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

Clubs, HUBS and Weddings!!

It's hard to believe it's already the end of April and my third month here on the Bethel team! It's been a great month at the centre as we welcomed our newest team member, Jayne, and kicked off our new kids club ministry with a Holiday Bible Club( think VBS) at the beginning of the month.

Our Holiday Club, and our newest ministry, is for kids ages 5-10. Over the three day Holiday Club we explored the bible with the kids, from creation to resurrection. Each day more kids showed up and by the end of the week we had over 20 kids! On May 11 we will officially kick off our weekly Kids Club and are hoping for lots of the same kids to join and bring friends so please keep this new ministry in your prayers! Here are a few shots from the Holiday Club!

 

April also brought another two week half term break which meant I was able to join in on the weekly Thursday Community Lounge that we do for the community! Although I love lectures, it was so nice to be able and meet new people and see what a Thursday at Bethel looks like. One of the most exciting happenings in April for me so far was my opportunity to share some of my testimony with the kids at The HUB. We had the largest turn out the HUB has seen in quite a while with 35 kids there! I'd love for you all to join me in prayer and ask God to use that small 5 minutes of my story for His glory and that it would speak to some of the kids that were there that night. Here are a few pictures from my talk at the HUB.

On a personal note, April 16 I was able to live stream and watch my sister get married!!! It was a beautiful day filled with lots of family and friends! Not only was my sister a beautiful bride, but my nephew was definitely a lady killer in his little tux!! :-) Enjoy this pic of my sister, brother and nephew!

April was definitely a whirlwind and I'm excited for all the Lord has in store for May!! Thank you all again for your love, encouragement and prayer as I walk this beautiful and wonderful journey God allows me to be a part of!! 

xx

Jenn 

Introducing. . .

It's hard to believe it's already March! Last month I was able to share with you guys a little about what our weeks look like here at Bethel and this month I wanted to take some time to introduce you to the team here at Bethel that makes it possible to do all of those events. It's been such a blessing to be part of such an amazing team that loves, respects and honors each other so well, all while working as the hands and feet of Jesus to reach the community of Dagenham together!

First up is our center director Jeff. Jeff has been with LCM for 25 years and just took over at Bethel about a year ago. He's the backbone of the centre and is amazing at empowering us as a team to step out in new ministries and areas of Dagenham and encouraging us as a team. It's great to sit and listen to his stories of railroad chaplaincy with LCM over the last 25 years and all that God has done through him!
My line supervisor at the centre, who is also the lead in our youth ministries, is Brandon. Brandon has been with LCM for 8 years and started with their homeless ministry and had never even given youth work a thought, but you know how God likes to pull us out of our comfort zone! He also oversees day to day items at the centre as Jeff's right hand man. The youth have a real connection with him and although it's not what he started out thinking he would do, God is really using him to impact the youth here in Dagenham.
Our Tuesday morning Community Tots, and our soon to be kids club for kids ages 5-10, is headed up by the lovely Wendy! Wendy has been with LCM for 15 years and has such a gift for connecting with the moms that come in and just has such a warm and welcoming spirit. It's such a joy to get to work with her on those projects and we're looking forward to starting a women's ministry at Bethel after Easter!
On Wednesday mornings I get a chance to get out into the community by doing doors with Neil, a LCM missionary attached to St. Elisabeth's Church here in Dagenham and just around the corner from Bethel. Neil has been with LCM for 21 years and is a wealth of knowledge! I love walking the streets of Dagenham with him and learning more about his time with LCM and all that God has done in his life. Neil also runs the Friday morning drop in that I help with at St. Elisabeth's with Ray, who is still in his first year with LCM. It's been such a great ministry and I'm making some really strong connections! I'm so thankful for Neil and Ray's leadership at the drop in!
Friday nights we have our Deeper bible study with the youth at Bethel and that is headed up by Jaime. Jaime is in his second year with LCM and is an amazing leader who is able to break down and explain the gospel to the kids in fun and creative ways that really connect with them. It's been such a blessing to work with and watch Jaime's strong leadership!
The rest of the team is made up of Dan, a 13 year LCM missionary who coordinates our doors ministry, helps at Community tots and is even willing to step into youth work when needed! He's always got a song and a firm handshake waiting for you! Andy has been with LCM for just about 2 years and is the cook who prepares the meals each Thursday for our Community Lounge. It's not an easy job feeding so many people on a weekly basis but Andy makes it look that way! Peter has also been with LCM for about 2 years and is the centre's IT guru! If it's not working, he can fix it! Peter has an amazing heart for the Lord and on top of working on all our IT needs, also goes out on doors with us occasionally and is always finding new verses to hang on the walls around the centre to encourage everyone who enters!
The other LCM 'interns' (there are different intern programs available at LCM and we are all on different programs at the moment) are Mishael, Lawrence and Jan. Mishael has an incredible graphic design talent, one of his many, and makes most of the fliers and posters for events happening at the centre. Mishael is also passionate about ministering to the Muslim community in Dagenham. Lawrence is a jack of all trades! In his short time at Bethel he has started several one on one bible studies with youth and young adults in the area, a monthly men's breakfast as well as helping with Community Tots, The Hub (our Tuesday night youth gathering), doors and Deeper. Jan is our German LCM intern and has been awesome to get to know! Unfortunately for us, Jan was just here for a six month program and so we sadly say goodbye to him this month! :-(  He's been such a blessing to all of us and a huge help with Community Tots, The Hub, doors and Deeper. We will miss him greatly! Last but certainly not least is our amazing volunteer Jackie!! Jackie is married to Ray but doesn't work for LCM officially but you can always find her here helping out on Tuesday and Friday nights when we are having youth activities! The kids love her, as do we, and she is always willing and ready to sit and chat with the kids about God, life and even give some homework help!

Now that you know a little more about the incredible team God has assembled here at Bethel, I'd love to ask you to remember all of them whenever you pray for me and all that God is doing here in Dagenham! Thank you again for all your encouragement, support and prayers as you journey with me on this beautiful, wonderful adventure!

Jenn

Hello from the other side!

It seems like forever since I've had the time to sit down and actually get a blog out, for that I am sorry and promise to get better! I've been in the UK now for 2 weeks! It's hard to believe so much has happened in such a short period of time! I've settled in nicely at my new flat (aka apartment!) in South London (Bermondsey for all of you familiar with this part of the world!) and have amazing flat mates! It takes me about 45 minutes (2 trains and 1 bus) to get to work in Dagenham each day but the commute feels shorter and shorter every day. God is doing amazing things in Dagenham and here at Bethel Christian Centre! There are lots of outreach activities going on geared at reaching the community. On a typical week we have staff bible study/prayer time on Mondays until lunch time, then we work on the craft and bible story for Community Tots that happens on Tuesday mornings. Community tots is similar to MOPS back in the states and is a great time for us to connect and share the gospel with the moms that come! Please be praying for the growing relationships we have with the moms and that more moms in the area would join us. Tuesday evenings is when we have a youth gathering called The Hub, it's a safe place for kids 11-16 to come and hang out and we share a 5-10 minute bible story with them. Please be praying for this activity as a majority of the teens who attend do not know the Lord, but we know His word never returns void, so even though they may not be coming specifically to hear the word, seeds are being planted! Wednesdays we do "Doors", this is when we walk through the community surrounding our Centre and knock on doors to tell people about the activities we offer at the Centre and begin to try and build relationships with our neighbors. We would love for you to be praying for all the contacts we meet on doors and that through relationship we might have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Specifically I'd love for you to pray for "W" with me, he is a man I met while doing doors who is struggling with depression and a curiosity of the occult. He was open to talking about the gospel with us and we are hoping he will start joining us on Thursdays at our community lounge. Community lounge is a gathering on Thursdays that is a basic time of fellowship, we provide a meal and conversation to all our neighbors, as an LCM intern, I spend Thursdays at HQ having lectures. It's an amazing time of learning and growing in my faith. Friday mornings I attend a church drop in at a local church here in Dagenham. The drop in is basically just like our Community Lounge except we only have coffee, tea and biscuits. I love getting to know all the people here and was even taught a new card game, Whot!, last week by several of the ladies in attendance! Friday night it's back over to Bethel for Deeper, a bible study with any of the youth from Tuesday night who want to learn more about God, the bible and a personal relationship with Jesus.
I'm loving my time here already and can't wait for all that lies ahead! Thank you for all the love and support that was given to get me here! As you think of me in the coming days, please be praying for my health (my Texas body is still adjusting to a cold and wet climate!), the ministry and outreach at Bethel as we begin to brainstorm a new kid's club geared to engage kids ages 5-10 and finally for my family back home. Thank you again for walking this beautiful and wonderful journey alongside of me!

Jenn

As 2015 comes to a close and I prepare to head to Dagenham in just 3 short weeks, I wanted to share a little more about how I got here! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

Exactly seven years ago God began opening my eyes to the broken and hurting world around me that only He can redeem.  As I felt my heart breaking for people I had never met and places I had never seen, I also began to feel the tug to be a part of God’s plan. In 2008 God lead me to East London, South Africa where I was able to be a part of His work at First City Church, then in 2012 God allowed me to be a part of the amazing acts He is doing in Cochabamba Bolivia through the Casa De Amor orphanage. Since then I have been actively pursuing God here in Mckinney and seeking what He would have for me next and after much prayer and counsel, God has called me to Dagenham, England. 

Dagenham is a working class community in east London that, in the past, has had an average population of aging residents who found their way to Dagenham after the destruction of London at the end of WWII. However, over the past decade Dagenham has seen a huge influx of younger immigrant families from all over the world. This increase in families has boosted the population in Dagenham up to 180,000 residents. Bethel Christian Centre makes it a goal to visit 1500 homes throughout the course of the year to try and reach these families with the love of Christ. The changing demographic in the Dagenham area presents new obstacles to reaching the community. Over the years the area has become a somewhat impoverished area which has led to lower levels of education for the children, who in most cases don’t continue on into college and University, and as a result teen pregnancy, hopelessness and domestic violence are on the rise in this once thriving area.

It is undeniable that darkness and despair have covered the landscape of Dagenham.   However, the Lord has begun to move powerfully in this region.  Bethel Christian Centre, through London City Mission, is working to share the hope of life found in Christ by offering children’s, teen and family programming in the community center weekly.

            I believe God has uniquely prepared me to join Bethel and London City Mission and I want to invite you to go with me on this journey. Even though this might feel like a calling specific to me, I would never be able to do it without the prayer and support of fellow believers who want to see the fire of Christ's salvation spread to all nations and to all people. Your prayers for me and for the people of Dagenham as I begin this journey are the heartbeat of this entire mission and your financial gift will become the feet that make this mission possible! I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with me financially at $25, $50 or $100 a month. You can make your tax deductible donations at https://secure-q.net/Donations/gemissionorg/9241 . You can also find my blog at http://thebeautyandwonderwithin.blogspot.com , I’d love for you to follow me as I work with LCM and Bethel over the next year.

Saved to serve,

Jenn

The days are long. . . .

Most parents know the saying, "The days are long but the years are short."
Well, I'm not a parent but in this season I feel like I'm learning the truth in that statement. As I prepare for my year in London with LCM and Bethel Christian Centre, as I watch more and more pics of gatherings and outings that they take I feel like January is a lifetime away! Then there are other days when I stop and think, 'Oh my gosh! It's already November!!!'
As I ready myself to join Bethel in January 2016 please continue to pray for the families in the Dagenham area and all the last minute details I have to take care of here before I leave, finances, visas, packing and trying to be present in the time I have left with my friends and family! Here are a few pics of some of the happenings at Bethel in the last few months and some of the things I'll be helping with upon my arrival!






Saved to serve
Jenn

Anticipation

As most of you know by now, my gap year internship with Greater Europe Mission has been moved to January 2016. As I use the extra time at home the Lord has given me to prepare for the year ahead, I continue to stay in touch with the staff of Bethel Christian Centre and grow more anxious by the day to join them in the incredible kingdom work they are doing there in Dagenham. If you don't already, I'd love for you to like their Facebook page so you can share in my excitement and journey next year! They have some great pictures up of recent outings and a picture I LOVE that illustrates the shared anticipation we have for my January 2016 arrival that I'm sharing in this post! If you'd like to know more about my internship or would be interested in partnering with me either financially or in prayer you can check out my GEM page at gemadventure.com/donate (ministry number 09955) or my TYW page at fbcmckinney.com/give TYW13. You can also comment here or email me directly at jmc2180@gmail.com! Can't wait to share this kingdom journey with you all in the coming year!!

  My inbox set up and waiting patiently for me at Bethel Christian Centre in Dagenham!!!!