Peace & Rest: June Newsletter

 

  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my (loving) eye." Palms 32:8

    This month I have been learning what it truly means to trust & obey the voice of God, even when it's something that I don't expect. For example, He has been telling me to rest. In my mind, that is definitely what I don't need to do. I just entered the mission field, Mexico is hungry for Jesus, and there are so many opportunities to live out the Great Commission. My expectation is to push & be busy. However, God is holding me back. He is preparing me & stabilizing me on a firm & strong foundation. I must learn to rest from the very beginning so that, in my journey of long-term missions, I am set up for success. 

    Also, that is how I give Him the most glory. It's not by doing the most, it's simply looking at the time of life I'm in & listening & obeying Him there. I want to encourage you with that simple truth. In Hosea 6:6, God says, "For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." It's not about what you are doing right now, It's about how you are doing it. Are you doing it for His glory? Do you have a joyful heart? Is your mind focused on Jesus instead of yourself? These have been questions I've been pondering & I invite you to do the same. 

    That has been my personal process, but life here in Mazatlan is truly more than that because God's story is bigger than ours. As a base, we were fasting lunch every day for 40 days. There have been some budget cuts so we needed to save money, but we took it as an opportunity to seek the LORD. We had such beautiful times of worship & resting in His presence. We also had times when we were praying for change in Mexico, our lives, & people around the world. It was so precious to see my team coming before God each day just to know Him more. 

    Also, as the quarter is coming to a close, we are preparing the DTS to be the first-ever team on the Amazing Grace!!! They are going to travel around the Sea of Cortez & northern Mexico to bring the Gospel, medical help, & other mercy miniseries to the isolated communities. Some of the communities we have traveled to before so they'll be focused on deepening relationships & continuing discipleship. However, there are several places where we haven't been to, so they'll be preparing the way for others. One goal is to open the door for oral bible translation. Hopefully, we will send more teams into these indigenous regions to bring the Bible to everyone in their mother tongue. 

      Thank you all for your prayers and support it means the world to me. Please be praying for continued trust in God's plan & timing. There are so many exciting things that I am being prepared for that I don't even know about. Also, prayers for safe travels as I am coming home this Saturday the 29th till July 14th. 

    With that, I would love to get coffee, dinner, or just chat with y'all, I will be reaching out so be on the lookout for that. If you have something else in mind, feel free to reach out as well. 

    Please let me know if there are specific prayer requests you have. I am praying for you but let me know if there's anything in specific. Love you all!

picnic date

in az

my mountains

fam

peace

cutest date

making dough

bloom

city life

rainy season

God's Way: May Newsletter

 

              There are so many things that the LORD has been teaching me every day that to share them all would take more than one post. However, this is what Jesus has been doing from day one. In John, it says that if all the works of Jesus were written down, the world could not contain the books that would be written. I want my life to be the same. I want every day to be a testimony of the faithfulness of God. I never want to reach a point where He isn't teaching me something or I have gotten stagnant or passive in my faith. If I keep seeking His face daily & remain in His presence, I am confident that I will be transformed. And shouldn't that be our whole life goal? To glorify Jesus in all that we do & be transformed into His likeness. Even though I'm only 19, I am confident that I cannot do anything on my own & my way sucks. I am insufficient & incapable. But God. Isn't that a beautiful phrase? But God. With that phrase, there is suddenly hope & a thousand marvelous possibilities. I will choose to embrace that phrase with my whole being & walk in those promises. I may be doing things I have never done before, but God in His goodness is renewing me more every day & I am so grateful for that. This season is filled with ups & downs but God is faithful & true through it all.

One of the many things God has been using me for has been kids ministry. As a leader, my ministry has looked different than normal. I have been learning to have hands like Martha & a heart like Mary. Because of this, I wasn't expecting to have a ton of time for normal ministry times. However, God made a way. I had the opportunity to participate in a program our bases did for the local children. I was able to sit, play, & connect with them to show them the love of Jesus. We also talked with the moms & shared a Bible message. 

Another time I had, was doing a Mother's Day event. We partnered with a local church to pour into women in a neighborhood outside of Mazatlan. These are the families that we build houses for, so they have low incomes & fewer opportunities. While other people talked with the moms, 4 other girls & I played with 25 kids who were 8 & under. It was definitely a growing experience but God was able to give me opportunities to share His peace & love with these kids. 

In the base, we have also had deeper times of seeking the LORD & expanding His kingdom. Recently, we went out to the city together as a base to do street evangelism & worship. I had a sweet conversation with one man about his walk with the Lord. He had such a hunger for the Word & wanted to grow in his relationship with God. I was able to share some Bible verses & also lead him to a church where he can hopefully get connected with a Bible study. Please be praying for him & His growth. 

Also, I will be coming home June 29th-July 14th!!!! If you want to connect during that time, please reach out when I am back & we can get coffee & chat. 

Prayer Points:

• that the wisdom of God will mark my life & I will rest in the knowledge that His grace His sufficient for me
• continued opportunities for ministry 
• safe travels on upcoming trips 

face painting

song time

connections

little kids

more songs

piñata

pizza

my flowers

Mother's Day event

desserts

game time

kids team

making food for base

my Anna

praying

evangelism groups

reaching for His glory

sea urchin surgery

happiness

burger buddy

April update

 

   There has been so much change & transition this past month that I don't know where to start. First of all, I have officially graduated from the Artios internship and am on staff with YWAM Mazatlan!! It's amazing to see where God has brought me from & all the promises He has fulfilled. As a little girl, I remember reading missionary stories from all around the world as a family right before bed. My favorite was always Amy Carmichael. She was an Irish missionary who was in India. There she preached the Gospel & started a safe home for temple girls. She rescued them and they called her Ama, which is "mother" in their native language. Growing up, this was my desire; to see the lost get found. In a recent phone call with my mom, she reminded me of this. Now, I am living in the fulfillment of those dreams. I know that this is only the beginning of my life in missions!

    Regarding full-time missions right now, I am serving as the leader of the cleaning & garden department. I am still in transition so I don't have full responsibility for everything but I am learning more each week. My tasks look like setting up the weekly projects, daily tasks, & organizing my team. I am growing in my leadership, conflict resolution, team motivation, managing priorities, & peer discipleship.

 On the personal side of missions, I am living in a house with 4 other amazing women. God has provided me with an amazing community where I can be edified, challenged, & supported in the work God is doing here in Mexico. All of my roommates are also staffing with Mazatlan & working in different areas. It is exciting to see people from all around the world come together to serve one vision to reach the people of Mexico. I think I still need to explain our vision so let me take the time to do that. 

    To summarize all that we do, YWAM Mazatlan is a missional community that activates a movement of young people to & from Latin America by training & empowering leaders to take their place in fulfilling the Great Commission. Based on this, there are many ministries we have started. Recently, our medical ship the Amazing Grace was commissioned to go on her first voyage. Their vision is to reach the unreached with the Gospel as well as medical care & community development. I've already told y'all about the hospital ministry but there are so many more. If you want to know more, feel free to text me questions or go to our website (https://www.ywammazatlan.com/). 

    Prayer Points: 

• God is moving in incredible ways on the base. There is so much vision for what's to come!
• wisdom in my relationships & staying in touch with people even as I'm far away
• guidance in being a leader that is guided daily by God's Word

my team :)

handing out food at the hospital

evangelism 

base cleaning day

packing day

graduation group

easter brunch

service at the beach

breakfast at home

solar eclipse

keeping everything green

beach day

cleaning our place

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