Family, Rest & Healing - March Newsletter

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:1-3

Hello friends and family,

Greetings from America! After spending three weeks traveling around Thailand with Makayla’s mom and sister, we decided to head back to the states a little early and catch a flight back with them. It was such a fun time to get to show them the beautiful nation God has allowed us to serve in and see them experience Thai culture for the first time. We were especially grateful for the extra help with Hudson during the flights.

From Makayla: As you may know, Erik and I are expecting baby #2! We can’t wait to meet our baby in June!! After much prayer, we decided it was best for our family to head back to the states for this birth. You might recall that Hudson had to be born via an emergency c-section, something that we weren’t at all prepared for and frankly found quite traumatic. The hospitals in Thailand aren’t comfortable with me trying for a VBAC, and my only option is to have a repeat c-section or travel 12 hours away to Bangkok to attempt a VBAC in one of just two hospitals that even allow it in all of Thailand. But success rates are low due to it not being a commonly practiced method. So to avoid the immediate and lifelong complications that can occur with a repeat c-section, we believe it’s the wisest thing for my health in the long run to return for baby’s birth as well as to have the full support of our family during my postpartum period. We intend to fly back to Thailand to continue ministry once baby is old enough to fly. I’ve already found the most wonderful Midwife this week and will be interviewing doulas soon. Praise God! Please join our family in prayer for a successful VBAC and redemptive birth 💛 And for a healthy postpartum season full of rest and healing.

From Erik: I want to share a brief personal update and invite you to pray with me in this next season while I’m in the States.

Over the years, I’ve come to recognize that I experienced trauma at a young age that has continued to affect parts of my life and ministry. After nearly four years serving on the mission field, I sense the Lord leading me into a focused season of healing, growth, and deeper formation with Him so that I can continue serving Him with greater health and longevity. So while Makayla is prepping for the safest possible pregnancy, labour and delivery, I will also be using this time very intentionally.

Because of the trauma I experienced at a very young age, I will be stepping away for three months to participate in a program called HopeQuest. This will be a time set apart to seek the Lord intentionally, pursue healing, and allow Him to heal and refine areas of my life that need renewal. My desire is not to step back from ministry permanently, but to grow in the ways necessary to continue serving faithfully and sustainably into the future. Makayla and I plan to enter back into ministry after the program finishes and baby is born. We are praying for this time in the states to be full of rest, healing, joy and growth as a family.

I am deeply grateful for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support. If you would, please pray that this season would be marked by honesty before the Lord, meaningful growth, and lasting transformation.

Thank you for walking alongside our family. I look forward to sharing more in the future as God continues His work. We also hope to see many of you as we spend the next several months in America.

Blessings,

— The Gonzalez Family

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Prayer Requests

🙏 Thank you for praying for us! <3

• 2027 YWAM Trang Trang DTS – Please begin praying for our next DTS: the right students, speakers, staff, and a God-led schedule.

• Family & Friends in the States – Pray for encouragement, provision, and ongoing connection with those who support and love us. Ask that they would continue to grow in their love for God and missions.

• Our Marriage – Pray that our relationship with one another, and with the Lord, would continue to deepen in intimacy, maturity, and joy.

• Baby # 2 – Pray for a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.

• Personal Spiritual Growth – Pray for continued growth in humility, maturity, discipline, and Christlikeness.

• Strength and Perseverance for Erik – Pray for endurance and grace as he walks through a unique season of stretching and growth. Pray for his time away at HopeQuest.

• Spiritual Awakening in Thailand – Pray that many would turn to Jesus. Specifically lift up the city of Trang for transformation and lasting fruit.

• Hudson – Pray for grace, wisdom, and patience as we raise Hudson with this aim: to love and fear God and enjoy Him forever.

• Team Unity – Ask God to strengthen our team in Thailand in humility, love, and unity, and oneness of mind.

• Spiritual Warfare – Pray for our family as we are in a season of growing and stretching. Pray against the schemes of the enemy who would want to bring fear regarding Makayla’s labour and birth. Pray against discouragement for Erik.

• OTM (Outreach Teams) – Pray that we would host teams well back in Thailand, and that their hearts would be awakened to God’s global purposes, leading to lifelong obedience and engagement in His mission.

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Life/Ministry Updates

Baby #2 Update

Right now I am 24 weeks along. Baby is looking healthy and growing so much each day. We’ve found a wonderful midwife who is so supportive of a VBAC and will be looking to interview doulas soon. This is a huge answer to prayer as it can be difficult to find a midwife this far along, let alone one who will accept my insurance. But God completely took care of us by providing someone in the next town over from us.

I’m working through a natural birth course in my free time and making sure I stay active and practice my “Spinning Babies” techniques. We can’t wait to welcome the next member of our family at the end of June. 💛

Smooth Flights

Praise God we experienced a relatively easy flight over to America. This was a big source of anxiety for Erik and I given our last experience when Hudson was one. Let’s just say it didn’t go well 😅 But this time was so much better and we even found an FAA approved car seat for a great price in Bangkok! The Lord truly took care of all the little details of our travel.

Outreach Teams

While Erik and I are away in the states, our YWAM team back in Trang are still working hard at local ministry and creating relationships with Buddhists and Muslims alike. They are preparing to host a family interested in long term missions as well as a team coming in April-May. When we have teams visit, they partner with us in Trang through mercy ministry, evangelism, and practical service projects throughout our communities.

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Important Message for Friends and Family

Thank you for reading this months newsletter and for keeping our family in your prayers. We are so grateful for your support - whether financial, emotional, or through intercession.

Erik and I look forward to this new season we’re in as we prepare to welcome baby #2 and Erik focuses on healing and growth. Please know that during the next three months, Erik will be away from all media and his phone. If you need to message him, please consider contacting me through the numbers below. I will also occasionally check his emails for any important messages.

This is a special time for him to truly unplug from the world and be with the Lord. We appreciate your prayers and love, and hope to see many of you while we’re in the States :)

Blessings,

The Gonzalez family

Email: erik@ywamtrang.org

WhatsApp: Erik +66 098 226 6648

WhatsApp: Makayla +66 092 251 8509

Mobile Phone: Makayla 1(509) 202-5026

Financial Update (Monthly)

Recurring support: $2,000

Monthly costs: $2,300

Have any questions?

We'd love to hear from you. Comment below or reply directly to this email.

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