_{“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2}

YWAM Value #1 is: Know God

YWAM is committed to know God, His nature, His character and His ways as revealed in the Bible; the inspired, authoritative Word of God. We seek to reflect who He is in every aspect of our lives and ministry. The automatic overflow of knowing and enjoying fellowship with God is a desire to share Him with others.

Many years ago Loren and Darlene earnestly sought God, in prayer, because the multiplication in missions that they had been believing for wasn’t happening. As they prayed, God brought great conviction to their hearts.

Through the rich reservoir of knowing God, would come a great overflow into ‘making God known’. God promised that the multiplication, they desired to see in missions, would come through training.

This birthed the first ‘School of Evangelism’ which became the foundations to what we now call our ‘Discipleship Training School’ or DTS for short. This training helps students to know God and to make him known throughout the world.

I am so grateful for the wisdom of God and the humility of our leaders to submit their ways to the ways of our creator.

This past couple of weeks have been full to the brim! On the week of Thanksgiving, I was in Southern Mexico teaching in the School of Worship at the Mazatlan base. I’ve been coming to this School every year since it was pioneered in 2021.

I have also had the amazing privilege of walking alongside the YWAM Mazatlan Worship team all these years and helping them as a coach/consultant/cheerleader/pastor to the team. They started releasing songs in 2024. A combination of English and Spanish songs are beginning to arise from that place. Spotify Apple

It’s really neat to see the hard work you pour into others bear fruit that blesses many more. Particularly, in this last trip, many people’s hearts were gripped to write scripture worship songs in their “mother tongues” as I spoke about it.

In fact, conservatively, there are around 300 languages spoken in Mexico. Three students in the School of Worship, alone, spoke in a heart language that was one of these other languages apart from Spanish. Scripture songs in heart languages is front lines missions work.

On a fun side note, many of you would know Gilles Gravelle and all the amazing missions work him and his wife have done around the world. The week before I arrived to YWAM Mazatlan, Gilles was there pouring into the leaders, and others, at the base as well. We missed each other by a weekend!

After teaching Friday morning in Mazatlan, I had a quick lunch with the school leaders and then went straight to the airport. It was quite the flight path; Mazatlan → Mexico City → Montreal → Zürich → Mumbai. Just reading that brings back all the memories of that journey…it was not an easy one.

In fact, I landed in Mumbai around 10:45p, got my visa stamp in my passport, and was promptly detained, on the other side of the customs desk for ‘quick questioning.’ India has gotten harder to enter as a Christian and particularly, the North has had a rise of persecution towards Christians in the past 10 years.

I was taken to a back room with many armed guards and was interrogated along with my phone being throughly searched through for nearly 2 hours. During that time, God gave me such a heart for the officer. I truly believe that he felt my love, and God’s love, for his country during that time.

Around 1:00a I was released to enter the country. I shook that officers hand and thanked him for doing his job so well. The look of confusion on his face told me the whole story. God gives us the right words to speak in situations like this.

God’s kindness extends beyond our Christian bubbles and into the dark places of life where His love is needed more than ever. We have the privilege of being carriers of this kindness.

I arrived to the YWAM Lonavala base after 3a, got a few hours of sleep and began my first day of teaching at 10a. There are so many more stories to report of all that God has done over the last two weeks, but I’ll save those for another newsletter. Hearts were gripped for Mother tongue Scripture songs as well! Did you know that India has over 19,000 mother tongue languages? The need for scripture in song is great!

Lastly, I don’t remember his name, but be praying for that officer I got to spend a couple of hours with at the airport. I believe God is pursuing him in a special way. May many more believers extend the loving-kindness of God to him until he comes to faith in the one true God…the only living God in a nation of ‘many gods’.

Our hearts are filled with immense gratitude for each one of you. Thank you for faithfully standing with us as a team in our missions work around the world. The Kingdom of God is advancing mightily and we get to play a small part in it; together.

With that said, many of you may still be deciding what to do for your “End of the Year” giving. Would you prayerfully consider us. As it is with many other ministries and churches, this is the time of year where a majority or all of the deficit in yearly budgets get met. The same is becoming true for us over the past few years. Our End of Year giving goal is $20,000.

We are grateful for each and every one of you.

We have settled into campus living for the time being. It’s been quite a faith step as we believe for long-term housing that would fit, not only the needs of our family, but also accommodate for the promises that God has spoken over us.

If, as you pray, God gives you a piece of the puzzle we would love to hear from you. We don’t want to force anything and we also want to walk in simple faith with the Lord in all of it.  🙏

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and may the Lord give you peace. Amen.  🙏

Grace and Peace be with you in Abundance,

-Chris, Lizzi, Kai, Laila, Rhema, Moses, and Zion ♥️-