Youth With A Mission Northern Ireland

Around two dozen persons from Lebanon, South Africa, Israel and Palestine (and other nations) have joined us since 2003 on scholarships to attend DTS in Northern Ireland - typically in Belfast with a reconciliation focus.

We continue this as an effort to integrate faith and a vision for reconciliation to make a real-world impact in places of conflict. The sponsored trainees are recommended by partner ministries in countries of conflict where we send outreach teams. They come to Belfast to receive Christian missions training coupled with a perspective on reconciliation and peacemaking given context in the environment of post-Troubles Northern Ireland. They will then return rooted in their faith to their countries with an ability to build bridges, having ministered alongside YWAM in Belfast on their DTS.

2010
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For the DTS starting on 21 January 2010, we are hoping to have 4 sponsored trainees. One is from Israel. One is from Lebanon and has been volunteering with us since the summer. The other two are from South Africa, currently working with two of our partner ministries outside of Durban - World Changers Academy and Light Providers. These organisations are involved in a variety of community projects in their area (online at http://www.wca-sa.org and http://www.lightproviders.com).

If you want to know more about these outstanding individuals, please contact YWAM Belfast directly.
Our needs for them are:
-To cover basic living costs - apprx. £2150 minimum for lecture and outreach phases, per person
-To cover travel costs for the South Africans - airfare and visa costs, apprx. £750 per person.

Will you help us raise up ambassadors for Christ in broken places?

Consider making a donation for this cause - any amount will go a long way.

Donations using PayPal are quick, easy, and safe.  For other methods, please contact YWAM Belfast.

Also, join our cause on Facebook and invite your friends to participate.

Note: Scholarships are not generally available; you cannot apply for financial aid for DTS. We offer them (as a step of faith) only to those whom are recommended to us by our partner ministries in countries of conflict.

We were about twenty five people that week, meeting in a couple different locations on the Shankill in Belfast.  Usually, this annual conference is held in the summer, so our group was perhaps not as diverse as normal, since most people would be busy during the weekdays in November.  However, we were a nice combination of YWAM Belfast staff and volunteers, YWAM Harpenden School of Humanities, and Sword of the Sprit gap-year volunteers.  In all, we represented the nations of England, New Zealand, USA, Rwanda, Cameroon, Turkmenistan, Norway, Central African Republic, Lebanon, the Netherlands, and Ireland.  A good mix, anyways.

Jonny Clark (Director, YWAM Ireland & YWAM Belfast) led us through a brief but meaningful examination of Irish history to set a practical context for our surroundings and the teaching we would have.  Our primary guest speaker was Peter Adams (http://www.reconciliationtalk.com), who is involved in reconciliation work in England and overseas.  He spoke at length about peacemaking as part of the Christian mission, as well as God’s plan for the reconciliation of all things, and how we participate in that - in relating to people and in speaking about Jesus.  He used many stories about his work in Luton (England) with the Muslim community and his work in places like China and the Middle East.

In the afternoons, there were field-trips to community projects around Belfast to see how various groups engaged with the needs of this city.  The purpose of these outings were to inspire and spark ideas, as well as connect the teaching with practical application.

The video below was taken at the conference, and is pieced together from a 75-min talk Peter Adams presented on God’s plan of ultimate redemption for all of creation and our call to participate in it (Vimeo - about 30 min.).

(This blog entry first published at nakedicame.com)

“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Prov. 31: 8-9

Patricia Green addresses this vital area of concern for the church today

Friday 27th November: 8 pm (Tea & coffee from 7.30 pm)
Saturday 28th November: 9.30 am - 4.30 pm (Lunch provided)

YWAM Centre - “Closkelt House” - 45 Closkelt Road, Ballyward
Phone Ros on 07766286933 for information & directions

Patricia Green is the Founder of Rahab International who work on behalf of sexually exploited women and children. She is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, a social worker, and has a Master’s degree in Community Psychology. She is also a well-known speaker on issues of sexual exploitation, trafficking and prostitution. Patricia’s passion is to create an awareness of these issues and to motivate people, especially Christians, to reach out to sexually exploited women and children in the name of Christ to offer them a new life.

Download the flier by right-clicking this link and clicking ‘Save-As’

YWAM Dublin is pioneering as a new work in Dublin city centre with a vision for creatively engaging the city through missional living and involvement every aspect of their community (arts, business, homeless, etc.). To this end, they are planning to open a cafe and a prayer room in the heart of city centre, and are also planning to run a DTS starting in July 2010.

The DTS will be approximately six and a half months (ending late January 2011), with an emphasis on having flexible lecture and outreach phases. The lecture phase will consist of three 5-week sections, each comprised of four weeks of lectures in Dublin followed by one week of processing and time out in a European city, which could be Prague, London, Budapest, Reykjavick, or somewhere else. The remaining 13 weeks will be a combination of outreach in Dublin and abroad, including a time of debrief at the end.

This DTS is a great opportunity to build a foundation for a lifetime of following Christ with purpose and intention. During this time, the trainees will be joining a pioneering community, helping to contribute to reaching Dublin in creative and meaningful ways.

You can find more info about the DTS starting July 2010, including info on how to apply, at ywamdublin.com.

YWAM Dublin also has a group on Facebook you can check out.

Posing during the retreat: a majority of our team in Ireland, north and south.

Last week between Monday evening and Friday morning, folks from teams around Ireland gathered for a time of fellowship, input, and prayer together at our facilities in rural Co. Down. We were joined by Barry and Kay Austin, based with YWAM at the King’s Lodge in England, who are YWAM veterans from the early days (Barry lead the second DTS ever!) and continue to be instrumental in leadership training for YWAM around the world. Barry and Kay lead us in looking at Hebrews 1-6, a scripture establishing the identity of Christ and pinpointing obstacles to following him with full faith and expectation. We followed in prayer for our mission and challenging each other to thoroughly move in God’s momentum. Also, a good amount of time was dedicated to hanging out, catching up, and various antics - from hiking, to lazing on the beach in nearby Newcastle (during the one sunny day), to cooking, to table tennis tournaments. Overall, these few days were a good mix of nurturing activities and team-building.

Summer Madness is a Christian festival held in Belfast each summer.  This year, it runs 3-7 July, and YWAM will be hosting a venue.  Check out the Summer Madness website.

The Yak-Shak

‘They tried to make me go to re:hab, I said, “No, no, no”. ‘

YWAM Ireland presents The Yak Shak. This is the place for chillout, for
hanging out with each other, and experiencing God and the world in a
low-key environment.  You’ll find sofas, art, hot drinks, pool, table
tennis, and a special pampering area for the girls - even spectacular
Summer Madness haircuts for everyone!

The “Yak -Shak” afternoon workshops are a multi-sensory extravaganza,
filled with magic, escapology and energetic hi-jinx from Yan Nicholls of
YWAM England and his YWAM Ireland volunteers.  Don’t miss it — or
you’ll miss out!

Saturday (4th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Sunday (5th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Donking Rongavilla and the Passion
Freestylers
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

Monday (6th)
2.30-3.30 “Yak-Shak hour”
4-5 “Yak-Shak presents” – Norn Irish singer songwriters unplugged
10-11.30 “Yak-Shak re:creates”

“Yak-Shak re:creates” is an evening in two parts. Music from our
resident house band made up of SM campers (that’s you!), magic
mayhem, laughter, culminating in an alt. worship experience for the more
contemplative Summer Madness participant. Mixing words, silence, and
ambient tunes to bring us on a journey of encounter with faith, poverty,
the Kingdom, and the prodigal Father.

Yak-Shak hour: An extravaganza filled with magic, escapology and
energetic hi-jinx.

Yak-Shak presents: Donking Rongavilla and the Passion Freestylers.
Check out their hip hop dance style and learn some yourself!

re:creates - the journey begins with a house band and ends with
contemplation.

Join the Facebook event for more info and automatic reminders!

The time we have spent in India so far has been an intense time of growth and of ‘experiencing’. I had said I was sick of knowing and wanted to DO, and this trip has been the perfect opportunity for that. I have loved learning the Indian culture; wearing the kurtas, trying all the food, and picking up on bits of the language. But even moreso I love the relationships that have been formed.

We have been keeping busy switching between different ministries, and have had the chance to work alongside a few different organizations as well as YWAM. The first two weeks we started out with Mercy Ministries in two different slums - teaching in the preschools and helping with the clinic. The second two weeks in Delhi we were doing university evangelism in the afternoons and helping in a ‘daycare’ for street kids called King’s Kids School in the mornings. Those same kids we have gotten to know really well during our time here in Delhi as we also help with a Street Kid’s Ministry on Saturdays. It fast became our favorite activity, and we spend any of our free time with these kids in their local hangout/place of ‘work’ - the community centre. It’s where we eat lunch and where we build relationships. These children, for most of us, are the reason we are here, and the reason we want to come back! The relationships we have built are so filled with life and beauty. We give the children the love and attention they are starved for, and in return they give us their trust - and their help whenever they can! It gives me so much joy to see a kid helping us negotiate the price of a rickshaw in Hindi, or when they take us by the hand to their parents to pray over them. These are small steps towards a much larger dream, and it is inspiring to be able to be apart of it.

In the middle of our outreach, we took a couple weeks out to go join up with another team from Northern Ireland in Pune, India. There we helped run a Christian youth camp with SOS communities, and joined again with YWAM to visit a number of different orphanages and homes for children over the period of a week. From there we made a short trip to Mumbai to spend time with one of the SOS communities there, and then it was back to Delhi for another couple weeks with the same ministries. It was a good break from the hard work we had been doing in the slums and on the streets of Delhi, and it gave us a more rounded view of this country.

It is encouraging to see God’s hand at work in so many places and through so many of His willing servants. All of our group has been impacted in a powerful way because of this experience, and we are all looking for different ways to stay connected and apart of what is going on in India. In many ways, this trip to India is just the beginning…

Jennifer Volkman
R-DTS Student

Outreach in India has been life changing. It has been an opportunity to go to a place that needs God desperately and serve as the hands and feet of the Lord. It has been a time of great cultural learning and more importantly, growing closer to the Lord.

In India I have had the chance to see God at work in the lives of people so different than me and 1000s of miles from my home. I have learned from them and been inspired to dream bigger while at the same time helping serve them and their ministries. Outreach in India has meant being face to face with poverty, child abuse, and suffering. But, it has also meant experiencing the power of the Lord as he leads his people to action. I return to Belfast with a personal connection to India, and names and faces to pray for and seek the Lord about.

Carolyn Betts
R-DTS Student

Thank you to everyone who supported our 5 runners in the Belfast City Marathon! The team had a great day in the relay race and plans to enter the race again next year with a larger team!

This coming Monday, 8th of May 2009, five YWAMers from Belfast will be participating in the team relay event of the Belfast City Marathon, including our national director Jonny Clark.  We’re racing as a fundraiser for ministry and work needs in Northern Ireland.

Please consider sponsoring a YWAMer for this event.  Any gift will go a long way, and it’s easy to give with a debit or credit card using PayPal.  If you have any questions or have an alternate means of giving, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.

Check out what Jonny Clark has to say about the fundraiser and training for the marathon in this funny YouTube video.

Greetings from Burundi!

We are a team of six people currently situated in Bujumbura, Burundi on the DTS outreach. We’ve had a busy time so far of being involved with a lot of different ministries including working ina hospital, an orphanage, running reconciliation seminars and courses and also playing a lot of football with streetkids! Things have been busy for us, but good.

As a team we have been so aware of God’s hand of protection on us as we travel through the centre of Africa. We have been blessed by health (for the most part) incredible ministries to be involved in and some incredible contacts (now friends) who have welcomed us more warmly than we could have imagined or expected.

Rwanda and Burundi are beautiful countries that are blessed with natural resources and sunny climes, but that have also seen a history of conflict, hatred and division that has scarred the land and the people here over the last half century. As a team, our prayer is that we will be a group that brings Christ and his healing forgiveness and gift of reconciliation to these places. We know that there is nothing within US that can do this, rather, we are simply here trying to be willing vessels of his power, authority and grace to the people living here. We are blessed and privileged to be used in this way, and it is a gift to be here and see God choosing to work through and use us.

With four weeks left, we are heading to the middle of Burundi today to work with Youth for Christ at an orphanage they run. Our team was there last year and had an incredible time of ministry and getting to know the children and workers there. Please pray for us as we continue on our journey and seek God for us and for those we are meeting!

Tom Tate
Rec.DTS Leader & Burundi Outreach Leader