Mobilized Young People (and other updates)
Wowza… it’s November! How did that happen?
I’d love to take a quick minute to tell you about someone I met this past weekend - we’ll call her Jasmine.
Jasmine is a student at Brock. This past Saturday, however, she attended a Young Adult event at her church.
I had the privilege to meet Jasmine and many other Young Adults from her church because this fall I’ve been spending some extra time with YWAM Niagara. We’ve been digging in to what we’ve called the WAVE Tour. Our hope is to connect with as many churches in the area as possible, seeking to support and encourage them as they mobilize people to engaging in the Great Commission.
It’s been an amazing partnership! Since I’ve spent much of the last year seeking to serve churches in mobilizing and discipling young people, when YWAM Niagara invited me to partner more intentionally with them in this season of connecting with local churches in this way, it seemed like a no brainer.
Back to Jasmine.
This past Saturday, the WAVE tour partnered with Jasmine’s church to host a day of training and equipping in sharing our faith. Over 30 young adults got up early so they could be encouraged and equipped in living out and sharing the Gospel of Jesus! We spent the morning on-site at the church, doing some training on the theology and philosophy and need for followers of Jesus to engaged in being sent (Matthew 28). Then we hit the streets! We went out to four different locations around St. Catherines and Niagara Falls seeking to connect with people and see if they’d be interested in hearing the Gospel of Jesus.
I was paired up with Jasmine. She’s in her early early 20s and is super passionate about her relationship with Jesus. She was a bit timid, as we all were, but with joy and zeal she approached complete strangers at a mall and asked if she could tell them about the hope she has in Jesus! It was awesome!
I won’t lie to you, I was more than a little bit timid as well. And I certainly have some degree of tension surrounding many expressions of “street preaching” and such — yet I was so proud of and honoured to be a part of the training we put on. We emphasized being motivated by having already received and been transformed by the radical love of Jesus. This is not a message of hate or not measuring up. This is an invitation into the Hope and Peace and Love that comes through knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord!
Sure, we had some people that didn’t want to talk to us. But we also had a handful of great conversations with people who were interested in the ways what we believed aligned with what they believed or even their churched upbringing.
At the end of the day, I was very very encouraged. I got to see Jasmine, a young woman who loves Jesus and is passionate about living for Him every day, step out with that much more boldness and see Jesus meet her in her obedience and her inadequacies. I got to experience Jesus giving me courage and boldness in the conversations I had.
As I think about what I’ve been up to lately and what sort of “update” I’d like to share with you, this weekend stands out in so many ways. Of course, I could tell you about the fun new connections I’ve been making with churches. I could tell you about some cool opportunities I’ve had to serve churches, even getting to preach and speak at some events. This weekend meant so much to me because it was a very practical expression of the partnership I’ve been leaning into with YWAM Niagara as well as the work I’ve been doing to connect with and serve local churches! So cool!
Some other fun updates…
Family… Family life has been going well!
Corbyn is in grade 11 and staying busy with a full course load, swim team, part-time job and lots of activities with friends. It’s hard to believe, but he turns 16 at the end of this month and is already registered in Driver’s Training!
Brennan and Aiden both have new teachers this year whom they are really enjoying. They also stay busy connecting with friends. As I write this, Brennan is actually spending the week staying with his grandma, helping out around the farm while grandpa is gone for a week! He absolutely loves the farm life and and loves his grandparents even more!
In October Corbyn and I had the opportunity to attend a Youth Conference in Toronto with our churches youth group. It was an incredible experience seeing a few thousand young people pouring their hearts out to Jesus and many of them even seeking to be prayed for as they look to respond to the call that Jesus has put on their lives! Like I said, it was awesome!
At the end of September I ended up with a super random chance to drive a friends car to Edmonton. What a gift it was to be able to spend a couple of extra days in Edmonton connecting with many many people whom we still miss dearly!
This season has been a bit different as I have not had any travel trips to Mexico. In one sense, I miss it and want to be there. But in another sense, it’s been so good to be here and get rooted in some rhythms of what life and this ministry looks like here.
Year-End Giving Invitation
As many of you know, the work I am doing with YWAM is considered missionary work. I do not receive a salary from YWAM or from the churches I am connecting with and serving.
This is only sustainable when Jesus moves in the hearts of the people He has surrounded me with my whole life and invites them to reallocate their Kingdom resources to support and empower me in this work.
I would love to have the opportunity to have a real conversation with you so I can share with you more details of the vision and work I believe Jesus is inviting me into.
Also, as year-end approaches, I would be deeply honoured if you would consider making a year-end contribution to my financial goals. I have a few financial goals detailed on my website, but I find it is always better to have real conversations about these things.
Please reach out if you’d be interested in hearing more!
