Extending the Tent

As the DTS is only two weeks away, God is again asking us to stretch the lines of our tent, to strengthen the stakes, and to open our arms and our hearts. These last few weeks and the next few to come, we are really taking time to prepare for the school. Beyond prepping the house and fixing things up, we are preparing our hearts. Because the only results we will see comes from the amount we pour into it. What you reap you will sow. I was reading in Ecclesiastes the other day, which is a really hard book for me to understand. But I read a verse that says "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap." Basically, don't lose your time. Whatever effort I put (or don't put) into these people coming, into my art, into the ministry, into anything, is the amount God will be able to use me and the amount I will be able to reap. It is a sobering lesson to learn, but so very important. I'm excited for this DTS, and I feel that God taught us so much through the one before that we are able to come at this one in a new and fresh way, with renewed strength and excitement. I realise that I love to experience change, to refresh the house, to have new people, to work in new areas. As amazing as these few months of "rest" have been, I am so ready for the new things God is bringing.

In these last few weeks, I have been able to spend more time in the cafe, working and getting to know the business and people a bit more. It is an amazing ministry. Beyond the cafe, they help support a group of women that run Luminary Bakery, who give baking workshops to other women in need of community, life skills, and work experience. Another ministry, called Ella's Home, is in the process of acquiring a house to be able to be kind of like a half-way house. Here in England, after people are released from prison or any rehab program, they are allotted a certain amount of days in a half-way house. But after that, they have to sort themselves out basically. So the idea of Ella's Home is that it will be for people whose time is up in half-way house, and it will be a christian community and environment. It is such a blessing to work alongside these visions and be a part of another community in London, while at the same time learning more about coffee and running a cafe. It is an amazing gift from God, because I will be receiving barista training and food hygiene certification. The way that God starts to push us in the dreams and visions he has given us is incredible, and in ways that I never could imagine. I feel so unworthy of all the things that I am living right now, and all I can say is that God is so good, and he is always faithful.

Things to be praying for:
-commercial space in Camden
-finances for outreach to Puerto Rico
-the students that are coming
-the Notting Hill Carnival and Bones Camp

Thank you so much for all the support and prayers and love!!!