Dreams Coming True

It's June! Actually, more than half way through June already. We have been running two weeks already with the internship, and in two more weeks, we head out on outreach again. The month of May flew by. We welcomed three new staff, and one more returning from a year at home. We worked on retouching our house to make it ready for our new interns, and also moving into a SECOND house!!!  God is always faithful, and we know this, but in the times of testing it is a harder fight to hold on to these truths. We saw God's faithfulness in a tangible way, from when we thought we needed a second house, until the time we actually received a new house (at least a year and a half) God stretched us so much. He always sees how much more we can grow, and he believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. I love these lessons that we learn by his hand. So we moved into a second home, and we also built from scratch The Hub cafe in Notting Hill Community Church. This church is where we have been planted in London since the ministry began 7 years ago, and it is a privilege to bless it in this way. We cleaned, designed, painted, built, and began using a corner of the church as a cafe area to serve the church and the community of Notting Hill. This is where our barista track time is being held. We had a few miracles (MANY) along the way, especially with the coffee equipment and installation. This Sunday was the first of many that we will be open and serving coffee to our church community.
Sometimes, I look at the things we have in our hands, or the things we have accomplished, and all I can think is, how? How did we do this? How did we finish on time? How, how, how? And the answer is simple: we DIDN'T do it. God has done it all. Without him, none of what we do would be accomplished, or would even be worth it. I'm realizing this more and more. I cannot put my worth in anything I do or produce, because it all comes from him, and is for him in the end. Nothing is for me, and that is incredibly freeing.
In this internship, we have visual artists, creative writers, fashion designers/bloggers, actors, and baristas. With them, we continue to serve in Notting Hill, Camden, and Soho. All of our previous projects and areas of ministry continue to run, and we are excited to have new people to serve with. The church plant in Camden continues, sometimes we have new members, and sometimes it is just us, but we continue with the word God gave us to be there. We will be abroad on outreach for the month of July (in Europe) then back to London for August and the Notting Hill Carnival. As one of my favorite times of the year, I can't wait, also because my brother is coming to visit again. Keep us in your prayers as we continue to share who God is with our artistic skills.
It is a turbulent time to be living in the UK. Just last month, we voted a new Mayor of London into office, and this month we will vote on whether to stay in the European Union or leave. I do not actually get to vote, as I'm not yet a citizen, but some of my teammates are. If the UK leaves, it could affect many of the Europeans we have in the team, with border controls and entry requirements of living in the UK. Pray for wisdom of the vote, and for the nations involved. This could be a turning point in history for many nations. Just this week there was a member of Parliament that was killed for leading a campaign to leave the EU. The vote will be on the 23rd of June, and we will know soon after that.
Thank you so much for your all your love and support!

Prayer points:
-thankfulness for the opening of the cafe
-outreach locations for July
-the UK (and Europe) as they vote for the UK to stay in or leave the EU
-August Carnival (Bones camp)