After two weeks in Western Europe, immersing themselves in new rhythms of daily ministry and prayer, the team is finally home safe and sound, arriving back in Sacramento around 8:30pm on May 27th. The team learned more about community and how to love people from all walks of life like Jesus did, more than they ever expected. They had encounters with people that were truly orchestrated by the Lord and they learned how to listen to his voice when ministering to people.
Now that they’re home, pray for them to continue to lean into the Holy Spirit’s leading as they process the trip and adjust to new rhythms at home. Don’t forget to ask a team member about their trip, and take the time to listen to the stories they have to tell. 🙂
We had our first full English Breakfast! Five of the team members liked the beans on toast! The spread was eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, toast, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. After our brunch we had an amazing time debriefing with the Canvas Team and talking about our two weeks serving. Then ended with prayer and got to lift one another up.
Then we went downtown and went to different charity shops and ate lunch at a very cute little cafe.
Friday afternoon was spent packing and napping while waiting for our dinner reservation at a tapas restaurant! The girls sat together and ate phenomenal crispy chicken, margarita pizza, and a Spanish tortilla! The boys had amazing pork belly, chicken, amazing fried shrimp, and chorizo pizza! To finish our meal we had Bischoff McFlurries at McDonald’s!
Thursday we’re got the opportunity to help out with household cleaning items and painted a wall white. Then, in the afternoon, we helped with Treat Thursday and had amazing cinnamon rolls!!! And unfortunately had to say “see ya later” to our amazing friends we’ve met at canvas.
Thursday evening we got the amazing opportunity to go to the City Centre and go pray over the people of the city. We paired up and went out into the streets and prayed for the city and if the Lord tugged on our hearts we would go up to people and asked them if they wanted prayer. We got to share the gospel with people, and share stories of our life with people around the city.
Our Wednesday morning was slow and very peaceful. Jerome and Dom made breakfast for the team (pancakes, eggs, and bacon) and we got to listen to worship music and share a devo together. We got the opportunity to play more games and really connect with the students at Canvas and go to Wollaton Park and see the Bruce Wayne Manor from the Dark Knight Rises. Wednesday night we got to cook ourselves dinner at our Air-BnB (chicken alfredo and garlic bread) and then went to our good friend Daniel’s house to watch a football match and play games with Charlotte.
Monday was a really nice time where we got to bond with more students, and be in a very intentional prayer time with the Canvas staff. We started off by praying from 9am – 12pm being very intentional about what it is that God was wanting from us for this week. After we all ate lunch together and spent time preparing for students to arrive within the hour, after eating we spent time singing songs while Kailea played her guitar for us. After we all played some board games together, having the students join in and had tons of fun with them. After Canvas closed we went to dinner with Claire and had some really good Pho, we then went back to the house and relaxed for the night.
Tuesday started off with the team doing some work to help around Canvas while Dom and Jerome ran some errands for the team around the city. After our errands we met back with the team at a really good bakery where we had some amazing baked goods. After that we got to walk through this tunnel which was MASSIVE and a fun thing to be able to do. We walked around the castle again and got to go into a pub that has been there since 1189 which was built into a cave. After this the team split, Sal and Dom going back to canvas while the rest of the team went to grab some things in the city. The boys napped while the girls got some overalls at a very popular store that our field workers are ALWAYS wearing. Getting back together we played some board games with students while we waited for the free dinner to start. During this time, Victoria got to share a bit of the gospel with one of the students and got to discuss one of her favorite topics; why do bad things happen to good people? We then started free dinner and there were almost 50 students there (one of their biggest nights) and they had 12 students who wanted to hear more about the “faith talk” that they share after lunch. This was a very big thing for the team and we were so happy about all the people who were interested.
Thank you again for all the prayers and support, the Lord is moving through this team and we’re excited to see what he has planned!!
The rest of Thursday was so fun, we got to help out baking treats for the students at Canvas. We made banana bread and got to play board games with the students and made so amazing friends!! After that we went back to our house and went to bed early because of the long day we had ahead of us.
Friday was action packed!! Helping set up for their end of the year celebration, it was in an old church which was AT LEAST 500 years old. It was such a good time to celebrate all the students who were graduating, they even had the staff sing a parody of a song about what has happened so far this year!! After the graduation they had everyone hangout together after, we all played some card games and got to make even deeper connections with the students there. We then made it back to our House, watched some Hamilton and ate some snacks debriefing together how our time was.
After our long night, most of us slept in while others went over to one of the staffs house to get a haircut. Sal and Dom had one of the staff cut their hair while Vic and Sophia watched their kid for them. We did get a bit lost finding their house but they came and picked us up where we were haha, they fed us some English breakfast (crumpets with jam) and we all loved it!! The rest of the day the team got together and walked around the city center buying different things for souvenirs and daily needs. We all stayed up together making burgers and watching movies till we trickled into bed for church the next morning!!
Our 1st service on Sunday was so powerful and it was such a need for our team. Everything from the worship to the message was just what our team needed to fill us for our upcoming week. We then had an English Sunday Roast which is very popular here during Sundays, and we all loved it!!
We are winding down and getting ready for our 2nd service later tonight, thank you for your consistent prayers!!
We are loving our first couple of days here in Western Europe!
On Tuesday we spent our afternoon with the Canvas House team and attempting to beat the jet lag and weariness of our travels. We had the opportunity to take the Underground, tram, and train! Tuesday evening we got to have a pasta dinner with the students! But right before we had the incredible opportunity to worship and pray with the team.
Wednesday we got to tour the city we’re staying in! We saw a castle, beautiful architecture, plenty of fun shops, bookstores, and a TK Maxx (yes it’s called TK Maxx)! Our team’s favorite spot was the tea shop! Dominic’s current obsession is the blueberry pancake tea he purchased and forced everyone to try. We got dinner at a super authentic Thai restaurant. The interior was decorated to be a bustling Thai plaza with colorful signs, authentic art, and flavorful food. After dinner, we scurried around the city for an adapter that fit the UK outlets and eventually found some at TK Maxx!
This morning we took a tour of the University and walked around the lake. Tonight we get the opportunity to help with Canvas’ baked goods night!
After about 12 hours of flights, the Western Europe team arrived safely! Once they landed, they navigated the train system and made it to the town where they will be for the next two weeks to do ministry. As they get settled and oriented to the ministry, let’s pray for them to adjust well and to continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all of their conversations over the next two weeks. We will update again soon!
Our second Global Outreach team of the summer has officially begun their journey to Western Europe! With a 3am send off, the group is tired but hoping to sleep on their long flight. Please pray for their safety and health as they travel, and for renewed energy when they arrive. We are excited to see this team share the good news as they build relationships with young adults and are guided by the Holy Spirit.
