Dear friends and family,
Another month has passed by with both its blessings and difficulties. First of all, I want to say that I am so grateful to live in Tijuana, Mexico. It has been such an indescribable blessing to serve on full time staff at Calvary Rosarito church. Thank you to those of you who follow me and keep me in your prayers.
The month of September brought a few fun events to Calvary Rosarito! On the 15th, our church put on a Mexican Independence Day celebration! I had such a great time going and being immersed in the traditional side of Mexico. They had mariachi, folklorico, and of course, lots of food!
Throughout the month it was also a blessing to be able to visit my friends and family in California! Everytime I visit my church in Yorba Linda I get so energized and excited to be around that church family. Being around like-minded people pursuing the Lord’s call to missions is such a joy for me. I also was blessed to visit my cousin and grandparents again and spend some time with them on that trip.
Connecting Through Language
In other news, I’m continuing to grow in my Spanish abilities, praise God! I hung out at the beach with one of the ladies from our life group and it was such a beautiful time! We listened to each other share about God’s grace and love in our lives through various difficult circumstances. It was so encouraging to hear her heart of love and gratitude towards our Savior. What a blessing it was to connect during our conversation, especially in the language of this country! Language can be such a discouraging barrier when moving to a foreign country, so I’m so grateful the Lord has grown me a lot in this area.
The Hiding Place
A day later I got to close off September by attending an amazing women’s retreat with our church! The theme of this year’s retreat was called, “My Hiding Place.” The passage of Scripture we studied that weekend was Psalm 32. David wrote this psalm after he had confessed to God his sin with Bathsheba. It is a psalm that shows us how to enter the Hiding Place, which is the Lord. When you confess your sins to God and repent, you are making Him your hiding place. I walked away from that retreat super encouraged and affirmed in God’s forgiveness towards me! But I also left feeling so much freedom and peace inside after forgiving someone else I had struggled with bitterness towards for too much time. In that retreat, the women and I learned about forgiveness and that when we bring our struggles to the Lord, we are hiding ourselves in Him. Forgiveness is the key into the Hiding Place.
“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.”
– Psalm 32:10 –
Open Doors!
The month of September also brought some amazing news for Japan! As I have mentioned in previous updates, I am planning to go with a team on a 2-week vision tour to Japan. For a while we were praying and waiting for Japan to fully open to foreign travelers. And a few weeks ago they finally did! Though the team had originally been hoping to do the trip this year, due to the reopening taking longer than expected to happen, they are now planning a trip in the Spring of 2023. Lordwilling, I will be going for 2 weeks in April next year so please pray for the provisions and preparations that will go into that trip. If the Lord puts it on your heart to help support my trip financially, I have a secure giving link at the bottom of this page! I would love to talk more about this trip with you and if you have any questions about it, please feel free to reach out to me!
That’s about it for this month’s update! Thank you so much for supporting me and reading these newsletters! I love you all so much, I’m excited to share more with you about what the Lord does in the following months. May God bless you as you make Him your Hiding Place💛
Sincerely,
Lydia Boubion
Praise Reports!
- I had a refreshing time at the women’s retreat
- Japan is fully open to foreign travelers again
- I got to visit my family and friends
Prayer Requests:
- For my move to California in a few months (housing, job, etc.)
- That I would find a good mentor to confide in and receive godly counsel from
- For my remaining time with my family and church in Mexico (that I would finish my commitments well and enjoy the time I have left living with my family)
