Dear Family and Friends
Last month I started with the following sentences, and I want to repeat them for this month - Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support. This past month has been full on in so many ways and I have truly felt your prayers getting me through.
This past month I flew to Lisbon (Portugal) to do a mission trip with our new church plant. 12 years ago we sent a couple from Slough to plant a church in Gent, Belgium and in the middle of Covid our Gent church sent Elvis & Joyce to plant this church in Lisbon! This couple has faced many challenges over the last 2 years getting settled with 2 young boys, facing isolation from Covid and adapting to the Portuguese culture. In the midst of all the challenges though, they have been able to slowly build some relationships on and off of the university campuses in Lisbon.
On May 23rd I flew in with a small team from Gent to not only spend a week encouraging Elvis and Joyce but also going onto one of the main Universities in Lisbon to do surveys such as the God Test and the Mental Health Survey. It was the first of many missions to come to help this church grow. The surveys showed us, as expected, that most students have no belief in God and more than half of the students I surveyed on mental health, have done or are in counselling because of the affects Covid and their studies are having on them. There was also a real sense of loneliness on campus. The week was fruitful in that we were able to make connections with students that Elvis and Joyce are now following up and we are praying that these students will encounter a real relationship with God. We were also to pray for so many students at the end of our talks. Even though most of them said that they didn’t believe in God, I would always tell them at the end of our conversation that I was aware that they were in exams and would ask if I could pray for them. All of them said yes and some were even brought to tears! (pic of 2 female students we surveyed after we prayed for them) Please pray for Elvis and Joyce as they follow these students up and pray for salvations on the campuses in Lisbon.
This past Saturday we also had one of our Freedom Days! During this day we teach on topics such as Destructive Patterns, Spiritual Error, Identity, Sexual Sin, Addictions, etc and then have an incredible ministry time with people individually. Saturday was definitely a day where people experienced Freedom!
I’m sitting at the airport at the moment about to fly to America for a much needed trip to raise my support and thank some of the amazing people who make it possible to do ministry here in Europe. If you are in America and have not yet been in touch with me about meeting up – please email me. I would love to see you!
Finally, I also wanted to say thank you for praying for Wolfi. Please continue praying for him. He needs a miracle. He has had 4 rounds of immunotherapy so far and the treatment has caused many side effects especially severe nausea. Please continue praying for healing!
Thank you again for all that you do!
Loads of Love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support. This past month has been full on in so many ways and I have truly felt your prayers getting me through.
I also wanted to say thank you for praying for Wolfi. Please continue praying for him. He needs a miracle. He has had 3 rounds of immunotherapy so far and the treatment has caused many side effects especially severe nausea that has ended him up in hospital a few times.
I have been quite busy this last month. I have begun mentoring two more of our teens hoping to help them grow in their relationship with God. Now, I am mentoring Hannah, Miriam, Venice and Gloria. Please pray that these young ladies have a real revelation of who Jesus is in their lives and begin to desire to seek a relationship with Him.
I am also overseeing our Connect Groups at church and in the process of restructuring a few things and hoping to see more groups start up in the next few months. Getting more people into groups and seeing them grow in relationship with each other and with God is one of our main desires.
Our Follow Courses are now meeting in person after 2 years of meeting online! I taught my first course in person a few weeks ago on our Follow Two Course. What a difference it makes seeing people face to face!
I also had the privilege of preaching in our Engage Series this past Sunday on the Message of the Gospel.
I have some exciting news coming up – I will be heading out on a mission to Lisbon at the end of the 23rd of this month! This church plant started in the middle of Covid so this will be the first mission onto the campuses. I’m looking forward to sharing everything God does over these 8 days in next month’s letter. Please be praying for us to make some good connections with students on the university campuses and that we are an encouragement to the couple who are planting this church. We are trusting God to do some amazing things and to see fruit to come out this mission.
Lastly, I will be doing a long overdue trip to Tampa and north Georgia in May! I’m so looking forward to seeing so many of you that I haven’t seen in a few years. For those who are stateside but not in Tampa or Georgia, I will at least be more on your time zone so let’s please make a time to speak on Zoom.
I would love to connect with all of you at some point so please email me when you are free so we can make a plan. I will be in Tampa from 10-23 of May and north Georgia from 24-31 May.
For those living in London who I have not seen in a while – let’s also make a plan! Please contact me to make a date to meet up.
Thank you again for all that you do!
Loads of Love
Traci
P.S.
To continue giving to Ukraine please see the below links:
For those of you in America, you can give here: https://give.everynation.org/donate/disaster-relief-ukraine
For those of you in the UK, you can give here, and also have gift aid added onto your donation: https://everynation.churchsuite.com/events/dxgagfwg
Dear Family and Friends
I’ve been back in the UK (Slough) for a week now and I am beginning to get back into the swing of things. Thank you again for praying for my health during my sabbatical. I am feeling so much better, and I am looking forward to what God is going to do in this next season.
I want to also say thank you for your prayers for Wolfi. He is on an intense course of immunotherapy and pain management, so your continued prayers are appreciated and valued so much!
Prayer, especially at this time in the world, is so key and is our biggest weapon. As we all watch the news and hear the terrible realities of what is going on in Ukraine, our prayers are vital. Many of you know that I have done a handful of missions over the years in Ukraine, specifically in Lviv. We have seven Every Nation Churches throughout Ukraine and every one of them and their congregations are being affected right now. Many of the women and children have fled the country and many are hiding in underground shelters on a daily basis. Our church in Lviv is in the west of Ukraine and they are receiving and trying to help many of the Ukrainians who are fleeing from their homes in the east where the greatest intensity of the war is at the moment.
Over the years, I have mentored Sophia who is the daughter of our pastors in Lviv. I have walked with her off and on since she was a teenager and was just with her in November last year at our Evangelist Conference in Belgium. Here is a videoclip of her last week as the war started. This clip has also been shown on Fox news in the states. https://youtu.be/R133MLbTC0o
As I said above, we have Every Nation churches in seven Ukrainian cities. They and our church in Kraków, Poland (where I have also done missions over the years), have been preparing to take care of some of the 500,000+ refugees who are fleeing Eastern Ukraine. Please join us as we pray and give financially towards their efforts. If you are wondering how you can support the people of Ukraine financially during this time, Every Nation has set up a way to give that is helping those specifically still in Ukraine and also the refugees that are fleeing into Poland and other areas where we have churches that are helping them.
For those of you in America, you can give here: https://give.everynation.org/donate/disaster-relief-ukraine
For those of you in the UK, you can give here, and also have gift aid added onto your donation: https://everynation.churchsuite.com/events/dxgagfwg
Thank you again for your prayers and support. In the coming weeks I will begin to teach, preach and disciple new people. I look forward to sharing all that God is going to do!
Blessings
Traci