Hello, friends!
How do you like my new blog design? Pretty spiffy, eh?
It's been a while since I've written (almost a year, I know. Terrible!). I was really busy, so I restricted my updates to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Let me give you a brief update on what's been going on, and where I am now.
I did my DTS (Discipleship Training School) from April-early July. We had classes on all sorts of subjects ranging from the Father's love to generosity, to missions, evangelism, and so much more. We spent a lot of our time studying and doing evangelism, and it was a tremendous time of learning, along with beginning a season of brokenness and healing, which was continued intensely in the Counseling School.
Since it was the first time we were able to have a Counseling School on our base, my leaders asked five of us to pray about being the first students. Being a part of the Counseling School gave us the opportunity to be trained in counseling (and to receive a certificate in it from an accredited school, the University of Nations) and to receive a lot of healing in our own lives. A phrase we said often was "receive to give," and that was so true. So, instead of going on outreach with my DTS teammates, I joined the Counseling School to begin another three months of lectures and two months of outreach following that.
To read more about my experience, follow this link to an article I wrote for our website. http://www.ywamurbankeylondon.com/receive-give/
It was an incredible time, and I'm still being blessed and changed by all that I learned and experienced during my time in the Counseling School.
The question some of you may still be asking is, "what is she doing back in Virginia?" Well, my leaders felt bad that I (along with several others on our team) was unable to work outside of the ministry to earn money (this was not their fault, it's just the limitations of my visa. Because it's a religious visa, I'm only allowed to receive donations). They also knew that I'd been doing three schools back to back without a rest, and they wanted me to have a chance to rest and reconnect with my family, friends, and church before plunging headfirst back into work. So I came back to Virginia in early December.
How long will I be here? Well, I don't know. God has been so faithful to my team that we've outgrown our house! Unfortunately, that means that those of us who have returned to our home countries to raise money can't go back until there's space for us to return, which may not be until late August-September. However, if I can raise enough monthly support to cover rent, I might be able to go back sooner than that, when another one of my teammates leaves to raise money.
What this means is that I'm in a season of surrender. I'm placing London, and everything and everyone I love there into God's hands on a daily basis, along with my own dreams and work there. It's not mine to hold onto anyway. I struggle with control, and now I'm in a season where I can learn to fight that, and I'm grateful. Because I can't control how many people commit to supporting me, and I can't control when we get a new house. All I can do is pray, and give it to God. He wants to do a work in me while I'm here, and I don't want to waste that. And you know, what? There's something really precious about giving your concerns to God and receiving His peace. The trick is in receiving His peace, because so often we prefer to worry, as if that could possibly change things!
So what does this look like? For me, surrender looks like prayerfully releasing everything to God when I feel pain or homesickness. It looks like being faithful in the season He's placed me in by serving those around me and working to raise money for my return to London. It looks like not letting my gifts rust, but continuing to grow so that I'm ready to serve when I return. It looks like cultivating a deeper relationship with the Father and really seeking Him. Sometimes it looks like letting myself cry (as opposed to silencing my emotions and allowing myself to build walls again. And after all that hard, painful work of tearing them down? I don't want that again). And also, it looks like being patient. I'm not good at that, but I'm getting better. God's giving me a lot of peace about it. I'll go back when He wants me to. In the meantime, I have to learn to rest. I probably won't get another opportunity to spend so much time with my loved ones, my church, or raise money, so I have to really appreciate this time. When I go back I'll hopefully have a Tier 2 visa, which will allow me to work outside of the ministry in the UK to earn money for rent and start accumulating years towards residency. I'm so grateful for that, but it means that this time is all the more precious, because I may not have the chance to spend so much time here again.
I don't want to waste this season. My Father is teaching me things here that I need to learn here, and I can't afford to miss that.
Prayer requests:
1) Fundraising. As some of you have noticed, I'm doing lots of fundraising, babysitting, etc., and that's great! I'm really grateful for that. But what I really need are faithful monthly supporters. I can't go back to London until I can commit to being able to pay for rent and food, and that's going to require a steady monthly income. Please pray about being one of those faithful supporters (I currently have two). I need to raise enough support to cover approximately $1,237 per month. No amount is too small, and every little bit helps! If you'd like to donate, click the "donate" tab at the top of the page. There's a PayPal button there that makes donating easy!
2) Continued growth in patience and surrender. I don't want to waste this season!
3) My visa application. I meet all of their requirements for the Tier 2 visa, I just need to cover that process in prayer. It's expensive, and they're very specific about when I can apply. Even then there are no guarantees.
4) For my team as they continue to work and share the gospel in London and the rest of the UK (even Europe and South America). Please pray for protection, encouragement, and provision. They're doing a great work, and we serve a great God!
5) Pray for England. Pray for its leadership and its people. I'll be posting more specific ways to pray in the future, but for now, please cover the whole nation in prayer.
Thank you, my friends! Talk to you soon!
