YWAM Yosemite DTS Fundraising

My walk with the Lord over these past months has been immeasurably fulfilling. Over this year, He has made plain the trustworthiness of the passage, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Truly, to follow the Lord God is not an easy path, but it is the most worthy one.

I want to invite you into partnership with me on my next step in following Christ. I feel that the Lord is calling me to further missionary work, to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The acceptance of this direction for my life has not been an easy one. It began with reluctance and continued with nothing more than willful obedience. However, I now see that Him withholding the desire for such a task fulfilled what is wise, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” I can now confidently declare a zeal for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ among all the nations, that He may be glorified.

In obedience to His leading, through discernment gifted to me by prayer and the console of wise brothers and sisters, I have decided to commit to going to a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through the organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM). By what I believe to be the working of our Lord in my life, I have been blessed to meet the leaders of the school and found them to be deeply faithful servants of Jesus Christ. It is this confidence in the leaders, along with the many opportunities to mature in my faith, that assure me that this choice is honoring our God.

I am incredibly excited for both stages of the DTS. The first one is known as the “Lecture Phase.” During this time, we will focus on Biblical study, evangelistic and missional training, discipleship wisdom, and fellowship with one another. If we are to be faithful ministers of the gospel, proper training and the imparting of wisdom from more mature brothers and sisters in the faith is always required. I am also in great anticipation for the second stage of the DTS, known as the “Outreach phase.” This time is dedicated to putting our training into practice by being ministers of the gospel to the nations. At YWAM Yosemite, the desired goal is to be sent to Armenia. However, there are other possible outreach locations, which I also recognize to be places in great need of the gospel. These places are Lebanon, Japan, Nepal, and Thailand.

In Armenia, the people have been subjected to persecution and hardship for centuries, which has led to the gospel message fading from the land. While Christianity is a part of their national identity, few truly know Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is hopelessness and sin that has been allowed to fester in the country for far too long. The leaders of YWAM Yosemite have had their hearts break for the Armenians, and I want to share this burden with them. The revival of the gospel is the greatest gift these people could receive, as it is the only true source of life.

Recently, I have been deeply contemplating what it means to have a missional mindset. The purpose of the Church is to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. As Habakkuk puts it, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” This promised plan was set up through the Israelites, and then commanded of the Church in Matthew 28:19-20. The gospel is meant to be something we cherish, but not something we keep to ourselves. It is the good news, and the only way to salvation for every person living on this planet. Compelled by the radical love that our Lord first loved us with, then, our only reaction is to take this Word to the peoples of the world, so that they may believe and be saved as well. Whether we be the person who sends or the person who goes, we must never stop proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth, until the great Day that Jesus Christ returns.

Jesus Christ changed my life, and I want nothing more than to see the Spirit of the Living God transform the lives of everyone else that He will use me to reach. The grace of our God is more than we can ever contemplate, and it is far greater than what we could ever earn or deserve on our own merit. However, above obedience to the Great Commission and compassion for sinners, we must all be motivated by a zeal for the glory of Jesus Christ, simply for the fact that He deserves it all.

I want to gather as many brothers and sisters as I can as partners in this journey of mine. Jesus gave us the community of the Church for a reason, and He has shown me the importance of having true believers ready to encourage and correct me. This is why I have selected PrayVine as a resource that I will utilize, due to its incredible ability to keep believers connected across our world as laborers go out into the harvest. Join my PrayVine here.

I have been shown the immense power of prayer over these last months, and this is what I desire most of anyone who chooses to take an active role with me on this journey. Through your prayers, I trust that the Lord will provide whatever I need to continue being faithful to Him. In addition, I have seen prayer be used to lift the spirit of others, including myself at many moments. However, if the Lord leads you to desire to contribute financially, I will be incredibly thankful for your gift. There is no pressure, and I do not desire anyone to give out of compulsion. The total amount that I must raise is $9000, and I have decided that any extra will be donated to YWAM Yosemite to provide for any shortcomings in funding they may have.