Year TwoIt's hard to believe it but we started "year two" of our life in London a few weeks ago. Words can not express our gratitude for everyone's prayers and support. You continue to be a blessing to us, especially when we receive an email or note through Facebook.
Our second Autumn is quickly approaching. The leaves are beginning to fall and the shorts have been put away for another year. No joking, I've been wearing long sleeves for several weeks now and today I even had to put on a sweat shirt!!
September is looking busy already as all the kids started school again this past week. Our drop-in re-opened on Monday and we fed at least 70, the majority of which visited our free clothes shop for socks, underwear, sweatshirts, jeans, razors, etc.
The weekly youth group meeting is also going again after our
August break. We were pleasantly surprised to have a good turn out the first night for pizza and
video games. However we're still struggling with how to keep the young
people coming and how to make lasting connections.
After seven months I've given up my Tuesday-Thursday job as drop-in coordinator for the Anglican Church. This will free up more time for our local Baptist churches and Street Pastors. (I'll probably still check in at least once a month to see how everyone is doing.)
In a few weeks I'm hoping to start a Wednesday morning cafe at Upper Holloway Baptist that will include some sort of Bible study and light refreshments like I was doing for the Anglicans.
We already have a Thursday cafe at Camden Road Baptist that brings in a few of the same clientele as the Monday drop-in. I hope to "drop in" there as much as possible to keep building relationships. (Besides, the food is really good!)
Islington Street Pastors are continuing to add to their numbers as we have two new recruits that started training this month. Furthermore, next Friday night we will have our first commissioning service for our current team of eleven. All the churches in the borough are invited and our guest preacher will be Rev. Les Isaac, founder of Street Pastors.
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Stay-cation
We had several weeks off in August and decided to go on a "stay-cation". That's where you go places in the day time and sleep in your own bed at night. Get the picture?
On some of our day trips we went as far away as Cambridge (50 miles) and Southend-on-Sea (60 miles) by train. On other days we did stuff around London (museums and castles) or stayed home and watched old movies (Ghostbusters and Anne of Green Gables to name a few). On Sundays off we went to a service at St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
PHOTO BELOW: Even though I've been there several times, Windsor Castle is still one of my favorite day trips out of London (about 25 miles). It was a warmish day as you can see below and I have no idea why everyone was wearing black except me.
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Prayer Requests and Updates
- Please keep praying for Angie, Ashley, Zach, and Zoey as they are homeschooling again and looking for ways to make new friends their age. AJ is doing well in college, adjusting to the pace of life in the Panhandle, and still working at Panama City Beach.
- Please remember Islington Street Pastors Commissioning Service and "patrol" Sept. 18th.
- Please keep praying for our work with the
homeless and hungry and new cafe morning starting soon.
- Please pray for Becky and Papy who need a new flat for their growing family (baby due in October and two boys joining them from the Congo soon).
- Please pray for Ade visiting her family in Nigeria.
- Please pray for Stephen and an upcoming trial date that keeps getting postponed.
- Please
remember to pray for my friend Alex struggling with alcoholism and isolation.
- Please pray for our Monday night youth group.
- Please pray for Angie's Ladies' Bible study now meeting on Wednesday afternoons.
- Thank you for praying for Gavin and my Nigerian doctor friend. They are both in their new flats.
- Thank you again for supporting us the past 12 months. May God richly bless you all.
God is good all the time,
><> Lewis <><
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