Communicating Missions

..Meanwhile, in San Francisco

2012-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

Hello, all you people, wonderful and great. I hope as you read this your day is bright. It's been an electric season at YWAM San Francisco, and my time here in the new year has been edifying and progressive. Recently, I've been really encouraged to get to some projects that were on my heart when I first started staffing at YWAMSF.

One of my desires as part of our ministry here is to see people able to work together better, bare one another in each other's burdens, and to see YWAMSF have an even more whole realization of our work together in the city of San Francisco. Here at YWAMSF, there're a lot of different ministries going on at the same time. It can be easy to lose track of each other in the flow of our own streams. That's why I'm glad I've been able to focus more on getting a top-down look at YWAMSF's activities throughout the year. As I look at all the stuff we're doing, and all ahead of us, I'm really excited about what's to come. So, for those who are behind me in all I'm doing, here's a little look into what all we're doing.

DTS

Our January DTS started up a few weeks back. Nine students from all around the world have gathered together to grow closer to God and learn how to spread His Kingdom. They'll be spending close to three months receiving lecture about different aspects of the Kingdom, Hearing God's Voice, Character and Nature of God, Spiritual Warfare, and The Bible, just to name a few. Afterwards, they'll be setting out overseas to put to practice the things they've learned. One of the things I love about DTS at YWAMSF, however, is their ministry doesn't start after three months. Throughout the week, the partner with our ministries here to show Christ's love in the midsts of their studying.

This time around, I'm the Work Duties Coordinator for the school. I'm responsible for making sure everyone's able to get their work duties done around the base. Part of living in community, you can't let the rafters sag!

I'm really excited to see this school grow along the way, and to encourage them in their growth. I always love DTS season!

Learn more about DTS at YWAMSF here.

Summer of Service

Even though it's still winter, things are starting to gear up for our Summer of Service. Applications are coming in, call backs, planning, activity arrangement. I've actually gotten really excited about it! Summer of Service is basically an opportunity for – usually youth, but really people of all ages – to work short term in a missions environment. For a three month season, SOSers come to work along side teams coming to work in the city. SOS will lead youth to minister to all of San Francisco, growing and learning about God all along the way. I love when SOS is here, and I love trying to get as many people as possible to apply! That's been kinda my handle this last bit, as 'Communications Dude', processing all our past data and building hype on Facebook to try to get as many people to see SOS and get in on this amazing opportunity to minister to the city of San Francisco.

Learn more about SOS on our website.

Ellis Room

One of our ministry constants here at YWAMSF is our Ellis Room. Every day, throughout the week, we open our doors up and welcome in people from off the streets to have a place to be outside the rough street lifestyle. Our neighborhood, the Tenderloin, has the second highest population of homeless people in all of America, and there aren't many places like ours for people to enjoy. We're one of the only organizations in the neighborhood that has bathroom facilities for people to use, we have open pool tables, and just try to generate an atmosphere of peace appart from the chaos and uncertainty of street life. The Ellis Room is a constant presence at YWAMSF. I love the fact that we're able to open our doors to the homeless community.

Find out more about our homeless ministry here.

Communications - Me!

Communications is gearing up for a lot of new things this year. I've been trying to integrate more social networking into our spread, using Twitter and Facebook to let everyone know what's going on. My heart for my ministry at YWAMSF is to see people find what we do, become a part of it, be changed, and change the city of San Francisco. I'm trying to get the awareness out in as many venues as I can. Into this year, figuring out what marketing tools we can use, finding the best way to let people know what we're doing, tons of stuff! There's also always the minutia of Communications, making signs, processing data. Fun! Well, not always, but in the end, important. It's been such a pleasure working with YWAMSF to help them with this stuff.

Well! That was a little longer than I thought it'd be. I hope this gives a good glimpse into the inner workings of YWAM San Francisco. This is our ministry, this is out passion.

Not The Same Old Usual

2012-01-14T14:39:00.001-08:00

Luke 18:18-23 ESV:
"..And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich."
All my life I've heard this story, but every time I get new revelation from it. This time I'm reminded of what we can perceive as 'obvious' sins versus true rightstanding with God.
In the past, it was easy for me, as the man in the story, to justify myself by the things I wasn't doing to demonstrate rightstanding with God. I wasn't stealing, always tithed, wasn't angry, etc. But here, Jesus peeps away a layer of our life, and shows us that it's not about the things we do, but our position towards God.
Sure, the man looked like he had everything going, but Jesus sees him coming and, in seeing that he's all about representation, makes a point even to say that no one is good but God. Jesus sees his heart, and wants to be sure that it's not about what you do or say about God. Instead, when faced with the man's percieved righteousness, he gives him a task much harder than the standard he holds himself up to. Not to say none can see God, but to show that we can't receive wholeness from our own hands, only as a gift when we have a Love for the Creator that is willing to push all odds.
Later in the chapter, Jesus' disciples mention that it must be impossible for anyone to be in rightstanding. He responds, "What is impossble for man, God makes possible."
Even though we are flawed, incapable of being in the right place fully, God wants us to know, it's not about our goodness or perfection. It's about our pursuance, it's about Him, not us. He makes a way for mankind to be whole, not by their vain perceptions of what is right and wrong, but even defying law, in His grace, that man can be reconciled by His Love to fullness.
I think that's a beautiful thing.

Christ in the Mundane

2012-01-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Tea is an everyday fixture in my office routine.

It's been a year+ now of trying to figure out what it means to be the Communications Director of YWAM San Francisco. Going into this year, it's crazy to think of all the ways I've grown in my current phase of life. When at home, I was hanging out with my friend Josh one day. Him and his fiance made the comment that I was so much more helpful than I used to be. It was such an odd thing to think of. As I've been with myself this whole time, it's easy to not see these kinds of changes. But when someone points it out, it's such an endless blessing.

Someone pointed out recently that I'm my worst critic. That was an odd revelation to think about. I've always kind of known, but I supposed realized it in a new way when they said it. Lately, many of the things I've been doing have been seemingly mundane. Being done producing the end of year newsletter, I've been creating informative signs for around the base, creating pages on the website, entering data into our database and copying data from websites for a project our Base Director's working on.

It's been hard to feel like what I'm doing is really making a difference in the big picture of things. But that's one thing Christ has been teaching me in the last season: He's even in the mundane. No matter how hard my days have been this last year, and no matter how mundane I feel the things I'm doing are, I always feel this immense sense of Christ's presence in my actions and by my side. He speaks to me, counciling me in the work He has for me. He comforts me, "This is what I have for you to do. Even this, this mundane task, is furthering My Kingdom." Even when I feel like there's no thanks for the work that I'm doing, and even when most of it is too small and in between for people to realize what it is or how important it is, He's there, letting me know that it's right; that I'm right there in His presence.

January Prayer Requests

2012-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

It's that time for me to share my monthly prayer requests! This is something I wanted to start doing in the new year as a way to help people know more about what I'm doing, going through, battling, and triumphing over. I'm going to start doing this the first Monday of every month, so keep an eye out for them if you'd like to pray for me! Thank you so much for who you are! Also, if you'd like to receive my prayer card to put up somewhere, please email me at Jon.T.Owen@gmail.com and I can mail one to you!

Prayer Requests

•Going into the next year, please pray that God would continue to do the works in me of growth in appreciation of ministry life, and outreach in San Francisco. He's really been teaching me how to be a missionary in the context of San Francisco. Please pray he'd continue

•Pray that God would increase the Communications Department of YWAM San Francisco. I want to see YWAMSF produce media about our ministries, videos about what we do, to attract people to join us in our efforts of reaching out to the city. Pray that people with skills in video, design, and marketing would be drawn to YWAMSF.

•Pray for spiritual fortitude in an oppressive neighborhood. The Tenderloin District of San Francisco has the second highest population of homeless people in all of America. I believe that that is just a bi-product of the spirit of the area, with which you can imagine that there is a lot of oppression going on. Please pray as our base of 30+ people reaches out into the darkness to shine a light

•Pray for personal my finances. Living in San Francisco is expensive, and here at YWAMSF, I pay for the privilege to minister full time here. Without this system, we wouldn't be able to do anywhere near all the opportunity we have in this neighborhood. That being so, I'm simply subsisting on the income I'm blessed with while I'm here. While this is good, if I'm thinking of the long term, and if I'm to pursue missions with my life, I'll have to be at least breaking even, and ideally able to save for overseas possibilities. I'm hoping to gather 3 to 4 more people supporting my ministry between $15-25 monthly so I can prosper instead of survive. While I'm not expecting people reading this to feel like they have to give, if you could pray! I would be endlessly thankful

Praises

•Praise God for my first year at YWAM San Francisco! This has such a stretching and fulfilling year of God's provision and teaching.

•Praise God that I was able to go home! I had wanted to go home in winter, and didn't have enough money to get there. God provided a way to get my ticket, and provided half the payment from the grace of other's support! I'll be able to pay for the other approx $200 as I recieve support each month

•Praise God for all of you! I thank God for all the people who read what I post, pray for my ministry, and support me in prayer and finance. Without any of you, there'd be no way for me to do what I'm doing out here in San Francisco. Thank the Lord for you!

Last Year; Reflections, Thoughts, Processes.

2012-01-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Man! It's been a year, that's for sure. It seems as if I'm finally starting to coagulate it into something tangible. It's been a blur at times, and full of clarity others. That's how it is though, isn't it?

This past year has been a year of learning, a year of processing, a year of growth. As a missionary, this has been my first full year with YWAM. As a human, and Christ follower, this has been the toughest most stretching year of my life. I feel like Christ had been showing me glimpses into every nook and cranny of life every second of every day. I grew to appreciate life in a million more ways than before. I learned how others may live, how vastly different we may live, what struggles human beings may have in their lives, and both appreciate and steel myself for their realization. If I was ever sheltered before, my eyes have been opened a little bit more. This has been a year of appreciating others, a year of appreciating God, and a year of appreciating life.

I still don't fully feel like I'm able to compact everything that's been this last year into words that are proper enough. I sometimes question if I'll ever be able to make sense of my experiences with words again! Maybe I should start posting songs instead, ha. Pray for me as I enter this next year. I want to make a point to make a prayer points email, but for the time being, pray for further growth. Pray for a solidification of the things God is teaching me, and an ability to make it relevant to impart to others. I feel so blessed by the things God shows me in my life, and it's out of that appreciation that I want others to know and see the things He's shown me. Learning more about God, more about life, more about the world. I only hope that I can learn to reconcile the former better to the latter in my pursuits in missions.

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Ohio, and got to see many great friends. I'll write about that in another post to stipulate thoughts a bit.

I wanted to take some time to say to all those people reading this, I apologize for not being in such good communication this year. I feel at times like I had great expectations on how I was going to communicate with people who support me and who are praying for me and I don't truthfully feel like I met them. I'm too much of a perfectionist. I feel everything has to be perfect before it can exist in a public setting. I need to learn more that any communication is better than none. If you've felt out of the loop, I apologize very much. I want this year to be a year of building for the long haul.

Thank you all for your wonderfulness. Thank you for baring with me in prayer and in personage. You are all lights in the world who shine so brightly. Don't ever let anyone let you think otherwise. I hope everyone's new 2012 is wonderful. No one has ever lived it before, so don't be afraid; don't fear.

Ruminating on Communicating

2011-11-20T23:37:00.001-08:00

YWAM San Francisco for our Thursday Food Pantry. Members of the community line up to receive food from warm smiles and loving hands

Since my job here at YWAM San Francisco, as I see it, is to communicate missions, I figured I'd ruminate a bit on my vision form my path in the missions field. Fluidity is an aspect best noticed in YWAM, as it seems everyone's titles are self-given in the fields they'd otherwise be known for in a more 'professional' sense. With corporations, each person has a role, and aims to complete that role, and is satisfied when they do. Here, It's far more about the mission. As a base, we all have common goals, and work together to make sure they're accomplished, which often means people taking on tasks that they wouldn't normally in a corporate setting (harken: "This isn't what I signed up for!", is null and void). As that stands, it's one of my goals as one of my roles to be able to take the work load people end up doing because it needs to get done, and take it myself when it falls into the camp of "Communications". That often can end up being boring stuff like data entry, but can be exciting, like setting up systems to make sure we have good correspondence with people once they've left.

As a missions communicator, it's my passion to see that the opportunity for people to partake in world and local missions is spread as effectively and efficiently as possible. I want not only to see to it that everyone in my immediate environment at YWAMSF is able to serve effectively, but that others from all spheres feel welcome into becoming a part of this missional experience. As it was YWAM's original vision, to see young people engaged in missions experiences in opportunities they previously didn't have, I want to see people come face to face with missions, and face to face with a loving, justice seeking Jesus to have their lives transformed and transform others. That's my goal here at YWAM San Francisco.

It's been a rough first year, learning my way as it goes, and I feel sometimes the biggest thing I've learned is that I have a long way to go. But in spite of that, I press on, to see what God has for me to accomplish in San Francisco & the Bay Area. As well, I apologize to those keeping tabs on me for my lack of communication. Had I known ahead of time how enmired in the work I am doing I would be, I would have set up a system of how better to stay in contact. I look forward to the winter months, when I get a little respit, to plan things out, contact people, and speak on how I've been aiding the cause in SF.

YWAM San Francisco, year one, has been the most possibly stretching experience of my entire life. I have, jammed into one, learned more about what it means to be an adult, what it means to be a missionary, what it means to be a Christ follower, and what it means to serve and sacrifice, in this one year it seems more than my entire life. This has been the most testing, and most challenging year. I know and can see that there are things along the way that haven't formed correctly –things I'll have to work out alongside Jesus– but I have seen, so egregiously more abundantly, growth in my understanding of the nature of God, and view of the world view Christ holds in heart. I really hope, and deeply know, that these things will carry with my for the rest of my life.

I Had No Hope

2011-09-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here at YWAM San Francisco, there's a wonderful lady by the name of Janet Long who is one of our staffers working in many different titles. She comprises part of our ministry backbone, involved with Hospitality, managing our Food Pantry, and co-leading our intercession times on Thursdays. Another act of ministry that Jan exercises, is the very basic necessity of going out on the streets, and ministering to people. Called by her times of 'Street Walking', Jan intentionally seeks to be an influence of hope, and spread the Gospel of Christ in a sometimes dark neighborhood. This is one of her stories.

From our September 2011 Newsletter:

I Had No Hope
Bringing Hope to the Streets of the Tenderloin by Janet Long

As I was walking the streets of the Tenderloin talking about Jesus and praying with people the Thursday before Easter, I was asked by a man sitting on the side walk with his hand out if I had any money to spare. I shook my head and passed by. As I walked by the Lord reminded me of the passage in the Bible about Peter and John going to the temple at the beautiful gate when a lame beggar asked them for money. This was the Bible passage that I had read only that morning in my quiet time before going to work. It is found in Acts three. Peter and John went to the beggar and said, "We have not got any money but what we have, we give to you in the name of Jesus," they then healed the man. The man gets up healed and goes into the temple jumping and praising God. I felt the Lord tell me to go back to the man on the sidewalk.

As I approached him I told him, "I have no money, but would you mind if I sit down on the sidewalk and talk to you?" He smiled and said, "Yes." I sat down and introduced myself, asking his name. He told me his name was Will and soon began to tell me his story. He was filled with sadness and my heart went out to him. I gave him The Father's Love letter, a letter with scriptures that tell just how much God loves us. I noticed that when I gave him the letter that he put it into his pocket and very quietly I heard him mutter, "I’ll get someone to read that to me later." Realizing that he couldn't read, I asked, "Can I read it to you?" After I had read the letter To him, I asked him, "What line spoke to you the most?" He replied the line that said "Loved with a ever lasting love." As I was telling him about Jesus & how much He loved him the Holy Spirit prompted me to tell him about Easter. I continued to tell Will, "Tomorrow is Good Friday, that is a special day when Christians all around the world remember that Jesus died on the cross in our place, so that when God looked at Jesus, He accepted His life in exchange for ours."

We talked about Easter for a while and both enjoyed the conversation. I said to him, "Will, you may not be able to read, but you now know what it says and every time you look at it, you will remember just how much Jesus loves you." He told me that he would keep it and never let it go. As I got up, Will said to me, “You are an angel." I smiled and said, "No, I am not." "Yes you are; before you sat down and talked with me, I had no hope, but today you have given me hope."

YWAM San Francisco Newsletters

2011-09-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Here at YWAM San Francisco, one of my responsibilities is to produce our base-wide Newsletter. The newsletter hold the stories of our experiences in San Francisco and acts as a link to people's everyday lives and our happenings as we minister in the city. I see it as a great pleasure to be help responsible for its production, and I enjoy it immensely. At this point, I'm in charge of the layout design, editing, content management – as well much of the content writing – and analytics tracking. It's a pretty big production for one person, but its part of my role as a Missions Communicator; it's part of my ministry.

In the future, I'll be posting stories we include in the newsletters and in our blog for YWAM San Francisco, which I also write and manage. As we transition into different processes of approach, I want to start gearing our newsletter to point back to our blog, and broadcast content from it instead of being the source that create content.

All this, I guess, is just me processing to say, I'd like you to see the newsletter, and know that it's something I do. For the few and faithful who keep track of what I'm doing out here in San Francisco, so you can know the face behind the news you receive.

Our most recent newsletter was our September newsletter. My next task, which I'll soon be hard at work with, is to design, manage, process, and our yearly print newsletter set to go out in November (but don't hold me to it! It may come out in December). So if you want it, be sure to sign up for it on either our website or blog.

You can see previous newsletters, most of which I was somehow involved with, here:

Newsletters of YWAM San Francisco

Organize, Organize, Organize!

2011-09-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

As I pursue my work here at YWAM San Francisco, I realize that one thing I don't often share are my methods, how they've changed, the effects it's had on me. Since coming to YWAM San Francisco, becoming a missionary, becoming a missions communicator, however you want to look at it, my ways of doing things have been stretched, squeezed, and tested.

In doing what I do, I'm realizing as the days go by that I'm not living the life of a typical American 22 year old. It hits me every day as I do the work I do, in the evening as I spend time with people, and generally very often. It's funny sometimes to imagine the life I'm not living: A life as a college kid, not really held up to too many standards, expected to be 'figuring life out,' prone to accident, etc. Instead, I'm a missionary, but moreover, I'm head over a number of responsibilities like producing our base newsletter that's sent out to over 3,000 people bi-monthly, designing media for all of our ministries when needed, generally working with go between in ministries to make sure everything's flowing well, etc, etc. I'd never had imagined everything I set out to do would involve all this, but God's been stretching me, and molding me in enormous ways since I've gotten here almost a year ago.

When I first got here, one of the strongest realities that hit me in the face is that time moves faster than a silver bullet around here. Whether it be the YWAM base atmosphere, the city, or the neighborhood, I found that every day seemed to end as soon as it began, and I'd look back on the week, only to find it'd been a month. Even still, I've had the hardest time learning how to best communicate with the world far away, but it's all been a proces. And processes take time.

As from my usual play it by ear self, I now have forced myself to make a daily docket of the things that need to be done in that day and that week. I put events that I need to attend in my calendar, linked online and on my phone, or else it wil zoom by me before I know it. It's really been a stretching experience learning what it means to be supporting ministry in the heart of San Francisco, and in the neighborhood with the second highest population of homeless in America.

God's really been stretching me in time management. I really look at all these aspects of my life and realize the hand of God moving so strongly in them. In my human nature, I never would work to put this much effort into getting organized to such as strong degree, but through Christ I realize the importance to get my stuff together. Christ guides me every day through the torrent of seemingly unending hardships, both minor and major. From the minutia of someone not getting the news email, to figuring how to respond to someone from the street's bout of violence inside our doors, every day brings new challenges; but also new opportunities for God to grow me.

San Francisco has been by far the most stretching experience in my life, but every second has been worth it, and I would never go back on the path God has lead me on thus far. Please continue to pray for me as each day goes by. I may only be 22, and I may not have everything together, but Christ is using me, and oh how grateful I am.

15 Years in the Making

2011-09-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last night here at YWAMSF, we were honored to have an event that has been years in the making. We hosted the graduation from our 360° program of a guy by the name of Ali, who's been coming here for years. It wasn't until the event was taking place that I realized the gravity of everything that was happening.
This has apparently been a story 15 years in the making since Ali first had contact with YWAM San Francisco. I don't know his whole story, so I feel like it wouldn't do him justice if I even tried to elaborate, but the long short of it is that he was on the streets, ensnared by drugs and a degraded lifestyle. Throughout the years YWAMSF had reached out to him for a while, presumably first with our once Street Team ministry. Eventually, Ali decided to join our newly pioneered 360° ministry, a ministry aimed at discipling people from the streets into a lifestyle in line with God, and in honor of Christ. 15 years later, Ali is the first graduate of this ministry.

Seeing people's responses really opened my eyes to a bigger picture going on here. Not many people have been here for all 15 of those years, but we do have a bit of people who have been around for a lot of it. Seeing their response to Ali's graduation was eye opening. These people have seen at least 10 years of one man's trials to coming close to Christ. 10 years! And it had finally come to fruition. Even though Ali's been following Jesus for a while, and been discipled along the way with helps of 360°, this was a milestone in his walk. Next, Ali will go on to become more involved in the big picture of YWAM San Francisco, becoming akin to staff members instead of simply a volunteer, essentially being staff.

It really makes me think. Have there been people I've been ministering for over 15 years? Man, I'm only 22, so I doubt it directly, but there have been people who have been on my heart for over a decade to come to knowledge of Christ as savior. It's crazy to think. What if they were doing what I was doing someday? What if the people who I've desired for so long to know Jesus, but at times seemed so impossible, were missionaries? Nights like last night give me hope. It's not impossible, not for anyone. And now my eyes are opened more.

The Journey West: How I ended up in San Francisco

2011-08-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know about my life in missions, I wanted to write the story of how I got here. I'll think to myself sometimes, and feel myself even that maybe I'm not able to give a good picture in conversations I've had with people. I'll think, "If I don't even fully feel like I know what I'm talking about, how are they supposed to?" So, to finally have a definitive place to say how I ended up on the path I'm on, full of evidence of God's guidance and plenty of adventure, here we are.

The Journey West

DTS

In the fall of 2008, almost half a year after I graduated high school, I set off on a Discipleship Training School, or DTS in San Francisco with the organization Youth with a Mission, or YWAM. When I was still in school, I had been planning on going to YWAM's base in Montana, because my brother had gone there for his DTS. But a friend of mine, at that time doing the same school in SF texted me one day and told me they thought I would really fit in at San Francisco's YWAM base. So I prayed about it for about a month or so, and finally decided that I would choose San Francisco.

An incredibly stretching experience, the DTS forced me to go outside the bounds of what I knew it was to be a Christian, and challenged me to live my whole life missionally dedicated to Christ no matter where I was. I grew to love YWAM and the community they had developed in San Francisco. Before DTS, God had put on my heart the call to reach out to the homeless, downtrodden people of the streets. In San Francisco, I got a real glimpse at the hurt and struggle people face on the streets. And I went home. After three months of lecture, and three months of overseas outreach to Thailand and Vietnam, I went back home to Ohio.

Ohio

Back in Ohio, I didn't really know what I was doing. My relationship of nine months, which I had started before my DTS, ended soon after I arrived home. The plans I had made while on DTS, for what to do after DTS, were shattered and I really didn't know what was next. Unbeknownst at the time, I wasn't listening to God. Through a series of events that had been going on in the background of my life, I had been training myself not to listen to God, but to replace Him with my own voice. In Ohio, just working a job, I went on like this for the next six months, until I had had enough.

Six months after my DTS, I was tired of not knowing where my life was going. I was spinning my wheels in Ohio, unsure of what to do. With a longing for the missions field, but a lack of trust in God, I was stuck. I told God, "Alright, I've had it. What do you want me to do?" And He told me, I'd get my answer from an unexpected source. One day I went to my friends house to meet up with a groups of people. My friend was packing up to move to Colorado to live with another friend of mine and his wife. The thought of driving half way across the country was awesome to me. Just then, my brother called me up, right when I was at my friend's house, and suggested that I take my car and drive out to visit him for a while in Utah where he was living. The second he told me, I felt like there was something else going on here. I asked God right in that moment if this was Him guiding me, and I felt like He said it, the thing that changed the whole course of everything, "Yes." So, very awkwardly, I asked my friend if I could follow them down. I would stay at my friend's place, get a job, and work for the first time on my own out in Colorado. Or at least that's what I thought.

Brekenridge, Colorado

About 1.5 weeks later, and half a country away, I was in Colorado. Apprehensively, I had quit my job without a two weeks notice, finding to my surprise that my boss wasn't broken up about it at all! He was actually excited for me, and wished me the best with my trip. I arrived at my friend's house, and unpacked my stuff, when no sooner had I set up camp that a friend of mine called me up out of the blue. Curious as to why he called, he told me, "You'll never believe this. The place you were just working? They just closed down yesterday." I hadn't been out of Ohio a week, and the place I had been working the last three months had just went out of business! Had I stayed in Ohio, I wouldn't even have had a job. By now, I knew I was finally learning to listen to God again. But I hadn't gotten a hold on it just yet.

Settling in to Colorado, my plan was to find a job during the opening to the busy snow boarding season. My friend, and everyone I ran into, were all sure it'd be super easy to get a job. With all the snowboarders and skiiers coming, this was the time when everyone needed new employees for the season. So, I applied to a bunch of jobs, all the time praying, "Christ, is this really what you have for me?" I had it all planned out in my mind. I was going to live in Colorado for a while, get an apartment with some other guys, and work a job in the highest paying county in Colorado. After saving up for a while, I would go into the missions field as I finally wanted to, with all my own money guaranteeing my safety. God had other plans.

A week and half into Colorado, I had been praying every day. I spent most of my time while waiting on job response playing my cello and waiting on God for His guidance. It came to the time when I was calling into businesses to see if they had seen my application. Every one I called said they weren't hiring. I didn't understand! Everyone had said it was a sure thing. So I prayed about it, and got something I didn't expect, "This isn't where you're supposed to be." I was shocked. Here I was in the mountains of Colorado, a state I'd never been to before now, with only my car, and my belongings, and I wasn't supposed to be there. But God had spoken, and I knew it was for sure. I felt more unstable than I had my entire life. With nowhere to go, I just decided to trust in Him. A friend of mine was doing his DTS in Colorado Springs, and I hadn't seen my brother in Utah yet, so I decided I'd visit my friend, and then my brother, and hope God would reveal something more in the process.

Colorado Springs

I went to Colorado Springs to visit my friend, pulling up with everything I owned in the back of my 95 Nissan Altima. Here was another YWAM base. Nothing like San Francisco. A former Hilton hotel, YWAM Colorado Springs Strategic Frontiers (ironically also called SF) staffed well over 100 people, and was completely different than San Francisco's mid-city base. I caught up with my friend, and spent some time with all the friends he'd made on the DTS, and started to get a sense for the base. One night, my friend and I decided to jam a little. I had brought my cello, so I thought, why not? In the middle of our playing, a staff member came up to me and said, "I've always loved cello. I've always wanted to hear it in a worship setting." I told him I had no idea what I was doing, or where I was supposed to be. He said I should sign up to volunteer there. It felt right, so I said bring it on!

I applied to volunteer, but the weekend was over, so I packed up my stuff to visit my brother while the application was processing and while they were praying over it. I told God, "Lord, if I'm supposed to be here, let them accept me. If not, don't. Your will be done." I spent a month in Utah in all, really spending some time with my brother, which was perfect. And then they called, I was accepted! I packed my stuff up, and headed on my way, having at least the next three months ahead planned out, which was a lot compared to the time.

Colorado was wonderful. After I had applied, they saw that I put down my ability in graphic design. Coincidentally, the base had once had a rather large graphics department, but all the members had left throughout the past two years. They really needed someone to help design things for them. It was great! I was using the things I had taught myself for the purposes of the Kingdom! It doesn't get better! The staff were all wonderful. I made friendships that I still maintain, and had plenty of amazing times at this YWAM base in the middle of America. But after three months, I was antsy. I didn't really know what God wanted me to do. I was in Colorado, but is that where he wanted me long term? I was perfectly fine with it. Live in a hotel, do graphic design, and all for the spreading of the Gospel! But I knew the consequences of following my own path and not Christs, so I gave it to Him.

One night, I was tossing and turning in bed, wrestling with God. I had felt like He had told me all throughout my journey west to 'remember San Francisco'. I had no idea why. So I prayed, "God, am I supposed to stay in Colorado, or go to San Francisco? I don't want to follow my own desires, but I've let myself listen to my own will so much, that I can't tell what's You anymore. I need to know, where do you want me to go?" I felt God tell me, "Go to San Francisco." All of a sudden, an immense feeling of peace flooded over my whole body. I'd never felt that much peace about something in my entire life. So that was it, I was going to San Francisco.

Breakdown

Colorado, 4.5 months in, and I was getting ready to follow the road westward to San Francisco. Along my journey west, I had been using money I had saved working in Ohio to pay for everything. My time in Breckenridge with my friend, my volunteer time in Colorado Springs, and I had about $450 or so left. Just enough to get out to San Francisco, and volunteer there for three months as I prayed about staying longer. I set out to leave, all my stuff packed up. Put my key in the ignition, and nothing. happened. No turn over, no start up. Nothing. I was crushed. leaving Colorado, I didn't have working wheels. What was I going to do? After my friends had cheered me up, taking me around to different auto places to see if maybe the problem was related to this or that, I decided to have my car taken in to a mechanic.

A line-tow and a phone call later, and I was being told it would cost around $900 to repair, and they needed an answer now, so they could get the part in on time, supposedly. It would take me everything I had to get my car fixed. I would have just barely enough money left to fix my car, and limp back to Ohio like a failure. In fact, the only reason I could pay for the repair, is because my dad had called me right before I planned on leaving to tell me he was cashing out a savings he had for me, and would be giving me around $600.

Now, I don't know much about cars, but something seemed fishy. Luckly, one of my friends at the base was an ace with cars. I told him the situation, and he told me not to do it. We went to a parts store, and got the part they said would cost $600 for $60, and my friend put it in for free. And guess what? Still didn't start. My friend called the shop and told them, the diagnostic we had payed $99 for was wrong. They had said what needed to be done for the car to run, we had done it, and still nothing. They owed us. We had told them we were missionaries, and everything we got came from support, so they told us as long as we got the parts we needed, their mechanic would put them in free of charge. Praise the Lord! But still, another two parts, with about a $130 or so ticket later, and I still didn't have enough to get out to San Francisco. But then my dad called me up. "You know what $600 I told you I'd give you? Well, I closed the account, and it turns out it was $1,800!" Praise the Lord! After all the car fixing, $1,800 was just enough to get out to San Francisco, and pay to live there for three months while I prayed about joining staff, exactly what I felt like God had told me to do. With my car finally fixed, thanks to some great friends, I was off towards San Francisco.

San Francisco

I arrived in San Francisco, the dirty streets of the Tenderloin where out base resides. I pulled my car up to the street, parked, and got out. Entering the base, I was hit with the chaos and bustle YWAMSF. It was like color flooded into my life; like everything had been in black and white till now. I knew this was were I was supposed to be. God had guided me, and here I was. Staying for the next three months, I prayed about joining staff and felt like God was giving me the go ahead. I applied, went home to support raise, and got accepted. After raising all my monthly support, I returned back to San Francisco, where I remain.

God had taken me a long way. It was the most unsure, convoluted time of my whole life, but it was His plan. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Now, I'm head over our Communications Department, living as a Missions Communicator. It's my job to raise awareness about everything going on with YWAM San Francisco, to get people to find out DTS like I found mine, and to spread the Gospel of Christ in the city, while equipping other people to come alongside us in doing so. One long crazy journey down, my life will never be the same. I don't always know what the future will hold, but I'm putting it in God's hands from now on. I've learned, it's the only place its safe.

Missions: San Francisco

2011-08-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Over the last season of my life, I've realized some things about myself. On of those things I've realized, is that I think more compartmentaly. So because of this, I've decided to start a missions blog separate from my personal blog to be a more comprehensive picture of where I am in my missions work, what I'm doing with YWAM, and what season I'm in with life. My other blog (which I will keep relatively separate) will still be a place for my personal meditations and thoughts, while this page will become the go to place for where I am in my missions journey.

Looking forward to many good times!