What does a young person chasing after God's heart look like? Christian Heritage School desires to fan the flame of the next generation. Every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow with the Lord. Principle Jeff Schapansky shares testimonies of God moving miraculously in the classrooms.
2 min read
Miracles in the Classroom
Topics: Relationship with God Spiritual Growth Making Him Known Education Miracle Make Disciples CHS christian education
3 min read
Trusting God To Make A Way
Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is tell you to seek Jesus for yourself. In reality, as Christians, we should all be trying our best to seek Him first.
Kaleigh Seliskar helped disciple students while serving SSTs this summer. Listen as she shares an encouraging testimony of how God increased her faith through a student.
Over this summer, I had the honor of working with YWAM Tyler’s teen summer camp called SST. During this time, I had many roles. One of them included guiding and encouraging three teenagers to prepare a teaching. They would have the opportunity to share their teaching at a Vacation Bible School (VBS) they would help with during their outreach in Houston.
One of the students, "Josh", was preparing a teaching on Moses and the Red Sea. He came to me on the last day of preparation and said to me “Kaleigh, I want to give an altar call at the end of my teaching but I don’t know how to do that. Can you help me?” I asked him to pray about it and then come to me later and we could talk about how to do it. He never come back, so I assumed that he either decided to skip it all together, or that he went to another leader and talked about it.
The next week we were in Houston and Josh gave his teaching on the final day of VBS. The kids in the group were engaged the whole time, and consumed by what Josh had to say. Towards the end of his teaching, he began looking around the stage like he was missing something. At this point, I was pretty confused because his teaching appeared to be going as planned and he hadn’t missed anything. Suddenly, he stopped looking around the stage and seemed very excited and he did something that the other leaders and I had not expected. He asked the kids in the VBS if they wanted to accept Jesus, and if they did to raise their hand. Twelve of the nineteen kids responded immediately.
Josh ran to the side of the stage and pulled two cases of water to the center of the stage, got back on the mic and said, “If you just raised your hand, come onto the stage and walk between these cases of water like the Israelites did through the Red Sea to show everyone that you are going to follow Jesus.” All twelve of those kids got up and ran to the stage to declare their dedication to follow Jesus.
As a staff member for these SST students, I was so impressed with Josh's creativity and on-the-spot thinking. This is just one of the few ways that the teenagers in the SST were able to impact the people of Houston. Not only did they touch the people of Houston but I was also personally affected by them. At times I felt that I was too young or just didn't have enough experience to share my faith. The SST students blew those thoughts away. Their fearlessness and resilience showed me that age has nothing to do with my ability to talk about Jesus.
Did it ever occur to you that when you were all grown up the next generation would look up to you? It doesn't matter what you think you are capable of, God can and will use those with willing hearts to fulfill His plans. If you open yourself up and follow wherever the Lord may lead, He will amaze you every time. Seek Him first and He will always be there to help you.
Topics: Trust Knowing God Making Him Known Discipleship Opportunities Freedom Faith Teenagers SST Leadership Youth With A Mission ministry youth Red Sea
1 min read
The Best Week of My Life
“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.
Topics: Outreach YWAM Tyler Missions Purpose Evangelism Life-Changing YWAM DTS YWAM Outreach Making Him Known Adventure Travel Mission Trip Missionary Training discipleship unreached unreached people groups DTS tanzania africa
5 min read
4 Earth Shattering Truths I Learned on my DTS Outreach
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.
Topics: Outreach Korean Missionary YWAM DTS YWAM Outreach Poverty Making Him Known Nations Faith God's Presence Mission Trip Make Disciples Prayer Redeem Go Dependence on God World Changer God's Love
2 min read
The Spirit of Jesus
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.
Topics: YWAM Tyler Missions Following Jesus Missionary Missionary Life Making Him Known Make Disciples Missionary Training ywam missions unreached jesus spirit of jesus
3 min read
The Send: Joining the War Against Inaction
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?
Topics: YWAM Tyler Missions Purpose Urban Missions Evangelism Gospel Missionary Making Him Known Global Missions YWAM Mission Trip Action the send discipleship DTS revival
7 min read
We Are Scattered Like Sheep Among Wolves
The Cost of Following Jesus Anywhere and Everywhere.
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?
Topics: Urban Missions Cities Dreams Evangelism Following Jesus Making Him Known Global Missions Nations Urbanization Missions in America city ministry spheres of influence ywam missions border crisis
1 min read
This Time With Jesus
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.
Topics: YWAM DTS YWAM Outreach Making Him Known World Changer
4 min read
I Just Needed To Show Up
My life needed redirection
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.
Topics: YWAM Tyler Crossroads DTS Purpose YWAM DTS Missionary Making Him Known YWAM Redirection Crossroads discipleship introvert dicovery
4 min read
What I Wish I Would've Known Going into College
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.
Topics: Missions Knowing God Missionary Making Him Known
4 min read
DTS Is An Experience You'll Never Forget
At YWAM Tyler, students are graduating their Discipleship Training Schools with tons of memories, friendships, and passion for Jesus! Read some of the most recent reflections of students' experiences.
Topics: YWAM DTS Spiritual Growth Making Him Known Adventure Encounter God
2 min read
YWAM DTS | An Encounter That'll Change Your Life
At the beginning of 2018, a new adventure will begin for many. People from around the world will gather together to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS). Each student arriving will have different goals. Some simply want to know God more because they’re hungry for a deeper walk with Jesus. Others will come with a desire for fresh perspective. They want to experience God in a new way and within a different culture, seeing the beauty of His creation in this world. Then there will be those that need change. Life has beat them up; choices haven’t always been the best; wounds have left them internally bruised. They’re longing for more. No matter the reason, DTS is a great opportunity for fulfilling one’s heart desires.
