Hello Community,

It has been a joy-filled, busy, and surprising month! This month, I finished my master's, went on a girls' trip to celebrate, got a new job, and taught an emotional intelligence course. Kenya has been experiencing major rains, and the flooding has been atrocious. So, I have been spending a lot of time indoors, charging my devices, and waiting for the next power outage.

Job Update

If you have been following along for a while, you may know that my hope after completing my degree was to join Tumaini Counseling Centre. This multicultural mission counselling organisation is under the Africa Inland Mission (AIM). This centre in Nairobi (10 minutes from my house) works with missionaries all over Eastern Africa, providing Christ-centred counselling.

Since starting my counselling MA, I have dreamed of working with Tumaini. In my second year in Kenya, I went to see a counsellor at this centre. The attunement, care and free space she provided hugely benefited my effectiveness in ministry and gave me the skills to stay longer in Kenya. This experience helped me see the impact a counsellor can have in serving missionaries so they, in turn, can serve where God has called them.

Tumaini Centre does not usually accept newly qualified counsellors, and with their recent hiring of two new counsellors this January, they were unsure if they had the capacity to take me as well. But after my interview, they decided that it was God’s plan. I am so excited to start working with them this July.

Summer Furlough

I will be taking a small summer furlough to visit family, attend a close friend’s wedding and receive some trauma-informed training. I will be on Vancouver Island from May 27th- July 14th. If you would like to connect, hear more about this ministry or catch up, please let me know.

A Couple of God Moments

#1: I love the small yet powerful ways the Lord moves. One evening this past week, I had been taking some time to pay my credit card and other bills. Finances were tight, a little tighter than normal, due to some unforeseen expenses. I was processing this out loud to my roommate, saying, “I would love for God to bring some new supporters around to help with monthly expenses. Yet, I trust God to move however he wishes!”

The NEXT MORNING, I woke up to a text from a friend in the UK saying, “Hey! Felt quite convicted (and really want to) support your work financially – how is it best to do that?”

#2: A friend here had been having some financial challenges, and as I was praying one morning, I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to give him a specific amount of money. But as my friend had previously shared of the extent of these expenses, I kept trying to push God, asking, "Should I give more?” However each time I felt Him continually repeat the original amount. So, I gave that.

The next day, my friend came back saying, “I took this screenshot because I figured you’d appreciate it. This was my final bill, honest to goodness. Not sure how you chose what amount to send, but it was only a penny off my final bill.”

Again, God came through in ways I could never. I am so grateful for his leadership and wisdom.

Prayers

For my trip home – that the travel, time of rest and connection would go smoothly
For the transition to Tumaini – that the Lord would prepare me in every way needed
For monthly financial partners. I am looking to find a few more monthly supports. If you are interested in joining this team to support the work God is doing in Kenya, please reach out to me at breanna-e-thompson@live.com, and I would be happy to share more!
For my time in God’s presence. I have felt more distracted and less attentive to Him lately. Please pray for deeper intimacy and awareness of who He is.
I will be sharing at church in one week before leaving for Canada; please pray that the Lord will guide me and give me wisdom for the talk.
Pray for the people in Kenya impacted by the flooding – that there would be providence for new homes and space to heal. Many have lost their lives or those of loved ones; please pray for the nearness of God in these individuals’ circumstances.

Praises

Praise the Lord for finishing my master’s and receiving this position at Tumaini.
For time to come home and see family
The Emotional Intelligence course went well. We had about 30-40 participants each week, and I received so much feedback that the skills learned were deeply beneficial. One participant said, “I started this class feeling sceptical, but I noticed I have felt much more peaceful after practising the skills you taught.”

A Balloon and a Rock

What does it mean to ‘hold the good and give space for the challenges’? Can they coexist or would one outweigh the other? Would our lives look different if we honoured the hard without letting it take away from what is good?

I began sketching this picture right after completing my master's. I've found that when something good happens, a part of me brings up the heavy things I have been holding on to. There are psychological explanations for this, but honestly, at the moment, it just sucks. My thoughts go something like, "Why is this happening? Why can't I stay in the happy? Like the balloon, I want to feel the lightness of the moment."

This balloon sketch resembles how I felt at the time of celebration; there was good pulling me up and heavy feelings pulling me down. I thought the question was, "Which one is winning?" Is there more good pulling me up, or is the heaviness weighing me down? The Lord gave me a new perspective as I dialogued and journaled with him about these questions. Neither the balloon nor the rock needs to win; instead, both are valid and require space for recognition.

We all hold onto hard things, and sometimes the marks that life leaves on us remain until we see him like He is. Yet, I wonder if we know how to consciously give them space. This second picture depicts how we are created to provide room for gratitude and sorrow. As the balloon and the rock rest beside each other, both take the space they need – neither is at odds with the other.

So how does this apply to us? Let’s look at the following examples of David and Jesus.

Psalm 61:2
From the ends of the earth, I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Matthew 26:38-39
38 Then He aid to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."

In these verses, David and Jesus both carry the weight of life. Studies show that when our bodies experience difficult emotions, if we don't give ourselves room to feel the emotion and move through it, the emotions will stay locked within our bodies. Then the rock begins to feel heavier as more of the weight of life is added to it without being successfully processed. Both these men give space for the emotion to reside in the presence of God. They allow for the hard to have room to exist and be acknowledged.

But the hard things do not have to take away from the good. There are challenges, AND there is beauty, as David reveals in Psalm 105:

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

The magic happens when we allow the balloon and the rock to rest together. When we give ourselves time to mourn, to cry out to the Lord authentically about our hurts and we enjoy and celebrate the good within each day, we gain a more expansive and freer perspective on our experiences. We give ourselves permission to feel the hard before jumping to gratitude out of duty. One does not negate the other.

What might your life look like if you permitted yourself to hold the rock and the balloon?

What stands in your way?

How might the Lord be inviting you into this today?