Dear Family and Friends
Greetings from Cyprus! I hope that you had a good November and that those of you in America had a wonderful Thanksgiving and those in other parts of the world are keeping warm and enjoying the change of seasons.
In my last newsletter I gave a small report on our mission to Utrecht and since then, we have put together a small video letting you see and hear more about what happened during those 10 days.
On 4 November, I arrived in Cyprus to help with a ministry transition. Three years ago, a couple from the Philippines came to plant a church here. During those three years they faced not only a huge challenge of adjusting to different cultures but also the pandemic. They were able to build some strong friendships and have seen a few salvations. They have also been trying to start a family which unfortunately has not happened. After working with them over this past year we decided that it was time for them to go back home to not lose out on an opportunity to adopt a child.
I have been helping the small group of people that have joined them to process the change as well as setting them up to being able to continue meeting as a home group until they grow large enough to meet as a church. What’s amazing is that the group of people that are here have been slowly building relationships with non-Christians in their circles and there is such great expectation of fruitfulness in the near future! Cypriots and Greeks need a lot of time to build relationships and the consideration of changing from an Orthodox church to and Evangelical church is in many ways likes a Muslim converting to Christianity. The change in beliefs goes against culture and family in such a massive way that it can cause huge relational problems for an individual with family and friends. I have been meeting with people individually and as a group to help them adjust to the changes and setting them up for future growth.
Please continue to pray for me and the group as I have just over two more weeks to spend with them. Once I go back to the UK I will continue to support them online with whatever they might need.
Here are a few pictures from my visit so far. The first one is the farewell for the couple who was leading with many of the people they had connected with during their time here.
The second picture is of most of the core group that I am working with at the moment.
Your prayers have been so effective! On my second week here I came down with Covid again, but I only had cold like symptoms for a week and my breathing has been great. Thank you for continuing to pray for my health and for more people to join my team for finances. You are such a blessing!! Thank you again for all that you do. You are reaching the nations with me!
Loads of Love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I have just returned from a week’s mission with our church plant in Utrecht, Netherlands. 12 of us from London, Oslo, Dublin and Belfast, joined some of our Utrecht team on the main university campus using 3 different evangelistic tools to see which worked best with engaging students. We approached students using The God Test, Jesus at the Door, and a Mental Health Survey. By the end of the week, we had engaged with 258 students and were able to have 164 conversations that resulted in 13 salvations!
Thank you so much for praying for us. The Utrecht team on the ground was so encouraged by us coming to serve and help them start reaching the university campus. We are praying that with the contacts that were made, they will be able to start a student ministry and reach more students. They’ve already told us that with follow-up, they have 4 students interested in doing the Alpha Course with them.
Here are a few pictures from the trip that include me engaging with a few students, a group picture of our team with the core team from Utrecht and me with some of our team members.
On 4 November I will be heading to Cyprus for 6 weeks to be the interim pastor for our church plant there. I would really appreciate your prayers for wisdom on how to lead this group of people. I am trusting and expectant for growth in all areas of the ministry. Please also continue to pray for my health during my time there.
You are amazing and such a blessing!! Thank you again for all that you do! You are reaching the nations with me!
Loads of Love
Traci
Dear Family and Friends
I made it through September! It’s been such a busy month. In July, the couple who were leading our Kids and Youth felt like God was calling them to move to another city in in England. The transition of them moving happened very quickly so over the last 2 months I have been working hard to make sure our Kids and Youth Teams have volunteer leaders who are trained and prepared to carry the load of each ministry. We have some amazing volunteers in our Slough congregation, and we are trusting that even though this transition has been fast, that this new season will produce growth in all areas of our Kids and Youth ministry.
I’ve also been working to get new Connect Group leaders trained and up and running in this new term. This past month has been especially busy because from mid-October I will only be working remotely for our Slough Congregation, so I have been trying to get things running smoothly before I leave.
A few months back, I mentioned in my newsletter that I have started working more and more with our Every Nation Churches in Europe. I have been doing this throughout my time here in the UK but this year, it has become a significant part of my role. I am working with our European Missions Team that will be organising different types of missions throughout the year. I will be helping to plan as well as attending some of these missions. I will also occasionally be travelling to some of our church plants to consult, mentor and encourage the team and church.
On 16 October, I will be flying to Utrecht, Netherlands for a weeklong mission with our church plant there, doing evangelism on the University campuses. Here is a picture of part of the team on a training call for the mission.
We have people joining from our EN churches in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Norway for the mission.
I will have a short holiday when I return from Utrecht and then I will be going back to Cyprus on 4 November.
You will remember that in July I went to Cyprus to assess and support our church plant there. After much prayer with the pastors who planted the church three years ago, we determined that it was time for them to return to their home country and to fulfil their hearts desire to adopt a child. We have been helping them in this transition process and whilst we wait for new pastors to fill their position, I will be going to Cyprus to be the interim pastor over November and December. I have been mentoring different leaders there for a few years now and have met with their church online through the pandemic. This has given me a head start on building relationships with everyone but I would really appreciate your prayers as I step into this role. I have an excitement for what God is going to do during my time there!
Please also continue to pray with me for my health and financial support. God is faithful!
You are amazing and such a blessing!! Thank you again for all that you do! You are reaching the nations with me!
Loads of Love
Traci