Life With LivvyJoy: DTS: Week 6

This week has been so different from all the other weeks because it's Carnaval! Carnaval is one of the largest parties in Mèxico. During this time, the whole base changes its schedule and completely focuses on reaching the 40,000 people that come every night. These people come to party, drink, get high, have sex, and find fulfillment in fleshly things. The presence of evil is tangibly strong but the power and love of God is so much greater. Different ministries go out to the city, either inside or outside of Carnaval itself, to share God's love and preach the Gospel. We aren't afraid! The presence of the Holy Spirit will always make the darkness flee. During class time this week, we practiced preaching the Gospel to one another, learned how to meet people where they're at, and constantly listen to Holy Spirit.

Some of the ministries include evangelism, art, worship, dance, intercession, miracles, and the Café. I am doing the Café. Our goal is to hand out free coffee and have heartfelt conversations with people about Jesus's love and the Gospel message. We're set up on a dirt parking spot overlooking the Malécon. This is where people walk to get to Carnaval. We have people greeting and bringing people up to the tables. Then, we have coffee servers and the table team. Our goal is to reach people through chatting with them, hearing their story, and sharing who Jesus is.

On Thursday night, the first night of ministry, I was on the table team. We have 10 tables with 3 people at each one, a man, a translator, and someone else. Because translators are not as common, I was translating. Thankfully, there was a Spanish-speaking lady who was sharing the Gospel so well so I didn't need to do much. We saw 9 salvations that night!!

Friday night was really incredible! I was on the greeting team and got to talk to several people about the Café ministry, God, and His love for them. However, the most impactful part of the night was talking with this one lady. She sat next to me on the bench, and I just started asking her about herself, all in Spanish. I started telling her about YWAM, the free coffee, and why we were doing it. I asked her about her beliefs and she said she didn't believe in Jesus but she thought there was a God. I shared about who God was and what He had done in my life. She didn't seem interested though so I asked if I could pray for her. Then, I tried to ask if there was something in particular she wanted prayer for but I accidentally said someone in specific. The Holy Spirit used that though!! She said her daughter, and after asking where her daughter was, she started crying. I hugged her for a minute or two and then she poured out her whole heart to me. Through that, I was able to share the Gospel and lead her in the prayer of salvation. It was such a beautiful moment I will never forget. God is so good and He even uses our mistakes to bring people to Himself.

Saturday was pretty good as well. I was greeting again and I had deep conversations. I was able to talk to a guy in English about his beliefs and life because he was a Christian but had left the church. Also, I talked to another man for an hour about his life and I think it really impacted him. I had a couple other conversations and really just had a lot of fun.

Sunday was the last day of Carnaval and it ended with a long parade. We had ministry time beforehand and just walked around to evangelize to people. It wasn't my favorite day but it was good to step out of my comfort zone. After Carnaval, we had our base victory night. We worshiped and have some really cool statistics. Around 1,828 heard the Gospel and 1,071 accepted Jesus as their Savior!! Amen! There were 34 baptisms and 29 healing. In the Café we handed out 530 cups of coffee. What an amazing time!! Being used by God and being apart of His plan in action is such a beautiful experience.

Something to keep in your prayers, the kingdom seekers DTS is going to Durango this Monday. We're traveling by bus and will be there for two weeks. Pray for safe travels and warmth, it gets to below freezing at night and many of us didn't bring enough warm clothes. Thank you for your support! Enjoy the pictures!