Stevens To The One

Dear family & friends, 

This has been a slower month within the HOP community, but we’re grateful for the time to reflect, rest, and establish rhythms- both as a family and with the community. We have felt the Lord’s grace in the form of this slower pace, increased connection with individuals in the community, and deep revelations He’s given us in this time.

Our primary jobs right now center around media projects for the All Nations Convocation Jerusalem, cooking meals for the base, and cleaning and organizing projects. We are also in our “training” period with the ministry, so there are lots of books to read and things to learn about the vision of the ministry and community values & rhythms.

A beautiful weekly community rhythm that we all take part in is a Shabbat service every Friday night. During warm months, we do this at the Small House outdoors. Since the weather has turned cold and rainy here in Jerusalem, we welcome Shabbat at the Big House in our main dining room. We light candles, pray, worship, take communion, and eat a meal together. This setting has helped give us a more intimate experience and we have loved growing in the revelation of rest as a community.

Another meaningful meal we were able to share with our community this month was Thanksgiving! Being the only Americans in the Big House, we had the honor of planning, shopping, decorating, and cooking for this event. We ended up having about 25 people come together for a time of prayer, sharing what we’re grateful for, fellowship, and food! Many members of our community are from nations that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but they were so excited to gather and practice gratitude as a community. It was so much fun and we received many sweet comments about how we were like “mom & dad- making everything feel like home.” We’re so honored to love these amazing people and help cultivate an atmosphere of peace and family. ♡

In other news: We just moved (this week!) from the Big House to a HOP-owned apartment about a minute’s walk from the House. This has been incredibly helpful in separating “work” and “personal” life while allowing us to be close enough to still fully invest in the community. We are so thankful!

Having the separate space and the ability to create more sustainable rhythms has also given us the opportunity to slow down a little bit and intentionally reflect on Advent. We are entering this season after an intense few months of battling a spirit of performance here and resisting the temptation to build relationship on a foundation of works, not genuine love. This is a particularly personal battle for both me and Michael, and we really had to press into the Lord’s desires for relationship, family, ministry, and worship, deeper than we ever have before. God is so gracious to respond when we seek His face and He met us with fresh revelation, as well as confirmation after confirmation, that He truly desires family first, no matter the cost. That He truly requires nothing more than our yes to Him. The wonderful fruit of ministry and the good works we produce is simply that- fruit of intimacy with Him. It is not the determining factor of our identity or qualifications for a relationship with Him. After all, anything I try to produce is like a filthy, used rag without His love and Spirit empowering and covering it (Isaiah 64:6). We are the works of His hands, He doesn’t need anything from ours (Is. 64:8 & Acts 17:25).

As my heart slowly takes in this revelation that my mind already made space for, I feel it coating my soul like a thick layer of honey. It has been such a source of freedom to realize that while producing good fruit is a beautiful thing that stems from intimacy with the Holy Spirit, it does not define my identity or determine my value. I did not realize how deeply the lies of performance were rooted in my heart and mind until this season… but I am so grateful that Love came. He clarified where my value and purpose lie- simply being with Him (Luke 10:42). He dealt with all of my sin, shame, condemnation, fear, and failure on the cross and redeemed me in His resurrection (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53, Romans 8:1, Psalm 34:4-5, 1 Peter 1:3, & 1 Corinthians 15:21). He set the perfect example of prioritizing relationships with the Father and with family while wondrous miracles and teachings came as the fruit.

So we’re taking the time in this season to remind our hearts of the reality of the Son who came, the Spirit who is with us always, the Bridegroom who is coming again, and the King who will reign on the earth someday soon. We’re prioritizing this: waiting upon the Lord and cultivating love, joy, hope, and peace with Him and our community as this year closes out and the next one begins.

We know that this is something that is really on the Lord’s heart for our community in this season. At one of our Sunday community services, we had a powerful night with the Holy Spirit which brought about a time of repentance and a collective return to purity. This included repentance specifically for restlessness and constantly being “on to the next task” instead of waiting on the Lord or prioritizing relationships with people (outside of performance). We are so grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit- His conviction, guidance into all truth, and faithfulness to come when we ask.

It has been a month of reflection, personal victories, and collective inner healing within our community. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be here, be a part of what the Lord is doing, and witness Him moving in us and our team. We wanted to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful supporters because we would not be here and seeing all of this without you! Our desire is to have a large network of people supporting us in prayer and donations, and we have been so blessed in both areas. We are so, so grateful for the $2,586 we receive in monthly support ($214 away from being fully funded!) and the incredible amount of prayers and encouragement we receive each month via emails, texts, social media messaging, and calls. We are so touched by the generosity of all the family, friends, church communities, and even strangers who have given to us and committed to praying for us. We would not be able to sustain this mission without both your financial and spiritual support- it means the world to us! Thank you! 

If you are still wanting to contribute financially, the best way to give is through our website, stevenstotheone.com, through Tithe.ly, PayPal, or Zelle. Tithe.ly is our preferred, and only tax-deductible, method. If you want to support us spiritually, the best way to stay updated on prayer requests is to check our prayer page on our website, as well as our Facebook group “Praying with the Stevens.” (If you aren’t in that group yet, and you’d like to be, please request to be added to the group or send us an email asking us to add you.) 

We know it is a sacrifice to support us financially, and we want you to know how much we truly appreciate it. We also want to be clear that your prayerful support means much more to us than any donation. We are so grateful for our team of prayer warriors, generous givers, and Kingdom family! Thanks for being a part of it! 

Praying that you and your family enjoy the peace, joy, and nearness of our Lord as we enter the holiday season. ♡

With Love and Shalom, Michael + Caitlyn Stevens

P.S. This will be the last public newsletter; the rest will be sent as private emails and posted to the Premium Subscriber Content page. If you’d like to continue to get these updates, please sign up for the newsletter and/or message us for the password for the Premium Content. Blessings!

CONTACT and UPDATES

Blog: stevenstotheone.com/blog           Email: stevenstotheone@gmail.com

Caitlyn’s IG: caitlyn.e.s         Michael’s IG: mr.michael.stevens 

Caitlyn’s FB: mrs.caitlyn.e.s     Michael’s FB: mr.michael.stevens

Daily Prayer FB Group: Praying with the Stevens

PRAYER REQUESTS

• For strength and grace as we continue to engage in community life here in Jerusalem.
• For the HOP community to transition well with a number of long-term staff members finishing their terms and others coming in to start terms.
• Financial Goal: gain 21 more supporters who give $10 a month