February - March Update

What a time of craziness it has been the last couple of months! In the beginning of Feb. we were full on into our lecture phase and digging in to everything available to us through our speakers and making our plans to send teams abroad to their outreach locations. Initially as a staff team we had felt the nations of Japan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Nepal to send teams to. The Lord actually told us early on in this stage that we should postpone the Japan team, so we decided to send another team to Papua New Guinea instead. This was a bit of a picture of all the changes that were yet to come during this season.

As the school rolled on and things were getting more and more complicated in the global scene; I held on to every hope that we would still be able to send our teams abroad. At first we had to come to the stark realization that Uganda and Nepal would not be possible, so we focused on just the Pacific nations. Soon after, that wasn't looking possible either. It was such a difficult process surrendering the expectations and plans that I had held so important and worked so hard on to Jesus and move with the restrictions that the situation gave us.

We announced to our students that all outreaches would be within New Zealand and their reactions were remarkable. The news was met with obvious brief disappointment, but was soon overshadowed by a passion to bring revival to this nation.

However as things worsened around the world, we sought out input, advice and wisdom from our leaders, and we felt to act quickly to ensure our students could get home while they still could, before travel became impossible. Which meant cancelling our school after the 8th week of it's lecture phase.

This whole process has been a whirlwind of grief, un-met expectations, laying down of pride, confronting confusion, and ultimately trusting that His purposes will be fulfilled at YWAM Zion and in our students' lives. We are now putting together ways our students can finish their lecture phase from afar, and also letting Jesus dream up things for this upcoming uncertain season. As a mark of His constant goodness and faithfulness, at the end of this whole process on one of the last days with our students, we were able to go to the beach and baptize 7 of them. It was such a powerful moment to stand with these young people in such confusing and stressful times, and hear them declare that Jesus is their Lord and they will serve Him with their whole lives. It was truly a time and a circumstance I will always remember. In the midst of everything, God is good, and we can trust Him.

Thanks everyone for the support.

We are praying for you all.

Peace and Love!

- Barry