During my Discipleship Training School (DTS), God really showed me His heart for America. I’ve always dreamed of being the missionary that traveled to faraway lands to preach the Gospel where it’s never been heard, but God showed me that He cares as much about the people of America as He does the ones in far off lands. God cares about every nation tribe and tongue, including my own!

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.

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.

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. 

As a dairy farmer raised on a farm in a Mennonite home, I knew the Lord from an early age; my mother led me to Christ. I went to church and participated in youth groups. I even went to Bible school, a Mennonite college in Ohio. The truth was, in the journey of what I thought was trying to find God, I didn't really know Him.

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 place.

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.

YWAM Tyler has a rich history that started in New Jersey then led to California and finally ended up here in East Texas. God has shown up in many miraculous ways to guide, provide, and protect throughout the journey. Herb and Sue Haines share their stories of God's faithfulness showing up in surprising ways.

The icy winter wind had howled all night long outside our uninsulated rental house near Santiago, Chile. As the dawn broke, two students, Carlos and José, emerged bleary-eyed from their sleeping bags, quietly slipped into warm clothes, and headed out into the dark for an early quiet time with the Lord.

In celebration of World Poetry Day, this poem just might be the needed inspiration to know that God speaks. Psalm 32:8 declares, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you." Twelve years ago I did my DTS and learned more about hearing from God. I read this inspirational book, Is That Really You, God by the founder of YWAM, Loren Cunningham, and the stories left me wide-eyed and wonder-filled. Learning to hear God's voice is a key part of all YWAM Discipleship Training Schools. I'm thankful I devoted five months of my life for this unique training. If you're wrestling with what it means to hear God's voice then do a DTS. You'll get to read this book and discover truths about Jesus that'll change your life.

As I sat at my desk engrossed in the art of storytelling, I knew I was in desperate need for a brain break. So, I shifted my eyes to the window where beauty captured my attention and held me hostage.