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Welcome to the YWAM News Show for July 2023. This month we take a deep dive into some of the Human Trafficking Ministries that Youth With A Mission is involved with around the world, check out a football academy at a refugee camp, hear about a youth camp in Albania, a home build in Haiti, and more …
Thank you for downloading this, the 135 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/135 …
Stories:
Heroes Football Academy in Dzaleka Refugee Camp
Unless you live under a rock you have probably seen or heard about the FIFA Women’s World Cup that’s going on at the moment. Sport has long been an avenue to ministry amongst people around the world, and that includes a YWAM team that is operating in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi.
The Dzaleka Refugee Camp was started out of YWAM Blantyre, and you can find more about about the ministry out of that location on their web-site, ywamblantyre.com.
YWAM New Zealand BEHOLD – Worship, Prayer & Missions Conference
YWAM Furnace NZ, in partnership with Abundant Life Church, YWAM Ships NZ and The Sanctuary, will be hosting a Behold worship, prayer, and missions conference on August 25 – 27 in Tauranga, New Zealand…
More here
YWAM Gleanings for the Hungry in Nicaragua
We have talked to you before about the YWAM Ministry, Gleanings for the Hungary. Now we have an update about their ministry in Nicaragua:
More here.
YWAM Saint Marc Home Build
Last month we talked about YWAM Saint Marc’s trade school. This month they are putting their skills to work …
From their Facebook Page:
We are currently in the middle of building a Home of Hope for a widow in our widows ministry. Our electrician and tile setting students have the opportunity to go in and practice what they have learned, and for the first time ever we are putting ceramic tile and electricity in a Home of Hope! It is amazing to see so many of our ministries overlap and come together to see the vision of championing youth to bless Haiti and the nations move forward. We are also praising God for answering the prayer of this sweet woman to have a safe and beautiful home. She has lived in the same place her entire life and it wasn’t a home she felt safe in because of the amount of work it needed. Now, she will have a new home to spend the rest of her days in, in peace!
More here.
YWAM Outpost Panama Update
As of April 26, 2023, Outpost Panama has been up and running as a fully functional YWAM base. We have received three short term teams ranging from a week to two months stay and we are currently expecting another short term team (Encounter DTS outreach) on the 26th. Since arriving, we have finished many projects: base restoration, which includes fixing up the main house to become livable after being uninhabited for over a year and restoring the tree house that is now our future prayer room and current DTS classroom, as well as community engagement, which are a number of water projects in the neighboring tribes, restoring a Casita in the community, and working with the local church in kids ministries. This upcoming month, we are planning to launch our yearly fundraising campaign called “The Nehemiah Project”, with the goal of raising money for community development projects. The Ngabe are an eager people group seeking to better their community. In our current work, we are getting in contact with “the man of peace” in the community and, through their help, we listen to the community and their needs, whether that is a new well, water catchment system or a solar system. We work with the needs of the community first and then pull together resources and manpower to get the job done. Through this project, we are not only able to create an environment of self sufficiency within the community but also create long term relationships with the surrounding tribes. Our goal is for these communities to know the Lord and his provision and goodness through healthy relationships and quality of life.
More here
YWAM Albania Youth Camp
YWAM Albania ran a youth camp with a theme “Arrows in Flight” this month, and this is a report from their Facebook Page:
They had a DTS team from YWAM LAUSANNE that joined in to help and work alongside them.
On the 1st day they focused on Identity as they were learning to stand in the right position to shoot the arrow, and how it’s important to know who they are and where they are going.
On the 2nd day, the focus was Hearing God’s voice as they were taking the position our hands will go closer to the ear and how it’s important to hear his voice to know the direction they are aiming for.
Alongside the teachings they had lots of worship time, fellowship times getting to know one another, lots of activities, fun times and since they were in Durres, they enjoyed the beautiful ocean close by.
They ask that we keep praying for fruit to grow out of the experience for all the participants.
Find out more on the YWAM Durres Facebook Page.
Human Trafficking Work
With “The Sound of Freedom” raising more awareness about human trafficking around the world, I wanted to explore some of the work that Youth With A Mission to combat Human Trafficking around the world.
YWAM Thailand
YWAM in Thailand has been working with victims of human tracking for decades. They have many different ministries around the country, working on prevention and rehabilitation.
Two of the locations in Thailand that focus on prevention are Tamar Center and other ministry projects that work with children at risk, and women at risk.
Some of the ministries that YWAM is working on in the area of rehabilitation in Thailand are the House of Refuge, Eden House, and more of the work of Tamar Center.
Tamar Centre
Tamar Center was started in 1999 with the vision of helping the many women that are working in the sex industry in Pattaya. Their outreach centre is in the middle of the red-light district of Pattaya, where they reach out to the women working in prostitution and share the light of hope with them. The Tamar Centre staff visit women in the bars across the city to tell them about the opportunity to change their lives and to share the love of God with them.
There are many powerful testimonies on the Tamar Center web-site about how women have left the sex trade, and many lives have been changed. You can read about some of them at tamarcenter.org.
Eden House
Eden House is a Christian based home that was created in 1997, just 30 miles from the Burmese border.
Eden House is dedicated to extracting young girls, mostly hilltribe, from extreme “at risk” situations. ‘At risk’ means these young girls may be sold by a parent or village member into prostitution or slave labour to help support their drug or alcohol addictions. AIDS is taking its toll too, with orphans in each village. Girls in situations like these can’t fight for themselves and are offered little chance of hope or escape. Eden House has 33 girls aged 5-20 years, living in 3 homes -each one a sanctuary, a safe place.
You can find out more about the Eden House project on the YWAM Thailand web-site at ywamthai.org/edenhouse.
House of Refuge
House of Refuge is the name given to a ministry operating in Chaing Rai, Thailand, and that is exactly what it is for 30 girls, aged 6 and up. These girls have been abused, usually within their families and communities.
In House of Refuge’s 3 homes, surrounded by a caring, loving environment, they are able to receive both physical and emotional healing. With God’s help, their shattered lives are healed; they are able to continue with their education or learn a profession.
If you visit the House of Refuge page on the YWAM Thailand web-site you can read some testimonies from girls who have found refuge there, including one of a young girl who was sold to a village seeking gold to be a human sacrifice! You can read that testimony at ywamthai.org/houseofrefuge.
Beloved 1
Beloved 1 is a ministry run by YWAM Wylie in Texas. Be loved 1 is a anti-human trafficking ministry that reaches into trafficking hot spots in Dallas each week. Their teams pray for and ministers to women caught in the sex trade.
Visit ywamwylie.org to find out more.
Justice 180 – Los Angeles
Justice 180 is a ministry run out of YWAM Los Angeles that exists to prevent sexual exploitation, reach out to victims of human trafficking and ultimately see an end to sexual slavery.
The do this through a four pronged approach; awareness and training, advocacy, re-entry and survivor training, and debriefing and coaching…
- AWARENESS AND TRAINING – Through their Activate speaking engagements, school outreaches and training, and events, J180 is bringing awareness to communities and at-risk groups, both in the US and abroad.
- ADVOCACY – By connecting with local partnerships, J180 provides resources to victims of trafficking to meet their needs wherever they are in their journey. If businesses want to become a “safe space” drop-in center, if someone is a victim of trafficking and in need of support, they can be contacted through their web-site, justice180.org/contact.
- RE-ENTRY AND SURVIVOR TRAINING – J180 provides life-skills training to champion survivors to live life with healthy practices in order to see them succeed in re-writing their story. They also offer vocational training and placement in their network.
- DEBRIEFING & COACHING – They offer life coaching and debriefing to survivors as well as those who work with survivors. They believe with the right care, tools in hand, and forward progress, that survivors and those fighting alongside them can live healthy, sustainable, empowered lives.
Visit justice180.org to find out more.
S-Cape – YWAM Muizenberg
S-Cape, a ministry of YWAM Muizenberg, is a safe home that desires to bring holistic restoration to women coming out of human trafficking and exploitation by providing victims with physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual care.
For over 10 years S-Cape has provided safety and holistic care to survivors of trafficking in South Africa. As the first and only human trafficking specific safe house in the whole country, S-Cape has created a sanctuary, restored dignity and nurtured hope for women survivors and their children.
The ministry provides:
- Free housing, counseling and medical care
- Individualized therapeutic programs
- Education and skills training
- Economic Opportunity
Visit s-cape.org.za for more information.
Freedom61
Freedom61 is a ministry of YWAM Latvia, bringing hope and light into the darkness surrounding sexual exploitation. Founded in 2010 with prayer walks around Riga and a heart to see women freed from exploitation, our ministry is now serving in many spheres stemming from this same desire to see people set free.
They do this through multiple avenues or ministry, including:
- FREEDOM61 WOMEN’S CENTER – Located in the Latvian countryside, the Freedom61 Women’s Center offers a place of hope and restoration for women coming out of addictions, sexual exploitation, and chaotic lifestyles. Founded on Christian principles, the center offers a holistic approach to healing, life skills training, counseling, Bible studies, vocational opportunities, and giving back to the community.
- FREEDOM61 CAFÉ – Their main outreach to women on the streets of Riga takes place in their café, located in an area where prostitution is prevalent. Three nights a week they provide a safe place for women to come and be treated like human beings, receiving home made soup, hot coffee, and lovingly prepared baked goods. They get to know the women, show them unconditional love, and provide them resources to step out of prostitution when they are ready.
- OLD TOWN OUTREACH – Old town in Riga is sometimes referred to as the “Bangkok of the Baltic,” because of the prevalence of sexual tourism. To reach those who have been sexually exploited, they also reach the demand. They connect with men who come to Riga, through honest dialogue and raising awareness of sexual exploitation, partnering with men from local churches who go out twice a month.
- PRAYER – At the foundation of who we are as a ministry prayer and worship is central.
- PREVENTION – Throughout Latvia there are many who are vulnerable to exploitation due to different economic and social factors. The ministry goes to them in schools, orphanages, and at-risk communities to raise awareness about the many different factors that lead to exploitation and how to prevent going down that path as well.
Visit freedom61.org to find out more.
YWAM Houston
YWAM Houston operates a few different ministries working to prevent human trafficking, they include:
- Montrose Street Reach – Their mission is to see at risk urban youth and older homeless transformed by transitioning them out of their current environment and equipping them to lead productive lives through Jesus Christ. The ministry started with 4 or 5 street kids, and now typically serves 80 – 120 street kids and older homeless each week. They offer a variety of services such as pastoral ministry, job search information, food distribution, and more.
- Little Footprints Children’s Ministry – Little Footprints helps street babies and moms by providing practical assistance enabling them to break the cycles of poverty, abuse, neglect, and when needed, referrals for short or long term care through Loving Houston Adoption Agency.
If you head over to ywamhouston.org you can find out more about those ministries, and others, including the hosting of teams and the Loving Houston Adoption Agency.
Unstoppable Love International
Unstoppable Love is a mission of the University of the Nations in Bali that exists to bring an end to the sexual exploitation of women and children through prevention, intervention, rehabilitation, and reintegration. Their mission is to help them see their value and worth; enabling them to find freedom, healing, and a new life. They do this through:
- Prevention: Unstoppable Love visits at-risk women and children, building relationships, and bringing awareness to sexual exploitation.
- Intervention: Unstoppable Love visits brothels, red-light districts, and clubs, building relationships and offering hope and an opportunity for a new way of life.
- Rehabilitation: Unstoppable love offers a safe living environment for those rescued from sexual exploitation. At the home, they provide a place for them to heal and start to dream about their future again. They provide trauma care, education, and vocational training to equip them for a better future.
- Reintegration: Unstoppable Love helps the women in their care to reintegrate back into the community, helping them to be self-sustaining, and empowered individuals with hope for the future.
Head over to unstoppableloveinternational.org to find out more.
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