Dear Family and Friends
Happy New Year! I cannot believe how fast 2023 flew by. It was a year of lots of changes, challenges, steps of faith, and miracles. Not just for me but for the world in general.
I like to keep these letters as short as I can so I won’t list all of the things that have happened because it would take pages! For myself personally, a few things that happened have been changing house, job roles, and congregations. Challenges have been my health, trusting for healing in those I love, and needing more financial partners. Steps of Faith have been everything already listed! As well as every mission and ministry opportunity I was given. And Miracles….Again – everything listed – God has been there providing hope, peace, joy, strength, finances, words, and healing in so many of these areas.
Every year our Every Nation Global family sets aside a week at the beginning of the year for prayer and fasting. Each year has a theme and that theme in many ways continues throughout the year in our sermon series and conferences.
Last year our theme was Miracles and it was amazing to see miracles all throughout the year! This year our theme is Set Apart – A Biblical view of Holiness. If you are looking for a Bible plan for the beginning of the year and want to join us, you can follow our plan on YouVersion at - https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/41897 . Or the family devotional at - https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/41625.
2024 is starting already with lots of plans in the calendar for me. Our ENC Europe weekend at the beginning of March, a trip to America to raise my support and thank friends and family for all they are doing to help me reach the nations in Europe, a scout to Italy for a future church plant, our Student Leaders Camp in France are just to name a few! This doesn’t count the ministry I will be doing on the ground here in London in our local churches.
Finally, I wanted to give you an update on both Wolfi and Teri (Mana). They are both walking miracles with both of them having been diagnosed with stage 4 cancers. Through much prayer and treatments many of the cancer areas have decreased and some have stabilised BUT they still need miracles. Please continue to stand with me in praying for them and speaking life over them.
Also, the doctor has determined that I do NOT have asthma! I just have irritated airways so a regular inhaler helps me when I need it but I do not need to take steroids unless I get really sick and it is necessary. My breathing has been so much better. Thank you so much for all of your prayers.
Thank you also for continuing to pray for my financial support. Every month has been a miracle since I changed my job role to work full time for Europe. I still need more monthly partners so your prayers are continuously needed.
I can’t wait to see what God is going to do this year in each of us as we reach the nations in Europe together!
Lots of Love,
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I can’t believe we are already in December! So much has happened over the last few weeks.
In my last newsletter I gave you feedback on the mission I led to Bucharest Romania. Our team had just left, and I had one more week to stay behind and help with follow up and to also lead a Wednesday night discussion. Usually a second event is the most difficult to get students to come to even if you have had a good first event.
I am so happy to report that 6 students showed up, some Christian and some non-Christian. We had such an incredible meeting that now 4 weeks later the Bucharest team on the ground has had an average of 6 students every Wednesday since then! This is a picture of that second meeting where I spoke on Identity.
Please continue to pray for all of these students as they explore Christianity and grow to know who Jesus is and how He loves them and wants to change their lives. Please also pray for our team on the ground there to have wisdom on how to walk with them.
When I arrived back from Bucharest, I started preparing for a 5-day ministry trip to Dublin, Ireland. Our church there is going strong, and I was invited to meet and encourage church leaders, preach on Sunday morning, teach a session on discipleship, and a session on small group leading. I also had the opportunity to meet with Aoife who is our ENC European Campus (University) Director and spend time with her. Part of my new job role in Europe is to work with her and help to pastor our Campus (University) Missionaries across Europe as well as being involved in our Europe Campus Events.
I am now back in London working with our Missions Team on plans for next year. Watch this space for scouts and missions to new European cities in 2024!
Tomorrow I am going to my second test for asthma. Thank you so much for praying for my health! I have started going to a new doctor and they have been treating me so well! I have had breathing problems since I had Covid in January of 2022 and I have never been tested for asthma until now. This doctor booked me in for a test on my first visit! My breathing has improved drastically over the past year, and I know it’s been a result of your prayers. Getting tested though, will be helpful in having the right inhalers if I need them instead of having to go to the doctor every time I am struggling.
Thank you also for your faithfulness in my financial support for this year. I am still trusting for more financial monthly partners so please agree with me that more people would join us in reaching the nations! If you know of someone who might be interested but needs more information – please let me know.
Lots of Love,
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
Greetings from Bucharest, Romania! Last week our international team of 14 people arrived from Northern Ireland, Ireland, England, France, Austria, and Armenia to join our church planting team here on the ground. Here is a picture of all of us in the gazebo where we had devotions every morning on one of the university campuses.
Yujiro and Natsuko (church planting pastors) are actually Japanese but Yujiro grew up here and they have a heart for the people of Romania.
Our team spent the week engaging with students across various campuses in the city. Over the week we had over 65 conversations with students. With every conversation we tried to end the conversation with offering to pray for any need they had with most of them being so grateful even though they might not have any belief in God.
Out of the 65 students we were able to have many gospel conversations with, 16 of them praying a prayer of salvation! Throughout the week we continued to follow up with those that we prayed with and those who are seeking and still want to keep in touch. On Wednesday night we had a games evening and 7 of those students showed up.
Our team left on Saturday to fly back home but I stayed behind for another week to help follow up with students and to encourage our team on the ground. Yesterday was Sunday and one of the new students we had connected with came to the service and after church had a conversation with a few of the guys and ended up committing his life to Christ!
On the first day of the mission, I connected with a 22 year old student named Radwa, who is actually from Egypt. She is Muslim, but as I was finishing the conversation with her, I asked her if I could pray for her. She agreed and as I prayed, she had tears in her eyes. We have kept in touch throughout the week and yesterday, Natsuko and I spent 5 hours together with her in the city. She has felt so loved and is very keen to stay connected to the church plant here. Please pray for her as she hears more about the good news of Jesus. For a Muslim female, it has lots of consequences in becoming a Christian so we will take this slowly with her as she weighs things up but we want her to know that we are there for her no matter what decision she makes.
This week we are planning another small event on Wednesday and inviting everyone who has given us their details. A second and third meeting are the most difficult things to get on a mission trip in Europe – even if you have prayed a prayer of salvation with someone. Please pray that we are able to get these meetings and for the team to be able to start a journey of discipleship with each of them.
I have to say, this has been the best team I have ever worked with on a mission! Bucharest actually means City of Joy! And it did not disappoint!!! This team laughed so much together and with students. God brought a river of refreshing joy to the team on the ground here as well!
Thank you so much for praying for me and all that you do to make it possible for me to do what I am doing in Europe. You have had a part in every conversation and every prayer that has been prayed here and we are trusting that every seed will grow and produce fruit here in Bucharest and beyond!
Lots of Love,
Traci