A Match Made in Heaven!

Updates, updates, updates! Even though it's only been a few weeks since my last blog this one is full of all kinds of fun updates!! 

God continues to humble and bless me as I walk this journey with Him. On top of being a GEM intern, I'm excited to announce that my home church, FBC Mckinney, has re-activated my TYW missionary number with them! I am beyond ecstatic to prepare and leave for the next year with the full support and encouragement of my home church body! 

In my last blog I gave some background information on LCM, I'm thrilled to now be able and give everyone even more details about the specific ministry I've been matched with while in London! And as the title of this blog states, I truly believe it is a match made in Heaven! Bethel Christian Centre has been working in the Dagenham area of London for over 10 years with a wide range of established outreach activities. The ministry has recently been resourced with more team members who are excited with the possibilities of taking the ministry forward and I can not wait to join them! I was able to speak with Jeff, the team leader at Bethel this past week and throughout our conversation God showed Himself in amazing ways! As we talked about the needs they are looking to address and the strengths God has blessed me with, it was as if I was specifically made to fit into this ministry, which is probably more true than even I realize at this point! I'm excited to be able and use all the experience I've had over the past 11 years working with children's and youth ministry and apply them to the awesome work God is already doing at Bethel!

Thank you for praying for me, keep it up! God has blessed me beyond belief so far in this journey and I don't expect Him to stop anytime soon! I'd like to ask for continued prayer for funding, for preparations and Visa procedures and for the hearts and minds of all the people who have and will be affected by the ministry at Bethel and my time there. 

If you'd like to partner with me monthly at $25, $50 or $100 (or provide a one time gift) you can donate in 2 ways, both tax deductible,  either through GEM at www.gemadventure.com/donate and use my # 09955 or through FBC Mckinney at www.fbcmissionallife.com/missionaries and use my name or my TYW #, TYW13.

Thank you again to everyone who supports me in so many ways as I attempt to ". . .run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1b-2 

New beginnings. . .

"When God gives you a new beginning, it starts with an ending. Be thankful for closed doors, they often guide us to the right one."

I'm not sure where I heard that quote, but man does it hit home! If you've read my previous blogs or talked to me at all in the last year, you might know why. Just in case you don't fall into one of those two groups, let me catch you up.

It was just about a year ago that I began the process of applying for the World Race, I would get accepted, I would fund-raise, I would attend training camp, I would fund-raise some more and in January 2015 I would leave on the race. . . at least that's what I thought. I did get accepted, I did fund-raise, I did go to training camp. . . and then something changed. I wasn't sure what to do, I had said yes, I had come this far, surely God wanted me to continue and leave on the race, at least that's what I wanted. From that point on things got harder and complicated, you see, that's what happens when you try to push open a door God is closing. Finally in December 2014, 4 weeks before launch for the World Race, I said yes to God again and stepped away.

That was the ending, this is the beginning. Shortly before I stepped away from the World Race I was having a conversation with someone at Greater Europe Mission (GEM) about my journey with the World Race, they told me they looked forward to seeing me the day after what would be my launch date. What? Really? I'll be gone! Those are things I thought during that conversation. . . a few weeks later though, I found myself in his office, the day before my would be launch. I thought, it's too soon to be here, I need time to "grieve". But Bryan (the best dreamer of Kingdom dreams I've ever met) told me something that day that struck me, "Missions doesn't happen on accident" in that moment, everything that God had been teaching me through my World Race journey came into focus, intentionality. I left that day and began praying about GEM and all the different countries and ministries they work with and if I fit into one of those. A couple weeks later I went back into the GEM office with 3 ministries God had really drawn me to, to my surprise GEM had a ministry in mind that they felt would be a fit for me as well, but didn't want to place me somewhere God wasn't calling me to so they asked about my 3 ministries first. . . and because God is an amazing and good God. .  the ministry GEM had in mind was also one of the 3 ministries God had shown me!

So here I am, at the beginning of this new journey with God! I'm taking the lessons I learned through the World Race and am being very intentional in all my preparations with GEM. I'll be partnering with London City Mission (LCM) in London starting in August. LCM is an amazing ministry working in London to see more people across the city come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord by serving the least reached of London. You can learn more about LCM at their website, www.lcm.org.uk

Thank you for reading my ramblings, thank you for praying for me and thank you for being on this God journey with me! If you'd like to donate to my GEM partnership you can visit the GEM website at http://www.gemission.org/ and click the Donate tab, you can find me by my name or my ministry number of 09955. Excited for what God has ahead and excited to be able and share it with you. . . and remember, before you can have a new beginning, there has to be an ending!

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." - Lamentations 3:22-24