Go Where the LORD Leads: March Newsletter

 

    What do you do when all your plans come to a close & you only have the voice of God leading you? Have any of you experienced this? If so, I would love your advice & wisdom because this is exactly where I am. After I graduate internship, my plans come to a close & I am fully dependent on what God has in store. From the beginning of high school, I was always looking ahead to graduation, college, DTS, & then coming back to Mazatlan. Now, I'm exiting that stage of life. I am my own adult person who is living away from home, developing community, & discovering how I want my life to look like. I have so much freedom, but with that comes the responsibility to steward it well. It's exhilarating! God is so good & He is leading me into good & wonderful plans that will bless nations. 

    For ministry updates, I am serving in a hospital ministry we have on Thursday nights. We meet together to make toasted cheese & meat sandwiches to hand out at the hospital. In Mexican culture, the whole family waits outside because only 1 person can stay inside with the patient. Sometimes, they stay for several days & sleep outside. Our team is able to talk, pray for, & build relationships with them. Also, smaller groups go inside & pray for patients. By doing this, we meet practical needs but also their deeper spiritual needs as well. I have seen so many people encounter Jesus & accept Him as their personal Lord & Savior. Because the Catholic religion is so prominent here in Mexico, many people don't know that they can have a personal & living relationship with their Creator. To buy supplies, our team usually gives from our personal finances or gifts from supporters of this specific ministry. If you would like to know more or specifically give to this ministry let me know. :)

    In 2 weeks, my internship ends and I officially become staff here at YWAM Mazatlan. As y'all know, my original plan was to join training & lead DTS (Discipleships Training Schools). However, God has directed me to a different set of plans. I was offered & accepted a leadership position here on base that will start when I graduate. Next month I will be able to update y'all on what that looks like, my responsibilities, how I'm doing in it, & how it affects my ministry & life. Please be praying for wisdom as I prepare to lead my team in the best way possible. I want to be an example of how to keep the Lord as my first priority in all areas of life, even cleaning. Also, for direction in this area to develop better systems and prepare the way for more growth. 

    Another exciting update, I will be moving off base on April 1st & staying in an apartment with several other staff girls. This is such a huge answer to prayers so thank you for lifting me up in this area. I am so excited to have a kitchen & a space I can invite people into. One of my hobbies is baking, so I can't wait to make muffins, cookies, bread, & scones to share & enjoy. Also, these girls are such mature women of God who will be Proverbs 27:17 friends that sharpen one another. Please pray that the transition will be smooth, easy moving, & a feeling of being home. A dream that I have is to bake cookies & other treats to hand out on the street. I will be blessing others with good food but also starting a conversation about God. It would be a simple evangelism tool & something I enjoy too. 

    Finally, I have a financial update for you all. The Lord has provided me with the minimum needed to be on staff which is $600 monthly. Glory be to His name forever! However, my goal is $800-1,000 in monthly support. This will allow me to grow in generosity for others in Mazatlan & in my community. In the next months, I will have costs such as rent, gas, cleaning fees, & groceries. Please be lifting me up to trust God with all my "needs". In Matthew, Jesus says that man doesn't live by bread alone but in every word that comes from God's mouth. He is my provider & I will be sustained by His hand. If you feel led, I invite you to pray about donating one time or becoming a monthly supporter. God is doing so many cool things here in Mexico, in the States, & in the nations. How cool is it that we get to partner with Him wherever we are! 

    As always, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out! My email is bookwormljc@gmail.com & my phone number is (928) 856-2891. Remember that you ALL are loved & chosen by God. He wants to use your life for incredible things! 

Love you so much!

    Livvy 

praying for families

worship time

cuddle puddle

hard at work

my beautiful Maz

church gang

cleaning room

painting

after ministry tacos

class

ministry prep

God's Hand is Moving: February Newsletter

Wow, I can't believe that my internship is halfway done! This month has been so full in so many good ways. God has been growing me in my leadership & dependence on Him. Isaiah 66:1-2 has been such an important verse this season. It says, "This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?... But on this one, I will look: on him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word." 

To be contrite means to be paralyzed & unable to move unless God comes & picks me up. This is what this season has been. Every day I go to Jesus with empty hands and a deep knowledge of my brokenness & weakness. Yet every day He fills me up with His strength to love & serve others in the best way. It's such a beautiful season to be in deep intimacy with Him. 

    Also, God has been doing amazing things here in Mazatlan. Last week the city had a 4-day party called Carnival. Years ago it was part of marti gras celebrations as a week of indulgence before Lent started. However, it is now a party that is filled with demonic practices, drugs, alcohol, sex trafficking, prostitution, & a lot of lost people who need a savior. As a base, we prepared for a whole week to go into Carnival to evangelize, pray, & serve people who came to party. In total, we had over 300 people on the streets every night sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. God was so good!! We were able to witness 2, 151 salvations! That's 2,000 people who will be in heaven, 2,000 people who will be walking on this earth with the power of the Holy Spirit. Guys, we are fighting from victory. The enemy has already lost & God is using us to put the devil to shame. We also saw countless healings, miracles, deliverance, & stories of Jesus encountering people in such special ways. I did a ministry called Brave Love where we looked for women in Carnival. Then we told them their original design & gave them identity from the LORD. It was so fruitful to see women here in Mexico embracing their biblical womanhood. Thank you for partnering with us to make this happen. I am so blessed to have been here & it is because of the heart God gave to you. Be encouraged! God IS moving. 

    Again thank you everyone for supporting me with prayers & financially. Please be praying for wisdom & guidance. Coming up, I have the opportunity to apply for temporary residency here in Mexico. If I want to stay here longer term, it would allow me to enter the country so much easier. I wouldn't have any problems with customs or getting a shorter visa. However, the whole process costs around $800 plus travel costs. Please pray that I will seek God diligently if this is His plan & that I'll trust in His perfect timing. 

    Also, pray for wisdom in possible future housing. After internship, I would love to move off base so I can have a place to call home. I have a huge heart of hospitality so I would love to host parties & have people over for coffee, tea, or baking something. I also want to make my own food. Base food is good but isn't as healthy as I want to eat. The Bible says our body is a temple & I want to steward that well. Please pray that I will be following the Holy Spirit & be open to whatever God's plan is. 

    To close, you all are amazing! The work being done by the partnership of the body of Christ is a beautiful thing that bears so much fruit. Please reach out to me if you have any prayer requests or praises to share. You guys are such an important community for me. I cannot express in words how blessed I am by the work you do every day to help share the Gospel here in Mexico. I have seen God's hand of provision in the little things & also in the big things. We serve a mighty God!

With the love of Christ,

                    Livvy 😊

24 hour prayer burn over Mexico

internship

baptisms at the beach

sandy dogs

praying over Mazatlan

flowers to hand out on the streets

best evangelism team

Brav Love ministry 

cute friend

galentine's day <3

Back To Mazatlán: January Newsletter

 

The last couple of weeks, when I was in Flagstaff, was filled with one goal, spend as much time with people before I leave. And I did that. I had coffee with dear friends & mentors, stayed up late for sleepovers, told stories to my brothers, & played a lot of games. It was such a beautiful season of rest & being with people I love. However, I'm realising that I forgot to prepare my own heart. In trying to care for others, I blocked out leaving from my brain & never truly processed it until 2 days before when I was packing. I had fun & laughed a lot, but I forgot to allow myself to cry. I forgot to allow others to comfort me. I put an expectation on myself to be strong for others. As I look back just a couple days, I see that now. 

It wasn't my goal to share this when I sat down to blog but the Holy Spirit reveals things in new ways all the time. Right now I'm in Mazatlan & have started my first week of the Artios Internship. The first couple of days were a lot harder than I expected but I know they will just keep getting better. I've definitely been feeling homesick, but I am so grateful for phones. Somehow, whenever I call my mom I feel so much better & can continue doing what God has called me to. 

This is the reality of missions. In class, we've been learning about how YWAM Mazatlan was founded & got to the place where it is today. It came down to this: I must hear God's voice, say "yes" to Him, & not quit. Right now I feel really vulnerable & small. In my thoughts, I was starting to question why I was here. I still don't the exact reason but I know God will reveal it soon. I am clinging to His promises. This IS where I am supposed to be. It's normal to miss my family & not feel completely at home here just quite yet. God is so so good & will continue to be even in the hard times. 

On the other side, I am having a lot of fun. I've been a part of a capture the flag night & a game night. Those have been so helpful in connecting with people! My 2 roommates are both Latinas so I've really enjoyed working on my Spanish by just hanging out with them. In Artios, everyone is assigned a service role. During these 3 months, I will be working in Cuidado de la Casa. It's basically just cleaning the campus & taking care of plants. In the mornings, I will be cleaning bathrooms till lunch. From 2-4, I'll do whatever needs to be done. Then, from 4-6, I'm in charge of the DTS students & their work duties. I'm excited to start practicing my leadership right away & will learn so much by doing this. 

Prayer Points:

• connecting with people here & having deep friendships
• being a good leader 
• learning to have grace for myself in this time of transition
• finding out why God wants me here specifically 

Thank you so much for your prayers & support! 

carrying all my stuff

coffee with a sweet friend

worship

mi mazatlan

work duties!

endeavor

 

endeavor: a purposeful & earnest attempt; a concerted effort to an end

This is the name of the seminar that I am doing right now. We are endeavoring to become all that we were created to be, fighting for inner healing along with the Holy Spirit, & being equipped to love the world around us better. So far, I have learned so much about my own family & how God designed families to be. 

In the beginning, everything was created perfectly & it was good. Parents looked at God & acted the way He did. They loved Him like He loved & understood who He was. When they had children, the children would look at their parents & see God perfectly reflected in them. From birth, they would inherently know their worth, identity & purpose because their parents loved them like God. However, that's not our story. Our world is broken & therefore, so are our families. Mistakes are made by the parents & hurt the children. These mistakes are then copied & passed down through the generations as curses. Having been passed down, these curses now affect me. But, they also stop with me. Through the healing power of the cross of Jesus, I can take steps to identify curses, release myself from them, & then actively work to improve with His help. 

Also, I've learned about family rules & roles, attachment styles, & finding inner healing by connecting to Jesus. He is the only one who can provide true healing that changes lives & lasts lifetimes. The most important thing when leading people through this is letting them attach to Jesus. I am not the savior or healer. That role belongs to King Jesus alone. 

Another thing I'm learning apart from the seminar is depending on Jesus as my friend. In this season, I'm not doing a DTS (Discipleship Training School) as many people here are doing. Also, in the seminar, many of the people taking it are staff here in Mazatlan. They have found their people, their "family". I don't have one yet and I don't know if I will develop one in this month. I'm learning to be okay with that. I may be slightly secluded but I can have peace & quiet with the LORD in that. I know people here so if I'm feeling lonely I can turn to them but I have to be intentional. There is a powerful beauty about being intimate with the Lord & using my time to know Him more deeply & personally.

In this coming week, please pray for strength & comfort in the Lord as I dive deep into whatever He brings to the light. There is freedom & abundant joy in His love! I want to dwell in that no matter what. 

                                         " May His will be done, and His kingdom come." 

a prophetic painting

sunset

sunrise

promises

What's next?

 

    During these last several months, I've been hanging out with friends, relaxing, processing, and learning how to apply what I've learned in DTS to my life here in Flagstaff. God has been teaching me to trust, remain, and endure. Whether I know the future or not, I just have to keep following His quiet voice leading me. With that, I'm very excited to announce that I'm returning to Mazatlan, Mexico in October!! First, I will complete a counseling seminar that is designed to help people know how to navigate life's challenges & help others as well. In the kingdom of heaven, there is healing & freedom for all who seek it. It will teach me how to first see myself as God sees me & learn His plan for my personal life. Then, I'll learn how to empathize & love others in a healthy way despite their past. Also, I'll learn how to better guide others into their true identity with Christ. This seminar starts October 9th & ends November 3rd. The course is $600  & a round trip plane ticket is around $500.

    After the seminar, I will come home for the holidays & then return in January for a 3-month internship. The internship is designed to help prepare me to be on staff with the base in Mazatlan. I will get to know the leadership more personally, as well as the different areas & ministries on base. During this time I hope to apply to the area of DTS staff. I want to walk students through the journey that I went through & get to see more people set on fire for the Gospel. After this program, I will be on staff for at least 2 years. I am so excited to begin this journey of full-time missions. I know that this requires sacrifices but I believe Jesus is worthy of this. The internship itself is $1,850 and flights are around $500. After this, I a required to have a minimum of $500 in monthly support. However, my goal is to raise $800 each month so I can save wisely, give more, & be prepared for anything. 

`    Would you consider supporting me? First, I need an abundance of prayers for this whole journey. I know many of you are prayer warriors, which I am so blessed by. This road won't be easy but it is all for His glory. Also, I need financial support. YWAM is completely non-profit & all staff are in charge of raising their own finances. This includes medical insurance, staff fees, food, & personal toiletries & expenses. As mentioned before, I have several costs I need to cover. I know God will provide & I'd love to go on this journey with you.

    There are several ways to give. If you want to support me monthly you can set up a recurring payment with Zelle using my phone number, 928-856-289. However, you can also send support through Venmo (@Livvy-Cutlip), PayPal (@oliviacutlip), or check by mail (5610 Lene Ln, Flagstaff, AZ 86004) till January as I will be leaving the country. 

If you have any questions please feel to reach out any time through text, calling, or email. My email is bokwormljc@gmail.com. Also, please send me your email so I can send monthly updates & keep you filled in on what God is doing. 

    So that is my missions update. However, I've been doing some fun things here in Arizona. I've gone on several hikes with friends & family. I went to San Diego with 2 close friends of mine for over a week as a senior's trip part 2. I had a wonderful week teaching VBS at my church & I've been working odd jobs like babysitting, church childcare, & house cleaning. It's been pretty chill but I'm treasuring every moment I have with this wonderful community.

hike to the Crack

    

babysitting

sunset

Snowbowl Bible study

Ben loves me so much

my VBS kids

pretty garden 

San Diego trip

church fit 

girl's hike

Gwendalyn <3

dresser project 

🛕Cambodia pt. 2 🛕

 

"Time goes by too fast but memories last forever." What a beautiful phrase. During my last few weeks in DTS, I am going to cling to this. I have 3 more days in Cambodia & 16 more days of being in this season. The moments I have had are amazing & I'm not done yet. Okay, so what I've done these last 2 weeks have been so full.

Firstly, we worked in a school called New Hope. We had the opportunity to teach English to 3 grades & paint several murals. I taught around 12 kids from the age of 9-12. I loved every minute of it! They were all sweet & lovable in their unique ways. It was a blessing to spend 2 hours every day with them for a week. In class, I got to see progress in their pronunciation & understanding of English. Most importantly, however, I got to appreciate their personalities & love them for who they are. I could have spent a month teaching them. Also, as a group, we painted a mural about creation, an alphabet of animals, and a colorful classroom.

the school

my classroom

hard at work

finished project

Adam & Eve

kindergarten class

so colorful

all the kids

the team 

During the second week, we were working with Peter, a missionary from Germany. One of the main issues in Cambodia is there’s not enough work for the people. Or, if there is work, it’s in really poor conditions with poor pay. God has called Peter to create businesses to employ Cambodians, and then raise up leaders in these businesses. In the area we're building in is a developing village. The government recently declared that 7,000-10,000 families living around Angkor Wat temple had to leave. Many of them had businesses, investments, and generational homes. All gone in one law. They all have to move to this area that is set apart for them. It's far from the city with no trees & few job opportunities. Peter bought some land to build a center for a new business he is starting that will help the people in this area. During this week, we helped lay bricks for this center. It was such an interesting experience learning how to use mortar semi-correctly. We worked outside in around 100° weather one day and learned to be joyful no matter the situation. Thankfully, it also rained twice which was lovely. Peter invited us to his house on the last night to swim in his pool & have a German barbecue. It was delicious! It made all the work worth it.

cutting steel

already dead

lunchtime

tap tap

strong girls

watching the master

got to move them first

is it straight?!

break!

dirt or sunburn?

 a restful evening 

Today was our last ministry day & we did yard work for the place we were staying at. Tomorrow we will buy snacks for travel & go to the market one last time. On Sunday, we will get to Angkor Wat temple, have a traditional Khmer dinner, & say goodbye to our friends here. Monday we will close our time of outreach & we start the 50ish-hour travel bright & early Tuesday morning. I'll blog more about my plans after DTS & my feelings about ending this season in a later post. For now, pray for safe travels & that God will clearly reveal His plan & will for my life. 

Last bit of pictures

tuk-tuk ride

fooooood

my girles

another girlie

temple photos

temple photos pt. 2

 

temple photos pt. 3

mirror pics

hard worker

cutie

bucket hat

 

sheeeesh!

cow lips

weirdos

colorful drink

clouds make me happy

sweet girl at the drink stand