Last summer our family of four embarked on a new chapter in our lives as we arrived with great anticipation at YWAM Tyler, ready to begin family missions training. We came with no expectations - just a willingness to learn and grow in our faith. Now, I can look back and say we made the best decision for our family by taking that leap of faith. During our five months of training we grew closer to God and to one another, as our marriage and family relationships were strengthened. We now have God in the center of our family’s life, where He belongs!
My husband and I were students in Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS), while our children participated in a discipleship program called Family Sync School. Family Sync is designed specifically for the school-aged children of DTS students, with the goal of discipling and training the whole family for missions. As parents, we really appreciated the intentional synchronization between these two schools. Because we were all being taught the same topics, we were able to talk about and process our learning together with our kids. The children were also able to apply what they learned during the week as they went on local community outreach days, which proved to be a great training-ground for them. And it wasn’t all just work! There were fun days and lots of games for them as well, ensuring they thoroughly enjoyed their class.The leaders of Family Sync were amazing with the children. Their passion for families was obvious, and the kids benefited so much from this. By the time the three month lecture phase was over, the kids were well prepared for the interstate and international family missions trip, which comprised our two month "outreach phase".
Our 12 and 10 year olds had both grown hugely in their faith and were motivated to share the Lord with others as we stepped into a new culture. The outreach leaders were very intentional about including all of the team children as an integral part of ministry activities. Our kids enjoyed meeting a variety of people, standing up to share their testimonies, performing skits, and helping lead worship. We witnessed their confidence grow enormously and were blessed by the amazing opportunities we were given to serve together as a family. Walking around the streets and inviting people to the park for ministry was a favorite for all of us. The kids also helped a lot with our community service projects and embraced the work enthusiastically. Virtually every day for two months we were doing something to help others and share the Good News.
We will forever be impacted by these past five months. We are so thankful our family was able to step out of the world, grow closer to our Lord and Savior, then go back into the world to be a light to help further His Kingdom.
Guest Author: Kerry Sullivan, CDTS Graduate 2017
Want to learn more about training as a family for missions? YWAM Tyler has upcoming training opportunities for families ranging in length from three days to five months. Click the button below to get connected and find out more!