As we look at the role we play in the mission at this moment, it is like a roadhouse. On a long journey by car, we need to stop by the roadhouse to fill up the gas and stay overnight to refresh and recharge.
Here at YWAM Perth, we have a lot of young Christians who are coming here for a season before their study or job. They want to know God deeply and experience Him in a mission context. Practically, this means they are doing a Discipleship Training School (DTS for short). The 6 months of DTS are divided into two parts: lectures and outreach. After that, they may join staff for 2-4 years.
We have done this for 14-15 years and have seen many young people gain a deeper understanding of who they are and who God is. After DTS, having experienced God practically, they move forward with a different attitude.
A couple of weeks ago, we invited all the current DTS students to our home. We made some cake and sat around sharing our stories and why we are doing what we are doing. One of the things I shared about is the concept of “Silent Revolution.” It is one of the core principles I live by. Passionate, loud voices can sometimes quickly bring change through influencing policies and procedures. And at times, we do need this kind of change.
But faithfully living our daily lives according to what we believe can bring a change that might not be fast or guaranteed, but when it does happen, it impacts much more deeply. Here is what I mean: I can protest about homelessness in the city and change policies and procedures, which we still need. But before that, I must be willing to help the homeless right in front of my house. We say love the enemy, but we need to love the not-so-enemy-like people next door as well.
Apart from this, we also talked about how Elli and I met, how we dated, and how we got married. As we shared our stories, we also shared principles of opposite-sex relationships before and after marriage. There were questions, laughs, eating, and staying around to talk some more. Inviting young people to our home is by far one of our favorite ways to disciple and champion young people.
Thank you so much for partnering with us as we continue to disciple and champion young people. Our heart is for them to be strengthened in their faith here at YWAM Perth, recharged and become ready for the next step God has for them - to be their spiritual "roadhouse". We can do this because of your partnership.
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