Sarah Willson

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Dear Friends and Family,

I have some news to share with you: 2012 will look very different for me than had been planned. I am now back at home in Maine, and am not immediately sure when I will get to return to the UK. There is not one clear reason for the way events unfolded (I wish there was, for the easing of my own heart). There were several different situations that converged this winter: I lost half of my support, and there was no longer a need for me in the position I had been filling in London with Esther's House. This turning of events has left me very confused, but I am praying for God's guidance to lead me through this time. I was able to spend four amazing months in London, and while I feel they were cut short, they were certainly not wasted.

Esther's House is an offshoot of Forever, YWAM's London Olympic outreach coordinating team. An emphasis of Forever is partnership, and we lived this out in our London community of Stratford. We worked with, and advanced YWAM's partnership with: Street Pastors, Transform Newham, the Stratford pastors, Catholic 2012, Women on the Frontline, and Azalea. My closest partnership was with the Stratford Salvation Army, which we lived above. My former experience with the Salvation Army had been made up entirely of their thrift store, and it was great to have my understanding of the organization widened exponentially. Our branch was a staple of the community, hosting classes and groups all week. I really enjoyed participating in Space (drop-in), Messy Church, and Brunch Church. In preparation for their night shelter a training for working with those impacted by homelessness was held. I found this day incredibly eye opening. Did you know that the number one cause of homelessness is not unemployment, but the breakdown of relationships?

YWAM hosted a week-long DTS Gathering in Bethnal Green in East London (near Stratford). One day a friend was praying with me and she told me of the vision God had given her of me sitting and speaking with a homeless man. I thought that that sounded nice, and was meant to be God confirming to me his use of me in the area of social justice. Several hours later I was out with two different people, prayer walking through Bethnal Green. One of my teammates noticed a homeless man sitting outside the tube station and wanted to buy him a hot drink. My other teammate wanted to continue praying, and given the choice, I chose to stay and talk with the homeless man. Justice, love, and human rights are all my passion, but until that day I had never approached a homeless person on the street. God gave me all the words to say, and it was an incredible experience. Not in the way that I was a spectator and pridefully felt like I had done a good deed, but in that God truly used my teammate and I to befriend this man, named Ed, and comfort his heart. I really believe that God used us and spoke through us to Ed that day. I told him how I

january 2012

I was blessed to be able to spend Christmas in Szeged, Hungary with my sister Rachel

and her family.

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can’t even imagine what it is like to sleep on the street every night, but I have slept on the cement for a couple of weeks, and when I had done that God had comforted me with the knowledge that Jesus, too, slept on the ground and relied on others for his food and shelter. Jesus' love isn't for a particular type of person, it is for everyone, Jesus is for everyone, and there are pieces about him that make it easier for different people to relate and grow closer to Him. It wasn't until we had parted from Ed that I had remembered what had been prayed over me several hours before!

Due to the nature of human trafficking most of our work in that area was not very 'hands on'. We did go out in a car along a street notorious for prostitution in Stratford on several occasions, and one night we saw what we suspected to be the victims of human trafficking. Unlike the other women on the street, these four were in a group, dressed up (or barely dressed), and under the watchful eye of a pimp. Human trafficking can be easily visible, even in the modern and safe city of London. Esther's House is continuing on in Stratford, and I am immeasurably glad and bless their work.

I do not know what the next big step for me will be, but I do have projects in Maine lined up until the summer. I am once again a live-in staff member with Hope House in Lewiston, and I am very excited for the arrival of a YWAM outreach team from Kona in March. They will be working with Hope House through June and I can't wait to have a YWAM team here in my hometown, working with my family's ministry! Also, while with Esther's House I began a research project on the history of prostitution in London, and I plan to complete that work. My heart for human rights issues has not gone, if anything God only keeps nursing it, causing it to grow, opening my eyes to more issues and putting different people in my path to love. Please pray with me during this season, that I would patiently wait on the guidance and direction of the Lord for my next step.

dernhelm@gmail.com

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163 Elm St. Mechanic Falls, ME 04256 USA