Dear Family and Friends
2023 has started with lots of expectation on what God is going to do this year. As I mentioned in my last newsletter we started the year off with a week of prayer and fasting, and this year’s theme was Miracles – Make His Name known. Every Nation Churches all over the world joined together, following the same devotional, trusting God to do signs and wonders. For me personally, I have been sleeping better than I have in years! This is a true answer to prayer.
Also, after the week of prayer and fasting we started a sermon series on the same topic of Miracles covering 7 miracles that the Apostle John mentions in his gospel. I had the privilege of preaching twice in January on Jesus Turning Water into Wine and Jesus Walking on Water. Click on the sermons if you would like to listen.
As many of you know, Discipleship is a passion of mine. I will do anything I can to encourage people to take one step closer to God and to also get them to pass on what they have learned. In January, I organised a day for anyone who wanted to hear how to do just that in our Slough congregation. Here is a picture of that day.
The first half of this year is already very full and I would appreciate your prayers as I continue to do regular discipleship meetings with teens and adults here in the UK as well as meeting and discipling women leaders across Europe.
As the cost of living is continuing to rise, I have made the decision to move out of my one-bedroom flat into a house with a housemate. It also makes more sense because I am travelling a lot more. I will be moving out on 11 March so I would appreciate prayer for the cost of moving and that I am able to get everything done in the middle of all of my ministry responsibilities.
Please pray for my schedule for the next few months:
3-5 March – Speaking at our ENC Europe Weekend in Berlin
11 March - Moving houses
18 March – Thessaloniki Mission Training
26 March – Preaching in Slough
29 March – Teaching The Follow 2 Course
16 April – Preaching in Slough
29 April – 12 May – Mission to Thessaloniki
15 May – 10 June – Raising Support in America
25 – 30 June – Speaking at our Student Leaders Camp in Marseille
This is just the first half of the year! There are more events filling up the last half of the year including Youth Camps, Conference in South Africa and a mission to Romania and more.
Thank you so much for all you are doing to reach the nations in Europe. You have a part in impacting so many people with the gospel!
Loads of Love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! My last few days in Cyprus were spent building relationships and connecting with many people through breakfasts, lunches and dinners including a day exploring Northern Cyprus.
I also spent a day participating in a 5k walk/run for Aegean Airlines to build relationships with friends of person from our core group who works for the airlines. I flew back to the UK on 17 December hoping that I have left the small group in Cyprus with everything that need to grow in relationship with each other and with God. I will continue to support them online for now and possibly visit again later on in the year.
As we start 2023, our Every Nation Churches around the world participate in a global week of fasting and prayer. I love these weeks as we join others around the world to focus on God’s plans for this year. If you are looking for a YouVersion Bible App plan to follow, I invite you to join us HERE from 9-13 January. Our theme this year is Miracles – Let Him Be Known. I will be opening up a Series of the same title in our Slough congregation on 15 January and another sermon on 29 January which I will share in my next newsletter. For more details on our theme check out this short video - https://youtu.be/lHvaertJMfs.
I look forward to sharing with you more about plans for 2023 in my next Newsletter. I will be doing more preaching, teaching, mentoring in and outside of the UK, speaking at European Campus events, and Missions.
I will also need to move out of my flat due to the cost of living – but more on that in the months to come!
On my arrival back in the UK, I was reunited with my Portuguese family for dinner.
Thank you so much for all you are doing to reach the nations in Europe.
Loads of Love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
Greetings from Cyprus! I hope that you had a good November and that those of you in America had a wonderful Thanksgiving and those in other parts of the world are keeping warm and enjoying the change of seasons.
In my last newsletter I gave a small report on our mission to Utrecht and since then, we have put together a small video letting you see and hear more about what happened during those 10 days.
On 4 November, I arrived in Cyprus to help with a ministry transition. Three years ago, a couple from the Philippines came to plant a church here. During those three years they faced not only a huge challenge of adjusting to different cultures but also the pandemic. They were able to build some strong friendships and have seen a few salvations. They have also been trying to start a family which unfortunately has not happened. After working with them over this past year we decided that it was time for them to go back home to not lose out on an opportunity to adopt a child.
I have been helping the small group of people that have joined them to process the change as well as setting them up to being able to continue meeting as a home group until they grow large enough to meet as a church. What’s amazing is that the group of people that are here have been slowly building relationships with non-Christians in their circles and there is such great expectation of fruitfulness in the near future! Cypriots and Greeks need a lot of time to build relationships and the consideration of changing from an Orthodox church to and Evangelical church is in many ways likes a Muslim converting to Christianity. The change in beliefs goes against culture and family in such a massive way that it can cause huge relational problems for an individual with family and friends. I have been meeting with people individually and as a group to help them adjust to the changes and setting them up for future growth.
Please continue to pray for me and the group as I have just over two more weeks to spend with them. Once I go back to the UK I will continue to support them online with whatever they might need.
Here are a few pictures from my visit so far. The first one is the farewell for the couple who was leading with many of the people they had connected with during their time here.
The second picture is of most of the core group that I am working with at the moment.
Your prayers have been so effective! On my second week here I came down with Covid again, but I only had cold like symptoms for a week and my breathing has been great. Thank you for continuing to pray for my health and for more people to join my team for finances. You are such a blessing!! Thank you again for all that you do. You are reaching the nations with me!
Loads of Love
Traci
