http://www.ywam.org The RSS for news and stories at Ywam.org en-GB http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Discipleship-changes-lives http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Discipleship-changes-lives "It’s odd to think how I used to spend my Friday nights just months ago," says Pete. "I thought only of myself and how much I deserved a night of fun and relaxation." Here he tells of what his Friday nights look like now he is part of the Discipleship Training School, and what he is learning about reaching out to others with compassion. Thu, 2 May 2013 13:39:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Pete-lifts-the-curtain-on-DTS http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Pete-lifts-the-curtain-on-DTS "Before I came to my Discipleship Training School, I wasn’t really sure what it would be like. Sure, I had some general ideas that I would be taking classes and doing outreach and living with others … but I had no idea what it would actually be like." Pete lifts the curtain on a real-life DTS - follow his journey here. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:48:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Reaching-out-to-Christians-in-Pakistan http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Reaching-out-to-Christians-in-Pakistan On the morning of 9 March 2013, residents of a Christian neighbourhood in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, fled for their lives following reports that a large mob was on its way to raze their homes to the ground. Around 2,000 people have been affected by the violence that followed and are now destitute and hungry. YWAM has a good network of relationships in the region and is working with others to deliver immediate aid to the minority Christians currently being accommodated in a tent city. Find out how you can help. Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:22:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Follow-Pete-on-DTS-in-the-Czech-Republic http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Follow-Pete-on-DTS-in-the-Czech-Republic Pete is just beginning his Discipleship Training School in the Czech Republic. You can follow him on his DTS as he shares his experience of learning about God in the context of a multicultural community. In this post, Pete explains how he made the decision to take 6 months out to be a trainee with YWAM, and what he hopes the DTS experience will mean to him. Thu, 7 Mar 2013 13:53:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Helicopter-rescue-in-Mozambique http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Helicopter-rescue-in-Mozambique As the people of Mozambique suffer devastating floods, Mercy Air - a Christian aviation ministry that partners with YWAM in the country - takes to the air in search and rescue efforts. Pilot Matthias Reuter talks about his experience with YWAM's national leader for Mozambique, saying: “It was overwhelming to see, we were not prepared for that” and asks us to join in praying for flood-affected areas. Fri, 1 Feb 2013 11:16:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/The-Bread-of-Life http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/The-Bread-of-Life Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Therefore, we must conclude that because of our relationship with Jesus, we are also, “the bread of life.” Bread plays a very minor role in the context of Western life; the grains that make bread are merely one of the five food groups. In some sense, one could surmise that our relationship with Christ can become just one of the segments, or food groups, in our busy lives.

However, here in the Middle East where Jesus lived, bread is essential to life. The lowly loaf, or pita, is eaten with everything from breakfast until dinner and is available to everyone. For Jesus to say, “I am the bread of life,” has a lot more meaning attached than we from the West might initially grasp. Fri, 21 Dec 2012 06:35:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Liz-Sings-With-Lions http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Liz-Sings-With-Lions What can artists and musicians do about chronic poverty and exploitation? That’s a question Liz Mannchen of YWAM Herrnhut, Germany asked herself.

Liz and other artists from YWAM Herrnhut had been deeply moved by their visits to countries like Ethiopia. They met orphans and heard about women trapped in the sex trade. They wanted to do something about it. “Music is the talent God gave me,” Liz realized. “Art is the biggest tool to reach our generation.”

She and several YWAM friends formed a musical group called Liz and the Lions. The band has teamed up with a YWAM arts ministry called Pick a Pocket. Together, they are working to raise awareness of sex trafficking and injustice in areas of extreme poverty. Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:03:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Challenging-the-Odds http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Challenging-the-Odds 
With 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. The majority of Hindus live in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, where they are also some of the last people on earth to hear about Jesus and experience His message of salvation and transformation. The U.S. Centre for World Missions recently reported that a survey conducted in India of the 15 most widely spoken languages revealed that six out of 10 Hindus would like a Christian to tell them more about Jesus. Despite that desire, millions of Hindu people will live and die without ever meeting a follower of Jesus. They are among the least-reached people on earth.

YWAMers in North India are passionate about changing those odds. They want every Hindu to experience the goodness of God as shared in Jesus, and they are inviting you to help. Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:18:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Finding-God-in-Bali http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Finding-God-in-Bali The nation of Indonesia consists of almost as many islands as there are languages and cultures. The island of Bali is one of these distinct societies, lying in the southern portion of this large and diverse country. Known to many as the “Island of Hinduism,” Christianity has a distinctly small following in Bali. But despite comprising only two percent of the population, God is still working miracles through his Balinese Christians and University of the Nations base located on the island. Three recent testimonies gathered by University of the Nations staff make this evident. Tue, 4 Sep 2012 11:15:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Diaw’s-Prison-Song http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Diaw’s-Prison-Song At the tender age of 12 years, Diaw picked up his first guitar. Naturally inclined to music, he taught himself how to play within three months. To Diaw it seemed like this was what he was born to do. He dreamed of working as a musician, travelling with a band, writing his own songs. Diaw couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his future. Sat, 4 Aug 2012 17:41:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-Worker-Carries-Olympic-Flame http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-Worker-Carries-Olympic-Flame As hundreds of young men and women arrived in Harpenden, England, this week for YWAM’s Olympic outreach, some of them had the chance to meet James Swabey. James, a 22-year-old YWAM worker from Sussex, England, had the opportunity to run with the Olympic Torch on its journey to London.
James was one of 8,000 people chosen by the London 2012 Organising Committee to carry the Olympic flame as it traveled around the United Kingdom. The torchbearers were selected for their inspirational stories or for influential work in their community. Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:35:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Living-Water-at-Festival-in-Thailand http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Living-Water-at-Festival-in-Thailand Of all the festivals celebrated in Thailand, Songkran is considered the most significant. It is a time to celebrate Thai New Year with family ceremonies and “blessing” one another with water. In Chiang Mai, this tradition has turned into the country's biggest city-wide water fight, attracting visitors from around the world. This super wet shindig takes place around the city's moat and lasts for 3 days! Create International, a ministry of Youth With A Mission, joined in the fun this year. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:51:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-Team-Assists-Storm-Recovery-in-Argentina http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-Team-Assists-Storm-Recovery-in-Argentina On Wednesday the 4th of April around 8p.m., a large part of the Western suburban area of Buenos Aires and even the downtown, were affected by the passing of a storm that left considerable damage.

In Ituzaingo, the area surrounding the Youth With A Mission centre in Buenos Aires, the damage caused by the wind gales, the rain and the hail, left thousands of fallen trees, 95 percent of the city without power and 70 percent of the city without telephone lines. Some 500 businesses were affected and around five thousand residences were seriously damaged. Sat, 7 Apr 2012 22:23:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-in-Thailand-takes-DTS-inside-prison-walls http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-in-Thailand-takes-DTS-inside-prison-walls It’s been around seven years since Sophon was sent to the Ratchaburi prison in Central Thailand. He has almost completed the allotted punishment for the crime he committed so many years ago. His release is due at the end of this year. While he is excited, apprehension also clouds his outlook, as he is no longer certain what life looks like outside of his prison walls.

What Sophon does know, however, is that being in prison has truly changed him. For the better. A number of years ago, soon after he entered the prison, Sophon took a decision to follow the ways of Jesus. His journey of faith in Christ has brought him hope and a new understanding of what his life should be like. Sophon has been so swept away by the love of God that he has decided to serve God even after his upcoming release. “I want to serve God and have God help me in areas in my life that are not right yet,” Sophon says. Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:21:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/A-story-for-St.-Patrick's-Day http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/A-story-for-St.-Patrick's-Day Maewyn Succat was born to a well-to-do British Roman family in roughly 400 AD in Kilpatrick, Scotland. He enjoyed the status of middle class wealth, and the prestige of having a preacher grandfather and a deacon father in the young Christian church. Maewyn, however, while reveling in the comfortable position of his family, rejected anything to do with their faith. However, everything changed for the young Briton when he was kidnapped by Irish pirates at the age of 16, and dragged to the neighbouring country where he was forced into slavery. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:55:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Pioneering-YWAM-work-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-Congo http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/Pioneering-YWAM-work-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-Congo No country in Africa captures the extremes of the continent like the Democratic Republic of Congo. A massive nation with vast natural resources, it ought be one of the wealthiest countries on earth, and yet today, it is ranked as one of the poorest. Stunningly beautiful, it has been scarred by ugly deeds — 5 million people dead as a result of the years of simmering warfare over the last two decades.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been hit hard by the war. The region has thick, often impenetrable rainforest, with few tarred roads. Travel there is painfully slow. One Congolese family had a grueling struggle to attend a DTS at Arua in Uganda. Their 1000km journey from Isiro took an incredible 14 days. The couple travelled with their toddler by bicycle, motorbike, foot and car. On the way they got lost, were separated from each other for several days, were robbed, and suffered severe exhaustion. They survived on a meager diet of rice alone. They arrived in Arua not knowing the language, yet convinced that God wanted them there, and that they needed to do the DTS: perseverance, tenacity, and faith! Fri, 9 Mar 2012 13:00:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/That's-The-Spirit http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/That's-The-Spirit Lynn Green, previously International Chairman of YWAM and member of the global eldership, looks back 40 years to the first Olympic outreach, and wonders what God will do this time...

I have been in YWAM for over 40 years now. I have been involved with some remarkable projects, and have seen God do some amazing things in and through YWAM. The Olympic outreach in Munich in 1972 is one of those memorable events! Tue, 6 Mar 2012 13:09:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-celebrates-20-years-in-Mongolia-with-a-new-Biblical-Studies-program http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/YWAM-celebrates-20-years-in-Mongolia-with-a-new-Biblical-Studies-program In early 1990, high inflation and food shortages racked what was known then as The People’s Republic of Mongolia. Despite the recent peaceful democratic revolution, little hope seemed present in the Asian country. Especially for the church. After 70 years of Communism, Mongolia was one of the few countries with no known churches or even native believers.

The first missionaries in over 60 years, a group of Native Americans, arrived in the country in 1990. And in 1991, the first YWAMers arrived. Beginning with only 14 Mongolian believers, all of them teenage girls, the YWAM team faced many hurdles in their attempts to plant an active, vibrant church in Erdenet, Mongolia. But without a doubt, God had His hands on the church of Mongolia. Today, the country not only celebrates 20 years of religious freedom, but also that Christians make up 1.7% of the population. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:49:00 GMT http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/"I'm-Glad-I-Was-Born-in-a-Slum-!" http://www.ywam.org/News-Stories/news/"I'm-Glad-I-Was-Born-in-a-Slum-!" I am glad I was born in a slum.”

When Suchada Nantavong speaks the claim, her smile stretches from ear to ear — and those around her are shocked. She continues, “...and through that God has given me understanding to be able to work in the slums in Phnom Penh.”

Most people who are in slums are desperate get out, and Suchada was one who succeeded in doing just that. However, she chose to go back. This time with Jesus’s heart, hands, and love. She pours all these characteristics out in the biggest slum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:04:00 GMT