Dear Friends & Family,
The day I’ve long hoped for has finally arrived, to be able to go back into full time ministry. The Lord has opened the door for me to move to London and join the church plant and ministry my church started there a few years back. Lord willing, I will be moving there this March.
The journey here
Eight and a half years ago, after completing an internship as a full time missionary in the inner-city of New Orleans, all I wanted to do was stay. However, the Lord very clearly told me, “wait.” He then brought me back to California to get a degree in graphic design at Cal Poly. This meant getting student loans, which was a huge step of faith for me. I remember one night saying, “Okay, God, I’ll get these loans, but you’re going to have to pay them off somehow because you know all I want to do is go back into full time ministry.” So God handed me a career right out of college as a graphic designer and then Art Director at a marketing firm. God used this job and the people there to challenge me, stretch me, and teach me in so many ways.
He also brought me into an amazing church family at Shoreline Calvary Chapel in Morro Bay, where He continues to draw me closer to Him, refine me, and solidly root and ground me in His Word. Through serving locally at my church and on mission trips to Kenya multiple times, Uganda and London, He’s shown me what it means to have a heart for missions… a heart for the broken and lost, and a desire to see God glorified, no matter where you are in the world or if you have the title of “missionary” or not.
These last several years, the journey has not been easy but it has been good. Several times the Lord brought me to the absolute end of myself where all I could do was rely completely on His strength to take each step. Whether through the crazy insane hours at my job, the physical pain from my muscle disorder and attempted treatments, reaching out to my father dying of cancer, dealing with his death a year ago, etc, God has carried me and done amazing works through it all. These trials have brought me to a deeper understanding of God, His love, and trust in Him. He also used all the overtime I’ve worked and my dad’s passing to pay off my student loans in just a few short years. As Romans 8:28 says, “God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
So why London?
Over the last few years especially, the Lord has been moving my heart with compassion for the post-Christian culture found in London and much of Europe. My heart for the UK started while working at an orphanage in Kenya one summer. A volunteer from the UK wanted nothing to do with God. When asked why, she explained that where she comes from, Christianity and religion is boring and dead. It may be something that their grandparents did but was no longer relevant.
This broke my heart and stuck with me. I have since found her statement to be a pretty accurate reflection of the culture. In London, Christianity is the fastest shrinking religion and Islam is the fastest growing. When I was in London a couple years ago working with the ministry there, the image the Lord impressed upon my heart for the church at large in London was that of a fire barely smoldering and to pray that it would be stoked and set on fire again.
One night, while I was in London, we were doing evangelism on the streets and shared with a couple police officers and invited them to a Bible study. One of them chuckled and said, “That’s not too popular these days is it.” Moments later, we were talking to a drug dealer across the street and as I saw his brokenness and desperate need for a Savior to transform his life, it was so obvious that God IS NEEDED and RELEVANT! While He may not be popular, He is and always will be powerful and our one true savior! Despite what culture you are in, the Gospel still remains “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (from Rom 1:16).
Though the culture at large in London may have rejected Christianity, lives are still being changed. London is one of the most diverse cities and, arguably, one of the most influential cities in the world. The Shoreline ministry there has seen people come to know the Lord and then go back to their home countries passionate to share the hope of Christ... even in closed countries. So in a way, through this ministry, the Gospel is going forth to reach the world.
When I was there a couple years ago I fell in love with this city, the people, and the work the Lord is doing there. I’m so stoked to get to move back and serve with the team longer term.
What will this look like for me?
In March I will be moving to London on a 2-year Religious Worker Visa and joining the team from my church that planted Shoreline Calvary North London. Camden Town is the focus of most of the outreach but there is also ministry happening in other parts of the city.
My main focus will be discipleship. I’m excited to get to seek after and pour into these young women and teen girls. I will also be looking for ways to get involved with human trafficking victims. This is an area of ministry that has been very heavy on my heart the last few years as I’ve researched and raised awareness on this catastrophic worldwide form of modern day slavery. There is also the possibility of teaching Christianity classes in the school system. Religion classes are offered but most are on Islam or are Muslims teaching Christianity.
I will be doing design and photography for the ministry and will possibly become the missions coordinator as teams come from other countries to serve. In addition, I will be helping the team with evangelism, Bible studies, prayer ministry, and whatever other opportunities there are to serve. Most importantly, I’m going open and available for whatever the Lord has.
How you can join in this ministry?
First of all, PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER and PRAYER! Pray for the people of London and the ministry there. Pray that the Lord will be preparing my heart for the ministry He has ahead of me and the hearts of those He will bring in my path. I could also use a ton of prayer over the next couple of months with all the logistics: getting my Visa approved, plane ticket, selling pretty much everything
I own, support raising, hiring and training someone to take my job, health, and a million other details I need to take care of. Most importantly though, please pray for time with the Lord and seeking His direction through it all.
I own, support raising, hiring and training someone to take my job, health, and a million other details I need to take care of. Most importantly though, please pray for time with the Lord and seeking His direction through it all.
Also, I would ask you to pray about if the Lord would have you come alongside this work through financial support, whether that is a one-time gift or becoming a monthly supporter. Due to the cost of living in London (and the dollar vs the pound) I’m going to need to raise roughly $1800/month. All of my support will be going through a missions facilitator organization called Shepherd’s Staff (www.shepsstaff.com). I will hopefully be finishing the process for getting setup as a missionary under them sometime this week, at which time I will send out that account information and how to give online or via check.
If this is something you feel the Lord calling you to, keep an eye out in the mail for my next letter or back here on my blog. Please also let me know if you would like to receive prayer updates and newsletters via email or snail mail.
Finally, I ask you to pray about how the Lord may want to use you to share the Gospel and reach out to those around you as we together seek to bring God glory and Christ to the broken and lost.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!
