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 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. 

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. 

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.

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...

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.

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!

Something amazing happens when people assemble to exalt the name of Jesus. God moves and transforms lives. Over the past five years, many have gathered at YWAM Tyler for the Inspire Worship & Missions Conference. It's encouraging to hear how this event has made an impact on people.