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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
