Anyone working in a volunteer organisation knows there is no such thing as too much help. Here at YWAM Harpenden, we have suffered with severe shortages of strategic people for the past couple of years. It is the most essential roles – accounts, catering, and maintenance usually – where we all feel the absence of those called to these jobs.

So, for two years, since our last head of maintenance left to serve with YWAM in Brazil, we have been seeking God for his replacement. This has not been a matter of casual inquiry – we have devoted many meetings to asking God to provide for someone in this vital role, who not only keeps our building and site operational, but helps us to remain legal, safe and run economically in so many ways. A quality person running maintenance can save us literally hundreds or thousands of pounds each month.

So we are thrilled to announce that Pete Kinahan has joined us full time in this role. Pete and his family have all been involved with YWAM for many years, in their home country of South Africa, and here as volunteers since they moved to the area several years ago.

Pete, with his wife Pat, who serves part-time as our lovely receptionist, has taken a step of faith in returning to work full-time in YWAM. Pete is a true servant, a wonderful discipler, and he has the professional background necessary to enable him to take on the vast building project which is the Oval.

Already, Pete has saved us hundreds of pounds, making our heating systems operate more efficiently. He is exploring options for development which will enable us to use our existing facilities to accommodate more people for events and schools. And he has actioned the work of such necessary repairs as our chapel roof and electric upgrades in the Factory. Much progress, but all of this is too much for one man, so it’s not too late to join the team! Openings still exist in accounts and kitchen management also!

Rejoice with us in this answer to prayer, and join in prayer for Pete and Pat as they seek the financial support they need to continue serving the Lord through YWAM Harpenden.

It has been a pretty eventful couple of weeks in the Cafe as we have been stripping the paint off our new door, re-painting it, and building and painting the door way.

Currently, our main body of work will be preparing to do the final sanding of the floors before we varnish and seal them!

After the floors are done, we will be building the bar area from which the coffee will be served.

We will then be putting in a window seat, as well as a stage area which will double as a children’s play area. We are also in the process of getting the actual coffee machine, along with grinders and blenders, etc, shipped from California to Harpenden!

So much work has been done and so many volunteers have given their time and expertise to see the Oval Cafe come to fruition. It has been exciting to see everyone take part as some of the last major jobs are done to prepare the Cafe for business!

DTS is a time of refreshing, restoration and God’s power of healing in my life. It’s good for me to be in this DTS as God called me and I obeyed. It’s like a process started in my life from the first day I was here, and it’s not finished yet. Every single day I learn something or something happens deep inside me. Sometimes maybe I cry and other times I’m filled with joy. It’s the best time. I’ve enjoyed my relationship with God and have an understanding of being an intimate disciple.

The most significant thing for me was in this past week. I was praying for a new revelation through the teaching about the Father Heart of God. God revealed to me that He loves me as much as He loves Jesus and Jesus loves me as much as He loves God through John 17. I might have read John 17 more than 20 times, but I have never experienced this amazing love of God for me, as He is my good Father and wants the best for me.

Through DTS I have experienced God’s love, caring, providing money for my school fees and outreach, knowing my original design and walking in it, seeing myself through God’s eyes and having my identity through Him.

Mary, Egypt

Inner Healing
We are not aware of how much we are affected by sin until we ask God to show it to us. As we move away from God’s principles, we experience pain. As we go back to God’s ways, we experience inner healing, freedom and joy.
Inner healing is not only about feeling better inside but also helping other people to get healed from the same things we used to suffer from in the past. “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30:17). We won’t forget what happened to us, but it won’t hurt anymore.
This teaching on inner healing was very helpful to me as I could deal with the pain that was hidden in some dark and dusty spots in my heart.

Communication
We looked at the eight different spheres of society and how God is revealed to each one of them. In education, for instance, He is the Rabbi. In economics, He’s Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. In politics, He’s justice and wants to ensure equality and justice for all citizens.
The teaching focused particularly on communication (God is the Living Word) and the power of the tongue. Scriptures like “pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Prov 16:24) and “with the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9) have made me wonder whether the things I say really bless people.

Ester, Brazil

Greetings from Muizenberg,

It was very difficult to leave Worcester, but we are also excited to be here at the YWAM Muizenberg base. The weather is much cooler here and the beach is beautiful.

This past week, we have been busy working with many ministries. We have gone to the Living Hope soup kitchen, where we have led devotions, made relationships with the people and helped the staff to clean the place and prepare food.

We have gone to the refugee camp in Cape Town, where people are from Zimbabwe, Somalia, and Ethiopia. They live outside and wait everyday for papers that let them stay in South Africa so that they can get a job. We bring them sandwiches and drinks and we pray over them and hear their stories. Many are open to receiving prayer and many believe in God but are really discouraged and losing hope.

We have also gone to Reach Elderly Home, just to hang out with the elderly, listen to their stories, paint with them and go on walks with them. We have gone to the townships to work with a church and help out with the children’s church. We’ve also led bible studies in the homes of people from the church, gone to small groups for the youth and to people’s homes showing them love and praying over them.

Emmanuel has taken us on prayer walks to learn about the history of Muizenberg and to pray over the strongholds of the town. We have also worked around the base with whatever they need help with, like cleaning and making food.

As for fun activities, on Friday we went out to Cape Point and saw wild ostriches, then walked up to the lighthouse in Cape Point and saw the beautiful ocean. The Lord was with us as we went. To get into Cape Point park, there was a 55 Rand fee per person but the lady let the 10 of us go for 100 Rand! Then she asked us to pray for her to get a house. God is Awesome!
We also went to Simon’s Town where we saw penguins an inch away from us, they were so cute! Then to end the wonderful day, we went to Fish Hoek and watched the sunset on the beach.

Greetings from Nicosia, Sicily!

For the past two weeks we have had the privilege of caring for children at a children’s home called Il Faro, or the lighthouse, in Nicosia, Sicily. Il Faro was founded by a Swiss couple, Walter and Elisabeth Hasenfratz who felt that God was calling them to minister in Italy. After planting a church here in Sicily, the Lord opened a door for them to minister to single mothers. They welcomed single mothers into their home and from that Il Faro was established. The Lord is still using this ministry mightily even after seventeen years and they truly are a lighthouse for many children. Each of us has experienced the challenges and blessings of working with orphaned, abandoned, or neglected children while we have been here. As the date of our departure is approaching, we believe that we will find it hard to leave such a wonderful place.

Our ministry here has been largely practical as it has involved simply taking care of children. Il Faro is organized into four “houses” and each of us works separately within one of the “houses.” Priscilla has worked with children of varied ages which has required her to be creative and flexible. She has had opportunities to teach some of them English and has also helped prepare meals for them. Amanda has taken care of two babies, taking them for walks and pushing them on swings. She has seen that simply spending time with them has made a difference. She has become very attached to them and them to her. Angela has spent time working with six, school-age children including one boy who is autistic. She has enjoyed the duties that come with taking care of a household of children. She has perfected her ironing skills and is now an expert at sewing pillowcases.

The fact that we don’t speak Italian has not been an obstacle. The Lord has been so faithful! The children even find it amusing that we don’t speak Italian and enjoy teaching us new words or acting out what they are trying to say. We can confidently say that we have been a blessing at Il Faro. Even so, we have been equally blessed by the simple joy expressed in the children faces when we spend time with them. We hope that we have made a difference in their lives and, most importantly, that they will attribute our love and attention to the One who loves them the most, our Heavenly Father.

Love,
Priscilla, Angela, and Amanda

P.S. We would like to invite you to visit the website of Il Faro. The address is: www.ilfaronicosia.org.

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9:37