed to the Gospel, and c) come from broken homes. My heart aches for these children; all they want is to feel loved and there is no better love than the love of Jesus Christ.

Crosspoint Church and West U Baptist Church have partnered with Pastor Peter from Vecmīlgrāvis for over 5 years. Because of the continued relationships, this mission continues to flourish.

Please consider supporting me as I prepare spiritually, physically, and mentally for the mission!

(Latvia Mission 2015)

My testimony:

I didn't grow up in a Christian home, but I always felt the Lord working throughout my life. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that the Lord gripped my heart! After taking all AP classes, working on 12 Girl Scout committees as the Girl Board Chair, leading a varsity dance team as the 3rd ranked officer, and earning my Girl Scout Gold Award, I began to have severe anxiety attacks (possibly from all the sleep deprivation). Simply put, I lost control. One Saturday night, I woke up from one of the biggest panic attacks I had ever had and decided that enough was enough; I needed to be in relationship with Jesus.

Keep in mind, I really didn't know who Jesus was. I just knew I had to be in church. After a couple months, I got involved with a local youth group. My youth pastor told me before I left for the University of Houston that before I buy a single textbook or go to a single class, I needed to find a church and a college ministry.

Like the smart, bright girl I was raised to be, I got on an unmarked white van in my first day in Houston (the #1 human trafficking city in the nation) because I had received a card saying Crosspoint Church had a free shuttle from campus. The Holy Spirit grabbed ahold of me that Sunday and I knew this was it.

Throughout the past 3 years, I have learned who Jesus is, built a relationship with Him, been discipled, lead bible studies, helped develop the young adults ministry, and gone on missions (Guatemala and Dominican Republic). I've been incredibly blessed to have Crosspoint Church as my home church!

Although my testimony seems all nice and pretty, I can assure you that it wasn't pretty at times. Through heartbreak and medical issues and depression/anxiety, I've found an overarching beauty to God's grace.

(Guatemala Mission 2015)

God bless!