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?

Family Discipleship and missions changed our Lives

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?”

Committing Our Family to Following Jesus

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.  

God said "Go", I said "No" 

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!"

Plans Have Suddenly Changed, But Don’t Panic

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.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FAMILY DTS

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.

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.

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.

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.

Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has been globally championing children and families as central participants in the Great Commission for more than forty years. We believe passionately in the capacity of children and youth to know God intimately and walk in a living relationship with Him, which can eternally impact those around them. In short, kids are not only a key target group for missions but also key players in reaching the world for Jesus!

Last summer our family of four embarked on a new chapter in our lives as we arrived with great anticipation at YWAM Tyler, ready to begin family missions training. We came with no expectations - just a willingness to learn and grow in our faith. Now, I can look back and say we made the best decision for our family by taking that leap of faith. During our five months of training we grew closer to God and to one another, as our marriage and family relationships were strengthened. We now have God in the center of our family’s life, where He belongs!