Dear Family and Friends
I can’t believe it is already the second week in July. I returned from our Campus Leaders' Camp last Sunday after an incredible week with our campus leaders (missionaries who have raised their support to work fulltime with university students), volunteer leaders, and student leaders.
As I mentioned in my last letter, these leaders come from our Every Nation Churches from all over Europe for a week of input, encouragement, relationship building and fun. There were 40 of us in total representing 11 cities across Europe – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, (United Kingdom) Paris, Marseille, (France), Berlin, (Germany), Dublin, (Ireland), Gent, (Belgium), Madrid (Spain), Utrecht, (Netherlands), and Zagreb (Croatia).
It was our best camp yet! Before the pandemic hit in 2020 we were running 2 tracks on this camp for 1st and 2nd year students. This year after starting from scratch a few years ago, we had 2 full tracks again! It was so encouraging to see these young leaders without restraint, entering into worship, taking in all of the teaching materials, receiving ministry for breakthrough and freedom, and having fun. Most of them had never met each other before the camp but by the end, they had become family.
One of the most encouraging things we heard throughout the camp was what is my next step in leadership and how do you know when you are called into ministry?! They are eager to finish their studies but they are also to so hungry to know God’s plans for their futures and what that looks like – wherever that is.
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers for this camp. It was truly a highlight to my year so far! There will probably be a recap video coming soon but for now here are a few pictures. A few people are missing from the group picture unfortunately.
Over the next few weeks Maija and I will be looking for a place to live. Please continue praying for both of our finances for this move and the perfect place.
Also, please continue to pray for a miracle for Wolfi. The last few weeks have been very rough.
Lots of love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I hope you are well and enjoying the beginning of Summer. This past month has mainly been a preparation and administration month. Every year at the end of June we take our campus leaders (missionaries who have raised their support to work fulltime with university students), volunteer leaders, and student leaders up to a retreat centre just outside of Marseille.
These leaders come from our Every Nation Churches from all over Europe for a week of input, encouragement, relationship building and fun. Our Campus Leadership Team has been working on this event for months preparing every aspect of the week. Our goal is for every leader to go back to their country equipped and encouraged as well as with a strategy on how to reach their campuses more effectively.
Please pray for us as we wrap up the final preparations over the next 2 weeks. This is one of my favourite events of the year!
At the end of May I was also privileged to take part in our BUILD conference in Warsaw, Poland. This was a small conference of our senior church leaders from 21 nations across Europe to come together for input on church governance as well as passing off the baton of Wolfi’s role in overseeing our churches in Western Europe.
It was a wonderful time of hearing stories of our churches and church plants in Europe as well as incredible input on leadership. Below are pictures of one of our worship sessions and also part of our London team that attended the conference.
Oh, one praise report! I have been praying for God to give me a housemate to move in with and I am happy to report that I now have someone! We are both out of the country in the next few weeks so we will start looking for a place at the beginning of July. Please continue to pray for a place that is affordable and also in a good location for both of us to get to work.
Thank you again for your continued prayer and support! They are making such a difference. I need them!
Lots of love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
Sorry this letter is coming to you a bit late. It has been quite busy since I got back from the Italy Scout. It’s also been quite emotional as well.
Upon my return from Italy, Wolfi, who has been the Senior Pastor and leader over the past 20 years that I have been in London, was given the news that there is no more treatment for his cancer. He is now in palliative care as far as the medical team is concerned. Two years ago, he and his wife Ali, transferred leadership of the West Kensington congregation to Dave and Tammy. This was always in the plans, but it did happen sooner because of his cancer diagnosis.
We are in full on miracle faith mode right now for him and Teri (Mana) as they are both classified as being in palliative care. Both of them are doing well and looking great. God has been so good! Wolfi has been and is a father figure and leader to all of our churches across Europe but during this time his main focus is to set things in place as we fight for healing.
Please continue to pray with us for miraculous healing for him and for Teri.
The Italy Scout took place in two cities – Naples and Bari. Our main purpose of a scout is to go into a city, gathering information about the city through prayer walks, walking the city and finding out the cultural and spiritual atmosphere, trying to make contacts, and going onto university campuses to see what evangelistic tools might work best. The 4 of us put our walking shoes on and asked the Holy Spirit to guide us as we explored each city.
Naples and Bari are two very different cities with Naples being very populated with tourists from all over the world and Italy. Whereas Bari was less populated and felt VERY Italian. We gathered loads of information, met with some church leaders, and walked and prayed throughout each city. We were also able to try a few evangelism tools but not as much as we wanted because of graduations and holidays. Unfortunately, none of our investigating before the trip indicated that university life would be at a minimum when we were there.
When we were in Bari we kept receiving words and scriptures about drawing water with joy from the wells of salvation (Isa 12:3). We prayed into this - salvation and a restoration of the joy of their salvation. The team also kept looking for old wells, and we could find none. On the last day, one of the intercessors felt that we should go to the highest place in the city. We found the highest church tower and just behind it came across a well! The well is between a theological institute and what looked like must have been a Jewish gathering place. There was even a plaque on the wall that read “From Bari the Torah will go out”.
All of the information we collected about the cultural and spiritual atmosphere as well as the information we collected from people will go into a document to help future church planters who are considering Italy or one of these cities. Thank you so much for your prayers to make this Scout a success.
Finally, I am also continuing to look for a new place to live. Please pray for the right area and housemate(s). The friend I am staying with at the moment has been a huge blessing allowing me to stay until I find a place. God is faithful so I know there is a place for me!
Thank you again for EVERYTHING!
Lots of Love
Traci