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Coming Home & What Is Next
home is a funny concept to me. because for me often times home is not a place but a people. but also home is where Jesus is (i literally have a tattoo on my body to remind myself of that & my call to missions of course). but going home is a funny thing.
on one hand i feel like i’m leaving the first PLACE that has felt like home, and the people that feel so much like home and carry the holy spirit with them in everything.
but closing these five months i have recognized that home is the place that Jesus is. and for the next two months home means tigard, oregon because thats where I will be.
if i could put into a few words my entire experience of my discipleship training school, i would say: stretching, intimate & priming.
stretching meaning that i was stretched and challenged in areas that i needed to be, areas that would prepare me for the season ahead of me. stretched in my ability to speak a language i don’t know, to learn a culture i’m not from, to live with 50 other people. stretching.
intimate because it’s what God taught me the most. what God spoke to my heart the most. how incredibly valuable my intimate moments with the Lord are. how to cherish those, how to hold them close.
priming because i feel like in one way or another the Father painted this coat of primer over me. realigned my heart with His. so now with this new coat of white paint He’s waiting to dream and head into all of His promises with me. priming because i feel like i’m in a season of simpleness but not complacency. where God was pruning me and resettling me for this season to come.
i want to share some things about my outreach, two months in a different area of Mexico. growing and sharing the gospel. just some testimonies, they’re pretty cool.
a moment that marked my heart was when we were in little mountain villages in the state of Nayarit. my team spent a week with the people called the Wicholes, these people give you everything they have even if it’s not a lot, these people love their music, and they are deeply hungry for the gospel.
one of the days our team was praying for what to do for the church service for that day, and we landed on this idea of doing small groups of men and women after the short sermon one of our teammates would give. While we were in these small groups, Leslie, one of my teammates, asked a question. She said “who of you believe you have heard Gods voice” or “have you ever heard the voice of God” or something along those lines. And none of the women said yes. I think as missionaries it broke our hearts, but we pushed farther. We continued the conversation. We continued to talk and pray with them. And I can’t say that any groundbreaking thing happened in that place, but what I can say is that we planted seeds. We talked to them about what it looks like to hear from God, to know God personally. And sometimes in missions that is how it works, some people plant seeds, some people water them, and some people harvest. It was truly an honor to be able to plant those seeds so that future missionaries and the pastor of their little village could water and eventually harvest the seeds of salvation.
I have a million more testimonies, my teammates have a million more testimonies of how God used us to be His hands and feet on the earth to every person we encountered. Those testimonies will come out in time, when they Holy Spirit wants them to be shared.
Now, what’s next for me is a question you might be asking.
I am very excited to announce that I am in the process of applying and raising support to be on full time staff for YWAM San Diego Baja at the “San Antonio Del Mar”, Tijuana Campus.
If you are interested in supporting me in prayer or finances please reach out to me.
I’m still in the process of prayerfully asking God what ministry He wants me to work in for this upcoming season, but once I know - you will too.
For the next two months I be at home in Oregon, working, resting and raising support and then the week of April 19th my housemates and I will start our drive down to Tijuana, Mexico to start the staff onboarding training in May 3rd.
Another question you might be asking is, how do you know you are called into missions full time?
Two years ago on a home build in Tijuana, Mexico God called me to missions. He said “Ellie you have keys to the kingdom and your job is to give them to people.” Since then I have followed His voice as He led me into missions.
Throughout this season, God has reaffirmed my call into missions so many times, through leaders, through friends, and through random people.
As I was in the airport heading out of this season and heading back to Oregon for a short season, Jesus spoke to my heart and said “Ellie you miss it because this is what you were made for.” Simply just another confirmation that I’m called into this long term.
Why Long Term Missions?
I really believe that Jesus lived long term missions and He calls us to the same thing. In the great commission Jesus calls us to “disciple the nations” and discipling is not something that happens over night. Discipling comes with walking beside people for seasons, day in and day out. There’s also a beauty in seeing development and being able to water seeds of salvation that were already instilled in people.
There’s so much more I wish I could say, and those words will come soon enough. But for now that’s all. Thank you for supporting me and walking with me through this season. May God Bless you.
02/13/21
Weeks of preperation
While I was cleaning the Defender building this week I was listening to a podcast by Jonathan David & Melissa Helser about Worship Leading they said something very impactful: "spontaneity is the product of preperation." I believe that it is so easy to try and create the spontaneous moments, but spontaneous moments are more full and beautiful when they are led by the Spirit.
These past weeks have been filled with preperation for Outreach. Practicing skits, reviewing culture in the areas we are going and chasing after the heart of the Father for our team. But this preperation, although it can be tiring or boring, is preparing us for Outreach so we can live and be in the spontaneous moments that the Holy Spirit leads us into.
For me, these weeks have been filled with life but also anxiety. I'm learning in every season how to give God the control and allow Him to work. The crazy thing about Outreach is that no one really knows what is going on (lol). Although that is quite difficult to walk in uncertianty, God is constantly providing and keeping us safe. When I was in Minnesota for a confrence last year one of the speakers said "We are called to live in the Mark Twain, the area of the Ocean where safe waters meet unsafe waters." In these moments of anxiety, worry or stress God is constantly reminding me of that picture; living in the area where the safe waters collide with the unsafe waters.
We have about two weeks until we leave for outreach but many on my team are still missing most of the money they owe for Outreach. We still need roughly $18,000 for my entire team to be able to go on Outreach. The money that is due also has a pretty daunting deadline, tomorrow. In my school we also have 3 other outreach teams going to different areas in Mexico (Cancun, Mexico City, & Baja). These teams also owe money - anywhere from $5,500-15,000. So in this last day we are praying for a miracle, a great deliverance of close to $30,000 so we can see our friends embark on this huge outreach adventure to disciple the nations.
Our school saw a miracle happen during our lecture phase. We needed $10,000 for everyone in our school to pay of their lecture and we saw $10,000 be provided in 20 minutes. And we know a God that provides and delivers, so we are praying for deliverance and a miracle.
& we would love if you would partner with us. Pray with us and support if you feel led.
11/28/2020
OUTREACH TEAM!
ACTS 2 - to be united in prayer and in the Father.
My teams biggest prayer for this season.
Outreach is a HUGE part of DTS and I am so excited to announce that my team is going to the states of Nayarit, Jalisco and Michoacán!
This team is fired up for God and sharing the gospel! The team has been preparing for Outreach and will continue to prepare in the coming week. We believe God will be so faithful in this upcoming season whether we are in the big cities or the small villages God is going to use us to reach people!
Through Christs' Eyes
There's a certian life changing beauty in humans that support your soul. People that come around you to champion and love you like none other. That's what life is like here.
People who love the Lord, championing each other in the name of Jesus. And it is truly a beautiful thing. To see people love and fight for one another is beautiful. To see a friend/family member/stranger in the way that God sees them truly changes the game. Changes lives, instead of viewing one another in the eyes of the world, viewing one another through the eyes of the savior; LIFE CHANGING.
To see one another as:
beloved sons and daughters of the Most High
seen and known by God
people set on mission by God
brothers and sisters in Christ
world changers
who they are to become in Jesus
TRULY LIFE CHANGING.
Asking the Father to change your heart for those that have wronged you, broken your trust, hurt you or simply those that just push your buttons sometimes.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING BECAUSE GOD TRULY WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART FOR THOSE PEOPLE.
You might not see it right away, but God will slowly or quickly move your heart.
11/14/20
Beauty in Obedience
Obedience is something God calls us into as Chrsitians. How we live our lives, how and when we share the gospel, etc. The act of obedience and its place in our lives is written all throughout the bible.
We see it in:
James 1:22 - "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
John 14:23 - "Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching."
1 John 2:17 - "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
Matthew 7:24 - “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Proverbs 10:17 - “Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.”
Verses about discipline and obedience are coved over the bible. Romans 12:2 says " Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." The will of God is "good, pleasing and perfect" and when we walk in obedience we see the fruit of that obedience.
In YWAM (Youth With A Mission), we are continually learning how to hear the voice of God and are learning how to follow His voice and walk in obedience. Life in missions is all about evangelism and going where God calls. It's about walking in obedience when God tells you to go pray for someone, it's about walking in obedience when God gives you a vision or a dream, it's about walking in obedience when you are called to serve. Simply, it's all about walking in obedience in every area and aspect of life. And its not only about life in missions, it's how all Christians are called to walk; in obedience. Since I am in a DTS (discipleship training school) with YWAM I have had the ability to walk in a lot of obedience but something that happened this morning marked my heart so deeply. This morning a team and I had the ability to lead worship for our school. As a band we prepared and practiced and prayed over the time we were going to have in worship. Something God has been revealing to me in this season is the gifts He's given me and how to truly go where He has called and to be obedient in that. I've led worship at my home church in Portland for the past four years and leading worship is something God placed on my heart when I was in middle school, maybe even as early as elementary school. But this morning leading worship was very different, it was a way of worship that I've expereinced before but not many times. It was worship that was fully spirit led. Worship that came from obedience to what the Spirit wanted to do in the room. And what a beautiful thing that is. Worship that came from an outpouring of Gods love and mercy for us. Worship that came from a place of being in such intimate relationship with the Father. It was a morning of God breaking chains, healing hearts and reminding us of how deeply He loves us.
Truly it is the most beautiful thing. That we are able to be in relationship with the Father, Son & Spirit. And as a worship leader I'm contuing to learn how deeply important intimacy with God is. Beacause when we know His character (reading the bible), we can hear His voice so clearly because we know the tone of His voice. When we know His character, we know How He speaks. He's a good good Father, a good friend, a good protector, a good provider, a good healer, and the list goes on. But one thing we know for sure. He is so good, yesterday, today and forever.
11/05/2020
To summarize... (the past six weeks)
I never would have thought that I would feel so at home in a different country. I never would have thought that I could fall more in love with Jesus and His heart for His people. I never would have thought that I would live next to the Ocean and see the beauty of the Creator everyday. But that’s exactly what has happened these past six weeks.
Home. Such a sacred word. Such a sacred picture. Such a sacred feeling. Home is wherever Jesus is. But I’m learning that home can also be a place. A place where the hand of God is so prevalent in His people. Psalm 27:13 has been a verse that the God has been pressing on my heart. “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” (CSB). Truly a desire of my heart. And something that I’ve seen so clearly in these past six weeks. By living in community I’ve seen the heart of the Father for community. By doing local outreach I’ve seen the heart of the Father for children in orphanages, for people in La Playas of Tijuana, for people in the streets of Ensenada. To see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living - what a gift.
The Ocean. A place that for as long as I can remember I’ve connected with the Father. The Ocean echos of the love and grace that pours out of the Fathers heart. In this season the Ocean has been such a gift. A place to do ministry (La Playas de Tijuana). A place to grow in community (Playa Blanca - closest beach to our base). A place to experience the Father. Every time I go to the Ocean I am in awe, every time the Holy Spirit moves. But one time specifically gave me a greater revelation of who the Father is. Our school leader and out speaker for the week, Omar Gallo, took our entire class to the beach. He had been talking about how the Bible is this love letter from God to us, how it should be read as a love letter, interpreted as a love letter, experienced as a love letter. So he took us to the beach, told us to read Psalm 27 and then encouraged us to write our own Psalm/Song/Love Letter to God. A life changing experience to say the least. It made me fall more in love with the Creator and also revealed more of the giftings He has given me.
Worship. I believe worship is a gifting the Father has given me. A heart for worship and the ability to create a space for the Father to move in hearts, souls and minds. The school that I’m in has a ton of really talented musicians and vocalists and the ability to walk with them and lead worship with them has been the greatest gift. A special thing about my classmates is how they champion the love of the Father in all things. In worship, prayer, sports, meals, etc. It is so clear how deeply they are pursuing the heart of God for not only themselves but also their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Miracles. We are a people that wholeheartedly believes in miracles and a few weeks ago we got to see a whole miracle unravel before our eyes. We sat in class, waiting for our intercession time to begin. And our leaders believed that we were called to intercede on behalf of our classmates that had not yet received their full tuition for their DTS. They rolled a whiteboard to the front of the class that listed all of the students and the money they owed as well as the grand total. In total, it was roughly $10,000. As we prayed many felt led to donate. Many families donated. And those who hadn’t felt led to give prayed or communicated to their family and friends about the need for finances. But as we prayed we started to see the grand total go down by hundreds and then suddenly it went down by thousands. In less than 30 minutes we saw the grand total reach $0. It was crazy to say the least. A miracle unfold right in front of our eyes. Jesus is so faithful. Dan Bauman, one of our speakers told us this “If its Gods will, it’s His bill.” Which means where God guides, He will also provide. A crazy cool word from Dan. The encouragement that many of us needed.
It’s very difficult to sum up six weeks into a blog post. There’s still more to come. Thank you for reading.
11/01/2020
life in photos
