Saturday, November 30, 2024

Changing Seasons: November newsletter


        Hey everyone! I have exciting news for you today! The weather in Mazatlan has finally cooled down. Today was the first day I could wear jeans, which made me so happy. I know many of you already have had snow, but this was truly an answer to my prayers. With the change of seasons, there have also been changes around the base.
    
    As YWAM Mazatlan, we just celebrated 20 years!! To prepare for this, we had 2 weeks of base-wide projects, cleaning, organization, and painting. My team was super busy. However, it was so nice to get so much done. One of our values is to be one team, like a family, & I really felt that. Everyone was helping & serving one another in unity. During the event itself, I was inspired by all the past staff, students, teachers, & friends who came. Their stories of God's faithfulness throughout the last 20 years impacted me a lot. God is doing so much in this place & I am so grateful to be a part of it. In this community, I am empowered to be a humble leader & a faithful servant in my department, to live a life of radical obedience and faith, to walk in repentance and freedom, & to actively seek God's way above all others. While reflecting on this, there is no other place I can imagine growing this much. 

    With that, the vision for our future expansion was presented. Down below, you can see the picture of what we want the base to look like coming up. Our goal is to train 3,000 students on this campus as well as have enough housing for staff, visitors, & teams. Please join us in prayer as we partner with God in these coming goals. 

    Another change is that I turned 20 this month! I cannot believe I am leaving my teens behind and entering this next chapter of adulthood. As I was praying for this next year, I felt like God was asking me to give Him all my twenties. Obviously, I want God to have all my life but I think these next 10 years are going to be so different than I could have ever imagined. In these last 2 years of my life, I have changed more than I ever thought possible. Yet, I know that this is only the beginning and God has so much more in store for me & my future. While turning 20 made me think a lot about the future, I also recognized the need to be present. I will never fully understand what is happening or be in control. My role isn't about that. God has called me to live as dead to myself & to be a continual sacrifice for Him. He will tell me what I need to know when I need to know it. In the midst of confusion, I will trust Him & lift up praises. God has the future. For the day-to-day, I will just be a light & testimony of all that He has done. 

    There have also been such sweet memories being made in this season. I love spending time with my boyfriend Ezra, & my dear friends. Over the weekends I explore the city, grocery shop, or just stay home & chill. I have also been baking a lot. With the holidays upon us, it seems sacrilegious not to. I have made gingerbread, chocolate crinkle, pumpkin pie, & many other treats. I was able to share all those things because my rommies & I hosted Thanksgiving for 12 people. We had an international time. There were 6 nations in our home & everyone brought cultural food to share. It is such a blessing to have a full table & an even fuller fridge. 
   
 Even though this season has been busier, I am so thankful for everything God is doing. Thank you so much for your prayers, support, & love for me. I could not do it without you. I encourage you to continue praying. Your prayers really make a difference in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. You are loved!
        Blessings,
                    Livvy

Prayer points:
  • The next 20 years of YWAM Mazatlan
  • More personal growth & surrender to the Lord
  • all the staff & students being impacted here
  • upcoming Christmas season

    

Contact info:

Phone: 928-856-289

Email: bookwormljc@gmail.com

Ways to Donate:

Venmo: @Livvy-Cutlip

PayPal: @oliviacutlip

Zelle: bookwormljc@gmail.com


interceding for our city

working hard

new growth

perspective 

YWAM Mazatlan's 20th anniversary

future goals

base entrance

Christmas cookies
my favorite things



thankful








 

Sunday, October 27, 2024

October Newsletter


    Well first things first, I want to apologize for not getting out a newsletter in September. With the start of a new quarter on base, my boyfriend coming, & many personal transitions, it completely slipped my mind. I can't promise this one will compensate for it, but I hope it includes you a bit in my life. 
    
    Personally, my life has been so full of blessings, memories, & joyous moments. God is so good & faithful & I can see His hand in everything. There isn't really an update on that, but I do want to share some ministry updates. 
    To start, our base is to continue its work with Oral Mother Translation (OMT). They were with teams from 3 different Indigenous villages translating the Bible orally into their native tongue. They translated several books and are continuing the work. Specifically, the team in Veracruz has begun to do local outreaches to remote villages in the mountains. 
    Another update is from our music department. They just released an album! This is just a glimpse of what our worship times look like. Check out here: Spotify album

    Additionally, I want to share what God is doing in the hearts of the people of Mexico. He is preparing them to experience Him. On Thursday's ministry days, there have been more people who are hungry for the Gospel & who want to follow Him. A revival is coming! Revival means to come back to life or be made new. That is what God has for Mexico. He wants to bring His people back into living lives with Him. In Hebrews 12:4 it says, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Revival is just that: the Word being active in our daily lives. I believe the Church as a whole needs to experience revival. We need to understand the weight of the Gospel & apply it. We are forgiven. Do we act like it? Do we live with a lifestyle of repentance & humility because we know the blood of Jesus has wah us clean? We are sons & heirs. Do we fight to see our Father's kingdom expanded? We are loved. Do we see ourselves and others through that lens of love? These are questions God has been asking me & I want to present them to you as well. These are just some of the great & beautiful truths in the Gospel. When we as believers truly live the truth out, it will naturally affect those around us. I want to be a catalyst for change & transformation in this world. What about you?


Prayer requests: 
  • for revival of the Word in Mazatlan and all of Mexico
  • being intentional with all the new students on base
  • continued growth in revelation and the ministries on base
  • that the global body of Christ will be on fire for the Gospel.

worship buddies

guava fruit

plantains 

my people

meat <3 

fav color

neighbors 

love him

amiga 

peace

fall decorating 



    

 

Friday, October 11, 2024

Little Ramblings: August Newsletter

 


    Starting is the hardest part of anything. That's what I say to myself whenever I sit down to do my newsletters. Sometimes, there is nothing in my brain but still so much to say. So, for this moment I'll just start with the tears I had this morning. I looked back on pictures of my little brothers 2 years ago & got really emotional. There is so much I am missing from being in missions. I think that part sometimes isn't talked about enough. Yes, I'm in a foreign country, obeying God, & seeing Him moving in incredible ways. But, some days are hard. Obeying God isn't easy. Out of nowhere, my heart aches almost more than I can bear. I know I am still in the arms of the Father, but I miss my earthly Dad too. Meeting new people is wonderful, but I miss the people who know me inside & out. This feels so strange but I know it's a part of life. 

    On a different topic, I am doing good. This season has been so filled with growth both spiritually & physically. I love my job being in charge of the gardens. Recently, realized that we have a whole grove of banana trees. There are now 3 bunches of bananas that I am proudly growing. I'll put pictures of them below. I also have a guava, guanabana, papaya, & napal plum plant. It is genuinely so fun to reap the literal fruits of my labor. 

    Also, I had the opportunity to teach original design in the internship classroom earlier this month. I shared how God has uniquely given us different gifts, strengths, & gifts to use for the work of His kingdom. Additionally, if we are continually being recharged by the Holy Spirit, we can more easily pour into other people with the overflow of His love & truth. It was such a sweet time to answer questions & affirm what God was doing in fellow missionaries' lives. I've also had the privilege of pouring into 10-15 students who have been working in my department. We get to pray together every day & clean the base unto the LORD. They are growing so much!

    As you read these updates, please pray for me. When you pray this month, please pray for boldness to share the gospel in all circumstances. I was recently reading Ephesians & chapter 6 verses 19-20 stood out to me. Paul is asking his community to pray for boldness to speak as he ought to. Paul, writer of much of the New Testament. Paul, the one who endured so much for the sake of the gospel. Paul, father of many early churches. He asked for boldness to share the mysteries of the gospel. In all that he did, he remained humble & asked for the simple strength of opening his mouth to give what he had. If we could only do the same, how much more would the life-giving gospel spread. 

    I know this newsletter was filled with ramblings but I want to end with gratitude. I am so thankful for all of you who pray for me & support me in more ways than you could imagine. I continually thank God for the community He has surrounded me with. Every one of you is a beautiful blessing. Thank you! Please enjoy these little glimpses of my life! 

beach picnic

my Annalese is back!

healthy meals

teaching 

my maz

roomies

Russian stuffed pepper

berry dessert

los estudiantes

bunch o' bananas

little grove

Minnesota

visiting my boyfriend

details

the conservatory

my buddies

😜

home 



Sunday, August 4, 2024

Coming & Goings: July Newsletter

 

    What a good & gracious God we serve! This month was filled with travel & lots of adjustments, but also with such sweet times with family, friends, and the LORD. As y'all know, I went home to Flagstaff for the first 2 weeks of July for vacations, time of rest, & reconnnection. It was exactly what I needed! I had so many coffee dates to talk with dear friends about our lives & what God was doing through the good & the bad. Honestly, I learned so much from listening. God was showing me how to lay down my own agenda & let Him lead. As I was talking with my friends, they gently convicted me on many things. Even though this time was for rest, God continued His sanctification process in me. 

   Every time I go home, God reminds me of how much of a blessing my family is. I had sweet times connecting with each one of them. My mom is someone I can go to for wisdom, love, & understanding. My dad & I love connecting over theology & discussing different opinions on the Bible & the world. And, with each of my brothers, I went on a brother-sister date. Now that I live in a different country, I hold onto these precious moments even more. These memories of playing in the rain, getting pizza, going shopping, fishing, and just eating meals together are what sustain me until the next trip when life gets a little hard & I miss the ones I love most. 

    Now that I am back in Mazatlan, I hit the ground running. With the start of a new quarter, there were many leadership tasks I had to catch up on. I trained people, made orders for supplies, & game-planned for the upcoming season. To be honest, it was a lot at first & I overwhelmed myself pretty quickly in the first week. However, after processing with some wise people, I figured out how to help myself in many practical ways. This past week was a lot better & I was able to get into the rhythm once again. I have a wonderful team & I am so expectant for how the LORD is moving in the coming weeks. Please keep me in your prayers!

Prayer requests: 
  • rest & refreshment throughout the day so that I can better serve the people around me
  • comfort when I'm missing loved ones
  • wisdom in how to lead different personalities like Jesus 

P.S. There are so many things I didn't include to save space, time, & mental energy lol. If you want to know more or have questions, please reach out!

Sabrina 

monkey man

clouds

golden rays

my sweet buddy

airport pick-ups

lunch break

grand canyon crew

fam

buddies

wow

painting by the lake

pizza date

fishing buddy

wow. again

see ya laters

yum

enchiladas from El Salvador

Mexican dip 

Impact: June Newsletter

       To be honest, I often get lost in the daily grind of life. The mundane daily tasks and to-do lists fill my head. I’m focused on what ...