Better late than never?!

First let me apologize for the complete radio silence the last few months! It's hard to believe another FEW months have come and gone, I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by!

May was full of amazing ministry and lots of hard goodbyes.
I'll start with the exciting ministry events that happened this month! At t he beginning of May we officially launched our weekly kids club, for kids aged 5-10, called Community Kids. We weren't sure how many kids from our Holiday Bible Club would join us on a weekly basis but God is faithful and we had 16 kids show up the first week!! We are maintaining around 14-16 weekly, please keep this new and growing ministry in your prayers!! We are also beginning to see lots of deepened relationships and opportunity for one on one bible studies coming from our mom and tots group and our youth club!  In May we also started a 6 week bible study on Fridays for our youth called Tastebuds, it was created by Jamie and is similar to the Alpha course for kids. It was a small group of about 7 kids but some great conversations came out of it, we finished Tastebuds off last week with a trip bowling and McDonald's for dinner (some things are universal!). Please pray for the 7 kids that attended and that they will spend the summer really reflecting on what they have learned and that as we reach out to them over the summer and in September when they return we can see what God is doing in their hearts and lives. May was topped off with our big Box up Crime event! It was a joint effort between our centre and a couple local churches to reach the youth in the Dagenham area through a boxing event! It was a great night with a great turnout and we are already looking ahead to the next event we can do together!

May was also a month of goodbyes :-( as several of the other interns who lived in my building were finishing their year here. The silver lining is that my roommate Hannah and my fellow FBC McKinneyer Patrick will be back in September!! It was a blessing to find out that my friend Nathan is also returning to London this month! It was a little easier to bear knowing the goodbyes were really just see you laters! There was one goodbye that had to happen but I'm praying for my housemate Shannon and all that God has in store for her as she starts university in Austin this Fall!

June was a month full of prep as we began preparing for our last month of term in our ministries. School here goes on summer break in the middle of July-September and most of our ministries close down over the summer. July has been a whirlwind because of that! Not only have we had our last mom and toddler group, last youth Hub, last kids club and last Tastebuds meeting, but I also had my last lecture of the term this month. On the upside, during the summer break I will be able to attend the Community Lounge we do on Thursdays! July has also been busy getting to catch up with friends from all over! Over the last several weeks I've had the opportunity to meet up with friends from Mckinney, friends from the World Race and friends from Europe! I was even able to expose some of my new British friends to a real 4th of July bar b que and 'fireworks'. . . or sparklers, since that was all we were able to find! July provided my first regional team day with LCM as well! It was a great day of being encouraged, hearing from God and just being able to kick back and play games and fellowship with fellow LCMers from our region!!

As July comes to a close and I begin the back half of my year here in London (WHAT?!!?) here are some things I would ask that you pray about for me:

1. A sweet contact here at Bethel named 'A'. A is 90 years old and although he attends church, he struggles with faith and belief and is growing more and more scared as he realizes that he is inevitably drawing nearer to the end of his time here on earth. Pray for peace, comfort and most of all an unshakable faith in Christ and the price that was paid for A.
   
2. I'm working on material for a women's tea and bible study that I will be starting here at Bethel in September. Pray for wisdom as I prepare the study and for the hearts of the women who will be coming along.
3. For most LCMers, September starts a new term/year, there will be lots of changes happening on the Bethel team as some of us stay here, some of us move to new LCM projects and some of us move on from LCM. Please keep our team in your prayers as we maneuver these transitions.
4. Lastly, but certainly not least, please pray for wisdom and guidance in my life as I begin to look forward to December and what the Lord would have for me next.  

As always, thank you so much for all your love, encouragement and support as I navigate this beautiful and wonderful journey God has placed me on. "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,  always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.  For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
-Philippians 1:3-11