Aug 29

Aug 29 September

Hello Community,

It's so lovely to write to you monthly and share what the Lord is doing in my heart. As I shared last month, I am posting more regularly to my Instagram; if you wish to follow along, it is @_bee.tom

Overall, this month has been filled with so many blessings. I love being back in Kenya, surrounded by the people and community I am passionate about. As I am building a client base and beginning to dream with my church about how to have an impact on this community, I see the Lord’s hands working in mighty ways. Thank you to those who are supporting me through prayer and finances, you are what is making this all happen!

Ministry Update

A Brene Brown quote I often speak out is, "Clear is Kind."

With that, I want to start this by being clear: I need YOUR help.

As I have been in Kenya for a month, I have found support raising from here more challenging than anticipated. People see me here and think, "Oh, she must be ok for money!"

The short answer is I am for now. However, I will need about $1,200 more in monthly partners in a month or so. I am still confident the Lord will provide these partners, yet I feel the Lord leading me to be more creative with HOW this happens.

This is where YOUR help can come in! Below, I have attached a video detailing my ministry. Would you consider sharing this on a social media platform, in a message to some close friends, or an email (if social media is not your thing)? To save your time I also have attached a sample message you could use, sharing my needs and how people can help. Even if you incorporate it in a private message to just one person you think may be open to the idea, that would be helpful. The body of Christ is HUGE, and if even five of you choose to share, this could help me reach my financial goal!

{Sample Message} Hello, Friends, I am reaching out to share an opportunity to partner with what God is doing in Kenya! Breanna Thompson is a missionary in Nairobi. She is a Christ-centered counsellor, supporting missionaries in Eastern Africa. She still needs $1,200 a month and is looking to secure partners to help her reach that goal by the end of September. Would you like to help Breanna achieve her target and pour into the work God is doing in Kenya? Below, I have attached a video sharing her vision and mission. If you wish to reach out to her directly, her email is breanna-e-thompson@live.com

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA9lDN4BI_A

Thoughts and Ponderings

The amount of curiosity we hold dictates our direction.

Living in a culture different from my own, I am continually challenged by interactions and situations I do not understand. A few weeks ago, after I had just backed my car carefully into a parking space, a security guard told me cars must be parked front first. When I quizzed him about it, he simply said, “Those are the rules.”Yet, what do we do with traffic lights here? Those are optional. It's more like a four-way GO, where everyone inches into the intersection, hoping they can squeeze their way through.

With increasing regularity, I don't understand events unfolding before me. From cars pulling out in front of me, to people budging in line at the grocery store – or staring at me while I walk down the street – all these cultural dynamics add a lot of stress. My first draft of these situations? People are inconsiderate; they don't think about me, and they are not thinking through the logical way of doing things.

That would be a stinky place to stay in my thoughts. What would happen to my direction if I took these beliefs and perceptions and stuck with them? Believing them as truth? I would become more frustrated, less patient, and honestly more prideful around those who act differently than me.

The other day, the Lord asked me, "B, how much space are you giving me to write your perceptions and beliefs?" My honest answer is, "Not a lot."

The thing is, I need to give more opportunities for my first reaction to these scenarios to be wrong. When people budge in front of me in line, are they meaning to be inconsiderate? When the security guard tells me I cannot back in with my car, is he being small-minded? What I am missing is curiosity. When cultivating curiosity, I give space for Jesus, not my emotions, to write my perspectives.

Here's something significant I want to emphasize. The impact of these situations on my feelings is not wrong. I can feel hurt, frustrated, angry, belittled, disregarded, and stressed. These reactions are my mind making sense of a complex world. It is only that I can't let them be in charge of painting the picture.

So, how do we cultivate curiosity to dictate our direction? I've been working with the Holy Spirit to say these five simple words, "I wonder what I am missing." When the individual who is so angry at me for not following the cues in traffic that he gets out of his car and begins to storm towards me, yelling at the top of his lungs, I now consider, "I wonder what I'm missing to understand why he's so angry at me?" Or when the lady who sees me standing in line at the grocery store yet cuts in front of me with her cart, I think, "I wonder what I'm missing to understand why she needed to cut in front of me."

At the heart of it, I am working to believe each person is trying their best in that moment. If I think this, I can't continue believing they are selfish, inconsiderate, and mean. It removes the focus from the impact on me and back to building God's kingdom in love. Working to understand people, not judge them. Cultivating a mindset that allows God to write new ideas about how people work and making room for grace and compassion to flourish.

I believe our direction and impact on God's kingdom begins with what we hold onto in our minds. If you've been hurt by someone's actions, do not squash your feelings. Bring them to the great Counsellor and allow Him to attune to you. He will help you understand that hurt people hurt people. And He will show you how to paint a new picture. Ask Him, "I wonder what I am missing in this situation?" When we are mindful of our narratives, we have more power to change them—allowing space for connection, kingdom impact and freedom from our hurts.

Praises

I have raised more support this month, and the Lord continues to provide!
I am building up a client base and feeling excited about the new career the Lord has me in
My most significant praise is that I am so eager about everything I am doing right now. From pouring into learning about being a counsellor to pouring into the mental health of my church, I am saturated in the things and people I am passionate about. What a neat space to be where you feel called and do what you love.

Prayers

Please pray that I receive the funds I need. In this, also for my trust to continue in the Lord, even when waiting on Him.
For my wisdom and discernment as I learn what it means to be a counsellor who shows up fully for each person, pours out love to them, yet also leaves those emotions in the hands of Jesus at the end of the session. I am learning to separate the counselling space from the rest of my life and understand how to balance these dynamics.
It may seem small, but I have to get dental work done this month. An old filling has chipped, and it has decayed underneath. I have a crippling fear of the dentist, which makes this immensely difficult. Please pray for supernatural peace as I go, that the decay will not be too far in that, I need a root canal. Also, please pray the pain doesn't become too immense and that it can hold off till the end of September. I will visit Canada at the end of September for a cousin's wedding. I prefer to get the work done in Canada if at all possible.
Pray for my heart and mind to continue confidently in the Lord's leading for clarity, passion and conviction.