Team Newsletter

Hey guys! I am in Glasgow, Scotland, but my team members, Amy and Laura, wrote a newsletter about our time in Cardiff, Wales. Here it is!

Greetings from Cardiff, Wales!
We are glad you are reading the first official newsletter of the London Urban Key July DTS. Our team consists of people from America, from Argentina, from Belgium, from Canada, from Denmark, from England, and from Ethiopia. We left our home in London on Friday, September 21st, hopped on the Mega Bus and made our way to Cardiff, Wales. This is the first of four stops on our outreach through the United Kingdom.

While in Wales we were warmly welcomed by All Nations Church. We are not the first YWAM team the church has hosted, so we are enjoying their experienced hospitality. They have arranged for us to stay in a local hostel and have rented a mini bus to drive us around Wales. Upon arrival we were not certain of the focus of our outreach to Cardiff. The church had many options for us, and we have enjoyed it all.
Our first day was spent getting our bearings here in Cardiff. All Nations prepared a fun photo scavenger hunt for us, so our day was spent running around City Centre photographing things like Mats in a Krispy Kreme hat and the founder of the National Health Service. Saturday evening we helped set up and attended a worship service for Christians all over the south of Wales. It was a great time of worship and fellowship with other young people of All Nations Church. Immediately following the service, we went upstairs for Hilary’s 60th birthday and retirement Barn Dance. We enjoyed plates of food, especially the cake and fresh fruit and many of us livened things up on the dance floor. The team members who danced enjoyed following along to the caller’s prompts, switching partners, and meeting many from the church, while those who sat on the side laughed just as hard as those dancing. After the party our team was incredibly blessed with so much food it took us six meals, one trash can and two homeless shelters to use it all. We YWAMers sure do love our sandwiches.

Sunday we enjoyed worshipping with the All Nations Church family. The presence of God was evident, and we were made to feel extremely welcome. After church we had some nice family time in the hostel while the rain came down outside the windows.

Due to heavy rains in the Valleys, we stayed in Cardiff on Monday and met hundreds of university students during freshers week. We invited many to All Nation and special university student lunches at the church.
Tuesday was our first day in the Valleys. Wales is a country with mountains with beautiful valleys in between. There are many small towns in the Valleys just outside Cardiff in desperate need of the life and joy God provides. Our team split into small groups and knocked on doors and spoke with people all around the city of Treherbert. The first day was a challenge for all of us, for while the people were polite, very few were interested in talking about God or receiving prayer. We also dropped leaflets into the mailboxes of entire neighbourhoods inviting them to a special church service and also had testimonies of the powerful way God worked in the lives of local people. During our team prayer time that night, we all felt Treherbert is the reason God called us to Wales. Having that specific direction gave our team a passion for reaching and loving the people of Treherbert.

Our first priority upon return to Treherbert the next day was to spend time worshipping God in the city. Wednesday we sang praise songs in the church and prayed as a group for the people. We also walked the city in small groups, praying, interceding and declaring the name of Jesus. This day of calling out to God was the real turning point. The city felt lighter, more hopeful and more alive. Knocking on doors Thursday was completely different than Tuesday. More people answered our knocks and we were able to have real conversations. By the end of Thursday two people accepted Christ for the first time! The team was extremely excited to return Friday after a beautiful detour to the top of Caerphilly Mountain. We followed up with those who made decisions for Christ and continued knocking on doors and delivering leaflets. Friday night back in Cardiff we attended the youth group at the church. It was a fun time of playing ping pong and Just Dance with the kids and also learning and practicing CPR with them. All Nations church set a priority for their young people to learn practical life skills, so they brought in a paramedic (and local hero) who recently saved the life of a church member.

During our day off on Saturday the team went to Cardiff Bay and had time to explore. We ended the day with a viewing of the Pirates of the Caribbean and solid team bonding.

Sunday morning the team worshipped again at All Nations Church and ate lunch with the university students, although we did not see any students we invited. Hopefully they will visit the church in the future. Sunday evening brought us back to Treherbert for Encounter, the first of the monthly special evening services. Some of the team preformed the drama, Puppets, showing how easily Satan can take something that isn’t “so bad” and use it to control your life. Mats and Beth shared their testimonies and everyone enjoyed a time of worshipping together in a modern way in a very old fashioned Welsh chapel. At the end of the service many in the team spoke with a man and by the end of the evening he accepted Christ! Sunday was our last time in Treherbet, but we all left encouraged that God is moving in the valley and is starting something great.

Monday and Tuesday we went out into Cardiff and spoke with people. Monday we spoke with students, and Tuesday with all people who walked through the City Centre, including many families, of whom Amy, Beth and Valaurie painted the faces of the children. The rain returned, as it seems to do so often in Wales, so the team headed into the shopping centre to speak with people there.

Our time in Cardiff was an amazing way to start our outreach. We saw three people make decisions for Christ. We saw God move in such incredible ways in Cardiff and our entire team is expectant for what God will do in Glasgow, Scotland. We appreciate your continued prayers and would especially like prayer for: team health and unity, continued wisdom for the leaders, peace for the DTS students about their futures and personal finances.

on the road (again)

Tomorrow morning, my DTS and I leave for Cardiff, Wales. We have spent this week in drama practice, learning to paint faces, taking our final tests and doing our book reports, and packing up our rooms.

When we get back from our outreach to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Newcastle, we will be graduating from DTS. After graduation, I will move to the arts house to do the arts internship for theatre. I still need support for the arts internship, which is $3700. If you would like to support me, you can email my mother at susancookstevenson@gmail.com. She is handling my finances for me while I am away from the internet.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the things I've been doing in the past few weeks.

This is my DTS at lunch last week.

This is the bus we take to central London.

This is our underground stop, Willesden Junction

These are my housemates whom I adore, Eli, Amy, and Marisa.

beautiful things out of dust

The past few weeks have been busy, but quiet. We have had teachings and been preparing for outreach.

However, we also do work around our community. On Thursday, we went to the park down the street and prayed as we cleaned it. It is the hang out for people to drink and do drugs, but it is meant to be a safe place for children. As we cleaned it up and prayed, men were sitting on the benches, smoking pot. Some of the people smoking pot looked to be as young as 15 years old.

Living in Harlesden has been marvelous. It's not posh like Notting Hill, but we are surrounded by a place in which it is really easy to find ways to minister. Whether we are busking by the clock, helping at the Salvation Army soup kitchen, or praying over and cleaning the park, there are numerous ways in which we can make a practical difference while telling our neighbors about Jesus. The fact that we live in a predominantly Muslim community makes it even more of a blessing. Giving up a comfortable life in America to come here and do this has been a blessing. I thank Jesus for calling me to do something so useful for His Kingdom, and for providing the means for me to do it.

Here are some pictures of the park after we cleaned it, and the bag of garbage that we ended up with:

On Friday morning, we leave for Cardiff, Wales. I will try to update my blog while on outreach, but for two months, we will be traveling to Cardiff, Wales, Glasgow, Scotland, Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, and Newcastle. While there, we will minister to churches and on the streets. Right now, we are practicing the music, facepainting, and dramas we will do while we are at these locations. However, we will also be doing without a lot of the things we normally have, like computers and showers and beds and clean clothes. Please pray for our group, that God unites us even more than we already are united, and that He works in our hearts as we serve others.

Future Plans

I have finally had a few days of breathing, which, after the Olympics and Notting Hill Carnival, were much needed. Right now, I am taking advantage of a free afternoon to update my blog from Starbucks in Notting Hill, where we are still living in Notting Hill Community Church. But we move home tomorrow, which is a relief.

In DTS, you do a two month outreach phase. My DTS leaves on September 21st for outreach in Wales, Glasgow Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Newcastle. We will be taking the bus across the isles, and we'll be doing different things at every site. This week, we've been learning dramas to perform. Jason and I have also been practicing our music. We've mashed together a few praise and worship songs to create a new message.

I've also realized that I will need a really good winter coat, since I'll be in Scotland and northern England in November. If you could pray for provision for that, I'd really appreciate it. I don't even know what other winter gear I'll need, since I'm not used to cold winters.

I will also need continuing support for the arts internship that I am applying to do starting in January. It is with the son and daughter of the Argentine family who head the house I live in, and it's at the same London base, just at a different house. They are starting a theatre track during this internship, as well as starting a magazine to distribute around Notting Hill. My degree is in theatre, and my minor is advertising (and of course I still adore photography), so I am really excited about the arts internship.

I have also discovered a passion for evangelising on the streets. I love talking to strangers about my Saviour. I am so excited that God has called me to be a missionary in London, and every time I speak to strangers about God, I thank Him for allowing me to do what He has called me to do. It's amazing, the way He's changed my heart to desire what He desires.

I also really appreciate everybody who has supported me to help me get to this point. It is just as expensive to live in London as you've heard it is, especially with living at the church and not always having a budget for food for our DTS. We've lived on toast and corn flakes quite a bit this week. But God is good in the midst of all of it.

Strangers at Carnival

These are the strangers that I met and spoke to (and occasionally prayed for) at Notting Hill Carnival.

This couple is from San Jose, California. The woman was a bit wasted, but we spoke to them for a while and explained how we love Jesus differently from traditional religion.

This is a man from England and his daughter. He brought her into the middle of Carnival, in the middle of drugs and drunkenness.

I did not speak to these girls; I just saw them falling about.

This woman is from England. 

These women are from London.

These women are from Lincolnshire. 

This couple is from Japan. Mats and I explained that Jesus loves them, and the girl pulled out a camera and recorded what we were saying. We are praying that she will watch it again and realize the truth of Jesus' love for her.

This man is from Italy. He seemed to be under the influence of some kind of drugs.

This man is from Essex. He thought that what we were doing was great, and I told him about how Jesus loves everybody at Carnival, including him, in spite of everything he has done or could do.

These girls are from London.

This group is from New Zealand, Australia, and London. Two of the girls are already Christian, but don't seem to have intimate relationships with God, so I talked to them a little bit about the relationship with Jesus that is available to them. 

I did not talk to these people; they were eating outside the restaurant next to the church.

This is Eva and Linda; they're from Switzerland. Marta and I spoke to them for a while. I got to tell them a piece of my testimony, and Marta explained how we worship Jesus and how it's different from the Catholic church that they were raised in. I also told them about how Jesus brought utter joy to my life, and about how He has filled the empty spaces inside of me. This was the best conversation I had all of Carnival. There was a connection with the girls and us that could only have been from God.

This couple is from Spain. They are atheist, but we still explained Jesus' love to them.

This couple is from South Africa. 

These girls are from Richmond, in Southwest London.

This is Szimone from Estonia. I spoke to her and prayed for her.

souls on parade

Notting Hill Carnival is over!

For the past week and a half, my DTSers and I have been living in Notting Hill Community Church, participating in Bones, and arts camp that prepares for Notting Hill Carnival, the second largest carnival in the world. I was in charge of the drama group, which meant that I directed and wrote (or helped with) dramas, as well as acting in them. It was really a group collaboration, and my group members and I worked hard for a week to get ready for Carnival, which was on Sunday and Monday.

It was an exhausting week. I developed a hug on the second day of the camp, but we couldn’t slow down. We had late nights every night, fixing props and preparing set pieces for the parade that we had.

The best part of all of it was that the preparation was completely worth it. God called me to London to street theatre for Him, and that is exactly what I did. I had time and people set apart to work with me, and together, we made some pretty edgy dramas about the controlling nature of addictions, loss of control, and the fight between flesh and a spirit that yearns for God.

On the morning of Carnival, we all got into costumes and make up, and at 1 pm, we went out and did a parade. We were not a part of the official carnival parade, because it cost £6000 to join. We had our own parade with 15 12 foot soldier puppets, people on stilts, about 15 drummers, and dancers. I was a dancer representing a river.

The parade drew a lot of people, and we proclaimed God’s victory in the area and told them about Jesus’ love for them. The video is on Youtube, if you’d like to watch it here. 

When we got back from the parade, my team and I took off our make up and put on make up for our dramas. We waded through the three million Carnival attendees to perform on the corner of the street. We performed for about 4 hours, changing off with dancers from the Bones camp, and when we were not performing, we spoke to people in the streets about our dramas and about God.

On Monday, the Carnival was much darker than it had been the day before. We got into costume and went out to do our parade. Soon, a policeman stopped us. But instead of preventing us from doing our parade, he asked us what we were doing. Christian, the head of Bones, told him that we were just walking. He then invited us to be a part of the official Carnival parade. We got to be a part of it for free! We followed the route for a while, then came back to the church. The atmosphere was oppressive, so we sent our drummers out, and we went out to evangelize. I took my camera and took pictures of the people to whom I spoke.

Today, we found out that three stabbings took place yesterday at Carnival, and all three people died. It seems that the oppressive atmosphere wasn’t just in our heads.

But God’s name was proclaimed at Carnival, in the midst of everything else that happened, all of the drugs and sex and drinking. Two girls accepted Christ, and many more received prayer and had Jesus’ love explained to them.

Thank you guys for your prayers. They were so needed in this time of chaos and spiritual warfare.

I have also been asked if I need continued support, and the answer is yes. We leave for outreach in three weeks, during which time we will be traveling to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Newcastle. We have to pay for travel. I am also praying about doing the arts internship here at YWAM Urban Key, so I will need support to make that possible. God has made it clear as a next step, though, and it will enable me to do what He has called me to London to do for His kingdom.  You can email me at deborahestevenson@gmail.com if you’d like to support me.

viva Mexico!

On Saturday, the last day of the Olympics, our DTS leader, Mats, surprised us by taking us to Wembley to do evangelism. Wembley is the next town to ours, and it was the location of the Brasil/Mexico football final.

The whole team was tired, since we had gotten back from Soho around 4 am, but we were excited to be at an actual Olympic event. We broke into teams to evangelize, and Lexie and Jason held up this sign right in the main pathway to the stadium.

Meanwhile, Amy and I went around the area to speak to people.

This is a group to whom we spoke briefly. They were Brasilian, and they asked me to be in a picture with them.

This is me with Amy, my roommate and partner at Wembley. Together, we talked to a Bosnian athlete and her coach and prayed with a British guy about our age. Then we stood by the "We want to pray for you" sign as the match let out (Viva Mexico! They won!), and while there were a lot of mean things said to us, it was also exhilarating to be so open about why we were there. I spoke to two more people and prayed with them, and many others thanked us or took pictures.

Our leader, Mats, found us all, and we followed him through the massive crowd to where the Arts House, our sister base, had set up drums. They began drumming, and loads of Brasilians came to dance. They danced for about an hour, and everyone going to the subway stopped to watch. It opened up a lot of conversations. I surprised myself by dancing with them - the latin dance lessons I had really paid off!

I noticed a woman watching, and I went to speak with her. Her name is Andra, and she married a Muslim man, but she was a Christian. For a while, she had been doubting whether or not she was still a Christian. But we talked, and I ascertained that she still believes that Christ is her Saviour, as she accepted Him years ago. She said He is still her Saviour, and that she loves Him, so we prayed for a while and exchanged contact information. Please pray for Andra, that God's love will be evident in her life, and that she will enjoy a prosperous relationship with Him.

Now the Olympics are over, and we are getting ready to move into a church for 3 weeks to be a part of Bones, an arts camp that prepares for Notting Hill Carnival. I won't really have internet access, so I may go quiet for a while. The camp is pretty intense, though, so please pray for us. Bones is basically worse than Soho as far as sex and drugs and alcohol go, and it takes over Notting Hill for a whole weekend. We are going to be there as Christ's lights in the middle of the vast darkness.

I will see you guys during Bones!