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Welcome to the Youth With A Mission News Show for March 2025. This month we hear about the attacks in Christians in Syria, find out about YWAM’s ministry in Jakarta, hear some testimonies from Cambodia, see how we can support YWAM Belgium after a building fire, see how YWAM is ministering in and with Catholic groups, catch up on St Vincent and the Grenadine’s recovery after their location was destroyed by Hurricane Beryl, see some ways that sports are used for ministry, check out some short term volunteer opportunities, and more …
Thank you for downloading this, the 155th episode of the Youth With A Mission News Show Podcast, I’m your host, Bill Hutchison.
You can contact us, subscribe to future episodes, leave comments, and find links to all the stories we talk about on the show notes for this podcast at ywampodcast.com/155 …
Stories:
Support for Syria
We have received numerous updates from Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and replacement by an Islamist regime led by former terrorist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Here are some of the reports:
Prayer for Christians in Syria – March 11
Members of Syria’s small Christian community on the coast are living in fear after attacks killed more than 1,000 mostly Alawite civilians, with Christians reportedly caught up in the violence.
The number of deaths reported makes the two days of violence some of the deadliest since Syria’s conflict began 14 years ago.
“Many innocent Christians were also killed” alongside Alawites.
Minority groups, like Christians, have been targeted – and we pray for their safety and stand with all Christians who are vulnerable to persecution.
(source)
The Syrian Army burned a house church in the city of Aleppo. Christian friends from Syria reached out today for prayers and help.
The family — father and three children — are now homeless. The mother died a couple of months ago. The Syrian Army shot the father for distributing Kurdish Bibles. Our team are trying to get him urgent medical care. And relocate the family to another city.
(source)
We need to be praying continuously for the people in Syria, and that there would be peace.
YWAM Jakarta
I thought we could take a look at YWAM Jakara in Indonesia and what ministry they are involved in:
Find out more about their work on their web-site, ywamjakarta.weebly.com.
YWAM Montana International Testimonies
A team from YWAM Montana was recently in Cambodia and have some amazing testimonies …
Visit ywammontana.org to find out more.
YWAM Belgium Building Fire
We have received this report from YWAM Belgium…
On the 6th of December, a fire broke out in our building in Brussels. We are lucky to say that nobody was injured and that there is only damage to the building. The kitchen fire happened in the top apartment under the roof. The damage is substantial but not impossible to repair. Our fire insurance was in order, so they will reimburse a major part of the repairs that need to be done, but not all, of course.
The two weeks after the fire we had to pay about 12,000 Euros to get the heating and electricity restored and inspected so the bookshop, staff and renters could return to their homes. This is money that came from our account and the insurance is not covering this. We had savings but those are now depleted. Before this incident, the base’s finances were stable and we are able to keep up with the normal running / maintenance costs.
Now, with the attic apartment empty, we realized that the last renovation was done over thirty years ago. In addition to replacing the burnt kitchen, we need to do some upgrades to the building like insulation in the roof, a safer fire escape ladder, and we would like to put solar panels on the roof to bring our costs down.
We want to ask you to consider donating to the solar panels. This would cost 9,000 euros to install. But this would mean for our bookshop a tremendous saving in running costs. Message Media has been running this year for 40 years and has had an incredible impact in the local community and the church community in Belgium. This is a place for Christians to meet, be prayed for and find books that they can’t find in other places. We sell in Dutch, French and English, and we sell Bibles on a daily basis. We’ve estimated that cost of the solar panels would be recuperated by savings to our electricity bill in only four years, and the lower electricity bills will continue to be a blessing to our ministries long-term.
You can find out more about YWAM Belgium, their ministry, and how to donate towards their repairs at ywam.be.
YWAM School of Worship Japan Outreach
The YWAM School of Worship team from YWAM Furnace, New Zealand was recently in Japan, and here are some testimonies from the outreach.
You can visit ywamfurnace.nz to find out more about the YWAM School of Worship, and the other schools and ministries run by YWAM Furnace.
Spiritual Renewal in the Catholic Church
For over 30-years Youth With A Mission has been ministering in and with Catholic groups through the Kerygma Network. Bruce Clewett is one of the pioneers of Kerygma Network and the European Network of Communities, and has been praying and working for spiritual renewal within Roman Catholic groups.
This lead Bruce to be a conduit to and from the evangelical and charismatic worlds with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in Austia. Bruce has also helped many from his own evangelical background recognise the work of the Holy Spirit among Catholics.
The relationship with Bruce and Cardinal Christoph Schönborn led to the YWAM Discipleship Training School being adapted, which resulted in “Follow Me“, a training course for Catholic young people now operating on five continents and several European countries including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Follow Me! is a training programme designed to
- Assist young Catholics 16 years and older in discovering God’s call on their life
- Help them grow in their relationship with Jesus
- Equip them with practical tools to aid them in their service as “missionary disciples” in today’s world.
You can read more about this unique partnership in an article written by Jeff Fountain over at weeklyword.eu.
YWAM Koha Tour
We will take a tour now of the YWAM Koha, which is getting ready for deployment to Fiji.
Head over to ywamshipsaotearoa.org.nz to find out more about their work.
YWAM St. Vincent and the Grenadines’s Huricane Update
Back in September on episode 148 of the YWAM News Show, we shared about the destruction of the YWAM location in St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s by Hurricane Beryl. This then they have received a lot of support in the rebuild, and we have this update from their location.
- 9 Months.
- 12 Teams.
- 143 People.
Hurricane Beryl on July 1st – the day that sent our world into what has felt like unending chaos – feels like a lifetime ago. We have been blown away by the response of those who wanted to come help YWAM SVG & the Community of Mayreau – our family, friends, churches and so many people who had never even met us. Both of our churches sent teams filled with friends, folks from our Missionary Support Team and family …
Our family has felt so loved through the actions of all 143 people who came on a team in these past 9 months. This isn’t even counting the other volunteers we didn’t personally bring to Mayreau but who came wanting to partner with us. Not to mention the messages, phone calls, emails, prayers, donations, finances and support from countless others. We are so thankful. We have been so blessed.
The Lord has done beautiful things in the hearts of so many of these folks. He has met us all here on Mayreau in a new way in this rebuilding and relief season. While we are so grateful, we are also thankful these 9 months have come to an end. We are exhausted. We need to process. We need to breathe. We need to spend time together as a family. We desire to get our personal home back together. Please keep us in your prayers as we now take some time to rest and do those things mentioned above.
The Lord is GOOD in all things.
The glory is His.
(source)
You can follow their rebuilding effort on their web-site, ywamsvg.org.
Sport Outreach in YWAM
Sports outreach has been a part of Youth With A Mission almost since the beginning. This has included World Cup outreaches, Olympic Outreaches, and more. Here are two different ways that YWAM is currently using sport and fitness to outreach in Asia.
Sports and Missions: Impacting Lives in the Unreached – Trang, Thailand
In Trang Thailand their sports ministry helps to create opportunities to share god’s love with those who’ve never heard it before …
Meanwhile, fitness activities are being used to help outreach into the Himalayas.
You can find out more about those ministries through the links in the show notes at ywampodcast.com/155.
Short Term Volunteer Opportunities
We are going to highlight a few different short term volunteer options around YWAM.
YWAM Restenas Volunteer with Mission Builders
YWAM Restenas, Sweden, loves to welcome volunteers to one of the largest YWAM campuses in Europa, where young people come to plug into their community’s live/play training model to grow and prepare to go into all the world! They are restarting the location and their ministries after a period of standing still. The team is planning for a DTS at the beginning of 2026 and for camps, seminars, and conferences throughout the year.
After 45 years of training and sending, this team of missionaries has initiated an inside/outside campus makeover to prepare for the many years of service ahead of them. They have over thirty different projects and tasks identified for the coming months (of course, there is plenty to do year-round).
Outdoors: raking leaves, cleaning along roads, moving garden furniture, cutting and splitting firewood, pruning trees, tidying gardens, roof repair. Indoors: replacing windows, doors, and locks, painting, creating a kitchen area, upgrading apartments and rooms.
There will be plenty to do for incoming volunteers! They also say: “Regardless of your skillset, whether you’re a cook, musician, barista, designer, farmer, photographer, dance athlete, or artist, let us know where you wish to help.” Other needs include cooking, housekeeping, hospitality, electrical, grounds, maintenance, plumbing, and more.
Visit their website at ywamrestenas.se to learn more and sign up, or email them at bo@rudolfsson.se.
(source)
YWAM Salem, Oregon
Here is your opportunity to work with a great team of YWAMers at a long-time mission location—#YWAMSalem in Oregon! This West Coast training and sending location has also pioneered new ministries and campuses all over the world. All this while also evangelizing in their own city and operating refugee and international student ministries.
Your volunteer help would be welcome in all of their logistical areas, from maintenance to carpentry and hospitality to cooking. They are also expanding their campus, so Mission Builders with specialized skills would be a bonus.
Visit ywamsalem.org to find out more.
(source)
Eagles Nest Ranch Summer Volunteers
Eagles Nest Ranch in Alberta, Canada is looking for summer camp volunteers.
This summer Eagle Nest Ranch are hosting 4 weeks for fun filled camps! Preference will be given to those able to commit the entire camp season of July 8 – August 9, 2025, but if you’re only able to give 1-2 weeks that’s okay too! Your “weekly” schedule will start Sundays at 2pm and end Fridays at 2pm, giving you 48 hours off over each weekend to refresh yourself and come back ready to tackle another week!
Visit eaglesnestranch.ca to find out more.
Business as Mission Global Summit
The Business as Mission Global Summit will be happening online on 8 May, 2025.
The BAM Global Summit 2025 theme ‘Together Towards Tomorrow‘ reflects the desire to be deeply rooted as they reach for the future; building from generation to generation.
The past 25 years of business as mission have provided strong foundations, but how do they build and innovate for greater impact? They want more BAM companies, and a growing global BAM movement, for holistic and lasting transformation — to God’s glory!
‘Together Towards Tomorrow’ is a gathering of the global BAM community, to hear from God and learn from each other. Together they can shape the BAM movement of tomorrow.
Tickets and more information at: bamglobal.org/summit.
Creative Storytellers Conference
Missions need strong storytelling to mobilize people, raise support, and engage culture—without it, the message can get lost.
Join the Creative Storytellers Conference in Manila the Philippines on April 14-16 for the Creative Storytellers Conference, hosted by YWAM Mandaluyong!
At this conference, you’ll discover how to:
- Use storytelling as a strategy for missions
- Build a biblical foundation for creativity
- Bring stories to life from concept to screen
- Be commissioned to shape media, culture, and missions
This isn’t just for media teams—it’s for YWAM leaders, missionaries, and anyone who wants to grow as a storyteller. If you share stories, lead teams, or engage with culture, this is for YOU!
Don’t just attend an event—be part of a movement.
Register now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGyXKdVXQc6vwet0K-JYDcMTzSwsvJjgC3GCV3UaJANrjAjQ/viewform?usp=header
Getting Started in Disciple-Making Movements
YWAM Frontier Missions is offering an online course about Getting Started in Disciple-Making Movements…
You can find out more about the online course here.
Game Development Foundations
The Game Development Foundations Seminar (GDFS) is a 5-week seminar designed to equip Christians with the language and foundational understanding of game development, to be able to engage in that field in a holistic and biblical way.
Each week of the seminar will cover a different topic, in addition to other activities and assignments. The lessons are pre-recorded videos, and can be done at your own pace during each week. These are the topics we’ll be going over:
- The Theology of Fun: Unpacking what the Bible may have to say on the subject, as well as learning more about what “fun” is, and how we experience it.
- Game Design Basics: You will be introduced to some of the key components of what makes a quality game.
- Love as the Foundation: Together we will explore how games can be used to love others, and even reach the Unreached.
- Ethical AI Usage: Here we’ll be wrestling with some very challenging questions, and try to figure out if there are ways that we can use AI ethically, to further God’s Kingdom.
- Skills and Tools: In this final week we will provide a high level overview of what it takes to make a game. We’ll talk about common tools, managing a project, launching, and marketing.
Participants will also read through a book on a Christian approach to Video Games, and will answer questions about it.
Every week there will also be a different video-game for participants to play, analyze, and discuss how it relates to the rest of the weeks’ content.
Finally, at the end of each week we will meet together in our community Discord server, to hear a few words from someone with experience in the weeks’ topic, have a Q&A time, and process the weeks’ learnings.
The expected time commitment is around 5hrs per week, though this could vary (and since this is a new course, may need to be adjusted). The end result would be 1 credit (25hrs) with the University of the Nations.
Find out how you can register here.
Neighbours and Nations School of Mobilisation – YWAM Harpenden
In September YWAM Harpenden is running the very first Neighbours & Nations School of Mobilisation.
You can head on over to ywamharpenden.org to find out more about the course that begins on 17 September in Harpenden, England.
Evangelism Requires Words
YWAM Asuncion has been putting out monthly messages on their YouTube channel, including this about Why Evangelism Requires Words.
The full interview can be found at YWAM Asunción’s YouTube channel, and embedded in the show notes at ywampodcast.com/155.
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