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. 

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 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.

REACHING AN URBAN GENERATION

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.

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 😃 ❤️

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.

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.

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. 

YWAM TYLER VIRTUAL CAMPUS TOUR

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!