Oui were in Paris!

This is just a brief update on our time in Paris, since I have been home for five hours and leave again in less than an hour for Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Commonwealth Games and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In Paris, we worked with Paris Je T'aime, a festival/camp that does open air performances around Paris in the evenings. Our team performed dance, musical, and theatrical numbers, then spread through the audience to speak to the people who stopped to watch. I performed three songs that my teammates wrote while I was renewing my visa. The fashion interns made a beautiful costume, and Melody, our team make up artist, did different make up on me and Laura, my theatre intern, every night. It was a blast to perform and get to speak to the audience members.

I do not speak French, but Melody helped me, and in Belleville, a bit of a dangerous neighbourhood (and on the night there was a shooting in the Metro and protests all over Paris), we spoke to a man who had never heard that Jesus did not just die for Christians, but also died for him. He asked me why, and when I told him that Jesus died for him because He loves him, the man nearly cried. I have never before looked into somebody's eyes as they realise the love of Jesus, but it is a sight that I don't think I will ever forget.

I was truly amazed by the people in Paris Je T'aime. They came from countries all over the world, and they gave two weeks of their time to pay to fly to Paris and to do evangelism. They had such good hearts about it, too, and they were excited to give their time for Jesus. It inspired me and gave me new excitement about the awesome life God has called me to. I get to do this again for two weeks in Scotland!

And before I dash off, here are some photographs of Paris (I was not the photographer this time, so the photographs of performances will have to come later):

The Eiffel Tower

 

My make up after the first performance

The Arc de Triomph

Leading worship at the camp meeting.

On the rooftop of Lafayette.

Two Sides of Home

After two months back in the States, the time is here again: on Wednesday, July 9th, I leave from Savannah, and on Thursday, July 10th, I will arrive back in London.

The past two months have been amazing. I have traveled all around the Southeast to spend time with various churches that have been a part of my life and people who are still big parts of my life, despite the ocean that normally separates us. I know that people always say this, but it really has been humbling to meet the people who pray for and support me. For a while, your names were names I saw in emails and prayed in prayers of thanksgiving to God, but this summer, I got to pray with you in person and hug you and thank you face to face. It was a humbling experience because I saw how big God is, and how, although I am just one person, there are so many people who consistently lift up my name to God, who pray for the work I do, and who don't forget me, no matter where in the world I am.

If you are just joining my journey, welcome! There is a post here that will tell you how to support me via Paypal, but other than that, this is a place where I tell everyone what I am up to, where in the world I am, or what God is working on in my life. You can leave a comment to talk to me, or you can email me directly at deborahestevenson@gmail.com

Anyway, back to my update. In three days, I arrive in London, and on July 13th, the whole arts ministry leaves for Paris, where we will be performing in a festival in front of the Eiffel Tower. As we perform, members of our team will also be in the audience, telling people about Jesus. I have wanted to participate in this festival since I heard about it over a year ago, and I am so excited to be able to be there for it this year.

After the festival in Paris, we will head up to Scotland for the Fringe Festival, then back down to London to host Bones, a camp to which we invite people from all nations to come join us for Notting Hill Carnival. I will try to keep this blog updated, but I will not be in London for more than a few days until the middle of August.

But before I leave, here are some pictures from my time in the States!

My first weekend in Savannah, Georgia, my brother came up, and my whole family went out to find alligators. We saw 39.

I learned my way around Savannah, since my parents moved here while I was in London.

 At Donielle's wedding in May in Greenville, SC.

I got to take part in Shandon Baptist's VBS in Columbia, SC by acting and writing the script for the worship time.

 

Spending time with Donielle in Raleigh, NC

One of my favourite little buddies, who I reunited with in Columbia, SC.

I spent the 4th of July visiting my brother in Orlando, Florida.

 

It has been nice to be back in the Land that I Love, the Home of the Free and the Brave (can you see that I enjoyed the 4th of July? It was my first one in the States since 2011!), but I am excited to return to London. Please pray for the safety of me and my team as we embark on our summer outreach, and please also pray that we stay energised and excited. If you could also pray that I remember my French while I'm in Paris, I would really appreciate it.

 

Bye, America! It's been lovely! 

 

Hello, London!

How to Support Me

I have prepared a step-by-step guide to using Paypal to support me financially. If you would like a tax credit, then supporting me via Paypal is the easiest way to do it. The money goes directly onto my account at YWAM London.

8 Steps to Supporting me Via PayPal:

1. Log in to Paypal (if you do not have a Paypal account, you must first make an account)
2. Send money to art.in.london@live.com Taboo Arts Ministry
3.  Amount USD - US Dollars
4. What are you sending money for? I'm sending money to family and friend. Continue.
5. Send Money
6. Email to recipient. Message: For Deborah Stevenson's support.
7. Send Money
8. The money has been sent. Print Receipt.

If you do not want a tax receipt, then you can send checks to 49 Belle Gate Court/Pooler, GA 31322, and the money will go directly into my bank account, where I can use it for transportation, food, clothing, and other expenses that come from living abroad.

You can contact me at deborahestevenson@gmail.com with any other questions.

born in the USA

I am back in the USA! I have been here for a week now, running between appointments and a job interview, and my brother surprised my whole family by arriving at the airport. For a while, all four of us were together again for the first time since Christmas 2011.

I am in the States for the summer to renew my visa, and this time, I will be applying for a Tier 2 visa, which is a bit more difficult to get than my last visa, but which also allows me to accumulate years so that I can apply for UK Residency after 5 years. The visa is quite expensive and challenging to receive, so if you could pray for me to receive it, I would appreciate it.

I am also traveling around to various churches in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to speak about what I am doing and my heart for missions in Europe. As the summer goes on, I plan to elaborate more about that here. If you would like for me to speak at your church, and you live in the Southeast, please email me at deborahestevenson@gmail.com. I'd love to come pay a visit!

I will also be doing a post to describe how to send money to support me. The easiest way to do it (and the way that allows you to receive a tax deduction) is via Paypal. I'll walk you through the process step-by-step. I'll also elaborate areas for which I need specific prayer. For right now, the biggest prayer requests that I have are for me to be granted a Tier 2 visa to the UK and for safety and openness as I travel to various churches.

My whole family together (and the alligator that we saw)

Thanks to gifts from some people, I had enough money to buy the new camera I've been praying about! It came with lens extensions, tripod, memory card, bag, and other goodies, as well!

Jesus, Te Amo!

Our team spent two weeks in Mar del Plata, where we lived in the YWAM base a block from the ocean and did performances around the city every day (sometimes twice a day!). I did photography, music, and even dance, and I butchered a lot of Spanish ("Ciao, Pescado," is only a saying in Chile, apparently, and when you say it to the men in a church, they might be a bit confused). It was amazing to be welcomed into various churches, schools, and places around the city, and I am so thankful to the Mar del Plata team for organising everything for us.

 

I got to try using a suspended hoop at one of the churches.

Chris taught spray painting to some of the youth in one of the churches.

The dancers dancing for the special needs orphans. 

The view from my bed in Mar del Plata.

Painting the home where the special needs orphans live.

Me singing in a concert (taken by Moni, my photography intern).

What's New, Buenos Aires

After over 24 hours of travel, I arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday. Carrie, who travelled with me, and I were the last to arrive of the team, and the guys from our team came to pick us up and take us to Johanna's grandparents' home. We have spent the last three days in Buenos Aires, working with a church and seeing the city. Today, we leave for Mar del Plata, a seaside city, where we will be working for about two weeks. But before we go, I wanted to share a taste of Latin American life with you.

The skyline from the rooftop terrace on the house.

Facturas (typical breakfast food)

The team on the night we arrived.

It is not always safe to keep my camera with me, so the types of photos that I post may mostly be of us where we're staying or in churches, but this is such a new experience for me that I want to share as much as possible.

Crossing Paths

In two days, I will be back in the States again after nearly two years.

Well, for an hour and a half, but still.

I fly through JFK in NYC on my way to Argentina. The practical phase of this internship is over, and the team and I are flying to Argentina for six weeks, to use arts in evangelism and do performances in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata. At the end of the six weeks, instead of returning to London, I will fly to the States to renew my UK visa. I will be in the States from the first week of May until the first week or two of August, so if you want to see me or have me speak at your church, you can facebook me or email susancookstevenson@gmail.com (I won't have consistent internet while in Argentina, so my mom is making my church traveling schedule). I would love to see as many people as possible while I am in the States. I will be staying in Savannah, Georgia, but can travel around Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

Please pray for the team while we are in Argentina. Most of us do not speak (good) Spanish, but we are all eager to share about the love of Jesus, both through our arts and through speaking to people. The country is also in a bit of turmoil right now, and we are sure to stand out as non-Argentinian, so please pray for our safety in the midst of it all. For me, personally, I'd appreciate prayers for understanding. I can understand a lot of Spanish, and speak some, but I would love to understand and speak quite a bit while I am there.

I will see some of you in the States!