Dear Family and Friends
Happy Summer! I know this letter is coming to you late but if you remember in my last letter, I mentioned that this past month there would be lots of travelling and ministry in Europe!
On the 29th of May I flew to Marseille, France to help our Every Nation Church there with their Freedom Day. I don’t speak French, but I have loved helping them with this ministry day the past 2 years by serving in the background with catering and also praying with those who can speak English. They had 25 people go through the course this time and for a small church this is quite incredible! Below is a picture of the day:
After flying back to London and repacking my bags I then headed off to Rome, Italy to join a mission led by Grace Family Church in Florida. This church is actually my sending church from America and has partnered with me as a missionary since I was 19 years old! It was such a pleasure to be a part of their first mission in Europe!
This mission was also special because this year is called a Jubilee Year in Italy. For Catholics, this year is very significant because Rome opens Holy Doors in basilicas across the city that are only opened during a Jubilee Year. Catholics from all over Italy and the world are making a pilgrimage to walk through these doors and to do other rituals in the belief that their sins will be forgiven. Rome is expecting at least 35 million people to make this pilgrimage this year.
Our team partnered with Italy for Christ, One Hope and Forever Open to pass out guidebooks. These guidebooks were in Italian, Spanish, French and English telling people that God’s door is always open and ready to welcome you no matter who you are or where you are from. These books encouraged people on their spiritual journey, whether they
were just beginning their pilgrimage or have been on this path for years.
We even had the opportunity of going to serve at a halfway house for men and cleaning their building for them. One of Italy’s top reporters joined us and shared our story of what we were doing in different platforms of the news all across Italy.
This mission was truly an incredible experience and blessing for me because I got to spend an amazing week with people from Grace Family but also being a part of scattering 4000 seeds across Rome to the nations! We handed out 4000 guidebooks. Our host Hans is the result of someone scattering seed many years ago in Rome so his story stirred our faith every day. Even though we might not see immediate fruit from this trip, we know God is faithful and we know that some of those seeds have fallen on good soil!
After my return from Rome, I headed back to London with a few days to prepare for another trip to Marseille. This trip would include two full weeks of ministry. The first week was taking the Marseille staff through our Every Nation School of Ministry Campus Track. I was a part of this week because I was helping to teach some of the material but also, to see and learn from the current teacher that has been heading up the course so that I could be prepared to teach more of the course in the future if needed. The Marseille staff is a small team, but it was a great way to learn about the course and see how a team in another culture strategizes and works together on a plan to reach university students in their city! Here’s a pic of the team minus one person:
The course ended on Friday and 2 days later we headed up the mountain to start our annual ENC Leaders’ Camp! Campus missionaries, volunteer leaders and student leaders travelled from London, Oxford, Bournemouth (England) and Cardiff (Wales) and Edinburgh and Bathgate (Scotland), Paris and Marseille (France), Madrid (Spain), and Dublin (Ireland)!
We had such a wonderful week with first- and second-year students growing in leadership and learning how to not only be leaders themselves but how to develop leaders on their campuses. This is not only a week of intense teaching but also lots of fun building lasting relationships across Europe. As well as helping to put this week together, I also taught 3 sessions to our first years and 2 to our second years.
Thank you SO MUCH for allowing me to do what I do! You are reaching the nations with every prayer and your partnership!
I am back in London and in preparation mode again. Next week I will teach at our Follow Three Course and for the next few months I will be preparing to lead a mission team to Dublin, Ireland in September.
Please continue to pray for me – I need it! Please pray for my health, for energy and rest over the next month. I need to schedule some doctor’s appointments to check on a few things so please pray for favour and good reports!
Also, please continue to pray for my monthly support. I have not met my support goal yet and still need more monthly partners. If you know of anyone who would like to join our team, please let me know!
Blessings
Traci
PS – Below are more pictures on the Leaders’ Camp
Dear Family and Friends
Can you believe May is almost over?! I arrived back in London on 2 May and I hit the ground running. A few days later I was on a bit of a scout with a new church that we have in the south of England in a city called Bournemouth. This church has mainly been working in their community but had never reached out to the university campus in the city. I was invited to come down with two other seasoned pastors from London to walk and pray with the church leaders from the Bournemouth church onto the university campus and the nearby communities where they have student housing. Those of us from London showed them what to look for and how to speak to students on campus. God even set it up with it being an international day on the university where students put on display tables with treats from their countries! We were able to have easy conversations with them. I even got to practice my Spanish with a girl from Ecuador and had the opportunity to pray for her. We left with the Bournemouth leaders excited and ready to go back onto the campus regularly!
Here's a picture of our little team and me chatting to the young lady from Ecuador.
The day after getting back from Bournemouth we had a Freedom Day for our 3 London congregations. I had the privilege of teaching two of the sessions on the day and praying for freedom for some of the women. I love these days!!
The following week we had one of our ENC Picnics taking advantage of the sun after church. These students come from universities all across London. I think we are also representing at least 10 countries as well in this picture!
This month has also been a time of preparing for what’s coming up. Tomorrow, I am flying to Marseille, France for 3 days to help our Every Nation Marseille Church with their Freedom Day. Remember I said I love Freedom days! I don’t speak French but I’m going to help serve the church in set up, catering and praying for freedom with some of their English speakers.
I then head to Rome from 6-9 June for a mission trip! I’m joining Grace Family Church in Tampa as they take a team to engage the millions of people travelling to Rome for the Jubilee celebrations. Many people are taking a pilgrimage to Rome as they open Holy doors in 5 major basilicas where many believe they will get forgiveness of all of their sins as they walk through these doors. We are trusting for many opportunities to share that Jesus is the door to forgiveness and He is the Hope they are seeking after. Rome is expecting up to 35 million people in this Jubilee Year so please pray for me and the team during this week!
I come back to London for a few days before I travel to Marseille again where from 16-20 June, I will be teaching at our Every Nation School of Ministry Campus Track. This track prepares those who are feeling called into campus ministry.
The following week I will head up into the mountains with students and student leaders for our ENC Leaders camp. Whew! You will be happy to know that after all of the above I will take a week of much needed holiday!
Please pray for all my travels and for my body to stay strong and healthy.
I look forward to telling you how all of these trips went in my next letter. Please also continue praying for my monthly support as I have not met my goal yet.
Thank you so much! You have a part in every place God sends me and to every person that I get to minister to!
Lots of Love
Traci
PS – Just a reminder that my travelling is paid for by Every Nation. My monthly support is for living expenses.
Dear Family and Friends
Apologies, I missed sending out a newsletter last month. WARNING this one is a bit longer than usual so I can catch you up on the last few months.
Welcome to those of you who are receiving this for the first time! If you’ve heard me speak for more than a few minutes, then you have heard that one of the many hats I wear and also one of my passions – is being one of the leaders helping to oversee our European university student ministry (ENC) and helping students and the leaders grow in their relationship with God. I wanted to share with you an article I recently read from a student ministry here in the UK that confirms what we have been seeing throughout Europe:
“If you’ve been anywhere online in the past few months, you’ll have seen news headlines shouting about Gen Z and spirituality. The Times recently claimed - “Gen Z half as likely as their parents to identify as atheists.” These signs are hardly new. We’ve been talking about this for years. What is new, though, is that mainstream media is starting to talk about this too. These are big voices. But they are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. This slow awakening runs so much deeper, and I believe we have yet to see how far down it goes. One recent survey says:
• 50% of all students think that the Bible is relevant to today’s world; and
• 33% of non-Christian students would like to read the Bible with a friend.
These findings show the huge opportunity that exists in the current student generation. There is a significant increase in openness. There was also a recent student worldview survey with 76% of students saying they’d go to church if a friend invited them.
For a long time, we have been trying to catch fish that don’t want to be caught. Fish that swim away as soon as they see the boat coming. But now they are swimming in a current that is drawing them in. Some of them are even jumping into the boats of their own accord. We aren’t doing anything new. We have no new fishing techniques, no magic bait to bring the fish to us. We don’t need marketing or attractive ways to generate interest. The spirit of God is enough. The word of God is enough.”
What exciting news! The catch of the century is coming so please pray for me and all those I work with because we need wisdom and hearts and hands that are prepared for this great catch!
At the end of March, I had the privilege of teaching one 2 one mentoring at our new church plant in the south of London. The main reason for me doing this teaching was to help church members learn how to walk with students who are starting to come to church!
I then headed to Prague, Czech Republic for our Build Conference where people from our churches all over Europe gathered for a time of encouragement and input.
One the back of our Build Conference we had our ENC (Every Nation Campus) conference where students and student leaders from 21 nations across Europe and a few from Philippines, Africa and America joined for a weekend of fun and input. We have been so encouraged over the past few years because we have clearly been seeing what you read above. More and more students are saying yes to Jesus and we are seeing more of a hunger and an increase in attendance every year! At the end of the conference, we invited students to lunch who felt like God was calling them into ministry possibly after graduation. Here is a picture of those who came to the lunch!
Here are two pictures also from the conference. The first one is of the campus leaders I get to work with across Europe and the second is the group picture of all of our students and a few leaders we brought to the conference from London.
And finally, here is a picture of all of those who attended the ENC Conference:
The day after the ENC Conference I headed to Florida for my annual support raising trip. It was an incredible time meeting up with old and new friends sharing what God has been doing in Europe. I’ve loved seeing and catching up with people and I’ve also loved meeting new friends!
Last week I flew to Georgia where my family now lives to continue meeting up with old and new friends in person and on Zoom calls. This time in the states has been filled with God’s incredible blessings of provision and I am believing that I will meet my support raising goals. It’s also been a very challenging time…I broke my big toe the first week I was in Florida which slowed me down a bit and has put me in a boot for 6 weeks. I’ve also had to deal with family losses and challenges which has brought about grief and lots of prayer for God’s wisdom in the next while.
None of these things are a surprise to God though! He is good and I am trusting Him for everything I need in this next season. He is faithful.
Thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers! I need them! Thank you also to everyone who has been giving to me financially. I really couldn’t do what I’m doing here in Europe without you.
Lots of Love
Traci
