Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God. This month we begin our "Spiritual Principles from YWAM's Early Days" 4-Part series on the topic "Seeking God" with Loren Cunningham.

Seeking GodPhoto credit: Fhlchristianministries.org

For the next four months, The Invitation will focus on spiritual principles from YWAM’s early days. The four topics in this series came out of a conversation with YWAM leader Lynn Green, who reflected on spiritual themes he encountered in YWAM’s first training programs. He saw these principles lived out in the young men and women who formed YWAM’s first outreach teams. As we pray during these four months we hope to embrace these principles in a new way. For January our topic is Seeking God and we have included a video of YWAM co-founder Loren Cunningham speaking on this topic. Remaining topics are Holy Living, Fear of God and Lordship of Christ. For each of these months The Invitation will include a video specifically prepared for this purpose by one of YWAM’s leaders from the early days.

In our first video, Loren relates a wonderful story from 1972 where God put a vision on the hearts of a group of YWAMers who had prayed in unity. In the video, Loren is interviewed by Miranda Heathcote, who works with YWAM in Spain. Please watch and enjoy this 8:55 minute video.

https://youtu.be/p2Z8V45hN5s

For a written summary of this video, please see below.

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Psalm 105:4 (ESV)

Please join us this month during The Invitation prayer day on Thursday January 9, as we pray for YWAMers to seek God in a new way. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that YWAM will pray in unity and that we will hear from God--insight for now and visions for the future. Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

Prepare to Pray:

In this short video, Loren Cunningham refers to the ten steps of effective intercession originally introduced to YWAM by Joy Dawson. Refresh your memory of these principles here: https://www.ywam.org/custom-content/uploads/2019/11/PrinciplesForEffectiveIntercession-JoyDawson.pdf). Try to use these principles as a format for your time of prayer.

Take time in silence to allow the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind any action or attitude of yours that was not motivated by love. Put this right with God and with anyone else affected by it. For a few minutes, speak out praises to God, read a psalm of praise, or sing a praise song together.

Seek GodPhoto credit:  turnbacktogod.com

Pray for YWAM:

* Ask God that YWAM communities around the world would be living by the principles of effective intercession, and especially the call to unity and living in right relationship with one another. Consider your personal role in relationships, rather than praying only for others. As God brings issues to mind, pray specifically, rather than only in an abstract way.

* If God brings to your attention a personal issue or corporate issue, or a subject for intercession take time to wait on God for direction and then pray as God leads.

* Pray that we would be people growing in our awareness of the presence of God and in our hunger to seek Him. Prayerfully consider how we might, as individuals and as communities,

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about Yemen.

Yemeni ChildrenPhoto credit: Emily B.

The people of Yemen suffer in the midst of a terrible civil war. Over a million have cholera, and 15 million are on the brink of starvation. Many have fled to other nations, some with conditions as bad or worse than Yemen. Please join us this month to pray for the people of Yemen as YWAM’s monthly prayer day, called The Invitation, focuses on this war-torn nation.

Located on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is the second largest Arab state. Historically, there have been political clashes in this nation leading to corruption, unemployment, scarcity of food, lack of safe drinking water, and cholera outbreaks. Most recently, the capital city of Sanaa has been under rebel control since 2015. There are ongoing conflicts between the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, and the Sunnis, backed by a coalition made up of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. This conflict impacts the entire country.

In 2019 the United Nations reported that Yemen is the country with the most people in need of humanitarian aid, with 24.1 million people in need.

Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba [ancient Yemen] will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.

Isaiah 60:6 (NIV)

Despite the pressures of their lives in the middle of war and as refugees, the Yemeni people are still open to the Gospel and God is moving. Please join us this month during The Invitation prayer day on Thursday, December 12 as we pray for the people of Yemen. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that the wickedness of the wicked would come to an end so that conditions will get better in Yemen and pray that God will save those in Yemen who are upright in heart.

Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

A Yemeni Village WomanPhoto Credit: Caleb L.

Prepare to Pray:

Conduct the following activities with a group or on your own:

* Study this map that includes Yemen and the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Sudan).

Map Showing Yemen and Horn of AfricaSource: www.welt-atlas.de

* Watch the 2:14 minute video at the bottom of this page: https://borgenproject.org/yemen-refugees/

https://youtu.be/rKKX0PEXC7M

* Read these tragic facts about Yemen:

* According to the UNHCR (https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/yemen/) 3 million people have been forced to flee, 75% of the population requires humanitarian assistance, more than 15 million (53%) of the population are on the brink of starvation, and 1.1 million are struggling with cholera.

* According to Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/yemen) 6,872 civilians have been killed and 10,768 wounded as of November 2018.

* The UNHCR (https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/operations/4c907a4a9/yemen-fact-sheet.html) has 267,675 Yemeni refugees and 2,430,

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about Tokyo.

Tokyo at nightPhoto credit: Global Sherpa

This month, we invite you to join the YWAM family as we pray for the largest metropolitan area in the world, the greater Tokyo area. By worldly standards, Tokyo has it all, but spiritually the 35 million people in the Tokyo area have many challenges.

The list of Tokyo’s notable global rankings goes on and on. Tokyo has ranked first in the Global Economic Power Index, was listed as most livable city in the world in 2015, is rated out of 60 cities in 2017 as first in terms of safe cities index, and Tokyo has the highest number of Fortune 500 companies. Tokyo will also host the summer Olympics in 2020 (July 24 to August 9).

However, from a spiritual perspective, there are challenges in reaching the people of Tokyo and Japan in general. Japanese nationals are steeped in a culture that esteems honor, harmony, loyalty and long work hours. They are very much a people group who value and care for those around them. But most of them don’t understand the true message of Jesus. It is estimated that fewer than one percent of the people are evangelical Christians. The national religions of Buddhism and Shintoism are closely tied to the Japanese identity, so choosing to follow a different religion can be perceived as rejecting your family or choosing to no longer be Japanese. Additionally, there is believed to be only one missionary for every 64,000 people in Japan. As YWAM’s JP Cohern notes: “That’s like one person being tasked to reach an entire football stadium!”

According to the YWAM Tokyo Facebook page, “The Japanese culture reflects the Kingdom culture. As a culture, they love politeness, they crave community and relationship. They reflect the kind nature of kingdom culture so selflessly and yet they still don’t know the king they reflect.”

Despite these challenges, the YWAM Tokyo Facebook page notes that something has started to shift in Tokyo. They are witnessing miracles in public, there appears to be a new level of openness in the hearts of the people, churches are uniting and supporting each other and ministry pioneers are rising up all over the nation of Japan.

Please join us this month for YWAM’s prayer day, called The Invitation, as we pray for the people of Tokyo. If you only have a few moments to pray during The Invitation on Thursday November 14 please pray that the missionaries and Christians there would experience a new power in their ministries and that God would open the hearts of the people like He did with the early church.

Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

A woman in Tokyo.Photo credit: YWAM Tokyo

Prepare to Pray:

As a group, consider and discuss the mission field in Tokyo and greater Japan. Considering less than one percent are evangelical Christians, this represents a huge opportunity with many challenges. Look at a map of Tokyo and/or Japan. Now consider and discuss the early church based on your knowledge of the book of Acts. How might a movement to reach Tokyo and Japan be similar to the early church movement? How are they likely to be different?

Review and pray these verses that represent progress with the Gospel for the early church one at a time, and as you do, ask God to show you how they might apply to Tokyo. List key points that God shows you regarding Tokyo a...

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about Children at Risk.

Photo credit: Johan and Jeannette Lukasse

Children and youth today represent a future hope for the kingdom of God. But today we see many gaps where God’s intentions for this generation of children and youth are not being realized. Children face tremendous suffering and risk around the world. Please join with YWAM this month as we pray for the world’s vulnerable children.

Today’s worldwide gaps:

* Child mortality: Every day, 15,000 children under five years of age die. In developing countries, half of those deaths are caused by malnutrition.

* Child soldiers: There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers (some as young as seven years old) in the world today in at least 20 countries. About 40 percent of child soldiers are girls, who are often used as sex slaves and taken as "wives" by male fighters.

* Children and youth in crime, drugs and violence: Central and South America are experiencing a dramatic upswing in youth crime. "The drug mafia recruits children as young as nine or 10," says Guaraci de Campos Viana, the chief justice of Rio de Janeiro's juvenile court. "Children have no sense of danger. Being a member of a drug gang gives them a sort of adrenaline rush."

* Street children: Many boys and girls under 18 years, find that "the street" has become home or their source of livelihood. They are inadequately protected or supervised. There are many more who are at risk due to the family situation. In 1989 it was estimated there were 100 million street children worldwide.

* Residential care versus family-based care: Worldwide many are now working toward a goal to have children living with foster families, adoptive families or in family-like settings, as opposed to traditional orphanages. Lost Kites is a film made by a YWAM team with the aim to see vulnerable families strengthened, and children restored to family – globally. http://lostkites.com/

* Sexual abuse and exploitation: Every day, across all countries and levels of society, millions of girls and boys face the alarmingly common childhood experience of sexual abuse and exploitation. Child sexual abuse is likely the most prevalent health problem children face with the most serious array of consequences. About one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. About one in seven girls and one in 25 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18.

* Refugee children: There are 70.8 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. Everyday this number grows 37,000 of which 50 percent are children! Many are unaccompanied or separated children, which puts them in an even more vulnerable situation. Refugee children and youth often are out of school and become easy victims of sexual exploitation.

YWAM offers many opportunities for students and staff to stand in one of those gaps and bring healing and restoration to those children, youth, their families and communities. As we do so, we can see a new hope for the kingdom of God.

Please listen to the audio from this short video, made by YWAM’s Children at Risk School in Perth, Australia:

https://vimeo.com/312469759

If you only have a few moments to pray during The Invitation please pray for the children at risk in your area and ask God to lead them to salvation.

Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed.

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about the Hindu World.

Hindu World – 15 Days of Prayer

Hindus are the second-largest least-reached religious group in the world, with only about two percent of cross-cultural missionaries focused on sharing the gospel with them. The majority of the world’s 1.1 billion Hindus still live without any meaningful access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This month, we invite you to pray for Hindus on September 12 as part of YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, and we also invite you to join the 15 Days prayer focus on the Hindu World.

15 Days is an annual prayer movement that calls Christians and churches worldwide to take 15 days, October 20 - November 3 to learn about and pray for Hindus around the world. This period encompasses the significant Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali (or Deepawali) which is the most notable festival of Hindus and an excellent time to pray for and share with Hindus the precious love of Christ, the light of the world. Prayer guides are available in several languages and are either free or available for a nominal price depending on the country. You may access the prayer guides here: www.pray15days.org.

If you only have a few moments to pray during The Invitation please pray for the light of Christ’s presence to be fully received among Hindus in general and by any Hindus that you know. Thank you for being part of The Invitation. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

Prepare to Pray:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

As you prepare to pray, consider that Jesus declared Himself to be the light of the world and also declared that His people are the light of the world. Think of a way to represent that light in the place where you will be praying: could you light candles, shine torches/flashlights, pray as the sun rises, or find other ways to bring to mind this powerful image of Jesus and His people bringing light into dark places? Let this physical action of bringing light become your focus and attitude in prayer. May our prayers for the Hindu world be shining shafts of light into the darkness, that the light of Christ’s presence may fully come among those who do not yet know him.

Pray for the Hindu World:

* Pray for the more than 2,000 YWAM staff who work in South Asia. Many of them work directly with Hindu people.

* Pray for the 2,328 unreached Hindu people groups (https://joshuaproject.net/religions/5) and that they will turn to Christ. India is where most Hindus live, compromising about 80% of its almost 1.4 Billion person population. But Hindus also have large populations in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

* Pray for Bible translation and distribution efforts in the Hindu ...

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about the 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting for the University of the Nations (UofN).

From left to right: YWAM Lausanne; University of the Nations graduation.Photo credits: YWAM Lausanne, Emily Ranquist

This year, YWAM is celebrating 50 years of training. It all began with a small group of young adults studying evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year YWAM has set aside time to remember, to pray, and to look to the future of YWAM’s training, which has now grown into a global university called the University of the Nations. Please join us on August 8, for YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, as we pray for YWAM’s training.

This day is also the kickoff for 21 days of prayer and fasting for the University of the Nations from August 8 – August 28.   This will be a time as a family of ministries where we seek God together, wait on Him and pray what He has shown us. We believe the Lord is leading us in a time of transition and a time of going deeper in Him for His purposes for the U of N. We believe your prayer will provide a protection and preparation for the Holy Spirit to lead us afresh into this phase of growth and multiplication.

Please find the simple prayer guide to help give daily prayer focus at this link:

* 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting for the University of the Nations 2019

We encourage your family, ministries and teams to enter into this time, to give up some type of normal indulgence such as food or media and to seek God together. Together we will pray and fast and look at some of our foundations in the U of N and look to the Lord for His direction and leading into the future.

If you only have a few moments to pray please pray that everyone involved in YWAM’s training will receive direction and leading from the Lord into the future.

Thank-you for taking part in this as the Lord leads you. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

Prepare to Pray:

The spiritual practice of fasting has been interpreted in diverse ways in different Christian traditions. The purpose of this month’s prayer guidelines is not to dictate the way in which you choose to fast. Rather, through fasting we are deliberately taking our physical or emotional hunger, and turning our hearts towards the things of God. That is, we embrace an increase of natural hunger and allow it to become a prompt that turns our awareness - the intentions of our hearts - towards God.

During the 21 days covered by this month’s prayer guide, you may choose to fast in the way that you sense the Holy Spirit nudging you. While this will be a personal response - because the Spirit of God knows our individual appetites and what sort of fasting is most helpful for us - you may also agree to a corporate rhythm of fasting with your community or team.

* You could choose to fast from one meal each day, or on certain days over the 21 days. This mealtime can then become a time of prayer.

* You could choose to fast from food for an entire day, on certain days over the 3 weeks. Again, these days can become special times of focused prayer.

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about Central Europe.

From left to right, top to bottom: Mytilene, the biggest town on Lesvos; Faith and Conflict Journey in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the Church in Sandanski, BulgariaPhoto credits: Micah Stailey, YWAM Bosnia Herzegovina, YWAM Bulgaria

This month, please join YWAM in prayer for a very diverse part of the world. This is a place where many countries have been at war with each other or have oppressed each other. It’s a place where Catholicism, Islam and Orthodoxy meet. Please pray with us for Central Europe and for YWAM’s work there.

The YWAM Central Europe area is made up of 16 countries: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia with a combined population of over 130 million people. At present YWAM has about 250 full-time staff working here, with almost half working in Romania.

There is much division and disunity within and between these countries. The word “balkanise”, which is named after the Balkan peninsula where many Central European countries are found, means “to divide (a region or body) into smaller mutually hostile states or groups.” Our biggest mandate as YWAM Central Europe is to come against this propensity to divide and instead reconcile, and work together in unity within countries and across borders.

Other significant issues in Central Europe include the post-communism way of thinking that is prevalent in Central Europe; human trafficking due to the high numbers of young people seeking better economic conditions through migration; a heavy flow of refugees wanting to reach the richer countries of the European Union that instead find themselves in camps unable to reach “the promised land”; and the discrimination of the Romani or Roma people.

Please join YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, this month and pray for Central Europe. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, July 11. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray for unity and reconciliation in and among these nations. Pray also for those that are lost, marginalized and victimized in Central Europe. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed. You can email us at [email protected].

Map of Central Europe LocationsDesign credit: Matthew McCaigue

Prepare to Pray:

If you are praying with a group, consider this activity as a way to focus on Central Europe. You will need to prepare:

* A large poster size hand drawn map using the above picture as a reference for the group to use or a black and white print for each participant of a simple line map of the region. (You may even click on the above picture, save it as a picture, and print as a full page or larger photo for each participant.)

* A selection of random images pre-cut from magazines (these could include landscapes, objects, people alone or in groups – avoid anything with lots of writing). Spread the images on a table so that they can easily be seen.

* Scissors and glue.

Before looking at the images, remind everyone that this is a way of preparing our hearts to listen to God’s desires for the region. Everyone is to chose from the images a selection of four to eight that they are drawn to. They may notice these images in particular because they feel attracted to an aspect of beauty, peace,

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about Mozambique …

Beira, Mozambique after Cyclone IdaiPhoto credit: The Red Cross

On March 14th a category three cyclone made landfall in Mozambique. Just six weeks later on April 25th another cyclone came ashore a bit farther north in Mozambique. Significant rains before and after these cyclones also impacted the neighboring countries of Zimbabwe and Malawi. Please join with Youth With A Mission’s global prayer day this month as we lift up the people of Mozambique and surrounding countries and evangelistic and aid workers in those areas, including YWAMers.

According to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, cyclone Idai has affected over 1.85 million people with at least 130,000 people displaced over four provinces in Mozambique. A minimum of 112,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. At least 715,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed at the beginning of the main harvest season. Over 400,000 people have been reached with food assistance, while 10,000 people are being helped with ready-to-eat meals in the city of Beira. The death toll is over 750 in Mozambique alone.

Watch the story here through the eyes of a young YWAM girl who lived through the destruction of Idai: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47828862

YWAM locations in Beira and Dondo were directly impacted by Idai, making them strategically located to help others. YWAM Blantyre, Malawi is also assisting their neighbors and providing hope to people who have lost much. YWAM Muizenberg, South Africa has become a communication and coordinating point for YWAM efforts including disbursing donations and other resources, as well as working with other YWAM locations to coordinate the development and resettlement phase that officially began this month.

In addition to prayer, YWAM leaders in South Africa are asking us to be generous towards our brothers and sisters in Christ in Mozambique as they are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical supplies. See the Take Action section of The Invitation for ways to help, including sending teams for rebuilding.

Please join YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, this month and pray for Mozambique. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, June 13. If you only have a few moments to pray please pray for our brothers and sisters in YWAM Beira and YWAM Dondo as they seek to recover from this disaster. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed for Mozambique. You can email us at [email protected].

Destruction in MozambiquePhoto credit: YWAM Muizenberg

Prepare to Pray:

Consider these two short portions from Lamentations chapter 3:

“The waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish. I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’ You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’ You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3, 54-58 and 22-26

Thank you for joining us this month as we take up “The Invitation” and join together with thousands of YWAMers from around the world as we pray and hear from God about the Uyghur People Group.

Uyghur Women

Please join with Youth With A Mission’s global prayer day this month as we lift up a large Muslim people group that is facing a crisis right now.

The Uyghur [WEE-gur] people numbers around 15 million. Their traditional homeland is located mainly in Xinjiang [SHIN-jong] province in Northwest China. In recent years, small numbers of Uyghurs have responded to the gospel, and at this time there are a few hundred Uyghur Christians.

Historically, the Uyghurs and communist China have had ongoing conflicts. But recently, things have escalated dramatically. Under the guise of eliminating Islamic extremism, approximately one million Uyghurs have been detained in “re-education camps,” usually indefinitely. The camps are overcrowded and the Uyghurs are forced to learn communist propaganda. Some detainees have claimed they were tortured. Outside the camps, conditions are not much better. Families are being torn apart and some businesses have closed because owners have “disappeared.”

There is a very small Uyghur Christian community that is also being targeted and most leaders and strong believers have been detained. The Uyghur Christian fellowships, small and fragile to begin with, have been driven almost out of existence.

Although Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim and have been for about 1,000 years, historical findings show that there was once a strong Christian community among the Uyghur tribe. They had many churches and were also involved in taking the gospel to other Central Asian peoples. Many Uyghur Christians believe that God wants to revive the destiny of the Uyghur people in these days. They believe that this involves many Uyghurs embracing the gospel and taking God’s good news across Central Asia. They also believe that the enemy is doing his best to stop this destiny from becoming a reality.

Will you join YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, this month and pray for the Uyghurs? You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, May 9. If you only have a few moments to pray we would ask you to pray for the ending of this oppression and for Uyghurs to turn to Jesus in great numbers. Let’s pray that the Uyghurs would rise up with identity restored, healed and bringing the Good News across Central Asia and the world. We would love to receive stories from you regarding how you prayed for the Uyghurs. You can email us at [email protected].

Xinjiang

Prepare to Pray:

Before you begin to pray, find a table from your classroom or dining room and cover it in blankets, drapes, or other fabric. It should be covered all around and right down to the floor. You may want to put additional blankets or cushions under the table, in the ‘tent’ you have created.

In groups of 3 or 4, have people sit in the darkness under the table for a few minutes at a time. While there, experiencing darkness, discomfort and confinement, bring to mind those Uyghrs who have been forcibly removed from their homes and families, who are persecuted and in terrible fear. Consider those Christian Uyghurs who are in detention even today. Allow yourself to imagine the loss, grief and fear they might be feeling.

As you experience the emotion of this place of darkness and great need, turn your longing towards God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – whose great desire and purpose is to rent open this darkness in order for the light of His presence to be made known.

Join YWAMers around the globe in praying and hearing from God. He is inviting you!

YWAM Foundational Values 16 – 18Photo credits (left to right): YWAM Nuremberg, YWAM Asheville, YWAM Perth Africa DTS

In January of last year we began praying for YWAM’s Foundational Values, three at a time, once per quarter. This issue of The Invitation marks the completion of this prayer campaign. Please join us in praying for ourselves and for the whole YWAM family to live out these final three values: to depend on God, to practice hospitality, and to communicate with integrity.

According to Rita Pretorius, who provided input to The Invitation, “Be Hospitable” was one of YWAM’s first values, along with our motto “To know God and to make Him known.” Rita believes that “hospitality helped us, as YWAM, to stay a loving community and not to become an institution. Being hospitable is part of our DNA because it is not about programs or a method, it is all about relationships.”

Terry Sherman also noted that the biblical examples of Value 16, Practice Dependence on God, “are about God connecting people to make mutual provision – it’s never one-sided, but both parties are blessed in some way. It’s all about partnership and interdependence.”

And as we take a look at our final value, Communicate With Integrity, YWAM has teams that model and teach on this value in a relational way. Some of these groups are the College of Communication at YWAM’s University of the Nations, Create International, and Circle 18.

Here is the full text of these three values:

Value 16: Practice dependence on God – YWAM is called to practice a life of dependence upon God for financial provision. For individuals and YWAM corporately this comes primarily through His people. As God has been generous toward us, so we desire to be generous. YWAMers give themselves, their time and talents to God through the mission with no expectation of remuneration (Gen 22:12-14; Exo 36:2-7; Num 18:25-29; Mal 3:8-12; Mat 6:25-33; Luk 19:8-9; 2Co 8:1-9:15; Php 4:10-20; Tit 3:14; 3Jo 5-8).

Value 17: Practice hospitality – YWAM affirms the ministry of hospitality as an expression of God’s character and the value of people. We believe it is important to open our hearts, homes, campuses and ministry centers to serve and honor one another, our guests and the poor and needy, not as acts of social protocol, but as expressions of generosity (Gen 18:1-8; 2Sa 9:1-11; Psa 68:5-6; Pro 22:9; Isa 58:7; Mat 25:31 46; Acts 28:7-8; Rom 12:13; Heb 13:1-3; 1Pe 4:9).

Value 18: Communicate with integrity – YWAM affirms that everything exists because God communicates. Therefore, YWAM is committed to truthful, accurate, timely and relevant communication. We believe good communication is essential for strong relationships, healthy families and communities, and effective ministry (Gen 1:3-5; Num 23:19; Pro 10:19; Pro 25:9-14; Zec 8:16-17; Mat 5:33-37; Luke 4:16-22; Joh 1:1 5; Col 4:6; Jam 3:1-18).

Please join with The Invitation during the month of April to pray with us about these three values. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, April 11. If you only have a few moments to pray we would ask you to pray for yourself and our YWAM family that God would help us live out dependence on God, hospitality, and good communication. As you pray and contemplate these foundational values, we would love to receive stories from you regarding how these values have shaped your ministry or your life. You can email us at [email protected].

Prepare to Pray:

As you gather to pray, have a conversation about the different ways of greeting people you have encountered in different cultures. In what ways have different greetings made you feel welco...