Hello lovely people.
Firstly I want to apologise for not giving you more information sooner and for the lack of contact. Being in NGM has been amazing, but has been very busy, and having the time to sit down and chill doesn’t normally involve me typing down what’s been happening… It involves things more like, sleeping. They don’t call it boot camp for nothing! Haha.
So starting October, I was welcomed into the NGM family. I learnt a lot in my first term and had opportunities to work more in a band environment. This was hard at times, however really invigorating. Having to grab the confidence to lead a team was a new experience for me, and with being chucked straight in the deep end, it seemed to be a bit overwhelming at first. Having said that, God really taught me a lot in working with other people, loving other people when not always seeing eye to eye. And in the end of that term, I’ve been left with a load of experience in the band scene and have three guys who are like brothers, and they never fail to look out for me.
In the new year I then had the time to work on my own stuff, have some more studio experience, and had a lot of time for song writing and developing my writing skills. My vocal coach was getting me to write 3 songs a week and asking me to push my vocal rage, to write songs in keys that I wouldn’t usually be comfortable in. This time I have had has really helped me in many ways. It has really developed me as a song writer and also given me more experience in both training my voice and generally motivating myself.
In the last two months I had seemed to hit a bit of a low point. I had infection after infection and throughout was very physically and emotionally drained. However, during this time God was dealing with things in me spiritually. He was renewing me, and during the process the dirt was brought to the surface so he could chuck it away.He dealt with a lot of things that I had brought to him a long while back, which I had pushed aside like they didn’t exist, although I was still fighting with them in my heart and in my mind.
(I’m so glad that I actually get to write this at this very moment in time, so that I can share my experience of what happened yesterday.)
Yesterday I had a day where I was struggling quite a bit. There was a tension in my gut and I wasn’t fully sure what it was about. Coming to the evening, we always have a prayer meeting before our Tuesday night meetings. And I came into the room and just knelt on the floor and started weeping. I saw Jesus’ feet in front of me and I was reminded of Mary pouring this expensive perfume over his feet and washing them with her tears. And felt him defending me, fighting for me. And then pursuing me, seeing my heart and, forgiveness was already there, but excepting and grasping my love, my pain, my hopes, dreams… everything.
I then saw him placing a beautiful red velvet cloak over me, and also saw him doing it to everyone in NGM at the evening meeting. He then was declaring his love over us and defending us and telling us how he sees us righteous.
The evening meeting, as you can guess, ended up us all kneeling before our heavenly father, being clothed in his love and righteousness and us singing about our saviour Jesus. My family here in NGM and I are so hungry for God. And it’s so funny because this is what I’ve been praying for! For a While I thought I was the only one in love with Jesus! And now I know that Ray, Nancy and the team are running after God. And it’s a privilege to be apart of the community here.
As you all should know, at the beginning of the year I started fundraising for my mission trip with NGM. We had, cake sales and coffee mornings and my dad doing a crazy “how far he could get away from Bognor in 48 hours!” and ended up in Barcelona, which was mad! Yet all this helped me reach my set goal and also gave me an overflow which was a provision for my fees in March! God is so good! I’m so excited and expectant to see what God is going to do in Mozambique, and it’s only five days till I leave! It has come around so fast.
All this support has been amazing and I want to thank every one of you for your financial support and also having me in your prayers. I would like to ask you to still consider helping me financially, as my fees for April and for this month still haven’t yet been provided. Having said this, I have no doubt that God is faithful and will provide every single penny. You, as my church family, friends, loved ones, I want to ask that you support me in any way possible. If that should be financial or in prayer, I appreciate everything so much and am so glad that you are on this journey with me.
Thank you all so much.
Bless you and Love you!
Sophia xx
) We are also working more with Gaston Farm and the volunteers, seeing the church active in community plus funding and sending into mission opportunities. With this in mind… Africa is definitely on our agenda, so we are praying about the right time to get out there & for the provision to make it happen. The other place in our heart is Belgium and we are also seeking God about visiting there again too!
