Wrapping up Tenderloin Ministry & Heading to Tacoma June 1 with the team

My team is wrapping up our time in the Tenderloin district! It has been a growing experience for all of us and I am grateful for the time. It has been a privilege to serve here this month even though we did not have formal opportunities to use or teach what we learned in counseling school within the community; we did use our counseling skills/tools within our team as we encountered challenges ourselves! :) I've met some great people and seen the Lord open the eyes of my own heart in new ways, as well as open the eyes of other people hearts to his love for them.

Thank you to everyone who prayed and gave financially toward the gentleman that needed new shoes; within one day after my last blog post, I had the opportunity to ask him about his shoe size and the financial need was covered to purchase the shoes too. God is so good! The gentleman was very thankful for the shoes and said to say thank you to those that helped get them for him.

We are headed to Tacoma, Washington on June 1 to serve at the church Freedom River Outreach. That first Saturday in Tacoma, my team is hosting a morning seminar at the church, which will look similar to the teaching ministry day we did while we were still in Hawaii. 

Pictures!

Helping at the food pantry

Me and my teammate helping with stack the cup game
on Mother's Day Celebration

Outside Church in the Tenderloin

Day at Fisherman's Warf

Scripture Art

Praise Reports 

1. The gentleman who needed new shoes now has them and I believe he has experience God's love and kindness toward him through my team and the staff of the YWAM base here.
2. I finally have peace from the Lord to go with the team to Tacoma June 1-16th for the last two weeks of our outreach AND we are so excited that another staff from our school will also be joining us there too!
3. My known outreach expenses are covered! Any funds coming in now will be used toward unexpected expenses that come up or saved to be put toward expenses that I know I will have after outreach is done.
4. Great person to sublease my space in the condo where I live in Kona while I am gone on outreach.

Prayer Requests

1. Outreach team unity and good communication.
2. That our hearts would be sensitive and submitted to the Lord for the work He is doing in and through us in this outreach season.
3. Good physical mental, emotional and spiritual health/strength to push though when it is hard...but wisdom to know when/how to rest.

Support Raising

Please consider if the Lord is calling you to partner with me, short term or long term, through prayer or financial support. Below are details about estimated expenses and ways to give financially:

Estimated Expenses

Foundations of Biblical Counseling (FBC)-Jan-June 2021

(Fully Funded January-March 😃)

April 1- June 30, 2021-  ($3,390 raised so far)

Estimated Total: $2965+???

• FBC Outreach fee: $2509 (covers school fee, housing, land transportation and food)
• Other expenses while on outreach?: 
• $140 one-way plane tickets to Oakland, CA
• Shoes for gentleman on the street- $110
• Personal items- $48
• $158-one-way plane ticket to Tacoma, WA
• ??? Unknown expenses in Tacoma ???
• One ticket from Tacoma, WA to Michigan (cost already covered :))

Staffing with Crossroads DTS 

July 2021-March 2022

• Housing: $450/mo
• Food: $250/mo
• Grad school loan: $140/mo

April 2022-May 2022

• Outreach fee- TBA depending on location (I am hoping for Argentina!)

Ways to Give

1. Donate through my Venmo account

• User name: @Jenna-Patnott

2. A check made out to me. 

• Mailed to my bank Lake Michigan Credit Union. (Include a note that says "To be deposited into account") Address: LMCU PO Box, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
• Or to my Kona address: 75-346 Hualalai Rd #103, Kailua Kona, HI 96740

3. Tax Deductible donation to be processed as deputized fundraising through YWAM El Paso-Juarez Mission account. If you want to use this option email me and I will send you the detailed info for how to do this! (Disclaimer: “Contributions are solicited with the understanding that YWAM EPJ has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. It is the policy and intent of YWAM EPJ’s Board to honor preferences as to how donations will be used.”)

Ministry in the Tenderloin District

Thank you for your prayers and support! After our first weekend in San Francisco, we learned that the rooms we were renting at the YWAM base each weekend in May, are in reality reserved for us every day the entire month; my outreach team is now living in the Tenderloin District for the whole month of May!

We are still working to find counseling related ministries here, but in the meantime have been serving at the food pantry on Thursdays, walking around the district streets on Friday nights and some other evenings passing out hot chocolates, and serving coffee/cookies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. The YWAM base is one of only two shower facilities in the entire city for the houseless, they are open MWF for 3 hours, so people can enjoy hot coffee/cookies before or after their shower.

I feel a bit disappointed that we are still struggling so much to find counseling related ministries, but I am certainly seeing the Lord at work in my own life, my team members and also in interactions we have had with YWAM San Francisco staff, volunteers, and a few people we have met on the streets. I had the blessing of being able to pray for several people; also there is one middle aged man who is houseless that I have made a connection with. This man has only been on the streets a few months and I have seen him offer SO MUCH kindness and generosity toward many people (others living on the street, YWAM staff, myself).

I noticed today that he has worn a hole through the bottom of his shoes; I would like to bless him by buying another pair of good/sturdy/warm new shoes or hiking boots. Would you like to join me in blessing this man? Pray that I would have an opportunity to ask him what size shoes he wears, if he has any special footwear needs and that he would not be ashamed to receive. I don't know how much it would cost yet but I estimate $100-$150, so if you would like to give financially toward this specific purchase that would also be super helpful!

Prayer Requests

1. Special Prayer Request: For a gentle, kind middle aged man that I met on the street; he spends the majority of his day sitting/walking on the sidewalk just outside the YWAM base windows. Pray that his physical needs would continue to be met, the housing he is waiting for in a nearby are would open and his heart would be softened toward the gospel of Jesus.
2. Outreach team unity and communication!!! (We are making good progress but its still a big need)
3. Ministry connections for June- three from my team are going to Tacoma Washington; I'm still waiting on the Lord for direction about staying in California someplace or if I will join them in Tacoma.
4. That our hearts would be sensitive and submitted to the Lord for the work He is doing in and through us in this outreach season.
5. Good physical mental, emotional and spiritual health/strength to push though when it is hard...but wisdom to know when/how to rest.

Praise Reports 

1. My known outreach expenses are covered! Any funds coming in now will be used toward unexpected expenses that come up or saved to be put toward expenses that I know I will have after outreach is done.
2. Housing for May is all set.
3. God has provided a connection with someone who sounds like they will be a great fit to sublease my space in the condo where I live in Kona while I am gone on outreach.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Chinatown and teammate from China cooking Chinese food

Support Raising

Please consider if the Lord is calling you to partner with me, short term or long term, through prayer or financial support. Below are details about estimated expenses and ways to give financially:

Estimated Expenses

Foundations of Biblical Counseling (FBC)-Jan-June 2021

(Fully Funded January-March 😃)

April 1- June 30, 2021- Estimated Total: $2509 + 140 + ??? ($2,515 raised so far)

• FBC Outreach fee: $2509 (covers school fee, housing, land transportation and food)
• Other expenses while on outreach?: 
• $140 one-way plane tickets to Oakland, CA
• ?????

Staffing with Crossroads DTS 

July 2021-March 2022

• Housing: $450/mo
• Food: $250/mo
• Grad school loan: $140/mo

April 2022-May 2022

• Outreach fee- TBA depending on location (I am hoping for Argentina!)

Ways to Give

1. Donate through my Venmo account

• User name: @Jenna-Patnott

2. A check made out to me. 

• Mailed to my bank Lake Michigan Credit Union. (Include a note that says "To be deposited into account") Address: LMCU PO Box, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
• Or to my Kona address: 75-346 Hualalai Rd #103, Kailua Kona, HI 96740

3. Tax Deductible donation to be processed as deputized fundraising through YWAM El Paso-Juarez Mission account. If you want to use this option email me and I will send you the detailed info for how to do this! (Disclaimer: “Contributions are solicited with the understanding that YWAM EPJ has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. It is the policy and intent of YWAM EPJ’s Board to honor preferences as to how donations will be used.”)

Outreach In Cali

The God of Love Cares workshop that my team in Kona, HI did on Saturday April 24 was awesome! We worked really great as a team and it was so evident that many of the participants were impacted with God's personal love toward them.

On Monday, we had our first ministry day as California team. We hosted an activity call "Heart Art"in the trailer park where two of my classmates live.  Heart art provides an opportunity for people to share, through creativity and verbally, about things that make them happy and also things that are challenging.

A piece of my heart art

Tomorrow (Thursday) we head in to San Francisco as a team to serve all day Thursday and Friday in the Tenderloin district. We will be passing out food, giving out hot chocolate, participating in a mother's day celebration and praying with people. Half of the day on Saturday we will get to spend time with a counselor on staff at the San Fran YWAM base; she will teach us about how to apply a tool we learned in Kona to this specific context of homelessness and prostitution, so we will be more equipped to use it proficiently when we return to San Fran the following week.

Please keep us in your prayers these next few days as this is a new experience for everyone on the team; we are really excited and expectant for God to work in and through us, but also a bit nervous.

• Pray that God would fill us with His love for those we get to meet and that we would be courageous to express that love in whatever way He shows us to!
• Safety for us and those we will encounter
• Out pouring of the Holy Spirit, that peoples lives/hearts/minds would be touch with the healing/resurrecting, redeeming, freeing/transforming power of Christ.

Prayer Requests

1. Outreach team unity and communication.
2. Ministry connections for last week of May and June
3. That our hearts would be sensitive and submitted to the Lord for the work He is doing in and through us in this outreach season.
4. Good physical mental, emotional and spiritual health/strength to push though when it is hard...but wisdom to know when/how to rest.

Praise Reports 

1. My known outreach expenses are covered! Any funds coming in now will be used toward unexpected expenses that come up or saved to be put toward expenses that I know I will have after outreach is done.
2. For the first 3 weeks of May housing and ministry is mostly organized!
3. Smooth travel to Cali and wonderful people to host us for the days we are not in San Fran
4. God has provided a connection with someone who sounds like they will be a great fit to sublease my space in the condo where I live in Kona while I am gone on outreach.

Support Raising

Please consider if the Lord is calling you to partner with me, short term or long term, through prayer or financial support. Below are details about  estimated expenses and ways to give financially:

Estimated Expenses

Foundations of Biblical Counseling (FBC)-Jan-June 2021

(Fully Funded January-March 😃)

April 1- June 30, 2021- Estimated Total: $2509 + 140 + ??? ($2,515 raised so far)

• FBC Outreach fee: $2509 (covers school fee, housing, land transportation and food)
• Other expenses while on outreach?: 
• $140 one-way plane tickets to Oakland, CA
• ?????

Staffing with Crossroads DTS 

July 2021-March 2022

• Housing: $450/mo
• Food: $250/mo
• Grad school loan: $140/mo

April 2022-May 2022

• Outreach fee- TBA depending on location (I am hoping for Argentina!)

Ways to Give

1. Donate through my Venmo account

• User name: @Jenna-Patnott

2. A check made out to me. 

• Mailed to my bank Lake Michigan Credit Union. (Include a note that says "To be deposited into account") Address: LMCU PO Box, PO Box 2848, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
• Or to my Kona address: 75-346 Hualalai Rd #103, Kailua Kona, HI 96740

3. Tax Deductible donation to be processed as deputized fundraising through YWAM El Paso-Juarez Mission account. If you want to use this option email me and I will send you the detailed info for how to do this! (Disclaimer: “Contributions are solicited with the understanding that YWAM EPJ has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. It is the policy and intent of YWAM EPJ’s Board to honor preferences as to how donations will be used.”)