Like a Cactus

This one might be a little longer than normal. The month of May ended up being a lot busier than we planned. I had the chance to go with a few friends to Spain for a 10 day holiday, which turned out to be more necessary than I thought. We came back to straight away moving into house #4, which will be home to some of our men, and this week we are currently moving into house #5 for the rest of the fellas. After house #4 moving, painting, and cleaning, we left for a few days in the countryside with all of YWAM England to connect and seek God's heart for our country. It was a good time to catch up with friends in other locations, and hear from God for this next year for the organization as a whole. It's so good to remember that we are not just one team in London, that there are many people around England with the same heart and the same goals: bringing the kingdom of God.
Coming back to London, we had a few days before the interns arrived. With three others, I am co-leading this school, but I spent the first 5 days at an arts network in Norway. This was an absolute dream come true. The YWAM base that was hosting us is a place I have wanted to visit for so long, and they also have a well-running barista track, and cafe in the city centre. With one of my teammates, we got to connect with many people, hear what dreams God has put on their heart for arts in Europe, and what things are already up and running. We visited the cafe and roastery, and I got to chat with the leaders of the barista track. I am really excited to push this forward in London. We are still looking to open a cafe, but with the need for these 2 new houses, it has been put on hold for a bit. For this internship I have one barista student, and she has taken to it like a champ. As we don't have a place of our own to train, my work has received her as a volunteer, and opened up the cafe after-hours for us to train on the machine. MIRACLES are happening. Soon we will be headed on outreach, first to Brussels, then to a few different festivals in cities in the UK. The DTS will begin on the 7th of July, and we will cross over a bit with the track time, and get to know them before we return for the Bones Camp and Notting Hill Carnival Outreach in London.
Something that God has me studying quite a bit lately is cactuses. I know it sounds weird, but let me explain. Lately I have been feeling a bit in a desert season, but I've come to find that the wilderness is where God does his best work on our hearts. The Israelites spent 40 years being fostered by the Lord in the desert; Jesus spent 40 days fasting and conquering his human nature before beginning his ministry; and we many times in our life will walk through the wilderness with God. But in the book of Hosea in the Bible, he says that he will bring us into the wilderness to have a time of intimacy with us, to protect us and strengthen our relationship. So, cactuses (yes you can pluralise them that way). They are a funny plant, with many different species, but here's a few things I found out. When it rains in the desert, it generally doesn't sink very far into the ground. So cactuses have a shallow root system and ribbed/fluted stems that expand and contract quickly, so that when it rains they can absorb lots of water rapidly. Alongside these shallow roots though, a cactus will almost always have a tap root; a long root that goes deep in the ground and keeps the cactus from being uprooted during desert storms. Another factor is how they process carbon dioxide. Most plants have this process of transpiration (carbon dioxide enters and water escapes) during the day; but cactuses do this in the night, so they lose as little moisture as possible. Cactuses thrive in the desert, they have adapted to their surroundings, and make the most of tough circumstances. Lets be available to absorb as much as possible from God, and hold on to it until the next rain comes. That's what will get us through the desert, through the droughts that we experience in our lives.
Thanks to all for the love and support, it makes the world of difference to know that people are praying in to what we are doing here, and all around the world.