New Supporters!

I am so blessed to have a major answer to prayer- 2 new supporters! Thanks guys, it is great to have people partnering with what God is doing through me.

Newsletter!

And yes I am totally aware of the existence of typos in this copy, they are being fixed :)

Newsletter!

I have a new newsletter just waiting to find its way into your inbox! It's definitely more of a general newsletter- explaining who I am, what I am doing... If you would like a pretty and printable pdf then please send me your email address to amylaurenfraser@gmail.com. Or, you know, just say hi.

Thanks!

Pick a Pocket Retreat Finances

Hey friends,

Pick a Pocket is preparing to go on our yearly retreat. As a missions group, predictably, we are very rarely in one place. It is such a crazy blessing to be able to come together, welcome new staff members and gather strength and excitement for what God has for us. We are staying at a staff members parent's property to the south. We are camping to keep costs to an absolute minimum and the entire 4 day retreat including transport will be approximately 36 euros.

However, and this is the tricky part, we have just been told that, in keeping with YWAM Herrnhut base policy, that we should not go on retreat with outstanding base debt. As a group of 30 of us we have approximately 3000 euros outstanding. This has accumulated because of monthly staff fees (25 euro), compulsory health insurance (40 euro) and various other transportation/housing/medical expenses. So this is me saying help!

Pick a Pocket is such an awesome group of people who live out generosity in every part of their lives. We live simply and faithfully in community and want to give our all to seeing this world reached with the love of God.

Please prayerfully consider if you can stand with us in this time and get behind us with financial support. Please pray for breakthrough in this area for us too! We are working to fight extreme poverty, to help people live lives of hope and dignity with purpose and so often we find ourselves consumed by the same needs we are trying to help others overcome.

Lots of love.

UPDATE:

We've had somewhat of a breakthrough regarding finances in the team. Many people have had their debt paid off. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Now and the Future.

Gutentag! 

I got back from the Liz and the Lions tour a week ago now. It was so great and really opened up my eyes (yet again) to how art can impact people. The band played 8 shows in a week, sold 50 cd's and raised well over a thousand euros for the projects in Ethiopia. On top of that we were able to get a couple of the girls sponsored individually at 70 euro a month. This money pays for their basic needs. It also allows the girls to support their families. The 13 girls are growing in faith and confidence as they experience the stability of dedicated people investing into their lives. The translator for the program, a totally delightful Ethiopian who grew up in a YWAM orphanage, is currently attending the Justice DTS. She is so excited to be out of Ethiopia for the first time!

Pick a Pocket is going through a period of change as new people come on board and we start going into a slightly different direction which I will tell you about soon. We have 8 guys joining, all talented artists with a passion for people and Jesus. Next week 30 of us are going on a retreat in the south of Germany which should be fun. Hopefully it will allow us to come together, build unity and dream of what God has for us as a ministry.

I have been asked to co-organize a conference similar to the one I helped out with last year. It's an extremely intimidating idea.... organizing a multi-day conference for at least 1000 people in a country I don't speak the language but I feel like the one last year was so inspiring and informative that I really want to see one happen this year too! Last year the conference focused on equipping people with  practical ways to stop human trafficking and fight modern day slavery. It was a fantastic platform for churches and  community groups to network and support one another. Will keep you updated on this....

I'm still excited about leading an art-track for the upcoming MOTA. We have already accepted 100 students which is amazing!

Personally I am really challenged at the moment. I feel intimidated by some of the things I am involved in coming up. Would really appreciate your prayers! 

Thanks so much.

New Pick a Pocket flyer!

First glimpse of out newest flyer! I wrote the text and the photos and graphics are a collaborative effort from talented Pick a Pocket staff.

Justice DTS

Along with my regular role in Pick a Pocket, I am helping out with the justice portion of the pioneering Justice Discipleship Training School. Last night we had our first of many Justice Nights and I spoke on corruption/integrity. It was a huge stretch, because I'm terrified of speaking in front of large groups of people, but I felt really strongly to talk about this subject. I am so excited to be a small part of this school and to be able to disciple, encourage and challenge people.

We showed the video below last night and I love it. Every time I watch it something different jumps out at me.

Liz and the Lions Tour Update.

I have the huge privilege of touring with the Pick a Pocket band, Liz and the Lions, around the Frankfurt area for a week. They are an awesomely talented group who play unique songs around a social justice theme. It has been amazing to me how effective art can be at opening doors. I have had a chance to meet some awesome people and have told them about the projects that we run in Ethiopia. It has been such an encouragement to see how excited people are about what we do and it has been a blessing to the projects that there are more people willing to support them financially. We have a few more shows this week, but have a look at the first one they did at an Irish Pub in Mainz.



We also have some merchandise and art set up in a cafe in downtown Mainz this week and we made it into the newspaper!