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.
During the month of Ramadan you can engage in meaningful conversations about life, faith, and God with Muslims. John Weaver, author of Inside Afghanistan, gave us great insight on some of the best ways to talk with Muslims about spiritual things.
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.
Someone somewhere said, "You can do anything for a year!" As you read Elsa's story, you'll find her year wasn't wasted, it was the start of a life transformed.
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.
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?
"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]
In April 2019, the Multicultural Discipleship Training School began training missionaries from 7 different nations. All packed into one program! After 12+ weeks of diving deep into their faith and 2 months of sharing Jesus to rest of the world, the school celebrated all that God had done. Read how God has transformed one of those students from Brazil. (English/Portuguese Translation)
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.
As a dairy farmer raised on a farm in a Mennonite home, I knew the Lord from an early age; my mother led me to Christ. I went to church and participated in youth groups. I even went to Bible school, a Mennonite college in Ohio. The truth was, in the journey of what I thought was trying to find God, I didn't really know Him.
The searing heat is awful, and my dry throat longs for water; unfortunately, I left my water bottle in the van. It’s Friday morning; two days before I am to go home. The Texas sun is relentlessly beating down on me. Each step I take makes my glasses slide further down my nose, and my feet ache. Sweat beads start to pool on my skin, causing the dust to stick to me. The piercing honks of the passing cars startle me. I really wish I was anywhere else but here. Yet up ahead, I see my friends turn around and start another lap. If they can keep walking, I can too.
I drove the bus all through the night to Chicago for a week of city outreach with one of YWAM Tyler’s training schools. I thought I was just a bus driver, but God had some things to teach me about Urban America.
Nestled in the rolling hills of East Texas, the YWAM Tyler campus is gorgeous, and with over 500 acres, there are a lot of outdoor activities to enjoy! Let's take a look at the top 10 outdoor activities at YWAM Tyler.
Like many of our communities in America, a once very vibrant neighborhood has experienced un-welcomed change. When we first released the following story of Enchanted Lakes, many generalizations were made about this community, which we realized shouldn't have been made.
We reach out to communities all over the world, bringing the hope and light of Jesus. Enchanted Lakes is a community we love and care about and will continue to encourage through ongoing service.
Stress over the future. Obsession with what others thought of me. Bitterness about my circumstances. As a thirteen year old, my worries of the world were impeding my relationship with God. Then I attended YWAM Tyler's Season of Service & Training (SST) this summer and discovered truths about God that gave me a needed fresh perspective.
During this season of my life, very few things are more gratifying than seeing people I have cried for, prayed for, laughed with, counseled, and shared life with for months say “YES” to God. And that is exactly what I have experienced this month with Jonna, Brody, and Landon coming to YWAM Tyler for a Discipleship Training School (DTS).
I met these three in Lubbock on a recent trip where I planted a seed, then watched God lead them over the course of eight months to YWAM. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I went to South Texas on outreach with a team of committed friends from YWAM Tyler.
As I awoke again to the sound of the sea surging on the rocks, the scream of the gulls, and the beautiful vista fanning out before me, I was struck with the thought, “However did I end up in Newfoundland?” Me, whose life was going to be happily-ever- after in the nirvana of Beautiful B.C. The chain of events was unexpected, un-sought, and wandering, yet God brought me to my heart’s home in this extraordinary province.
When Jesus looked at His followers and told them to "Go into all the world and make disciples," He wasn't joking. Getting the word out about His love and grace would involve men and women traversing the globe, and for centuries that's not changed. The call to "Go" remains the same! Youth With a Mission has been dedicated for nearly six decades to train men and women, young and old, to know God and make Him known in every nation. These are my top five reasons why EVERYONE should do a Discipleship Training School (DTS)!
A few years ago, I went to the regularly scheduled Monday morning prayer meeting at the YWAM Tyler campus my husband and I are a part of. This particular meeting was to focus on prayer for the newest School of Strategic Missions (SOSM) on their first day of class. As we prayed, I felt the Lord leading me to Luke 15, which is where Jesus is speaking about: The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son. As I pondered this and prayed, I sensed God speaking to me that He wanted to restore what was lost in for these missionary students attending the SOSM.
Have you been to our sprawling Twin Oaks campus? If not you are in luck! Come take a virtual tour with Anthony through some of the areas of our ranch.
If you're coming to do a Discipleship Training School or any of our training programs, we hope this little tour will give you perspective on where you will be during your time with us. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments!
During my School Of Evangelism (SOE), we traveled to Greece and Kosovo for outreach. It was a night to evanglize in the City of Thessaloniki. Evangelism is a time to freely allow the Lord to guide and direct our steps in a time and place. So as I was walking in the square with a group of people, I felt the Lord tell me to go to the other side of the square to a bench with two men sitting on it. Knowing the Lord was directing me there and not wanting fear to hold me back, I quickly crossed the square to sit with them and started a conversation.
On a trip to South Asia, my colleague and I smuggled Bibles into a country that persecuted Christians and never allowed the Bible to be brought in or published. We knew it was God’s desire to give His Word to people in their heart language, so we took a risk and stuffed fifty Bibles into our luggage.
The Chapel at YWAM Tyler started as a 12' by 15' well house which was converted to a small place to pray. Years later, volunteers came and built a space for many to gather. Whether it's in groups coming together for focused prayer or a single person kneeling at the cross, countless of people have encountered the Lord in this space. Here are a few stories of such moments...
Georgia wanted to come to the YWAM Tyler campus for a quiet place to spend some time with the Lord, and she desired to attend our Family Night, which is a worship service open to the community. Georgia wrote in her journal moments after meeting and praying with the Korean family in the hotel lobby, “I now know the purpose of my trip to YWAM Tyler this President's Day weekend." Just one week before her arrival, two YWAM Tyler alumni and their unborn baby had died in a car accident. As she was planning on staying in our hotel here on the base, she was told that there would be mourning families staying there as well.
"Oh Lord, please don't ever ask me to go to Africa," I uttered quietly as the missionary spoke from the pulpit about his own experiences in that faraway land. As a young girl, fear gripped my heart when I heard his missions' stories about creepy crawlers and deadly pestilence. I didn't hear emphasis on how God had miraculously cared for him. The snakes, spiders, and malaria were the only things haunting my mind. From that moment on, I vowed never to leave America.
My husband came in from work carrying a laundry basket. The white plastic sides were stretched out of shape and cracked in a few places, but neatly folded inside was a stack of blue jeans Alejandra had sent to me for my grandsons. Tears came to my eyes when I saw those little garments because that basket could have been empty.
Is God calling you to step out in faith and apply for a Discipleship Training School (DTS) but fear keeps kicking you in the guts? What if this turns out to be the biggest mistake of your life? What if you're asked to do something way out of your comfort-zone? What if you don't fit in, or run out of money, or fail everyone's expectations? What if you're not really hearing God's voice after all? Something is gnawing away inside your head, saying, "I just don't think I can do this!"
Recently we had a couple schools graduate from YWAM Tyler. Here's what the students had to say about their five-month training time!
It was 1983 when I took a job as a clerical worker for an oil company in Houston to fill the time. I had a college degree and aspirations to teach, but after two years of working in the office, I didn’t want to teach anymore. I also didn’t want to climb the corporate ladder at the oil company. In fact, I had no idea what I wanted to do next! I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Seven years ago, our family found ourselves living life the only way we knew how. We owned a business, worked really hard, lived in the home of our dreams, and were very involved in our local church. However, like many Americans, we had tons of debt, and the job was literally killing me.
The first time I heard about a Gap Year was when my son graduated high school and decided jumping into college wasn't on his agenda. Since then I've talked with a whole bunch of students wanting to take a Gap Year and many who already did it.
It was about a month and a half before I came to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS) at YWAM Tyler in 2015. I had already applied and visited the YWAM Tyler campus from New York! I decided to do a training school for two sole reasons: I wanted to find God and find myself.
“Lord, you know all my desires and deepest longings. My tears are liquid words and you can read them all.” (Ps. 35:9 TPT)
With my knees plastered to the ground and my forehead grazing the floor, tears soaked the tattered carpet beneath me. Words weren’t needed. My tears said it all. Why was life so hard? Would things ever change? Overwhelmed, I honestly just wanted to give up.
Then my friends started to pray.
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.
As a burnt out special education teacher, I was desperate for anything different. At this point, I was wondering if maybe I was too desperate.
When I look back at my life, I have no regrets because each of the decisions and experiences I've had led me to where I am today. However, I have gained some insight along the way that will maybe help others who are trying to decide what to do after high school.
I reached for the clock before it went off at 4:30a.m. Why had I even bothered to set it? I’d hoped that sleep would find me and bring a temporary reprieve from the day I now faced. It didn’t. Things had been set in motion, and I had to respond to the day’s cruel schedule. That fateful day was in 1976. I would learn in the future, sadly much too late, that this was my only child’s life.
Loneliness was a heavy weight I was bearing. I was grieving the loss of beloved friends. Never again would I see their smile or hear their laughter. I wouldn't be able to share life with them anymore, in times of rejoicing and times of sorrow, nor would I ever be able to hug them again.
Go ahead, call me biased, but I believe YWAM Tyler has some of the best teachers out there. Not only do they impart Truth, but they also unleash Love. C.S. Lewis once said, "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." Our teachers value each student and believe in the more that God has for them. They're willing to plow the weathered soil of hearts to help people discover real and lasting freedom. Their love for Jesus is infectious, and I'm thankful for the investment each one has made here. During #TeacherAppreciationWeek, we're recognizing a few of the many awesome teachers God has brought our way.
Life is, often, not what you plan for yourself but unfolds in ways that may be surprising.
I took my first mission trip, with my office team to Lubbock, Texas! It was my first outreach as a full time missionary with YWAM Tyler! None of us were students following leaders nor were there students following us. It was just us, a team of six full time missionaries, going into all the world to make disciples. Check out my photo journey of this outreach!
Yeah, the title can be a a little cliche. It's a saying that we hear a lot at YWAM Tyler. There's even a banner with the quote across it on the wall above my desk. For me, it is more than a catch phrase though. It's something God spoke to me during a transition period of my life that I have gone back to time and time again.
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 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.
What do families entering missions need?
What must a training program provide in order to adequately prepare a whole family for a life of missions?
Reflecting on my own family's experience, I can now sum up these needs in two words: Partnership and Participation.
Tyler Tom is always on the hunt for amazing, true God-stories around the YWAM Tyler campus, and this one blew us all away! Join us as we travel with Derek Sandiford (one of our beloved South African staff members) on an unforgettable outreach journey...
It was 2016, and by a miracle of God's eleventh-hour provision I had landed in Mexico with the rest of my classmates on our School of Evangelism outreach. We were hosted by YWAM Creel, a base located in the mountainous Chihuahua region of Mexico. One of our exciting team projects was to create an agricultural garden using the contours of the earth to generate a self-watering system. We tried to enlist the services of the base's skid-loader to help us in this project, but all attempts to get this machine started met with failure. Because I'm handy with machines, I checked it over and determined it was in need of new filters. Willy, our host at YWAM Creel, offered to drive me to town to find the necessary replacements.
However, being in the remote mountains of northern Mexico as we were, this was no small undertaking. Quite unlike a trip to the local auto-parts store in America, this was going to be a full day's outing! To reach town we had to carefully navigate along a steep dirt road, made all the more treacherous by recent rainfall. We also had to pass through a checkpoint manned by military commandos, which Willy thankfully negotiated with skill in his fluent Spanish.
Commandos behind us, we continued our slip-sliding journey until, a little further down the road, we encountered a local man unsuccessfully attempting to coax a tipper-truck up the mountain. His vehicle was struggling to get any traction on the slippery road surface, causing him to lose more ground than he was gaining. Willy and I immediately pulled over and offered to help the guy. From the back of his Chevy truck, Willy produced a length of strong rope which we attached to the tipper-truck, securing it tightly to the Chevy's rear bumper. My job was to jump up and down repeatedly on the truck bed to enable our tires to gain traction on the slippery road. Meanwhile, Willy revved the engine to full power, straining the rope close to breaking point as we inched forward. Progress was slow, as we negotiated the many twists and turns and gradually gained ground up the mountain. I was sweating profusely with the exertion of repeated bouncing while working to maintain my balance on this hazardous journey. With each bounce, I strained to glimpse the muddy road ahead of us, willing our convoy onwards and upwards
Finally, I noticed with relief that we were approaching an area where the tipper-truck driver would be able to carry on independently. I willed my weary body to keep jumping, directing all my strength into each bounce with increasing determination.
And then, suddenly, I experienced a moment that changed everything...
I felt my feet push off the metal truck bed, as they had so many times already. But this time as I strained my eyes to see the road ahead of us, I was greeted only by a vision of clear blue sky. The familiar road had completely disappeared. In that awful instant I realized the Chevy had slid off the road and was now airborne - tumbling helplessly over the steep mountainside with tipper-truck in tow. My legs vibrated with an unnatural hollow sound as I landed on a truck bed no longer in contact with the earth. In spite of myself, my eyes squeezed tight as I mentally prepared for the crash at the end of this ride which I believed would propel me straight into heaven. I held my breath. And waited.... waited... NOTHING. Curiosity overcame fear as my eyes snapped open once again. To my utter astonishment, we were back on the road. The sensation of weightlessness evaporated and our convoy resumed our winding ascent of the mountain road. IT HAD ALL HAPPENED IN AN INSTANT.
YWAM Tyler has a rich history that started in New Jersey then led to California and finally ended up here in East Texas. God has shown up in many miraculous ways to guide, provide, and protect throughout the journey. Herb and Sue Haines share their stories of God's faithfulness showing up in surprising ways.
Recently, I was able to participate with an organization called YWAM, which stands for Youth With a Mission. For the first three months during class time, I learned about the character of God and how to have a deeper relationship with Him. We were discipled, so we could go out and disciple others as well, applying all the things we learned to the cities that we were traveling to.
If you're lacking confidence, than this story is for you! Taylor shares about her experience during a training school at YWAM Tyler that changed her life and boosted her confidence.
YWAM Tyler has the privilege of hosting several ministries in the East Texas area. The Journey is located right off Interstate 20 and is a unique ministry seeking to bless people with good drink, delicious food, and most of all loving and gracious service. Everyone is on a journey of some sort, and it is the desire of those who run this coffeehouse that as they step into this business, God's love will be encountered in a special way. Many have entered this business to receive a warm drink, but they've left with warm hearts.
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??
YWAM Tyler is a ministry where all ages encounter God. When we came to do a training school and join staff, I was homeschooling my daughter and had no intention to do differently, but then I started feeling a stirring within my heart to pay attention to Christian Heritage School, a ministry of YWAM Tyler for Kindergarten to 12th grade students from around the world. After asking many questions to those around me about this school, I quickly discovered not only is this place influencing minds, but they're shaping hearts with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Surely God is in this place!
Imagine gathering around an empty table with a slew of orphans to thank the Lord for food that wasn't there. Hard to even believe, honestly; yet, it's true. George Mueller trusted God to the point he was willing to sit at a barren table and offer thanks to God for the food that He was going to supply. God had promised to provide all Mueller needed in caring for those children, so in that moment of need, Mueller banked on God's promise, and sure enough God did it! The doorbell rang, and fresh bread was placed before them all to enjoy for breakfast.
