Join me!

Hello to all of my beloved friends and family! I hope this letter finds you well, and that God would continue to bless you with joy, peace, wisdom, and provision in every situation. To share an update about myself and 24/7, I write to you in this letter.

(In Lima, Peru some orphanage staff and my Twenty-Four Seven missions team poses for a picture)

Ever since God placed a passion for Japan in my heart, I have pursued His call to missions, and Twenty-Four Seven School of Ministry (24/7) has been the perfect place to prepare myself. To equip young men and women with a healthy Christian lifestyle is the school's main focus. The program facilitates rapid growth physically, socially, spiritually, and mentally to prepare for any type of ministry or leadership to which God may call someone and equips him or her for a healthy Christian lifestyle. Through classes, leadership training, church interning, mission trips, team building, serving, and workouts, 24/7 has allowed me to grow toward my highest potential. God has also blessed me with additional opportunities through 24/7 to serve in the area of missions and outreach in an administrative capacity. Last spring I also had the privilege to go to Peru, my first international mission trip. The Peru trip blessed not only those to whom we ministered, but also the whole team, myself included. For all of the support given to make my Peru trip a reality and to prepare myself for missions in Japan through Twenty-Four Seven, I am eternally grateful!  I love that I get to put into practice what God teaches me and want to extend a big THANK YOU to all of you who have given support both financially and through your prayers.

Many Twenty-Four Seven alumni move on build up the church through their own missions’ ministries after graduation. One such student, A.C. Black turned her desire for helping harmed women into an organization, called I AM MORE THAN (I AM >). This passionate woman of God desires to share God's love and truth, as well as practical rehabilitation, education, and housing with abused girls that had been victims of the sex trafficking that runs rampant in Uganda, Africa. These abused young women have lost sight of their true value and beauty. It is Miss Black’s mission to cleanse the world of slavery and “restore hope, freedom, and faith” to these victims. In May 24/7 will launch a team to serve for two weeks to help support her organization. I eagerly anticipate what God has in store as we plant seeds for salvation and offer love and support to Miss Black and those she serves.

I so look forward to pursuing my passion for missions through my upcoming trip to Uganda! Through partners like you, I trust God will provide the prayer and financial support that I need to make this calling a reality. The spiritual atmosphere is very dark there, so please lift up the nation and pray for God’s light to pierce the locals’ hearts. Pray for this ministry, for the individuals susceptible to human trafficking, and for God’s protection over us in our travels. We hope to help spread His hope in their nation and empower I AM > for greater ministry in the future. Please join with me, as I go "into all the world to preach the gospel" (Matt. 28:19-20) and offer help to the people of Uganda. Before I can go, I must raise $2000 and would appreciate your support. All donations are tax-deductible. To make donating easy, I have provided a quick link to follow with simple instructions.

http://247.baysidecommunity.org /get-involved/donate Next to “To donate to 24/7 …” click “click here” Create an account (verify through e-mail); Enter basic personal information Click the green “Select” next to your name Select “Catherine Leivonen” as the student; Choose an amount from the dropdown menu Submit your billing information; Click “Submit Form(s)” Verify that you have received an e-mail receipt for your tax-deductible donation!

 

Donations by check can be made payable to Bayside Community Church and sent to the church address (15800 SR 64 $, Bradenton, FL 34212), with Catherine Leivonen 24/7 on the memo line. I greatly appreciate your support for this trip. If you would like additional information about A.C. Black’s ministry, her website, www.IAMMORETHAN.com provides some testimonies, trafficking statistics, and more. For those of you interested in learning more about my school, Twenty Four Seven School of Ministry in Bradenton, FL, go to: 247.baysidecommunity.org.

Thank you so much for your love, prayer, and support!

Catherine Leivonen Sincerely,

Preview weekend

This past Friday and Saturday, Twenty-Four Seven held its first Preview Weekend of this year. About 10 students came locally and from out-of-state to experience a sampling of what Twenty-Four Seven is all about. Those who attended had the opportunity to catch a sneak peek of some of the programs main elements like classes, chapels, team building, and home-sponsors.

For the small registration fee of $50 students got to experience a lot, and the money was well worth it for them. Upon arrival, each attendee received a specially designed T-shirt, a personalized nametag, a sample rule book, and more. Plus Twenty-Four Seven provided every meal for the weekend and a place to stay for out-of-towners. Should any prospective students decide to join Twenty-Four seven and apply by the end of the following week, the $50 goes toward their tuition, and they receive a $500 discount.

(my team with our special visitors next to our huge bonfire at Chris's dad's!)

During their time with Twenty-Four Seven, all of the participants get divided and place onto one of the existing four Twenty-Four teams with current students for team time, team prayer, and other team building activities. Thus they can build relationships while sampling the program. On Friday night, we had team time, which was a huge blast! After free bowling, we all carpooled for a bonfire and wing night at a Cadre’s local parent’s house. Everyone had a lot of fun, and I loved talking with our guests about their hopes, dreams, and interests.

Because I visited my cousin's snapshot weekend and his ministry school, and joined Twenty-Four Seven, I can personally testify to how life-changing and amazing is this kind of experience. I can’t wait for the next one in April! If you’re interested in visiting me or just want to come learn more about Twenty-Four Seven, please sign up online. We hope to meet a lot more people at the next Preview Weekend.

247.baysidecommunity.org/prospective/preview-weekend

A declaration of love

At the beginning of each month, Bayside Community Church holds a special week night service specifically for believers, with communion and extended worship. This month the First Wednesday service contained an open full-immersion water baptism. Twenty-Four Seven students got to help set up the pools, and on the night of, almost 30 people got baptized. It was such an awesome night!

Water baptism is a great public declaration of one's devotion to Christ. When I was young, I got baptized without knowing the depth of its meaning. Luckily, last year I had the opportunity to get baptized again at Bayside as a first year after growing in my faith and love for Jesus. Even though I didn't get to watch the baptism service this year, several other students from Twenty-Four Seven got baptized and I heard several amazing stories about other Bayside members. I am so glad that God blessed me with the wonderful chance to open doors for so many to have such a memorable night.