Planet YWAM.net

ENGLISH - SPANISH - PORTUGUESE Hosted by Jim Stier and YWAM San Diego/Baja September 27th 2010   English Appliation (Part 1)   (Part 2) Portuguese Application (part 1)   (Part

A great testimony from a short-term team from Brazil working in India. This video not only shows the language and cultural struggles that a team has working in India; but it also demonstrates is a dynamic way the effectiveness of using portable media players and appropriate evangelistic films! This is a must see! Surf to our homepage and check it out! Please remember to vote for our podcast at: , and Visit our Odeo ChannelSubscribe to this podcast:

Last week we left the boat to go to a new base in Montredon.  We didn’t know what to expect, but it was all good!  The first day we prayed and asked God what He had prepared for us.  The answer was great; He showed us a picture of a boat and we were on top of it.  We were handing out fruit to people.  God was asking us to feed them, like He did with the disciples when He multiplied the bread and the fish!  But how could we feed the people?

All week we went to a canteen where we were hanging out with some guys and in the evenings (not everyone) went to this camp of Romany.  We stayed with them, and on Thursday we had a bonfire with them.  We played with their kids and we played music.  Actually, we had a good time.

With the guys we had a lot of fun (me especially) every day.  We set up a drum kit with chairs and metal stuff and made lots of noise.  The rest of my team was playing games and spending time with some others.  I must say that by the end of the week we were friends and on Friday we had the grand finale.  God told us to do a drama, so we prepared it (even if we are not good actors).  So we went and that day in a miraculous way we had translation for the explanation of the drama and we had speakers for the music!  The drama speaks of the lost relationship between God and us and how He wants to get it back.  The guys were touched and a couple received prayer, but the most important thing was that they understood what God wants: have fun with us and love us.

The Romany were very happy to have us visit.  The kids gave us some gifts (posters of the wrestlers) and they felt God’s love through us.  The week was great and through this we understood the simplicity of the message and at the same time more of our and God’s heart.  It’s all good!

-Andrea Gatti

The King’s Kids team arrived yesterday. Along with 15 or so kids aged  6-18 and a few leaders whose ages will remain anonymous as they are young at heart so it doesn’t matter anyway, came boxes upon boxes of food. We’re fans of free food on board the Next Wave. The King’s Kids brought us cans of condensed and rice milk along with cartons of good ol’ regular cow milk (UHT, naturally), cartons of soup, paella mixes, microwave dinners, cheese, butter, veggies, and pineapples! It is such a blessing to see how God provides for us, even here in one of the most expensive places we’ve been to. Not that we’re paying anything for our port, but our food costs are adding up.

After dinner we all gathered to watch a video of this summer’s adventures, made by the amazingly talented Josué.

This morning, after a delightful lie-in and breakfast of fluffy American pancakes, we worshipped together and had an extended devotion time where God lead several people to share.

The kids only stayed the night, but it was good to see everyone again!

This is the article that was written about the Next Wave a few days ago, and a rough English translation which was provided by one of our friends from a local church and freetranslation.com where the hand written translation was unclear.

25 Missionaries on the “Love Boat”

Next Wave is a pretty ship that is mooring at the quai d’Alger until the 17th of February. Its nickname could be “Love Boat”. The 25 passengers and members of the crew are in fact fans of love, God’s love. They belong to the organization “Youth With a Mission” and they have a training course under the care of the Pentecostal church. After their theoretical training their missionaries will go all over the world to serve. They are in Sète for the first time, and since they arrived they’ve been helpful to local churches and the Red Cross. They also travelled to the region to speak about their faith. These young evangelists come from twelve different countries and after they go back home they plan to be in their communities’ lives. While waiting for that, they’ll stay in Sète until mid-February. Next step: Ibiza. There are worse places to evangelize the crowds.

Not bad, but for a few technical inaccuracies. We’re not affiliated with any particular denomination. One of the core values of YWAM is to be international and interdenominational (value number 8, I believe).

Day 1

The horns, drums and dancers of host YWAM Northern Thailand welcomed this crowd of 7-800 people from 50 + nations to YWAM's 50th celebration in Chiang Mai. The procession continued with Loren and Darlene dressed in Lanna Thai style clothing, brought in on elevated chairs carried in on the shoulders by 6 Thai leaders each  --  and followed by YWAMers also dressed in Lanna Thai style clothing who had been in the Mission 30 years or more. 

Dances and dancers from every region of Thailand as well as from the region showed the beauty, the hospitality and the culture of Indo-China. Worship flowed freely from YWAM staff, students and friends from the nations to the God of all nations and all peoples. Loren and Darlene and all who have gone before in YWAM were thanked and were objects of thanks to God.

Loren spoke that this is not just a celebration of the past but this is a time of worship to where God is leading us in the future, into every sector of society. This is a time of fulfilling the Great Commission through the Great Commandment. This is the generation that God is going to use every technology to see the Gospel go to every unreached people. Loren spoke there is unprecedented unity with leaders in the Body of Christ is at all time high.  The prayer movement is starting to cover the earth with worship, with prayers,  with intercession and spiritual warfare. It really is possible to see the Great Commission fulfilled in this generation. 

This was just the first night...

Day 2 

The day started with Dar sharing on gratitude for those who have gone before us. Those we were standing on the shoulders of as we have served God. We had just heard a few hours before that our first YWAMer from Switzerland, Rudy Lack, had just died.  As she shared all of this with our Asian staff, to people present from 48 nations, the session was being translated into five languages.  She asked for those who had been personally impacted by Rudy’s life to stand and many of the leaders who had pioneered the region stood up.  Several shared that Rudy was one of the first people who had told them about YWAM.  We thanked God for Rudy and prayed for Eliane.

It was wonderful for our Asian staff to hear YWAM history from our founders and the impact will be multiplied. We then prayed with each other about those who have influenced our lives and how their lives live on through us and our varied ministries. It was a sober, yet powerful morning where the presence of God was so real.

In the afternoon Incredible reports by video and by story were shared from countries in the region about what God was doing and about the amazing amount of growth that is taking place.  Asian staff and student numbers have increased rapidly over the last few years. Please see some of th ose reports at the YWAM 50th, YWAMconnect, YWAM Thailand and YWAM Mercy websites. There is momentum occurring that happening all through Asia. God is indeed up to something globally and locally.  

In the Evening  -- Loren shared on how to transform nations from his book, “The Book That Transforms Nations” with examples from Korea and the region. He, then shared about the timeline of YWAM history and what has happened highlighting the need for a Bible in every home globally. It was a full day, rich in worship and fellowship, tears and prayer for those who have lost in Switzerland and Haiti.

Day 3 

Multi-lingual worship and the beautiful Performing Arts dances have been powerful in Chiang Mai -  There have been comments like -
"there is nothing like a group singing simultaneously in English, Chinese, and Thai, along with Khmer, Portuguese and a dozen other languages. "

Darlene continued with how God has taught us His ways over the years. She reminded us of the loss of the ship, "The Maori" in New Zealand, the impact upon our international leaders in humbling in Japan, the repentance tour to pastors and leaders in New Zealand and the year of the Cross. It was a powerful reminder as Tom Hallas shared about the situation in the news for the past few days on Toyota, their recall of vehicles and their lack of transparency.  

Darlene also spoke about the spirit of generosity that we are called to and reminded us that in the midst of such humbling of our loss of a ship, God gave resurrection. She talked about our conference in Eagle River, Wisconsin and the outrageous generosity and monies being given to Operation Mobilization for their purchase of a ship.  Darlene's last session was a wonderful reminder of who Jesus is and how He has modeled every aspect of life for us.   The conference finished with the signing of the Jubliee Covenant and remembering Jesus and all He has done for us through taking communion together.

We had a celebration in Chiang Mai

- G Stephen Goode

Tagged: YWAM, Jubilee

Children at Risk School (CRS) Starts Jan 3rd, 2011 registrar@ywamsdb.org    +1 619 240 7868 Youth With A Mission San Diego/Baja will run a 9 month Children at Risk School (CRS) January

Be more effective in missions and in your personal relationships by learning a new language and breaking cultural barriers!  Come to our Tijuana del Mar campus for a month of intensive Spanish Language School.Vision:Our

How does the School of Ministry Development impact lives?  Keep reading to find out! “The SOMD was an amazing experience that has completely transformed the way I live. Through the school I came to understand

YWAM Tijuana will be hosting its second Photography Seminary with Wendy McAlpine April 5-9, 2010. Our first ever Photography Seminar last fall was extremely well-received, with the final evening's public showcase of students'

Best Practices Consultaton WHEN: May 11th – 14th, 2010 WHERE: Tijuana Campus of YWAM San Diego/Baja.  Click here for Directions Email:  Karen Hawlins naoffice@mac.com A four day Best

Starts Jan 3rd, 2011 registrar@ywamsdb.org    +1 619 240 7868   Where:         Ensenada Campus   Cost:           

For all of the following Seminars and Conference please do two things Apply by clicking here select San Diego/Baja, then the conference you want Spanish Language School February 21 - March 19, 2010

A tribute from Darlene Cunningham

read more

This morning’s devotion time was interrupted by a couple of journalists from a local newspaper. We talked to them for a bit before gathering up on deck for a group photo. After that, we took another picture of the Milan and Harpenden outreach teams for our photo wall. It’s getting full, and has started to creep across to the other side.

It is a maintenance day today. We try to devote days to evangelism or maintenance. Of course there is usually a bit of both happening at any given time, but it is nice to work as a whole body to achieve the day’s goals. It is still a challenge to balance all the aspects of full-time ministry and full-time living on a boat. There is always something needing repairs, or preventative maintenance. Something is always covered in rust. There is always painting to be done.

Paula and Luigi, the leaders of the Milan base, are here visiting their DTS. We are hoping to continue developing the relationship between Milan and the Next Wave. As a ministry, our heart is for Italy and other Mediterranean nations.

PRAISE GOD!    WE HAVE A SIGNED AGREEMENT FOR AN AWESOME VESSEL!

We are so excited and thankful to our God for HIS faithfulness toward us. The Marine Reach Caribbean ministry is almost ready to set sail.

We will be working on preparing the boat for ministry. Please pray for the additional equipment that is still needed and the outfitting of the vessel.

Come to Eintrøa for a week to study the Bible. From 23 April - 1 May 2010 we will have a Bible study seminar at Youth With A Mission’s base in Trøndelag.

We will
- learn how to study the Bible inductively
- Study the letter to Titus
- Get a brief overview of the Old and New Testament
- have a look at how the Bible is relevant for Christians in today’s modern society

This week is open for everyone. The only criteria is that you want to learn more about the Bible

You can join us for the whole week or just for the first week-end. During the first couple of days we will have an introduction to the inductive study method.

Date: 23 April – 1 May 2010
We start with dinner at 19:00

Price (incl. food, lodging and seminar fee):
- Full-time YWAM-staff:
Weekend: 400 kr
Whole week: 1400 kr
- Others:
Weekend: 800 kr
Whole week: 2500 kr

The course will be in Norwegian, but translation will be provided if necessary.

Contact us:
E-mail: info@eintroa.no
Phone number: 72 49 01 00

Address:
Ungdom i Oppdrag, Eintrøa
7316 Lensvik, Norway

Simply put we thank everyone who contributed to help us get supplies to Haiti from the Dominican Republic.  Trucks are being loaded up regularly and driven across the border 6 hours from Santa Domingo, then another 4

Before I came to Haiti I found myself sitting on the couch in my living room watching the news of the Haiti earthquake and wanting to turn off the TV. 8 day’s after the quake I found myself sitting at our office in

Last year, my friends and I were travelling to the capital city of Addis Ababa after our outreach to the Karo people in the south of Ethiopia.The drive north had taken three days and we were finally back in an urban setting.As we drove into the city, we noticed on the left-hand side of the road a huge garbage dump shrouded by the fumes of smouldering fires.An unbearable smell assaulted us and between the dark smoke clouds we saw a group of children and young people sitting on the garbage.

We questioned our driver, wanting to know if children really worked or lived over there.We were shocked that he told us...

To continue reading, please download the full newsletter from YWAM Herrnhut.

Tagged: poverty, Africa

The Next Wave is equipped with a mini prayer wall in the library where
anyone is free to make their prayers public. That way others can join
in praying, besides the bonus of learning about each others’ families,
finances and futures! When my team arrived on the boat about 6 weeks
ago, we each wrote down something we believed God wanted do before the
end of outreach, then we abbreviated those onto slips of paper that
Loren put up on the prayer wall. My paper simply said: “pray for a
Jesus explosion, and that I would get to baptize someone.” A Jesus
explosion didn’t sound very safe and baptizing someone was a
completely new thought to me, but it was what God said to write down,
so I did. We started praying fervently for these God-inspired dreams
to come alive!

•••••

A few weeks later, I met Vanessa. We started talking at the park in
Palamos on a day when a group of us had gone to play music and meet
people. She innocently asked the question that changed her world:
“What are they singing about?” She had never heard of Jesus until I
told her His story. She believed immediately, and prayed to open her
heart to Him on the spot!
I lost touch with her for the next few weeks, since I was too happy to
remember to exchange phone numbers the day we met. In those weeks, I
prayed every day that I would see her one more time and have the
chance to give her a Spanish Bible, at least, before we sailed to
France.
When I ran into her on the street the day before we left Palamos, we
were both delighted! She came to the boat the next day, and I told
her about the Trinity and the Bible and stories from my life to prove
that Jesus is real. I mentioned baptism as our sign of dedication to
Jesus, and she responded willingly that she wanted to do that! Even
when I explained Jesus’ words about laying down our lives and taking
up His cross, she was not intimidated. “This is the truth, and I
believe it,” she told me.
That is how it happened that I found myself in the Mediterranean Sea a
few hours later, immersing a new Spanish believer in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit! When I showed Vanessa my request on the
prayer wall, her eyes filled with tears. She realized, as we all
eventually do, that God’s kind hand had been drawing the way to His
heart even before she knew Him!

Hurricane Jimena News Update   Last year Hurricane Jimena ripped through the southern Baja region causing flooding and wind damage in the towns of Mulege and Cuidad Constitucion. YWAM San Diego/Baja was able to minister

This weekend (Monday and Tuesday) some of the Harpenden team and two of our crew came back from four days of outreach in Montpellier. They were living and working with a church there. Before they got back, it was a bit lonely on board. Quiet, for a change, but lonely.

Yesterday, a lady from a local church brought us pizza for lunch. She made us dessert, too! She made these delicious cup things (picture a thin fortune cookie in a cup shape) filled with chestnut creme and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Apparently this was a very French dessert, called tulipe croustillante or “crispy tulip” in English.

The rest of our teams will be back next week. It’s a little livelier these days, but it will be nice to have everyone together again!

1. REGISTRATION
There are only 48 days before the begin of the 2010 ILA, and we have approximately only 90 participants. We believe strongly that there are many more individuals from all regions who are to come. Please do not delay nor postpone registering if you have not already.. The earlier you register, the better we can prepare! Please register now! Make sure people from your region register for the ILA.
2. SPONSORSHIP
Finances are a challenge for many of us. We also believe that God is on our side and that he will be faithful to provide! We believe that we are to help each other in this! Many of our key leaders have registered by faith but are on "stand-by" regarding the finances to come.
Could you as a local or national King's Kids or Network Team pray about "adopting" a person from another nation to help him or her get to the gathering? This "adoption" could take the form of a commitment to:
cover the ground fees: 450 Brazilian Real (BRL)
cover the registration fees
Catagory A: 188 BRL
Catagory B: 150 BRL
Catagory C: 94 BRL
The registration fees have been categorized according to the University of the Nations reference guide. To discover which category you belong, please download the UofN International Financial Scale in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (*.pdf).
cover all of the ILA fees (ground fees and registration fees),
or even cover the cost of airfares and ILA fees!
In the Sponsorship Form you will find out how you can make that commitment to support one of these anticipated participants! For more information contact
Let's all gather around this challenge and show that we are family. Pray that God would show you whom you might present these support needs for possible sponsorship and prayer. Present to them the facts - it's more than a simple gift they'd be giving, it's an investment in the Kingdom of God in whole continents.
3. PLEASE PRAY!
Hearts prepared for a new season of experiencing God and the expansion of His kingdom.
Registration and communication with all those who attend.
Sponsorship and financial support for those who attend.
Continued preparation of the content and program.
4. PREPARATION
An overview of the ILA program including themes, objectives, and a basic schedule can be downloaded from the international website: ILA Program
P.S. This Newsletter and more KKI info are available at: http://www.kkint.net

The small Caribbean nation of Haiti has gone from poverty to total devastation after a 7.3 earthquake hit on January 12th this year. The desperation of the Haitian people is seen on the news each night and it is easy

We need nurses to help here in St. Marc for the next two months. Yesterday a young boy with serious head and leg injuries began to cry as he lay on a straw mat at our YWAM arena gym floor. He is just one of 76 others trying

A CRY FOR TEACHERS! Due to the destruction of many schools and homes in PAP we are now getting request from English speaking Haitians to accept their children in our functioning educational school. These children were attending

We are very happy to have some of our friends from this summer’s King’s Kids outreach with us again. Since the King’s Kids team was from France, and we’re now in France, we all thought a reunion would be a great thing. We will have more of the King’s Kids team join us in a few days, but until then we will be setting up outreach opportunities with the help of the multi-talented Studer family.

In two days from now, Jan. 25th, 5 of us from YWAM San Diego/Baja will be leaving for Haiti. We are not going to be heroes or saviors, we are going because there is a need and we want to humbly help in any way that we can.

If you would like to go to Haiti and help then please go to our on line application and begin processing NOW. Our YWAM Center in Harpenden England is coordinating efforts on behalf of our Haiti Center.  They are desperate

YWAM San Diego/Baja is partnering together with YWAM Rwanda and Arial Homes to build 50 homes in the eastern section of the country and will place five orphans and a widow together in each home built.  There is a small

In an effort to assist our YWAM coworkers in Haiti respond to the earthquake of last week YWAM San Diego/Baja hosted a global update via GENESIS and web streaming.  Brett Curtis interviewed with Terry Snow, National

This morning during our group intercession time, we marched over to a nearby church to pray for the whole church in France. There are several churches in the area, even though recent polls suggest that the total Christian population, both Catholic and Protestant, is about 6%, each at 3%. France is very much a post-modern, post-Christian country. Traditional values are discarded in the name of tolerance and progress.

Religion is a very private thing in France. It doesn’t usually get talked about. Christians aren’t so much persecuted as simply ignored and ridiculed. That makes fulfilling  the commandment to “Go forth into all the nations and preach the gospel” somewhat difficult.

While the situation in France, as well as much of Europe, is discouraging ground is being re-won. The 3% Protestant figure is an increase over the 2% of the past decade. That may not seem like much, but if God could take down the Midionites with 300 men (Now THAT would be a great movie!),  1,952,204 confessing Christians isn’t too shabby.

After our tour around New Zealand finished at the beginning of December, we still weren’t quite done for the year. A few months ago we worked out a deal with the local PolyTechnic Institute that allowed us to have several thousand dollars’ worth of free tuition so those of us in Marine Reach could get some extra training. A lot of us went through the survival-at-sea/firefighting course I talked about in our last letter, and a couple of our engineers benefitted from an engineering course. In return for all this free tuition, we agreed to make the ship available as a training vessel for the students taking basic seamanship at the school. In mid-December we were able to make good on our end of the deal and took 12 students and 2 instructors onto the ship for 3 days. We did a short overnight sail to a nearby island, and the students were able to practice some of the things they’d learned in the classroom. This was a really positive experience, both for the students and for the regular ships’ crew. It also afforded us a unique outreach opportunity as we spent time living with these young people who didn’t seem to have much Christian influence in their lives. While they were practicing their deck hand skills, some of us were getting an entirely different education…

 

Four of us, myself included, have been working towards getting a cooking certification so we can have “certified cooks” onboard the ship. Much of our learning was self-study, completing a lot of unit standards on paper. However, while we were on this sail with the PolyTech students, a very enthusiastic and passionate chef named James joined us. For three days he taught and observed us as we worked. It was a lot of hours in the galley, but definitely worth it. I learned so much about growing sprouts, cooking beans, working with yeast, knife handling, making soup, and much more. I was initially quite nervous to have a professional chef and food handler watching everything we did, but it was such a great experience! James also marked and critiqued our written assignments, and spent as much time as we needed going over things with us. It’s another one of those things I never thought I’d do, but very shortly I will have completed everything and should receive certification as a Level 3 Cook! You just never know where this stuff is going to come in handy down the road. Jeremy has already commented that he may reap the benefits of me taking this course for the rest of his life J

 

And so the adventures continue. As Jeremy has already mentioned, we face a lot of challenges in the year to come. I suppose life would not be very adventurous without challenges. Please pray that we will have the strength and wisdom to tackle the adventures and challenges that come our way.

 

 

Lori Schierer

 

Infant and mother found alive!

Update from Terry Snow in Haiti Yesterday our YWAM’ers in PAP came upon people seeking help and a four month old child was discovered pinned under a building. Our rescue team from YWAM sprang into action. After some

We made it to France  (the port of Sete in South France) nice and safe. It appears that our berth is going to be even cheaper than we thought – free! We’re praying that this is the case, and not just an unfortunate misunderstanding due to language barriers.

Today everyone scouted out the town. The YWAM Harpenden and YWAM Milan teams looked for important buildings to pray over, ones that represent the different spheres of society – sports centres, government buildings, etc. – while the crew looked for maintenance-type shops and grocery stores.

It feels like we’re settling back into some semblance of a regular schedule now we are in France. We always have started the day off with a group devotional, but recently we’ve had worship several mornings a week, but we fell out of the habit of having daily devotionals. This afternoon,  Brian Sloan, MRM International Co-Director talked with us about the history of Marine Reach and the importance of servant leadership. Because one of Next Wave’s goals is to “raise up and train the ‘next wave’ of missionaries”, leadership development is an important part of life on board. We try to have input from leaders of different types – speakers, pastors, people with authority in a certain area – regularly.

We’re excited to see what God will do while we’re here.

   YWAM Tijuana will be hosting its second Photography Seminary with Wendy McAlpine April 5-9, 2010. Our first ever Photography Seminar last fall was extremely

City is beginning to Organize; Today I meet with various leaders to begin organize refugee centers. YWAM has been asked to chair the logistical support of the schools that will be transformed into temporary shelter for

Dear Friends,   The news from Haiti continues to be bleak with approximately 3 million poor being affected by the recent earthquake. Terry Snow, the YWAM national director for Haiti, is reporting that thousands of

"A Spirit of Despair...the Power of the Love of God"

Message from Hope Force International:

"Please join us in praying for the people of Haiti,one of the poorest nations on earth. By now, most of us are aware of the powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island nation of Haiti at approximately 4:00 PM CST Tuesday afternoon. The devastation has been overwhelming, and the suffering beyond comprehension. The fullness of the death toll and destruction is still yet to be determined, but is undoubtedly on a scale unlike anything this impoverished nation has endured in recent history."

The following agencies are helping in the relief effort in Haiti following the devastation of the earthquake:
Mercy Works
YWAM-Haiti
Hope Force Internaitonal
Rescuenet 

Donations

You can give online to YWAM's contribution to the relief effort in Haiti at: Haiti Relief Donations

 

Tagged: Haiti, relief, earthquake

New: Updates from national director

Dear Friends, Since hearing about the 7.0 earthquake that has taken place in Haiti my heart has been burdened deeply by this tragedy.  Haiti, an island nation, is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.  At the

We were meant to be sailing to France tomorrow. Back in the summer, when we were praying about outreach locations, we felt that a team should go to Eastern Europe and a team should go to Italy. We felt the boat should go to France. Until just recently, we didn’t think going to France was possible. We couldn’t find a port that could safely accommodate a ship our size that we could also afford. Yet we were sure God had said to go to France.

We found a port in a town called Sete, near Montpellier. It is sheltered, and the price is right.

We’d planned to head out tomorrow night, but in true Next Wave fashion, there is a substantial storm coming from France. While we wait out the storm from the relative safety of our berth in Palamos, we’re saying our good-byes to the Montana School of Worship who head off to Hungary tomorrow night and to all our local friends.

New: Updates from national director

In early 2007 I read a 200 year old anti-slavery poster in the Barbados National Museum detailing a slave ship very similar in dimensions to the M/V Pacific Link. That vessel had a crew of 45 compared to our maximum of 50; however, it also had a cargo of 600 slaves.

Since the movie Amazing Grace, it is easy to quickly think of the abolition of slavery as an example of the efforts of Christians to overcome injustice. However, a look through history reveals numerous examples of Christians confronting evil and winning freedom for the oppressed. This is often achieved through what we in Youth With A Mission call “Acting in The Opposite Spirit” or what Jesus called “turning the other cheek.” If someone acts out of bitterness and anger, I approach the situation with forgiveness and love. Generosity responds to greed. It is not the fastest technique for creating change, but it is the approach Jesus took and ultimately proves most effective. YWAM Founder Loren Cunningham in his latest book, The Book That Transforms Nations, summarizes multiple examples of Christ’s followers using Biblical principles to change society. Sometimes it only takes a single Christian inspired by the love of God to begin an entire campaign for freedom from a specific form of pain or captivity.

Clearly, the world is still full of darkness and evil. People in every nation still choose to mistreat and take advantage of their neighbors. It may well be that there are more slaves and trafficked people at this moment than at any time in history. Near daily bombings across the world extend the misery of those living in hatred. In Papua New Guinea, one in seven rural women dies during child birth. People need salvation.

2010 marks the 50th birthday of YWAM and the 20th birthday of Marine Reach Ministries. In conjunction with these birthdays, a 16-port tour by the M/V Pacific Link of Australia is scheduled to begin in Newcastle in February.

After well over a year of planning and in partnership with YWAM bases across Australia we plan to challenge 100,000 young people with the call to change society through the power of the Gospel. There are now enough Christians in the world that if we all work together with Jesus it is possible that the Good News could be delivered to every distinct ethnic group in the next ten years.

As I have read back over our past newsletters I realize how many times I have reported the overcoming of impossible situations enabling the continued operation of the M/V Pacific Link. Even with the all the planning that has gone into our next tour, we still find ourselves in what seems an impossible situation. Between now and the beginning of February we have to create a way to contain all the waste water created on the ship and find enough crew to keep the ship moving.

In the immensity of this challenge I have identified with Luke 8:22-23:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side (Australia) of the lake.(the Tasman Sea) ” So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped and they were in great danger. (without a suitable containment system and certified crew the ship tour could be in jeopardy before it begins)

I have been tempted to think that Jesus has been asleep in the M/V Pacific Link (or maybe He even stayed ashore) while we frantically search for ways to stay afloat. I still feel frantic and even after so many demonstrations of His provision I wonder “where is my faith?”

Would you please pray with us to prevail in the face of the storm that we may take our place in calling the young people of Australia to rise up declaring the truth and love of Jesus to all mankind.

We don’t know how 2010 will unfold but there is encouragement in the rest of the story:

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:24-25

Until a few days ago, we did not know that there was an evangelical church here in Palamos. We’ve been going to a church in Girona or another one in Blanes. It’s great to join in with believers in other cities, but it would be ideal to be able to work with a church right here.

It is a tiny church. It has four regular members, including the 80-some year old pastor. The church has been there for 100 years. When nearly forty of us showed up yesterday, we filled up the tiny room.

A few people from the School of Worship led the worship portion of the service, which was followed by a testimony from one of the  YWAM Harpenden team and another from the School of Worship. The pastor gave a short message, which was translated by a student from Harpenden. By short, I mean short. We’ve grown accustomed to spending upwards of three hours at a typical Sunday service. That’s just what they do in Spain. Clocking in at a mere half-hour, the message was over before most of us realized it. As the service was ending, and we were praying for the tiny congregation, we were introduced to a new-comer. We welcomed her at the front and prayed for her right along with the regulars. She didn’t have a Bible, so we brought her back to the boat with us so that we could give her one.

It would have been nice if we had known about this church before, as we only discovered it on our last weekend in Spain, but it is tucked away into a nondescript building tucked into a winding road on a hill. It’s amazing we found it at all. Or not so amazing, when you consider that God probably had his reasons for us being there on the day that woman decided to go in.

Our first Sunday we ministered in a church in Girona, Spain.   During worship a woman started to cry and tremble. She tried several times to run to the front of the church but some men stopped her.  As we worshipped to the song “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” a member of our team got a very clear “picture” of Jesus sitting at the church piano and singing to the church.  Our team member shared this picture with the church and Zeph 3:17 and said that the Lord wanted them to hear Him sing HIS songs of love to them:   The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJ)

A woman came up to me after church and said she thought the Lord had spoken that very same verse to her just a few days ago. Today, she said,  she knew it was meant for her and her church.  She also said that the woman who had been crying & trembling and trying to run to the front of the church did so because that woman said she saw Jesus sitting at the piano!!!  It’s wonderful when Jesus repeats Himself.

One evening in Palamos we were sitting at Pastor Ramon’s house, where we had been invited for dinner.  The pastor’s wife, Zenia, asked me how I was doing on the boat and I told her I had been very seasick a couple of days even though the boat has been docked the entire time.  She told me her daughter had motion sickness so badly that she took her to the doctor.  The doctor diagnosed an inner ear problem.  When she that to me a very sad memory suddenly came into my mind.  When I was a little girl I had been hit so hard on the right side on my head that my right inner ear was badly damaged.  Because of the constant pain and ringing in my ear I was taken to the doctor but he said there was nothing that could be done.  I had never before connected the terrible motion sickness I experienced the rest of my life with the damage done to my right ear, until that evening at the pastor’s home. (Please know I have never met anyone who gets as motion sick as I do.  I couldn’t even stand the motion of a merry go round much less the back seat of a car.  And a sail boat was the absolute worst.  I could stand on the dock and look at the boat rocking next to it and get sea sick. Honestly.)

The next day we were working on the top deck of our ship and I mentioned to Emily that I was very seasick.  I also shared with her about my conversation and amazing picture that the Lord put in my mind at the pastor’s house.  She looked at me with the compassion of Jesus in her eyes and said how very sorry she was to hear what had happened to me and that she wanted to pray for the healing of my ear.  The last time I saw that same look of compassion for that day I was hit so hard (and for other days like it) was when I looked into the eyes of Jesus as I cried out the pain and unforgiveness hidden in my heart since my childhood.  As I listened to His words of truth break the lies of the enemy, I was set free to believe that I was truly deeply loved and and precious in His sight.

That evening we had communion on the boat led by our Captain, H. Lehman Franklin III.  Lehman’s gentle spirit made it a precious time with the Lord, thanking Him for His sacrificial love for us, and then praying in communion for each other individually.  It was then that Emily came to me and prayed for the healing of my ear.  I politely thanked her and then went to my cabin for a while. To be perfectly honest with you, I did not have any faith in that prayer. Although I have seen the Lord miraculously and instantaneously heal many others, I personally had never experienced that myself even though I have been prayed for many times for other physical ailments by people very experienced and “gifted”  in physical healing.  Later that evening I joined my team and crew for a movie on the boat.  As I was sitting there eating popcorn, I suddenly heard a “swoosh” sound in my damaged right ear. Startled, I opened my jaw very wide and my ear making loud, very strange sounds. It’s really hard to describe in words.  It was like my ear had crashed and “liquified” and the awful sloshing sound would not stop. I had absoltuely no idea what was happening.  I think I panicked, fearing I had contracted a terrible ear infection.  So I  prayed very hard against the enemy who had tried many times to stop me from going on this mission trip.  The sound thankfully abated around 15-20 minutes later.

The next morning during my devotions/worship time, I reflected on the evening’s frightening experience.  Then a thought came to my mind that Milly, a Dutch friend of mine in Italy, had emailed to me.  I had asked a few friends for prayer about this trip as I had originally signed up with YWAM for a mission trip to southern Italy & Lybia – not to Spain and especially NOT on a boat!   Milly wrote back and said that Jesus told her to say, “Tell Loren that I’m waiting for her on the boat.” (!!)  I remember laughing out loud when I read it and so joyfully smiling – it sounded just like the way Jesus talks.   When I thought about those wonderful words of encouragement that morning, out of my mouth came the astonished query, “Oh my goodness, did Jesus heal my ear last night??!!”

I did not have to wait long to find out, for that very afternoon we were taking the boat out to sea for our team’s first day trip.  The waves really started to roll when we got far away from the dock but I felt no motion sickness whatsoever.  Incredulous, I went below deck which in the past was my stomach’s death knell.  Nothing.  Then I drank lots of water.  Knowing that liquids are taboo if one has a propensity to motion sickness, I tentatively drank several glasses.  Nervously I waited.  Nothing.  Oh my goodness!!  I went back up to the top deck and sat down with tears filling my eyes.  When we returned to the dock I danced on the deck with Emily and Rachel!!  Later, I found out that a few people had in fact gotten nauseous on that trip.  Then 2 days ago, swells came into the harbor that caused our boat to rock so hard all night long and morning that I kept sliding out of my sleeping bag (I was wearing silk long underwear).  What you need to know is that amazingly, I was actually able to read a book in bed during all this commotion!  In my heart, and in my stomach, there was a peace that would calm any storm.
Finally, Christmas week our team went by bus to Barcelona for outreach.  We were so very blessed.  Miley and I were able to give Jesus 3 birthday presents (Matthew 25:34-36):  we prayed with 3 prostitutes on the street and Joy and I also prayed with a young man from Argentina in the subway.  A few days we slept on the floor of a church sanctuary  - my team graciously let me sleep on the couch!  Jesus gifted to us: the use of the church’s sound system where we connected our ipods so we could have wonderful worship music and fall asleep listening to Christmas music; a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the sanctuary whose little lights in the large dark room as we went to bed made me think of that Bethlehem night; a set of drums upon which Andrea could LOUDLY and radiantly rejoice – (Andrea is the very wonderfully passionate evangelist/percussionist on our team); a large kitchen where we all could gather and cook to our hearts content and Rachel’s delight; and a wonderful HOT shower, as so far we have no hot water on the boat.

I am so thankful, so very thankful, that Jesus waited for me on the boat, walked with me on the streets of Barcelona, and has always whispered His words of truth and love in my right ear.