I’m going! Here’s why :)

Hi guys! I’m Livia and this is where I will be documenting my life for the next year or so 🙂

I am currently sitting at my kitchen table reflecting on the past few months and how much has changed. I didn’t know a year ago that this is the position I’d be in now, preparing to leave my life here for 9 months. Missions has been something on my heart for a pretty long time now, from about the age of 16. I think one of the things that has drawn me to this type of ministry so much is the part of it that requires surrender. Surrender of your normal life, surrender of the comfortable, surrender of having everything figured out. For me, I think sometimes I can be so focused on what I want, and lose sight of the fact that there is so much need in so many places of the world, even my own country. I don’t know when it began, but I started to develop a serious desire to help people, love on them, make relationships, discover more of the world than the bubble I am used to here at home. There is no doubt in this world that there sadness, grief, loss, and darkness in so many places. But there is also so much hope, love, laughter, and light and God is continuing to work in these places to bring redemption every single day. It is my hope that I could be a part of even a fraction of what he is doing.

Something that has really encouraged me in this decision process was the part in the Bible where Jesus calls his disciples, and they drop everything and follow him, right then and there.

‘As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.’ Matthew 4:18-22

There was no part where they figured out their whole life before they left. No, they simply felt the call, and said yes to Jesus. That is sort of how I view myself in this situation. For a while I was really stuck in the unknown of what I should do in this next year. I am incredibly available, and I don’t know if I would ever be in this position again where I could leave everything to go serve people for months on end. However, I also wrestled with the pressure of college and getting that on paper proof that your life has really begun. It was a very last minute decision for me to go on this mission. But I felt the urge and calling that God was putting on my heart, and like the disciples, I believe this is where I have to surrender my fears and the unknowns and simply say yes and go. I want to live out the call Jesus has put on all of our lives, to go a spread the Gospel everywhere we can. 

I cannot wait to meet more of my brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe. I cannot wait to serve them and learn from them, laugh with them, dance around in circles, care for them and so much more. I cannot wait to learn and experience more about what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. This is one of my biggest dreams and I am just in a place of so much gratitude to the Lord for the way he has orchestrated this opportunity in my life. I am continually reminded each day of how perfect his timing is. 

Fundraising Updates:

I committed to this mission about three weeks ago and am now in the process of preparation and fundraising. I will not lie that this has caused me to have to have more faith in God than I ever have before. It is a lot of money that I have to raise, and I don’t have a ton of time. But I am in the process of truly finding faith and confidence in God that he will show up if this is where he is calling me. Each day, I can feel him refining my faith and trust in him. We are currently 12% funded!! That leaves me with $17,067 left to raise. Thank you to those of you who have supported me financially. The thing I love most about this, is that this is a way for so many people to be a part of this mission. We might not be able to change the whole world and solve all the problems, but man can God move with anything. The testimonies I’ve heard from other missionaries are life changing. God is so big, and I just love him more and more each day for that.

Prayer Requests:
I am finding more in this how powerful prayer is. If I am being completely honest, prayer is where I have lacked the most in my spiritual journey. But as I have started to find reliance on God, I have discovered that my words to him hold so much power. And he listens. To every word, breath, and tear. It can be scary to leave for so long and not really be able to fully prepare emotionally. So right now that is my biggest prayer request. Especially with my last minute decision, prayers for preparation, both physically and emotionally, would mean the world. I would also ask that you prayer for my fundraising journey and that God would continue to provide, just like he has already been doing. This is only the beginning, but I can already see glimpses of God’s sovereignty over my life and it is just the coolest thing.

Thank you all for being so supportive. I have never done anything like this ever in my life, but I am just so excited to see how God is going to move in this next season. I can’t wait to have you all alongside me as well. 

If you are wondering what the picture above represents, here’s a little explanation:

I took this photo a few years ago when I had gone to some national parks in Utah. I had seen a ton of these rock formations that people had made but never had this thought until now. If you think about it, that structure would not be able to stand if even one of those rocks wasn’t placed right. I feel like this is a beautiful picture of the way God orchestrates our lives. We might not understand all the time why he puts us in different positions, but the art that he is creating behind the scenes is absolutely amazing. Our lives an be a reflection of his glory. It is just so beautiful how he works. I am simply in awe of him. 

Stay tuned for more blogs to be posted soon 🙂 Subscribe if you would like to be notified!

– Liv