Dear Family and Friends
I can’t believe we are already in October. September was the start of so many “seasons” for us in London as well as Europe. It’s the start of our internships at church, universities across Europe start a new academic year, missions on our campuses start up and so much more so the month flew by!
At the beginning of September we welcomed 7 young adults as interns at our church. This internship is a year to explore if going into ministry is part of God’s plan for their lives. They commit to giving 3 days a week exploring areas of ministry such as kids ministry, campus ministry, worship, social media, executive administration, etc. During these 3 days a week they also get input into growing in their relationship with God through classes and mentoring. This coming Tuesday I’m excited about imparting what I have experienced through missions and why we are all called to be on mission!
Across Europe new academic years have been starting on all universities so it was also time to gather our campus missionaries across Europe to pray together and get excited about this next season. In this photo we have Belgium, England, Wales, Scotland, France, Ireland, Armenia, Poland and Croatia represented! We were missing Netherlands, Spain, and Northern Ireland.
For the last 2 weeks we have been reaching out to students on our London campuses. On some campuses we have had permission to set up tables but on other campuses we have been welcoming students outside on the streets as they have been coming in and out of classes. This year we decided to give a gift to students – everyone needs dish soap! We have been using it as an outreach tool for students to put in their kitchen at their student residences.
This past Sunday we had our second student lunch after church, and we welcomed loads of new students looking for a church to call home during this season. I am so excited about what God is going to do in this next year!
Something new also started at the end of last week. After a lot of prayer and God creating many beautiful conversations to happen, I came back on staff full time at Every Nation London West as Discipleship Pastor. I will still be fulfilling many of the same job roles I had in Europe with female leaders and Europe Campus. At EN London West my role will grow over the next 3-6 months but for now I will help our London campus team with discipleship and pastoral care as well as eventually taking over leading our Connect Group Ministry in January.
I am still regaining energy levels after radiation so you will be happy to know that I am gradually stepping back into things, and I have amazing leadership that are caring for me and making sure that I am going slow and taking care of myself. There have been a lot of half days and naps in the last month! Praise God though, every week is better. Thank you so much for your continued prayers.
Over the next few weeks, we have a team from America joining us to reach out to our campuses and community, I am doing a counselling course, our student groups launch and so much more!
Thank you for your financial support, your prayers and love! You are reaching nations in everything that you do!
Lots of love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
Thank you so much for your prayers over these past few months. I have really felt them! I want to start with some good news and that is that my gene results came back negative!! This means no more surgeries praise God!
On the 14 August, I completed 3 weeks of radiation and got to ring the bell at the hospital. I laugh at this picture because you can’t see how much pain I was starting to be in from my skin being blistered and raw from the treatment. The two weeks following treatment were not fun as my skin worsened before it finally started feeling better. Now almost 4 weeks later my skin is healed but I am now experiencing pain inside where the reconstructive surgery took place as well as exhaustion. I know that your prayers are helping me through this process!
Even though I’ve been recovering over this past month I have also been doing small things for work – which has been good for me! Part of my role in Europe has been walking alongside female leaders in our churches. My good friend Fiona (also a missionary) has recently moved from serving in Marseille, France to now serving our church in Glasgow, Scotland. This move involved around 25 hours of driving from England to Scotland – twice – to transport all of her things. Because I can’t do much at the moment, I was able to keep her company in all of the driving. Here’s Fiona in the middle with Romona who leads our Every Nation Glasgow church with her husband Euan.
Being in Scotland also gave me an opportunity to spend a few days with Jenna who serves on staff at our Bathgate church, which is about 45 minutes outside of Glasgow.
I love spending time with our leaders in Europe getting to pray with them and for them as they reach the nations in their cities! They have also been such a huge blessing to me as I have gone through this season.
Back in London I have been stepping back into our local campus(university) ministry. September is the start of a new season for so many things in Europe so in August we had a gathering with students and student leaders to thank those who were serving last year and now stepping into a new season, as well as welcoming a few newcomers and stirring up what is coming up over the next few months.
Finally, I had a proud “mom” mentor moment in August. I have mentored Aaliyah all through university and even as an intern in our church and she has turned into an incredible woman of God. It’s not been an easy road, but she has persevered. Over the past few years, she has grown not only as a leader but as a speaker, worship leader and a few Sundays ago she preached her first sermon at our church!
I love what I do! You are a part of it all and I am so grateful for you in so many ways!
Lots of love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I hope you are keeping cool this Summer. For those of you in America, please keep Europe in your prayers as we continue to see heatwaves that are now causing serious fires as well as deaths due to the heat in many countries across Europe. Here in London, it has cooled down a little, but it is still way above temperatures that most people are used to so people are suffering and the country is now in drought.
I am now 9 weeks post-surgery and my incision has healed praise God, and I have had my first week of radiation. I have radiation Monday–Friday for 3 weeks. The main side effects of radiation are skin irritation and exhaustion. So far I am feeling good but I would appreciate your prayers for the next few months regarding this because the side effects are normally worse at the end of radiation and for weeks or months afterwards. Also, please continue to pray that my gene results come back negative!
I have been working over the past 4 weeks, which has been so refreshing for me. July is normally a month where we begin to pause regular meetings to allow August to be a time of rest and refreshing before the new season starts with church courses, missions, university terms and a lot more!
Two of the meetings that have been put on pause for me is the monthly cluster I have with some of our female campus(university) missionaries across Europe. These ladies are heroes as they engage with university students across their cities leading them to Jesus and helping them grow in their relationship with Him and raising them up as leaders to pass on what they have received!
Another meeting that has been put on pause is my Connect Group. These ladies are a part of my church community from different countries living and working here in London.
We also had a few weeks of World Cup fever here in London. With so many nations represented in the city and our church, we have had BBQ’s after church, watch parties at people’s houses and when England played against Argentina, Dina and I decided to join a group of our university students at a local pub to cheer them on.
Some of our students have been graduating over the past few weeks. One of them is Nix who was studying at the London School of Fashion where she also had to present 2 designs at a fashion show for her final presentation. Nix is here in the white shirt with those of many of us who came to support her on the day. One exciting thing about Nix, is that she is taking a gap year to intern with us starting in September. She is one of 7 young interns taking a step of faith this next year to pursue God in a deeper way and exploring whether He is calling them into full-time ministry or preparing them to be ministers in the workplace.
I’ve also continued to plan a campus mission to Bournemouth with one of our churches in the south of England that will take place in November. We are praying that this mission will launch their campus ministry as we engage with students for the first time at Bournemouth Universities.
There are a lot of other things happening behind the scenes at the moment with church that I am excited to share with you in the coming months.
Thank you again for all of your prayers and support – I need it and feel it!
Lots of love
Traci
