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I feel totally spoiled today! The girls at the base here sure know the way to this heart. They took me out for one last hoorah at a local coffee shop. I was so blessed that they took time out of their busy schedules to take me out. I almost cried…

Then I got to visit a local boy’s home. The main attraction seemed to be my friend Angelica’s belly. She due in July with her first baby. She always had a crowd. They were convinced that she had taken one of their balls and placed it under her shirt. Soon they were walking around with basketballs tucked under their shirts! I played soccer, held a little one, prayed for the healing of a boy who was hit by a car a couple months ago, and talked/prayed with the women who runs the home. It was beautiful! I’m so grateful. These are the moments when I ask myself, “is this really my job?”

“At every tea-table you see it. Why is tea poured into that cup? Because it is empty, and given up for the tea. But put ink, or vinegar, or wine into it, and will they pour the tea into the vessel? And can God fill you, can God bless you, if you are not absolutely surrendered to Him? He cannot.”

-excerpt from Absolute Surrender, by Andrew Murray

One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to make friends around the world. These are a couple of the friends I have made here during my time in Mexico!! I am so grateful.

We took one of the girls out for her birthday to a local spa. I got my first ever pedicure. I loved it, and love my shiny toes. It’s good to be a girl.

S aying goodbye to my ways
U nderstanding His intentions
R emembering giving my life to Him
R ights- letting go
E mbracing His ways
N o more independence
D ying to self
E njoying the freedom of letting go
R esting in who He is!

While there are multiple reasons for me coming to Mexico. One of the biggest reasons is to force me to get away from all my little distractions and really wait upon the Lord. Sometimes in a fast pace culture and ministry it’s easy to avoid the One I need the most. Thanks to this trip and the swine flu (being quarantined this past weekend), I have finally stopped for more than a simple devotion, and given the Lord the freedom to “create in me a pure heart,” once again. I must say that the biggest theme has been surrender. I just don’t get it. At salvation, I gave Him my whole life. Yet, somehow I slowly begin to take back the life I once gave Him so freely. So this has been a time of the Lord pulling back the covers of my heart, and showing me what truly lies there. Not without some wresting, I have laid down my “rights” once again. He is restoring in me “the joy of my salvation.” I am so grateful!

Recommended meditation: Psalm 51

YWAM Gualalajara just finished it’s first ever 24 hours of prayer! It was a great success. In looking through the journal, it’s amazing to see the consistency in what God is speaking to this base. The staff seem refreshed from the opportunity and reminder to return to our 1st love. I was also asked to share at a corporate time some testimony of how I have personally seen prayers answered. We all know how I love to tell a good story… 🙂

Some major themes were…
1. more worship
2. more of the Holy Spirit
3. a desire for the supernatural
4. a challenge for integrity and purity
5. John 15-abiding in the Vine that we may bear much fruit!

“God is after us,” I thought as I walked to my room the other night. I have been serving at YWAM Guadalajara for a little over a week now. This base is a bee-hive. They are excellent at connecting and networking, and host many conferences. Their facilities are really quite amazing. Last weekend they ran a weekend retreat for teenagers. On the schedule was a parents retreat this weekend, and a international conference for all of next week.

Interesting, I thought. Personally I have been in a season of God stripping away things. Somehow in the busyness of serving God, parts of my identity began to rest in what I was doing and not my Creator. The process of refining has been hot and uncomfortably at times. Nonetheless, I see the worth in it, that I may learn to be content in any and every circumstance, just as Paul did.

As I have had the privilege of traveling this year, I am seeing a pattern of God doing this in His Body. He’s taking from us the things we are able to do apart from him. Yesterday morning, I had a conversation about our identity resting in what we do, then I stepped into a prayer meeting. This very thing came up. Base leaders here confessed their adequacies in getting things done, and lack of taking the time to worship and prayer. I didn’t say a word. Later that day, as we scrubbed floors preparing for next week, word came saying that the speaker for the conference canceled. Stripped once again.

In much wisdom the base leaders decided to have a prayer/worship time last night. I felt so touched by the Spirit as I watched cries go up for revival in Mexico as the day turned to night. Desperation. It wasn’t too different from every night of last year, as I would look around the room on the corner of 2nd and Pennsylvania Ave. in DC to see my friends/teammates going before the King on behalf of our nation. A little Mexican Rumble*, I guess?

In the afternoon, I had a great conversation with a girl here. When she left the room I thought maybe we should try and do 24/7 prayer this weekend? I mentioned it to her. She got excited. Then this morning at the prayer meeting, another girl with no knowledge of our conversation suggested it. They’ve never done this sort of thing here before!

They have a great prayer room that sits untouched. I have a feeling soon the walls with echo with the prayers of His Saints! He is after us, pursuing us. He’s removing the things that hinder us from him, even the “good” things. We have a jealous lover.

*Rumble- what we called our nightly corporate prayer meetings in DC

1. my salvation- receiving an inheritance I could never earn
2. my adoption- receiving an identity I could never achieve
3. parents who love me and the Lord with all their hearts
4. Sarah, Sam, and Josh- truly the world best siblings, who I would gladly pick and I honestly enjoy
5. my 24th year, probably the most emotional year of my life, filled with abundant joy as well as many tears
6. freedom- the reward of really going deep
7. my job- how often i ask, is this really my job?
8. my trip to Israel- life changing.
9. the Remnant- my other family, are there words to express how my heart feels?
10. lessons learned
11. fresh revelation- “the truth shall set you free”
12. flowers on my birthday
13. friends all over the world
14. “remember when’s?”
15. extravagant provision
16. unconditional love
17. redemption
18. the future
19. the journey
20. the cutest nieces and nephews EVER!
21. laughing until my stomach hurts- abundant joy
22. forgiveness
23. the cross
24. the Holy Spirit, who touches me deeper than anyone else can
25. LIFE! 25 full years

May this life continue to be fully lived, that I might draw others to this extra-ordinary love I experience. This is my prayer.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalm 126:2

So what am I doing here? I felt coming to Guadalaja was a good idea for a few reasons. I have been wanting to visit my good friends here for awhile. I see the value in experiencing other YWAM bases, as the focuses and values of bases can vary to some degree. I will be serving here, to learn and see the way this base functions. I also wanted to come to a new environment to seek the Lord for further direction in my life. Over the past few months, the Lord has been high-lighting some of the ways I love to serve Him. In regards to my future plans, I want to wait on Him. When I read about Jesus’ ministry I see that He not only responded to needs, He responded to the Spirit’s leading. I want my ministry to be what God has breathed upon. I will be here for a few weeks. I counted the days of my trip, and it is 25, which is interesting considering I will enter my 25th year while here. Will you pray for my time here? If so, please pray for a new level of intimacy with the Lord, greater freedom, clarity, direction, and divine opportunities to be a blessing. I feel blessed to have this opportunity to get away with the Lord, and want to receive every good gift my Father has. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. BE BLESSED!

After saying my goodbyes to DC,

I’m off to Mexico for a few weeks!