A few week's ago, we were treated to the President’s State of the Union Address before live television and a joint session of Congress. President Trump brought us up to speed on the progress we’ve made in areas of economy, employment, defense, border security, and foreign relations. He then reminded us of the work that still needs to be done, calling all Americans to unite for the common good of the nation.

Growing up in Chicago and moving to a little town in Texas was quite the change! During my two training schools at YWAM Tyler, I discovered in a deeper way who God is and how to have a relationship with Him!

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!

Gigi and I met in ministry in Brazil and were best friends. Now, we still are best friends and married too! When we first started talking, we realized we had the same dream: to be a family in missions and a lighthouse to other families. We didn't know yet what our family would look like, but we committed that to Him.

I’ve volunteered with and attended the YWAM Inspire Conference since its beginning in 2013. My School of Worship was in 2012, and I'll never forget being deeply moved by Josh Langer’s heart for starting a gathering like it. 

We all have a story to tell. Some of our stories have just begun, and others are starting to come to their final chapter. In most narratives there is a conflict, climax, and of course a hero. Whose the hero of your story? 

“Hey you, hey you!” screamed the alarm. When is she going to change that song?! It’s a terrible way to start everyone’s morning! Living in a confined space with 15 other girls was starting to take its toll on me. Half asleep I rolled out of my sleeping bag and shuffled my feet into the bathroom. I turned on the lights and immediately noticed the fingerprints all over the mirror and the toilet paper on the floor.

It's been 30 months since I graduated Shiloh Ministries, and boy what a ride it has been. Never could I have possibly imagined, dreamt, or let-alone orchestrated the past 30 months. Thank God He did! I remember the graduating day at Shiloh. I was positive that I wanted to pursue God, but totally clueless about where or what that even looked like. All I knew was that my next step was taking me to Youth With A Mission (YWAM).

We started off our YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS) Outreach in Virginia serving at a Christian private school. Our DTS class was asked to be small group leaders at a middle through high school conference. As I was waiting at a table for the students to arrive, I decided to take the extra time to pray and seek God's heart for these students.

This Saturday we will celebrate with our most recent Discipleship Training School, "The School of Good News," at our quarterly Love Feast gathering. The students have returned back to YWAM Tyler's Twin Oaks campus with great God-stories from their outreaches to the East Coast of America, Guatemala, and Mexico. Here are a few special moments highlighted from their trips. God is winning in the nations. 🤩

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.