Rapid Fire Round with Lauren on Creating Freely with Kids
I met Lauren in Mazatlán a few minutes after I landed. Both of us had just flown in from the States to embark on artistic adventures in very new territory. From the moment we shook hands I knew that God had a unique story awaiting her.
Lauren exudes a child-like delight, I think I may have called her a ‘fairy’ shortly after our introductions. She hails from Colorado, turned 26 while we explored Mazatlán destinations together, is notorious for picking up (and stopping for) every living creature and flower that entered our path, hula hoops like a pixie on caffeine, is your biggest encourager purely out of her bursting enthusiasm, asks the questions we all want to, and will always opt to be in nature.
I had the pleasure of asking Lauren 10 questions about her love for art, teaching children, and what God revealed to her specifically while serving with the Cerro de Ocho (Hill 8) ministry. Needless to say, it was a breath of fresh, crisp mountain air.
Give us a quick summary of your journey that led you to Mazatlán… I had just come off a year of teaching at a Montessori school where I was able to connect with children through creative arts and learning. This gave me the opportunity to express my love of art through a different avenue, experiencing art with children. This sparked my interest and I wanted to enroll in an art school so that I could better learn how to teach children the beauty and uniqueness of colorful expression. I began to search for art schools and found that YWAM Mazatlán offered an Art Evangelist School. My expectation was to not only learn what it means to be an art evangelist, but to also take note of how to incorporate the things I was going to learn into a way that kids could also learn.
What are your favorite things about doing art with children? Observing the way they can so freely create. Children have a unique way of artistic expression, and that is something I admire very much.
Tell us a little about the Cerro de Ocho ministry and how you got involved? Each week, a group of us from YWAM would visit Cerro de Ocho, an impoverished and drug-saturated neighborhood, and we loved on the kids who lived there. I naturally chose to go every week because of the ministry’s focus on children.
From my recollection, you dove all in from the very start! So your Thursday group visits quickly evolved to something more. What came next? My heart was captured by the children in Cerro de Ocho. So I asked if there was any way that I could provide art lessons for the kids there, to offer a safe creative outlet for them. Within a week, the leaders of the ministry gave me a space to have art classes on Saturdays with the children from the Cerro community. One of the leaders, Omega, hosted the classes and cleared out a spare bedroom in her home for us to learn and create in. Each week would be a different art lesson, and so I would bring different art materials for them to explore and use. Most of our art activities were simple, using markers, crayons and paint, so that the kids could recreate these art projects at home or with their friends.
1 challenge you encountered… The language barrier. I speak VERY little Spanish, and I was teaching art to all Spanish-speaking kids. This was difficult because I wanted to be able to speak directly to the kids without having to use a translator for teaching and questions and conversations.
1 thing that surprised you… The love, interest, excitement and acceptance from the kids, regardless of the language barrier.
1 thing that reminded you that God was moving there… Often, when I saw the kids from the Cerro neighborhood, knowing that they were living each day in an unsafe and corrupt place, my heart would feel heavy and sad. However, I would remind myself of God’s loving and just nature for all people, and that I am a part of this goodness. “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and destitute.”
1 lesson you learned from this experience?
God shows up when we do. We are the pathway for the Spirit to work. So on the days that I felt tired, sick or under-prepared, I came to learn that as long as I still showed up each week for art classes, I would see amazing rewards and affirmations of the Lord at work.
How did it impact your life now back in Colorado? I am more confident and excited to bring the joy of art to children and provide an outlet for them to creatively grow in. I’m not sure what is next for me, but I know that I will be creating with the Lord in means of joy, communication and beautiful expression.
Lastly, what is your current favorite art medium? My current favorite art medium is my watercolors. I travel and move around a lot and have found that the portability of my watercolors is the easiest and most optimal for my creative processes.
Prayer prompt–
Join us in lifting up the community of Cerro de Ocho, particularly the children that live there, as well as the saints that unceasingly fight for the justice and care of these families.