Pay Check in YWAM
Why would a
person want to invest their lives without getting a pay check? I like to share some testimonies of students
who have completed their DTS.
Nick was born in Holland in 1935. During WWII, two German soldiers came in and
took over their house for two years. The
one soldier was an alcoholic and at one point he pointed his gun at Nick and fortunately
when the gun went off it was no longer pointed at Nick. Nick almost starved to death and spent many
days in bed because he was too weak to get up.
He developed a hatred for Germans.
At the time, Nick made a promise to Jesus that if he spared his life, he
would serve him.
After he immigrated to Canada,
he would work for Germans and if they would be demanding of him as a brick layer,
it would cause the hair to stand up on his back. He would become very angry as a bitter root
had taken hold in his life.
He was part
of my small group and during Plumb Line week, God brought this bitter root to
the surface for Nick to deal with. We
asked Jesus where he was when Nick was being mistreated by the German
soldiers. Nick saw Jesus and was willing
to let go of the bitter root. We also
had a German in our small group that asked for forgiveness on behalf of his
people. Nick cried, something he had not
done for years and experienced a deep freedom.
Roy was born in Norway. He is a gifted singer. He was part of a heavy metal band which
traveled throughout the world. He
describes his music as becoming very dark over time.
One year
ago, he became a Christian and he quit his band. He and his wife decided to do a DTS in Hawaii.
During the
Plumb Line week, he shared his story. At
one point he wanted to end his life by laying on a train track near his
house. He came to the gate and that day
the train was going unusually slow. We
asked Jesus where he was during this experience and Roy
saw Jesus on the top of the train moving his legs like a windshield wiper,
smiling and waving to Roy. Suddenly, that painful memory in his life was
given new meaning with Jesus being present.
Jesus had been wooing Roy to himself and Roy received the
invitation.
Roy and
Elizabeth with their two children, Gabriele and Stella, did their outreach in Thailand. When they returned to Hawaii to do their debriefing, they wanted
to be baptized. They had experienced
such a turning point in their lives and they wanted to seal this time. Roy
commented that so much has taken place that it is hard to capture. They were both baptized in the pool at the
University of the Nations on February 21, 2012.
Peace was
born in the former East
Germany and became a Swiss citizen. His mom raised him and he had a close
relationship with his sister.
He wrestled
with personal worth and seeing value in himself. Inspite of his critical spirit, he was fully
engaged in the school. He was hungry to
receive all that he could from the Lord and was very diligent about doing his
journal with excellence.
Peace
experienced transformation on outreach.
He came to see his wife, Dama, through new eyes after a conversation
with another team member. He was able to
see his selfishness, repent of it, and embrace his wife in a new way.
When he returned to Kona for
debriefing, he was at dinner with two other guys, where Peace was bubbling over
with what had transacted in his life. He
was transformed by the power and love of our Lord Jesus.
What is the pay check? It is witnessing God’s power and grace to
change lives as students come hungry and thirsty for the Lord. That makes it all worth it.
