Courtenay Holgate October 30th 2016 ~ God knew!

Thank you to the St Philips community for their recent financial support.  It has literally been an answer to prayer.  I am hoping to keep the St Philips community regularly updated with my journey in the wildness of Sheffield over the next year.  As many of you know I moved to Sheffield, England, in September to get some training in how to run a missional household.  I thought I’d share with you a short snippet of God’s grace in the process.On my first day in Sheffield I was taken to a local coffee shop that had just opened up called The Cabin.  It is a Canadian-themed pancake and waffle house and it creates very tasty treats (just ask me; I’ve tried quite a few now).  I was introduced to the shop owner, Lindsay, and on a whim I asked if they had any job openings.  She said they had none but we went on to have a lovely chat.  She revealed that the cafe was in fact a missional community and their purpose was to be a blessing to Sheffield.  We got on quite well and she asked for my number in case anything came up.A little while after settling in, I had become frustrated by the fact that funds were getting tight and I had no work - not for lack of trying.  It’s been a walk of faith since I got here and every time I’ve declared it is not possible to jump the next hurdle, God has met me on the other side with provision so clever or so appropriate I would never had thought it possible.  I got an email from Lindsay, the cafe owner, wondering if I was barista-trained by any chance because they needed someone who knew the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.  I went into the cafe to see her straight way and said it just so happens that Georgia and Dave from my church ran a coffee business and taught me how to make coffee, would that do?  She hired me on the spot.Who would have known that my supporting a small missional start-up business, making coffee on the kerbside in Cottesloe, Australia, would later get me a job on the other side of the world to support me while learning about missional communities?The answer is, God knew.Blessings from Sheffield UK,Courtenay