Seven seniors threw their black caps high in the auditorium celebrating their graduation from Christian Heritage School. Everyone present grinned from ear to ear as the seniors shared their gratitude to parents, teachers, and classmates who had encouraged them in their lifetime.
A highlight was the commencement address given by one of our Peruvian teachers, Priscilla Ugarte. We published the address in its entirety so you can receive the full context of her message. It's impacting!
Designing stuff can either breathe life into me or hover over me like a dark cloud. I can stare for hours into the pixel abyss of my computer screen wondering if anything meaningful can pop out my head. I've had writer's block. I've thrown a thousand scraps of paper ideas into the waste bucket. I've made stuff which stuck around forever in the parking lot of "could've been."
It was Saturday morning and slightly overcast when the van with 7 students and 4 adults heard an alarming bang under us. Our driver carefully brought the 75 mile an hour trip to a halt on Highway 20 heading to Dallas Love Field Airport. The tire on the Mercedes van was shredded, and the wrenches on hand to change the tire were the wrong size.
We had a feeling this might be an eventful trip.
"Jacob is sharing his testimony of how he said 'yes' to Jesus. Now he is showing how he was baptized to hundreds of students in schools, and even on the streets of Norway and Sweden 🤯."⏤Matheus.
Sometimes it's hard to believe what can happen through the life of just one Discipleship Training School (DTS) student.
Forget the world and give me Jesus! Quinn Evans, a Crossroads DTS student on outreach, shared a radical encounter when God pulled her out of a life of sin, and set her heart ablaze to share the Gospel.
Her experience gives hope to the brokenhearted! When you make the conscious decision to fully surrender, you'll discover what it means to truly be free.
"I don't think I can forgive him." Perhaps you have used or have heard this phrase used when it comes to the topic of forgiveness. If we rely merely on our own strength to forgive others, forgiveness will seem impossible.
Recently, we had the privilege of hosting a retreat for Shiloh Ministries who equips men to conquer addiction. Throughout their classes here, God revealed, healed, and delivered these guys from so much! The story you're about to read is about one man who was able to claim his freedom as God walked him through the process of forgiveness...
“It was hot. It was dirty and humid. We had to squat to use the makeshift bathrooms in the bush camp. And it was one of the best weeks of my life." Ben, DTS Graduate.
Our team partnered up with a local church to do evangelism in our city. I was paired with a couple and their eight year old son.
Sometimes it can be difficult in East Texas to share the gospel or pray with people because they give responses like, “No thanks, I don’t want prayer. I prayed on Sunday.” But today was different!
During the month of Ramadan you can engage in meaningful conversations about life, faith, and God with Muslims. In this series of 9 videos learn simple steps to create meaningful conversations with Muslims.
Seeing what is happening on some college campuses, perhaps it has already begun! Their hunger will not be denied! I have chosen the two pictures because they represent those of this present Jesus generation, sometimes called “Gen Z.”
"Well, I don't want to kill myself anymore!" That was not the response I was expecting to hear when Mia was asked at a staff meeting interview how going through discipleship training and serving at our mission affected her life! As we applauded her answer, I realized a lot was packed into that simple arresting statement.
The chilly air in the theater lobby reminded me I should have brought a hoodie to stay warm. As my wife, and the 16 year old young man we invited to watch this film with us strolled past the marquee, he asked, "What kind of movie is this, anyway?" That's fair. The photos of hippies and what looked like a Jesus type character decked out in psychedelic garb made it clear this would not be a Liam Neeson thriller.
Revival fires are springing up all over the country and world since the beginning of the outpouring at Asbury University two weeks ago. Several of our Go Team members recently stood at Samford University, as students flocked to the chapel to pray, worship, cry, and repent into the wee hours of the morning.
What happens next?
The ground rocked underneath the feet of millions of people in Syria and Turkey on the fateful day of February 6th. Within minutes rubble from entire blocks of apartment buildings became tombs for families and entire communities. As rescue workers continue to hear voices crying from beneath the debris, our Christian friends and workers are engaged to bring hope in a disparaging time.
Is this the start of another Great Awakening? As believers and missionaries, we have hungered for more of God in our land, churches, families, communities, and schools. Has it begun in a tiny school in one of the smallest of towns in Kentucky? My daughter is there now in the midst of this move of God.
(UPDATE 2.22 — This will be our final update to this published blog. After two weeks of non-stop worship, prayer, and repentance, those who desire to continue to gather in central Kentucky will meet in an off-campus location. It was reported 20,000 were on the campus on Sunday the 19th. After some safety concerns and the sheer volume of people, the revival had spread to two other campus buildings, along with outdoor video streams, where worship and prayer continued.)
Someone somewhere said, "You can do anything for a year!" If God asked you to give a year of your life for discipleship and missions, what would your answer be? Elsa, a graduate from Discipleship Training School said, "It starts with a sparkle, a thought, a desire for more. Dreaming of adventure, seeking an uncertain purpose. A will to serve, a thirst for deeper understanding."
Has God ever prompted you to do something but you overlooked the opportunity?
I recently was thinking of this phrase, “If you won’t do it God will send another.” I think it's true! God can and will send someone else but He wants to use you! Think for a moment, the Creator of all things wants to partner with you! Imagine what you could accomplish if you were to walk in obedience with the Lord’s plan even in the little things.
My phone buzzed on silent mode in my pocket while I was busy just doing normal old stuff. But that vibrating buzz alarms me everytime. Glancing at the shortened notification on my homescreen I saw the first line, "… I heard the Gospel for the first time." It was from Glenn. Glenn reminds me of speaker Bob Goff, the writer of Love Does, because he lights up the room wherever he's at and makes you feel like you're the boss. I was honored to be on the list of umptine friends in his contacts⏤my name and number got the text.
Every year for the past 20 years I've read through the entire Bible. I remember the daunting task of the daily reading schedule and thinking there was no way I could do it. But I did! The first time it was a "resolution" of sorts. Now, I read everyday because I can't imagine a day without hearing from the Lord through His word.
You have heard the stories in the Bible. In Genesis, God said to Abram, “Go…”. In Matthew, Jesus calls Simon (Peter) and Andrew and says to them, “Follow me…”. In John, Jesus speaks to the people saying that he is the light of the world and once again invites them to follow him. But these are the stories of people long ago. I grew up thinking the reality of these things happening again is so far-fetched and unforeseen. Is that really how God works today?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is commonly known as 'America's Poet,' and the recent film by Sight & Sound, brought the story behind the beautiful Christmas song to life. Watching Longfellow's story unfold on the big screen was a fascinating experience.
Word quickly spread among our missionary staff about the quality and story of the movie and quite a few went to see it. We realize people are searching for hope during this Christmas season. Pain and loss can debilitate even the strongest person of faith. How do we overcome when our painful discomfort seems more than we can humanly bear?
After sitting in three months of mind-blowing DTS classes, I was ready to get our there into the real world with the rich truths I'd learned! The best way to solidify all God has done in our lives is to transfer the knowledge into our daily experience, allowing His grace to have its perfect work. And that’s just what He did during our 8 weeks of travel covering 20,000 miles, including 2 nations in East Asia.
Fundraising is a huge part of missions. Whether you are raising money for yourself to be supported as a missionary, or for a project to help others, it takes funding to accomplish our God given goals. Although it can be overwhelming, it doesn't have to suck.
This is me with one of only 800 copies of the Bible in the Sakari language. Honestly, it was a holy movement grasping this book. Even my co-workers were drooling over it. It’s not fancy. No gold leaf.
But it’s special.
The tradition of celebrating a Thanksgiving holiday is a wonderful part of American life. Although this holiday is closely connected to what’s called the First Thanksgiving, held by the Pilgrims and their Native American friends in 1621, we should note that the holiday also reflects a broader culture of giving thanks to God that was more common in times past.
However, regarding the Pilgrims, let’s take a moment to look at three aspects of their story that are not always remembered today, yet make this holiday an important event on America’s calendar.
We receive urgent requests for prayer almost daily from Ukraine. It is incredible how God can orchestrate ministry even in such a dire situation.
What if you could graduate high school, and you and your friends could travel the world with purpose? Would you consider it? Does it sound too far-fetched? Deep down doesn't it sound exciting⏤taking a year "off" and discovering everything God has for you before your next big decision?
Well you can, and for many it's been the best decision they ever made. I've talked with a whole bunch of students wanting to take a Gap Year and interviewed a few who already did it.
Here is what you need to consider before taking the leap:
There was a holy stillness in the classroom of 23 students. Some had hands in the air and eyes closed, others knelt, but all were under deep conviction⏤committing the rest of their entire lives to following Jesus. All under the age of 30, these Gen⎻Zers are Discipleship Training School (DTS) students, and they will strengthen our next generation of Christian leaders.
A team of 25 missionaries from East Texas-based Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, are on a two-month outreach trip to Poland, providing immediate aid to Ukrainian refugees who have fled violence in their home country. Josh and Meg McClung are leading an outreach team through MercyWorks, a YWAM ministry.
No one says it quite like Darlene Cunningham, co-founder of the largest mission organization on the planet — Youth With A Mission. In her book, Values Matter, the following excerpt makes us as "ywamers," laugh, ponder, and even cry. We think you'll get a kick out this too and perhaps hear God calling you to step out in faith to follow Him to ends of the earth.
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Recently, I was pondering some of the unique ways God has equipped YWAM to be a visionary pioneer movement. He has called us to continually be receiving, nurturing and releasing fresh vision from God. Thoughts began to cascade from my mind faster than I could write them down:
I believe in heroes, and I have had many in my lifetime. Brother Andrew, known as God's Smuggler, is undoubtedly one of those. He has impacted my life very much.
I know a lot of people who no longer watch the news. Not just because they are overwhelmed, but they question the sources. 44% of the worldwide news is reportedly inaccurate. The other 56% leaves enough to cause a lot of concern.
In an upcoming social media post that you'll see in the coming days, we are posting the caption: "The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intense of a missionary we become." As part of the editing team I wasn't 100% convinced of this statement.
So, I decided to reach out to some long-term, incredibly thoughtful missionaries at our campus to ask them their opinion. What I got as a response was quite incredible.
No relationship or career is worth more than being at the center of God’s will!
I had just finished law school in Portugal, and I was planning to go back. I had no problem with the language since I was born in Brazil. Maybe I could get my masters in law, and marry my Portuguese boyfriend who was not a Christian. Deep inside, I knew that this relationship was not from God, but I loved him so much that I couldn’t hear God’s voice.
I was about to change my life drastically. I could’ve gone in a totally wrong direction. I knew my next decision was an important one. I could not make it by myself. I needed God’s direction, and I started to seek Him deeply.
We are so proud of our students here at YWAM Tyler. Please read Rose's story of how God set her free from self-harm and a slow suicide. God is so kind and so gentle to lead us from our dark situations to places of freedom, and being able to minister to others.
Before being saved, I was in and out of treatment centers, on and off of drugs, putting myself in deadly situations, searching for love and validation through people that never ceased to disappoint me.
I was born in 2003, and I am proud to be a part of Gen Z.
I believe Gen Z holds the potential to release a catalytic revival within the body of Christ.
One thing some people like to associate with my generation is that we do nothing but put tide pods in our mouths, and that we are scared of face to face interaction because we are consumed with technology.
Our modern day media tries to sell us a tainted message⏤Just do you, focus on yourself, and do what makes you happy, and now we have a major problem...
I suppose it is possible, but there can't be many YWAM missionaries around the world who haven't heard of Joy Dawson. When word spread of her death, the fruit of her ministry instantly came to mind. Many of us had the privilege of hearing her speak, and perhaps listened to her teach for a week in a YWAM training school, or read one of her books. Most of us have a story about her, or can share how she has impacted our lives.
I’ve been re-reading a book that my husband Richard and I read when we planted the church ReaLity in Greenville, South Carolina. No Compromise is the life story of Keith Green written by his wife, Melody Green. It tells the story of how Keith and Melody came to believe in Jesus and then follow Him.
Something about their story and Keith’s music resonated within us as we were ministering to young people in Greenville. Not only were Richard and I drawn to Keith Green’s life and song, but the people in our church were as well. His songs were raw, deeply moving, and full of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Keith’s story changed us. We were challenged to live fully surrendered and love sacrificially.
Fred Markert visited us at YWAM Tyler this past weekend and brought a convicting message we want to share with all of you. A portion of the notes from the message are here, and the audio clip.
There is hope for America. All is not lost. However, there is something we as the church must consider...
Read this captivating interview with YWAM student, Alex, as he shares how he was set free from shame during DTS.
Alex, when did you do your YWAM DTS?
January of 2022
Why did you decide to attend a DTS?
I decided to do a DTS when the Lord put it in my heart that He wanted me to come to YWAM, Tyler. I was in a very dark place in my life. I didn’t know who I was or where I was headed. College was just not the right choice for me. I wanted something new and fresh, and more than anything else, I wanted to focus on my relationship with the Lord.
It was July 28, 1982, exactly 35 years ago to date (at the writing of this blog post), when Keith Green and others took off from an airstrip, almost in walking distance from where I am sitting now, and left the earth behind never to return. The airplane accident that took the life of singer-songwriter Keith Green, shook the lives of the evangelical Christian community around the world.
As many are commenting on the overturn of Roe Vs. Wade, we had the opportunity to hear from a YWAM Tyler missionary who has walked through some of the trauma related to this topic first hand. We are thankful for her vulnerability, as she shares her story with us.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is the power of intentional discipleship.
When I signed up for my Discipleship Training School (DTS), I assumed because of the name that there would be discipleship involved, but I had no idea how intentional YWAM Tyler is in the discipleship process.
Dennis is a solid guy, and we want to honor his life and story through this blog. He serves here at our YWAM Tyler campus in many ways. It is our hope that you, as the reader, will be inspired by the miraculous things God has done in, through, and for him!
Sometimes, people want to step out in faith to attend our training schools here at YWAM, Tyler. But fundraising can feel like a frustratingly insurmountable hurdle. One of our missionaries, Megan Bixler, would like to share some of the wisdom and encouragement she has learned from fundraising. Please read this and be encouraged that God really will provide for all that he has called you to do.
In 1982, I entered the foster care system. I was three months old. My parents moved out of our apartment without me. I spent the next 16 years, before my legal emancipation, bouncing from foster home to foster home. From the time I was three years old, I longed for a forever family. For me in my life, a forever family never came, but for some, it does...
When I went to The Flood, I was expecting breakthrough, but little did I know what it would entail.
The Flood was a week long event preceding the Send missions movement, held in Kansas City, Missouri. During The Flood and The Send, there were lots of worship times, speakers such as Francis Chan and Lou Engle, as well as outreaches each afternoon of The Flood. Before going to the Flood, I was not completely sure what to expect. I knew it was going to be incredible, but what would that look like?
Want to hear an audacious goal? We want to reach the entire nation of Mongolia with the Gospel and place a Bible in every home⏤with God's leading and your participation we can do it! There are 900k homes in Mongolia, and God's given us a plan to reach them all! One day we will knock on the last door, hand them a Bible, share about Jesus, and shout with joy that we did it. What a day that will be!
When I woke up on Easter morning, I saw the Mediterranean Sea glistening in the sunlight.I was on my School of Evangelism outreach in the Middle East. It was a memorable experience to see what it was like celebrating a holiday in another country, especially one so different from what I am used to in America.
I woke up to the blaring beep of someone else’s alarm clock. A quiet hush was over the girls' dorm when I left my room. As I got ready, I saw people walking through the bathroom and hallways, some energized and prepared for the day, while others looked rather sleepy.
Our family of four stepped away from the comforts of home, a steady income, community, family, friends, and church to live in full-time missions nearly two years ago.
When war erupts we cry out, "God, what can we do?" Right now, there are solid ways to impact this crisis. Mercy Works, a ministry arm of YWAM Tyler, has sprung into action to help. I caught up with Debbie Lascelles, director of Mercy Works, to find out how we can use this window of opportunity before it closes.
I am sharing my story to encourage others who may be entangled in this web of deception. There is hope and a sure path to freedom.
I still owed $750 on tuition, and the $1,000 due for the outreach plane ticket was due that day. The trip to Greece was in just three weeks, and I needed an additional $2,000 on top of the airline ticket. I had no idea where this money was going to come from, and I was freaking out.
This picture is from the first day of my Discipleship Training School. Not the greatest photo in the world, but honestly, this was the day my life really began.
Ever wonder if the thought forming in your brain was from God?
I know I have many times. 15 years ago, I did my DTS and read the inspirational book by the founder of YWAM, Is That Really You God?
His stories left me wide-eyed and wonder-filled. I honestly couldn't put it down. He addressed the very questions I had about hearing from God.
It was dark, and we were tired. "God, what should we do?"
Our long day of outreach started when men from another village came to guide us into a different region of the Philippine island of Bucas Grande.
Early one morning, we were abruptly awakened by a teammate, "Guys! Come quickly! There are men outside with guns!"
We zigzagged up the dirt roads into the mountain jungles of Thailand to visit a small children's school for our Discipleship Training School outreach. Our team had prepared well, but not for what was about to happen to me.
Almost a year ago, I was on my School of Evangelism (SOE) outreach. Our team was at David's Tent, a ministry hosting worship 24/7 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. where I led an hour-long worship set.
God has brought over 70,000 Afghan refugees to our doorstep. They are dispersed in seven different locations. Possibly 10,000 new arrivals on their way. Preparing them for life in America is an arduous task.
We shouldn't be upset when God moves us and scatters us into the world. Even if we are somewhat in our home culture, we need to remind ourselves that we are outlanders.
A lot of us feel even more disconnected because the world seems so weird now. There is so much turmoil and change. We feel uncertain.
As believers, we should be certain of who we are because as we own our identity, we transform the cultures and places where we are planted. Yet, we remain different from them.
How do we operate among the lost? How do we reach them?
After a dozen or so trips to McAllen, TX, and crossing over to Reynosa, Mexico, several times, Aimee has witnessed firsthand the heartache and the hope of immigrants at the border.
In critical times of persecution and seeing those we love die because of their faith we can be at peace knowing Jesus is Lord over Afghanistan.
Having a hard time figuring out how to have a conversation with your child about sex, pornography, and sexual purity? We want to encourage you… just do it. Start right now!
If you feel like you missed your opportunity, it's never too late. It might be more serious than you think and you are your child's gatekeeper.
Have you ever felt like the room is closing in on you? Have you ever been sitting in a class on introduction day, sweating at the thought of having to speak? Ridiculous, right?
I saw this guy rocking the guitar, singing his guts out to the Lord, and inspiring the audience to join him in his rapturous worship, and I knew I liked this guy.
Every one of our staff who has gone to the Border has heard and seen difficult things. Cartels kidnapped a married couple with a young son and held them captive for eight days without food or water.
"To better the future we must disturb the present." - Catherine Booth
The future leadership of our communities, churches, businesses, and families is developing in our current children and teens. Their success is highly dependent on how they are educated.
It was about 24 years ago, when I saw this sign for the first time at the base entrance.
I was a broken, pregnant teen from New York who found myself in Texas in a maternity home my aunt found that was part of some "weird Christian thing" called YWAM.
Little did I know that this place would become home for me.
"My mom pimped me out when I was about 6 years old." - Street girl.
"Wow, we got an education on the streets of Houston! The school of hard knocks." - Kim Dale, who with her husband Martin, direct Youth With A Mission Houston.
We worked with a local charity yesterday at the Border.
This charity is where people go when they have passed through immigration and are waiting for family members to purchase bus or plane tickets for them. People can stay here up to three days. Often they have not eaten, showered, or even rested⏤or very little⏤for days or weeks.
"Oh my gosh, THESE are the prostitutes! I didn't even recognize them!"
"I had this revelation one day as I was listening to the kids at our Street Church share their stories. I thought they looked somewhat typical. Just young people running around with backpacks on their backs, except most of them were homeless. We'd see drag queens standing on the street corners in stilettos and short skirts, but the street kids sure didn't fit the stereotype of a prostitute." - Kim Dale
After several treks down to the US/MX border, Kyra's first hand stories and experiences are hard to ignore. It's time to focus on the real issues and ask God to show us how to engage.
It was a huge shock to everyone around me when I decided to become a missionary in 2016. Having come out of 6 years of deep addiction before entering 3 rehabs, I was the last person you’d expect to see joining Youth With A Mission, Tyler.
I was totally living for myself. I thought I was the center of the universe back in May of 2015 before I entered my last rehab. I finally came to a point of surrender about four weeks into that program, when I felt God’s love for me for the first time. It was game-over after that! I was hooked.
Prior to that encounter, I was so consumed with myself I did not ever really love, or allow myself to be loved. Everyone and everything around me was a resource to get whatever I was looking to gain in the moment.
My self-absorbed life stifled love from every crevice and corner of my life.
[Photo: I know right? A mug shot. That's how bad my life had spun out of control.]
However, there was a moment which changed everything for me. A true encounter with God can accomplish what one hundred counseling sessions could not. Something changed when I allowed myself to be stripped before God. No mask, no presuppositions, just a real, vulnerable openness to Jesus as my Savior.
[Photo: Graduating from Shiloh Ministries after 1 year of rehab.]
After I graduated from Shiloh, I joined my first Discipleship Training School at YWAM Tyler. Youth With A Mission understands knowing God is paramount. Understanding I am His child is vital. Everything else hinges on this realization.
I believe, “you don’t really know yourself until you know Jesus.” Through my discipleship experience, I finally understood, “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) is a remarkably freeing statement.
While I was still self-centered, caring for no one, stealing, and lying–Jesus died for me! I love Jesus now and do my best to genuinely love the people around me, but Jesus died for the version of me who cared neither for myself, or the people around me.
Whether I am still roaming the streets with a pint of vodka in my belt strap, or I am preaching in front of thousands, Jesus’s love for me is the same! It never changes.
Knowing God, really knowing Him is what life is all about. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and the one whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Each time I read this verse it chips away at the block of religion that has crusted up around me through years of never actually encountering and pursuing God for myself.
To know God, and to make Him known. This is the motto of Youth With A Mission. I love the simplicity of this, because when you boil it all down, it is what life is really all about.
Now do we just spend our time alone in a room, with a Bible and a cup of coffee? Heavens no! James says, “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I’ll show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). Such a confident statement that my personality appreciates!
I love being active, pursuing, and creating alongside God for His name’s sake. Prior to coming to YWAM Tyler, I thought all missionaries were old, white, married couples. I thought a missionary wife wore a bonnet (no slight to bonnet wearers!) and the husband had spent years in seminary and pastoral training. The thought of becoming a missionary wasn’t in the solar system of my thought process, but boy did that change after coming to YWAM Tyler.
My understanding of being a missionary changed when I ran into a former X-Games athlete, met men and women who had struggled with addiction, eating disorders, vanity, homosexuality, been through a divorce, and the list could go on. These people were seasoned missionaries who had been around the world several times over, impacting lives every step of the way, yet had a life transformation with Jesus!
This was me too! I was just like these people!? “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)
[Photo: Making God known took me to Korea with my Discipleship Training School.]
Out of an overflow of intimacy with a living God our life begins to move. A true faith—a living faith—has the natural outworking of good works. To Know God and Make Him Known. This really sums up how I became a missionary.
If you are ready to take the next step in your personal life of Knowing God and Making Him known, today is the day to sign up for the next training school at YWAM Tyler. We are here and ready to help you discover God's purpose for your life.
Other blogs by Anthony:
OMGosh! Are you kidding me?! After our outreach team returned from 5 long eye-opening days on the border of the US and Mexico, I heard the stories with fresh ears. Now, I'm almost crazy upset and asking, "GOD, what can we do?"
There's only one way to get to the truth of what's happening. Go and see for yourself. Join our missionary friend, Matthew, in this raw footage taken at the southern border of the US, and discover what most of America doesn't know.
We could hardly take in what we were seeing. Fear and turmoil seemed to permeate the atmosphere when our YWAM Tyler team arrived in McAllen, Texas. We saw masses of displaced people without hope, searching for a future.
Our family has always wanted to serve the Lord in radical ways, and we have been involved in many different kinds of ministry⏤including short-term missions.
We felt the Lord pulling on our hearts to do something different with our lives. We visited my daughter who serves as a missionary with YWAM in Idaho. Her Discipleship Training School was the start of her journey in missions.
We wondered, “God, could we do something like this as a family?”
This picture was taken on the first day of my DTS five months ago. This was the day my life truly began.
We recently had the opportunity to publicly encourage the missionary marriages on our campus. Why? You may ask… why do missionaries need to be encouraged in their marriages?
My pathway into missions started at the age of 14 when I moved to Budapest, Hungary with my parents so they could fulfill their dream of overseas ministry.
After a week of freezing temperatures and, in some cases, no heat in homes for days, Mercy Works, our compassionate ministries department at YWAM Tyler stepped into action.
Young people from all over the world flock here to YWAM Tyler for discipleship and to discover their God-given passions. Our friend, Matthew Nocas, was one of those youths. Riding a specially modified adventure motorcycle, he brings awareness to human trafficking and finding unreached people groups across the globe.
I am sharing my story to encourage others who may be entangled in this web of deception. There is hope and a sure path to freedom.
In South Africa, as a child I loved to sing and I didn’t care who heard me.
Unfortunately, this didn’t last long because once I reached high school I was ridiculed for singing.
When Jean-Claude asked me if I wanted a little, "Worm Tea" for a drink, I had no idea what he was talking about. Of course his thick French-Congo accent didn't help, but I was pretty sure he said, "Worm Tea!"
A YWAM outreach definitely opens your eyes to what's happening in the world around you. We love taking students on two month outreaches as part of their Discipleship Training School. It's in moments on busy downtown streets, a remote dusty village, on a crowded college campus, where God shows his love for the world.
I was texting with a student on who is currently on outreach and decided to blog our conversation here for you to read. When God opens our eyes, there's just no going back.
"I don’t know the first thing about talking to people⏤much less to someone who believes differently than me," I thought to myself.
My mind was racing as we stepped out into the neighborhood for the first time to talk to Muslims about Jesus. My first thoughts were, “What will I say? What if I don’t know the answer?
I put in my earbuds and tuned into the podcast I usually engage with on Monday mornings. Little did I know, I was about to uncover the reason for the battleground surrounding my destiny.
“I can’t do it,” is what I would tell myself every time I thought about talking with a stranger about Jesus. “What will they think of me?” I stressed. I was so consumed with fear, I didn't recognize what God wanted to do through me.
With the current state of our world, it is becoming more common to feel lonely and isolated. In fact, in 2019, three in five or 61% of Americans expressed feeling lonely and this was before the 2020 global pandemic. I would have been apart of this 61%.
Loneliness was a huge struggle of mine for years, and only recently did I finally overcome the heaviness and lies of loneliness.
Will you be streaming this historical event with us?
This November marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims crossing the Atlantic and signing the historic Mayflower Compact.
We are hosting this historic celebration in Plymouth Massachusetts, November 21, 2pm EST. <<Sign up today to watch>>
5 a.m. on the dot, an eager anticipation for adventure abruptly woke me from my deep sleep. I vividly recall a joyous light-weight atmosphere all around a group of children and myself while we danced to piano keys and a foreign upbeat song. It must've been an African tribe I was standing in the midst of, with nothing but love in my heart for them.
At this time, I never would've imagine this dream would determine and direct the next 3 years of my life.
"It's hotter than a firecracker in here!" exclaimed Leland Paris, as he stepped into the 12' by 15' foot well house we called our prayer room.
As YWAM Tyler's base leader, he knew we desperately needed a new building to become our "House of Prayer." It was 1998 when volunteers from all over America gathered together to transform this tiny, hot, well house into a place for large groups to gather. Little did we know that soon we would have A/C, heat and bathrooms!"
I have never experienced a true fire alarm, only fire drills. While dining in a restaurant, the alarm unexpectedly blared. Everyone shot to their feet. The manager came and assured everyone it was a false alarm.
Ever wonder what your parents might say if you decide to become a missionary? Aimee interviewed her mom about her experience, and you might just find some encouragement to overcome your fear of stepping into what God's calling you to do.
In 2013, I attended a Season of Service and Training (SST), a summer camp for teens at YWAM Tyler. One afternoon, we teamed up with multiple staff members to help with their different roles on the campus.
Some of us helped in the kitchen, some in the Ag-Tech training area and some of us in the Hospitality department. 😳
Missions—it sounds wild, crazy and just what you’ve always wanted, but you scroll down to where it says “fees” and you stop. Maybe God has something else for you. You know, a cheaper option or a well-paying, safe option.
As believers, we understand that part of the commission given to us by Jesus is to go into all nations. With the times we are living in today, it’s not always possible to do what's on our hearts in following Jesus' command.
Have you ever thought about fishing for people? Yeah, me neither⎼until I met Jesus. He asks each of us to step away from our mundane lives, follow him and fish for men. But what does this mean or look like exactly?
For Christians, the most important day of our life is the day we surrender to the Lord. Wouldn't you agree? We are made for life and unity with Christ. Aside from this day, our baptism is also very important and life transforming.
Whether the decision is made in the moment or stirred up in our hearts over time, the day we get baptized is never forgotten and is cherished.
This is that day for Faith Rogers!
Are you fighting fear? Are you doubting whether or not God still hears your prayers? Do you feel the weight of not knowing what to do or how to move forward in your life?
We all face wondering like this from time to time. After all, we are human.
Before I knew God, I drowned in dark depression, deceit, and lived in fear. Sin and suicidal thoughts controlled me, and I had no escape. I struggled to find so many things: purpose, love, peace, joy, zeal for life, and much more.
Meeting the Lord of all creation brought me out of the trap I was ensnared in and gave me life abundant. Not life without struggles, but life with hope.
2020 has been a year none of us expected. I wish I could just blame the pandemic for wrecking my plans, but I'm learning a bigger lesson when my life plans get sideways.
On my journey over the last year and half, there have been many times I had to continuously remind myself of the goodness of God in spite of my circumstances.
Sitting on 300 acres of grass may seem pretty profitable if you're into selling hay. We had sold it before, but when the pandemic hit we knew God wanted us to do something to bless others rather than ourselves.
Chris Lascelles pitched the idea of giving away all of the hay from our campus, and of course we said, LET'S DO IT!
How do you stay in the presence of God in a chaotic world?
For the longest time, I prayed to Jesus. Now I use a different approach, and it's even better. I've found I can pray with him.
Missions—it sounds wild, crazy, and just what you’ve always wanted. But you scroll down to where it says “fees”—and you stop. Maybe God has something else for you. You know, a cheaper option. Or a well-paying, safe option.
But do you want to miss out on your miracle?
In late November of 2019, my Dad and I stayed at a hotel in Shreveport, Louisiana. As we arrived to check-in, I noticed a man with crutches sitting on a couch in the lobby. As we approached the front desk, I heard a voice in my mind say, Go and pray for his knee.
What if God asked you to go? To leave everything⎼your house, job, friends and family to follow him into the unknown? What would you say? Well, I can tell you what I said, "NO!"
After my Discipleship Training School (DTS) ended last spring, going home was difficult. It was hard to go from seeing friends everyday, worshipping and living in community to only seeing my immediate family.
Living in a world that seems to be falling apart can be scary. Sicknesses are taking lives, families are separating, friendships are ending, and people are losing their jobs. There are many things that make it seem like we are in world-wide upheaval.
My family and I were happy about our next missions adventure. We had an incredible experience in Brazil, several months earlier, as part of our YWAM Tyler training school outreach. Now we were preparing for ministry in Turkey and Spain. Little did we know a viral storm was brewing that would very suddenly, change our plans.
Enter the COVID-19 crisis.
I caught YWAM Tyler's campus director, Chris Lascelles, just before he jumped on a tractor to haul hay to give to hurting farmers here in East Texas.
Once I read Chris's book, 20/20 Vision for America, I knew an interview was a must. I'd heard Chris talk about his purpose in writing this epic history lesson, but I did not expect to be drawn into it so deeply. An incredible message of hope for America is woven through it like a tapestry.
What if you could spend the best years with your children discovering God's purpose for your family? If you could do something amazing with your entire family, and you knew you couldn't fail, what would you try?
Taking a step toward a family discipleship program is not only possible, it could be the best decision for your family's destiny.
Last year Jesus gave me a vision. In it I was in a packed van, full of friend's voices when I suddenly heard no more noise, and saw nothing but a wide-open field.
In the middle stood an oak tree that was magnificent, massive, strong! I felt total peace and I knew that this was a vision from God. I asked again and again what it meant, It took an entire year for Him to tell me.
This was a bad idea. Clutching a $20 bill in my hand as the answer to the pain I was in didn't give me any peace. I didn't want to be in this place. As a kid I didn't dream about committing suicide, but now I was quickly losing the urge to live. I needed out! I needed a change! In the darkest time of my life God reached out to me, and saved me from the demons tormenting my mind.
This is my story...
It all began when I was tossed into middle school. My older brother wasn't around like he had been during homeschool. Now, I had to make new friends.
When I first came into missions, I thought I might end up working with the people who lived in garbage dumps in the Philippines, thousands of miles from my home.
When I said yes to God, that’s what I thought He would have me do.
There is a global prayer movement afoot. God's people are interacting with each other like never before as they share needs, concerns, and victories.
Graduate valedictorian, go to an Ivy League school, enter a respectable profession, get rich - that’s what I decided my life’s purpose was when I was in high school. The only reason I wanted to do missionary work before college was so that I could have a stronger résumé. Good thing God can take our impure motives and bring something good out of them.
I find myself praising God when life is going good. I can say in the morning (good times) you, God, are good. In those times, it’s easy to thank God for what you have. You run to God, you tell others about God, and you kind of feel invincible. Life’s going great. Am I right?
In the early days of GPS, there are at least a handful of stories of some poor souls who opted to trust their Global Positioning System over what their eyes and senses were telling them. Most of the stories have decently happy endings (meaning no serious injuries).
How is it even possible to be missional in spite of the restrictions we are facing? Though the physical reach of our activity is blocked, and for good reason, our passion to share the love of Jesus with the nations hasn't diminished at all.
Our urban centers around the country have been seeking creative expressions of how to minister. We are so encouraged by their stories and are praying for more!
Youth With A Mission Tyler TX is monitoring developments of the global Coronavirus outbreak, and is working with our own trained medical staff, as well as, local health professionals to respond.
I was a member of the radical underground. While few Americans remember the tumultuous 60s era in our history, I was right in the middle of it. The hippie movement was at its height, and I fit right in doing drugs and participating in protests and demonstrations in Washington D.C. and elsewhere during the Vietnam War.
Need some help discovering if taking a Gap Year is the right thing for you? In this blog, we tackle a few key issues to help you make this decision with confidence.
The rain couldn't stop 140,000 barefoot Brazilians from saying, "I WILL GO!" last weekend at THE SEND gathering...lifting their shoes up as a symbol of surrender to Jesus. We were there. We saw it first hand⎼a move of God calling people with sweet conviction to walk closer, draw nearer, and go further. It was received with reckless enthusiasm.
It's crazy how God can change things in your life so fast. This time last year I was doing nothing but wasting my life. Now, I’m living with a purpose and get to have new exciting experiences with God everyday. Setting an example and manifesting God's image in all the things I do brings me great joy.
My heart was deeply moved the first time I heard there was a detailed plan and strategy for every person on the planet to have a Bible in their language.
What would it take to get the most important book of all time, into the hands of all people? In every dialect? Talk about a big, hairy, gutsy goal! Well, I'm learning we are living in an unprecedented time in history where that very goal is about to happen.
Josh Barnes and his wife Faraday came to YWAM Tyler, Texas, for the Family DTS. They came with five kids in tow: three boys⎼12, 11, and 9 and two girls⎼7 and 4. Living in community, diving into their relationship with Jesus, and growing stronger as a family was just the beginning of their experience.
"I walked down to the local convenience store to buy a Coke when I noticed a man who looked like he was in pain. He said his shoulder was hurting, so I offered to pray for him.
It's surreal, this thing called YWAM!
We just finished pioneering the first Family DTS here at YWAM Tyler. It had its challenges, but when you get 22 parents and 43 children together, God's stirring something amazing up! 12 families graduated, and are being sent out into the world forever changed for the better! Some sold their homes, gave up jobs, and said goodbye to friends, not knowing what was to come in DTS.
It was my freshman year of highschool, and I remember sitting in Bio 1, sick to my stomach and trying not to let the tears in my eyes escape. Two days earlier I had come back from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. After making friends with ladies who raised six kids in a one room shack and playing with schoolgirls who walked five miles a day just to get an education, I was in intense disgust at the upper middle class American reality I had ungracefully reentered.
I didn’t know back then about culture shock or whiplash. I did know, however, that the short two weeks in that colorful, impoverished nation had touched my heart in a way that made snowy Pennsylvania with its Ugg Boot-wearing residents seem like the least satisfying place in the world.
We thought it would be awesome to take two very different, but vital departments on our campus and switch them for day. You know there are always two sides to every story. Well, this is no different!
It was a huge shock to everyone around me when I decided to become a missionary in 2016. Having come out of 6 years of deep addiction before entering 3 rehabs, I was the last person you’d expect to see joining Youth With A Mission, Tyler.
I was totally living for myself. I thought I was the center of the universe back in May of 2015 before I entered my last rehab. I finally came to a point of surrender about four weeks into that program, when I felt God’s love for me for the first time. It was game-over after that! I was hooked.
Prior to that encounter, I was so consumed with myself I did not ever really love, or allow myself to be loved. Everyone and everything around me was a resource to get whatever I was looking to gain in the moment.
My self-absorbed life stifled love from every crevice and corner of my life.
[Photo: I know right? A mug shot. That's how bad my life had spun out of control.]
However, there was a moment which changed everything for me. A true encounter with God can accomplish what one hundred counseling sessions could not. Something changed when I allowed myself to be stripped before God. No mask, no presuppositions, just a real, vulnerable openness to Jesus as my Savior.
[Photo: Graduating from Shiloh Ministries after 1 year of rehab.]
After I graduated from Shiloh, I joined my first Discipleship Training School at YWAM Tyler. Youth With A Mission understands knowing God is paramount. Understanding I am His child is vital. Everything else hinges on this realization.
I believe, “you don’t really know yourself until you know Jesus.” Through my discipleship experience, I finally understood, “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) is a remarkably freeing statement.
While I was still self-centered, caring for no one, stealing, and lying–Jesus died for me! I love Jesus now and do my best to genuinely love the people around me, but Jesus died for the version of me who cared neither for myself, or the people around me.
Whether I am still roaming the streets with a pint of vodka in my belt strap, or I am preaching in front of thousands, Jesus’s love for me is the same! It never changes.
Knowing God, really knowing Him is what life is all about. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and the one whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Each time I read this verse it chips away at the block of religion that has crusted up around me through years of never actually encountering and pursuing God for myself.
To know God, and to make Him known. This is the motto of Youth With A Mission. I love the simplicity of this, because when you boil it all down, it is what life is really all about.
Now do we just spend our time alone in a room, with a Bible and a cup of coffee? Heavens no! James says, “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I’ll show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18). Such a confident statement that my personality appreciates!
I love being active, pursuing, and creating alongside God for His name’s sake. Prior to coming to YWAM Tyler, I thought all missionaries were old, white, married couples. I thought a missionary wife wore a bonnet (no slight to bonnet wearers!) and the husband had spent years in seminary and pastoral training. The thought of becoming a missionary wasn’t in the solar system of my thought process, but boy did that change after coming to YWAM Tyler.
My understanding of being a missionary changed when I ran into a former X-Games athlete, met men and women who had struggled with addiction, eating disorders, vanity, homosexuality, been through a divorce, and the list could go on. These people were seasoned missionaries who had been around the world several times over, impacting lives every step of the way, yet had a life transformation with Jesus!
This was me too! I was just like these people!? “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)
[Photo: Making God known took me to Korea with my Discipleship Training School.]
Out of an overflow of intimacy with a living God our life begins to move. A true faith—a living faith—has the natural outworking of good works. To Know God and Make Him Known. This really sums up how I became a missionary.
If you are ready to take the next step in your personal life of Knowing God and Making Him known, today is the day to sign up for the next training school at YWAM Tyler. We are here and ready to help you discover God's purpose for your life.
Other blogs by Anthony:
Did you know that your nose remembers things? Our sense of smell is closely linked with memory, probably more so than any of our other senses. The smell of freshly cut grass, for example, always brings back memories of my childhood and my endeavor to become a professional soccer player.
It was the drug dealer. He was the reason dozens of cars were lined up in the middle of the street and around the block. Every Friday afternoon his customers would leave their cars running in the improvised drive-thru to run up the rickety staircase in the back alley.
Dave Funke shook his head in disgust. He had seen the apartment where everyone went to score. All of the chaos just added to feelings he could hardly put into words. How was he ever going to make a difference in this crime-infested, impoverished community?
I have seen firsthand in my life how God can make beauty from ashes. I have experienced joy for mourning in a real and powerful way!
Have you ever noticed worship songs, at least the good ones, use superlatives within the lyrics like "all nations," or "You're the supreme God," or "most beautiful." It's the kind of language we usually don't use in our everyday conversations? [video 3:12]
The unexpected happened with a family attending our Family Discipleship Training School; what a testimony of God's faithfulness! [4:18 video]
Fear can be so debilitating in our lives, but it doesn't have to be. If you're struggling with some type of fear in your life -- fear of failing, fear of deep relationships, or fear of the unknown, there is is hope. God loves you.
Watch this short message from Nate Evans [1:12 video]
E neste fim de semana se fechou um ciclo, uma etapa da minha vida em que várias pessoas fizeram partes, muitos não estão nessa foto, mas estiveram fazendo parte de fora, sempre me apoiando e encorajando mesmo que de longe.
Hi! I'm Jacqueline from Tennessee. As an American I've been asked, "Why the Multicultural Discipleship Training School?
Have you ever entered an event or season of life with a certain expectation and left it with the complete opposite result of that former belief?
When you’re a little kid, someone always questions, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" There’s the popular options of firefighter, policeman, or cook, but for me it was a forensic scientist. It wasn't a popular choice amongst young people, but I always knew what I wanted to be. After graduating high school, I went to college at Sam Houston State University in the fall of 2018, full of dreams and plans for the next four years of my life.
It’s been exhausting, amazing, hard, and difficult, but I am thankful for every step taken and the people I get to do this with. I am thankful for the people praying and supporting financially. I am thankful for the transformation God is doing in mine and other's lives. I am thankful for God allowing us to be a vessel for Him.
If you've been thinking of taking a semester off or even a year between high school and college or college and career, you are not alone. Taking a gap year is a hot topic, and since we've talked to students from all over the world who've chosen to do YWAM for their gap experience, we want to help you plan your gap year the right way.
There are certain people who simply make an extraordinary impact on the lives they meet. Being in their presence is like warmth on a cold day. It never grows old. These people are the ones who seem to have the perfect balance of loving you and also challenging you, encouraging you and pointing out when you need a new direction. They listen well, but they also pour joy and vision into you with the revelation of God’s love, not because they need to be heard, but because they want everyone around to discover the same wonder of who God really is. For me, this describes Ed Sinke.
MOVING. I couldn’t believe it when my parents told me we were moving. My family and I were living in a beautiful, mountainous valley in North Carolina at the time. The view of the Smoky Mountains from our house was breathtaking. Relocating to Texas with my parents did not sound like a good idea to a stubborn eleven-year-old like me - especially when I heard we were going to be missionaries and live in tight quarters for a season.
I was living in Tennessee as part of a very small church when my heart began to stir for missions. One day during Sunday school, a missionary came to our church and heard me share how I would love to do foreign missions someday. I was on fire and ready to go!
Do you ever wake up and forget where you are?
This happens to me often, particularly when I find myself doing crazy things, things I never thought I would have the time, finances, or abilities to do. I'll think, “What am I doing here?” “How did I get here...ME...here doing this right now?!?”
I cannot believe it’s been five weeks since the Multicultural Discipleship Training School (MDTS) started. All I can say is that GOD IS FAITHFUL!
As I prepared for my guest appearance on the radio talk show last weekend, though I felt nervous, I could not help but be amazed by God’s care for me … again!
YWAM Tyler's very own The Dream Committee has just released their first debut song, "Traded," and we just couldn't wait to share it with you. I had the opportunity to sit down with Stephanie and Josh of the band and ask them some thoughts about this new song and how the band is doing. You'll want to give this a listen after hearing the heart behind the tune.
During my Discipleship Training School (DTS), God really showed me His heart for America. I’ve always dreamed of being the missionary that traveled to faraway lands to preach the Gospel where it’s never been heard, but God showed me that He cares as much about the people of America as He does the ones in far off lands. God cares about every nation tribe and tongue, including my own!
I first went to Vegas in the Spring of 2016. As we were walking, I passed some show girls and told my grandparents I wanted to stop and talk to them, but they told me to just keep walking. I boarded the plane shattered, knowing I should have stopped.
A couple years later, during my YWAM Discipleship Training School, we were being told our outreach locations. Vegas was going to be one of them for the West Coast. My heart leapt for joy, and I started praying. I prayed for an encounter.
Unearth ~ To find something buried by digging
This past weekend, a lot of digging took place at YWAM Tyler during the Inspire Worship & Missions Conference. We were challenged to pick up our shovels and excavate because something within us all needed to be unearthed.
Earlier this year, a team from YWAM Tyler traveled to India to commemorate an extraordinary moment in history. As the tribal village of Depachara and visiting Uchoi churches celebrated 75 years of Christianity, they welcomed the translation of the Word of God into their own language.
Words like “fire, passion, movement, momentum, signs, wonders, uncompromising, and revival” have been used to describe the two weeks I just spent in Florida.
I can only imagine this is how the beginning moments of the “Jesus Movement” of the late ’60’s looked – in fact, those that have been involved with both have said so much.
If you're one of the millions of people that have seen The Greatest Showman, you may recognize the lyrics from the song "This is Me." The individuals in the movie are facing challenges in their life and are seen as outcasts, but they refuse to let what others think about them define who they are.
A few week's ago, we were treated to the President’s State of the Union Address before live television and a joint session of Congress. President Trump brought us up to speed on the progress we’ve made in areas of economy, employment, defense, border security, and foreign relations. He then reminded us of the work that still needs to be done, calling all Americans to unite for the common good of the nation.
So you've been thinking about a Discipleship Training School (DTS), but you're still on the fence with jumping in and doing it. Hey, I get it. There's a lot to think about and huge transitions to consider when carving out space and time to get to know God better.
Growing up in Chicago and moving to a little town in Texas was quite the change! During my two training schools at YWAM Tyler, I discovered in a deeper way who God is and how to have a relationship with Him!
GOD IS SO GOOD...Isn’t He? 😁 Since graduation, I had been praying about where God wanted me to go for college. After a few mission trips, God spoke to me about an organization called Youth With a Mission (YWAM). I arrived in January to begin a Discipleship Training School (DTS) here at YWAM Tyler, and it has rocked my world!
"My family and I are very happy to be part of this place. This place is very special; it brings life and freedom. The influence in the classroom transformed my daughter's life, turning the dark colors she had in her emotions into a rainbow again bringing life, joy, and security. She had lost all of this, and she found it all again here." ~ A grateful mother of one of Heather's students from Brazil.
One of the things I have always desired for my kids is for them to know God . . . like really know God. I don't want them to just read about Him in the Bible or hear about Him in other people's stories. I want them to walk and talk with Him for themselves. They've always had a relationship with Him for sure, but honestly, prior to 2012, they had only "experienced" Him as much as suburban America allowed.
Carving out space and time to get to know God better is a desire for many of us. A Discipleship Training School is a great way to actually do it too! It's so cool to see hundreds of people every year experiencing newfound faith in Jesus.
Gigi and I met in ministry in Brazil and were best friends. Now, we still are best friends and married too! When we first started talking, we realized we had the same dream: to be a family in missions and a lighthouse to other families. We didn't know yet what our family would look like, but we committed that to Him.
"Go Now!"
The Lord had directed us to do a Discipleship Training School at YWAM Tyler in July 2016. We were sure it was to be the Crossroads DTS.
I’ve volunteered with and attended the YWAM Inspire Conference since its beginning in 2013. My School of Worship was in 2012, and I'll never forget being deeply moved by Josh Langer’s heart for starting a gathering like it.
We all have a story to tell. Some of our stories have just begun, and others are starting to come to their final chapter. In most narratives there is a conflict, climax, and of course a hero. Whose the hero of your story?
As I started this Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS), I would meet with God in my early morning devotions, before our daily breakfast duty, and pray these words from Ephesians 3 . . . .
While in Mexico on outreach, my team did all kinds of ministry in different places for three weeks, but my favorite experience took place the last days of our trip in the Purepecha indigenous village. We were stripped from our normal daily comforts, forced to wear long skirts, and slept on cold cement floors, but it was in that village where God gave me my joy back.
“Hey you, hey you!” screamed the alarm. When is she going to change that song?! It’s a terrible way to start everyone’s morning! Living in a confined space with 15 other girls was starting to take its toll on me. Half asleep I rolled out of my sleeping bag and shuffled my feet into the bathroom. I turned on the lights and immediately noticed the fingerprints all over the mirror and the toilet paper on the floor.
It's been 30 months since I graduated Shiloh Ministries, and boy what a ride it has been. Never could I have possibly imagined, dreamt, or let-alone orchestrated the past 30 months. Thank God He did! I remember the graduating day at Shiloh. I was positive that I wanted to pursue God, but totally clueless about where or what that even looked like. All I knew was that my next step was taking me to Youth With A Mission (YWAM).
At YWAM Tyler, we are hearing amazing stories of God working in unforeseen ways. The Currey Family recently had such experiences with the Lord while on their Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS) outreach to New Orleans. As a family, they obediently came to YWAM Tyler to get to know God, and it's exciting to see how He has expanded their horizons and worked in and through their family.
ME: Who am I?
GOD: Marina: Sea Harbor ~ one who leads people to the living waters
ME: What does that even mean? (rolls eyes)
GOD: Allow me to show you.
We started off our YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS) Outreach in Virginia serving at a Christian private school. Our DTS class was asked to be small group leaders at a middle through high school conference. As I was waiting at a table for the students to arrive, I decided to take the extra time to pray and seek God's heart for these students.
This Saturday we will celebrate with our most recent Discipleship Training School, "The School of Good News," at our quarterly Love Feast gathering. The students have returned back to YWAM Tyler's Twin Oaks campus with great God-stories from their outreaches to the East Coast of America, Guatemala, and Mexico. Here are a few special moments highlighted from their trips. God is winning in the nations. 🤩
So many times I didn't think we could do a YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS) as a family. We have made a lot of mistakes as parents; we didn't grow up in a church; we were rough around the edges, and my children still had a long ways to go. What would people think? Would they judge us because of our past? Would they pick apart our parenting and our children? Would they expect us to be perfect? Oh how the enemy had a field day with these thoughts.
God has placed an urgency in my spirit to create opportunities for entire families to be trained, equipped, and filled with a passion to live a lifestyle of missions wherever God takes them. With the grace of God, my wife and I have been able to do just that here at YWAM Tyler.
I've often wondered why there is such an urgency in God's heart to do something like this. Having a family myself and seeing what God continues to do in us, I can sense His desperation. God is yearning to wake up families to stop settling for the things of the world and to seize their God-given assignment.
Since I got the news that I'd be working in grounds full-time I started to pray, asking God to give me His heart for this department. Grounds is an important department at YWAM Tyler. Keeping this campus a pleasant place for those who live here and for those who visit really does matter! However, there's more than just making this place nice or keeping the grass mowed and trees trimmed. As I've been working and praying, I've felt that God was putting in my heart His desires for this department.
My passion for supporting the Inspire Worship and Missions Conference at YWAM Tyler year after year originally came from my passion for worship. Worship has been my driving force for missions and my greatest joy.
I sat in the classroom during my training school with YWAM one morning, and I was crying, thanking God for the loss of my job.
Standing with 75,000 people in L.A. at the Azusa Now gathering in 2016 profoundly impacted my life. Our team attended the event during our YWAM Tyler school outreach trip, and it was incredible to see that many people gathered together to lift up the name of Jesus.
Before my YWAM DTS I was just going through all the motions that I thought others expected of me. I had been going to college, but after a few years of taking and retaking classes, I figured I should do something different with my life or at least postpone college until I knew what degree I wanted to work towards. While I was in college, I was also a youth leader at my church.
I still owed $750 on tuition, and the $1,000 for the outreach plane ticket was due that day as well. The trip to Greece was in just three weeks, and I was going to need an additional $2,000 on top of the airline ticket. I had no idea where this money was going to come from. Basically, I was freaking out.
With tears in my eyes, I pulled down the door of the Budget rental truck, said goodbye to my apartment, and heard God say to me one more time, “Will you give up all I’ve given you to receive all I have for you?”
At 26 years old, God was calling me to a Discipleship Training School. I had no idea what to expect other than God was getting ready to stretch me in a way I had never been stretched before. I sold most of my furniture, stored the rest of my belongings, and headed to YWAM Tyler. In faith, I stepped out trusting God, the author of my life, and believing I needed to expect the unexpected from this point on.
Stepping from fear to faith is never easy. Students and staff members at YWAM Tyler have had to do this often as they've followed Jesus to the ends of the earth. Honestly, every step involves a tremendous amount of trust, but God is worthy of our trust! He is faithful!
I came to YWAM Tyler primarily to study and improve my English. The thought of being in a Christian environment while learning English encouraged me. However, God had higher thoughts about my journey.
First a confession, I’m just a small town East Texas boy. For generations my family has lived in small towns and farming communities. When I was 19, I was on a YWAM School of Evangelism outreach for two months in the big city of Chicago. You might as well have taken me to Mars.
In the fall of 2016, my life came to a crossroad. The business my daughter and I had been building was winding down, and my attempts to start another business were unsuccessful. My daughter was ready to go her own way; our finances were in shambles; my marriage was struggling, and my husband had taken a job traveling all over the country. I was living in Florida across the street from the beach, my dream from childhood, yet I felt alone. There was a strong desire to go deeper with God and be used by Him, but I wondered if it was too late for me to really make a difference in the world.
Growing up in a Christian home, I always found myself feeling overwhelmed with religion; however, I continued to appease my family and the church, so I'd check things off my “Christian To-Do-List.” From leading youth groups to raising my hands in worship, I deserved a golden star for my Christian participation.
In my last year of high school, the anticipation of leaving my family and adventuring off to college consumed my thoughts, so my parent's mention of a gap year with YWAM after graduation went in one ear and out the other.
My stubborn 18-year-old self wanted to prove not only to them but also to everyone else I was in control of my own happiness and future, and college was the answer to my questions of purpose in life.
It was 1992 when my 29 year old daughter called home and announced that she was in Tyler, TX at Youth With a Mission to start a DTS the next day. My husband and I were astounded. DTS? What was that? Was our daughter involved with a cult? The last we had heard she was in upstate New York.
YWAM outreaches are always life-changing! Recently, we had another group of amazing students graduate one of YWAM Tyler's missionary training schools. Students traveled to South Korea, Hungary, and Romania to share the love of Jesus with everyone they encountered in these lands. We always love to hear testimonies of what God is doing in students' lives during their travels. These stories are so encouraging! God is winning in the nations 😃 ❤️
"Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12)
During one of my YWAM training schools, I learned a new word, Renounce, which changed my life and the way I daily practice dependance on God.
