Our last week here at YWAM Harpenden has been a real joy! Last Friday, as you might recall, the new Discipleship Training School and other school and seminar groups moved in, so we had to move into an old factory located on the property here. In some ways, we feel like we’re already on our foreign outreach as we’re camped out on the floor with sleeping bags. The night we moved in, our wonderful school leaders gave us an extra special treat of takeaway pizzas and cookies and ice cream for dessert! We played games late into the evening and made “human sandwiches” (as many people as possible squashed in between as many mattresses as possible…) People woke up a little sore the next morning…..On Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed the hospitality of some great YWAM Harpenden staff friends, people we’ve grown to love here over the past three months. We enjoyed an apple festival held in the orchards here, with fresh apple juice and delicious cakes and jams available. It was such fun and was a great chance to abandon inhibitions and become a kid for the afternoon climbing trees and collecting apples in wheelbarrows! My parents also came to visit me and took me out for lunch, which was very special. It was hard to say goodbye before I leave for my two-month outreach to Uganda, but it was a privilege to spend time with them.

We began lectures this week in a slightly different style than we’ve become accustomed to…namely, with no lecturer…or not one we can hug anyway! We spent the week watching a series of videos by Dean Sherman on Spiritual Warfare. Much of the content was new to me. Dean describes the authority we have in Jesus Christ as well as the insignificance of the forces that oppose us compared to the greatness of God. He has made it possible for me to believe that, as the Bible tells us, prayer is powerful and effective. This teaching will be so important when we get to Uganda and face situations that most of us have never dealt with before. We’ll have many opportunities to pray and then see God work…. I can’t wait to get on that plane!

In the next couple of days we will be saying goodbye to our DTS Italy team as they prepare to start their outreach in Cornwall and Brighton here in England before flying out to Italy. It will be very quiet without them here, but we are thrilled that they can begin this next adventure. Team Uganda leaves next Tuesday. Although sad that we’re saying goodbye to friends and family, nothing can take away the excitement of being led by God into the world to partner with Him in seeing lives change. Who would say no to that? So, here ends the lecture phase of my DTS…and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be!!

The next time I write it will be from Nairobi, Kenya, en route to Uganda – see you then!

Kim

The first ever Oval Apple Festival was a massive success!  Blessed with a perfect sunny autumn day, the crowds came in hordes to enjoy a particularly bountiful crop of apples from YWAM’s orchard.  The idea of staff member, Heidi Wills, the Apple Festival was started as an idea to prevent wasting the fruit from the apple orchard which grows, largely untended, behind the Factory on Highfield Oval.  Although staff and visitors help themselves every year, there are more apples than we can possibly use and so Heidi was inspired to invite the local community in to help us!

As soon as the Apple Festival opened at two o’clock, visitors came to pick apples and buy homemade apple jams, cakes and pies.  Especially popular was the delicious fresh-squeezed apple juice flowing out of the wooden press created by Oval graphics designer Jonathan Edwards.  Oval residents of all ages were involved in picking and selling apples, cutting them up for the press and organising activities. The crowds kept coming until the closing at 5pm, with dozens of children enjoying a bouncy castle and games including bobbing for apples.

“I was pleased that so many people came to enjoy this often forgotten part of the site,” says Heidi.  It was also great to have the support and help of so many from the Oval, especially the young people, a few of whom gave up much of their weekend to help press and sell apple juice!”

All agree that the first Apple Festival will not be the last.

As we move closer to our latest opening date of 25th July, we’d like to take a look back at the past few weeks of preparation and progress!

receiving and unpacking the machines

the machines in place

staining the chairs and stools

This has been an exciting week in the Cafe as Yan has been working hard to finish the bar area!

Peter also helped install the wall cabinets

Tamara and Whitney pose behind the bar.

A view from the bar area, looking out to the rest of the room.

Some future tables, glasses, mirrors, etc.

We are also very excited about the beautiful fireplace that has been generously donated to the Cafe, check out the Fireplace Transformation blog for some photos!

The coffee machines and other important equipment are on their way from California thanks to Whitney and her connections there, some who have given us a huge discount, and others who have arranged all the shipping details. We can’t wait to get the machines and start making some quality coffee!

Hi there! My name is Heather Brunoehler, Im 25 years old. I am in the School Of Worship 2008 in Harpenden. This has been a very interesting, exciting and a little tough first week of the School of Worship. I only had previous training in worship through a year and a half of a Worship Internship, but never left the USA. This first week and into the second week, we have been focusing on music theory and band time. It is very good and a bit of a challenge because music theory was always so hard to understand in my college years and seemed to just fly over my my head. As the week went on with our amazing teacher, Julia Berent, God revealed the depth of music to me. I can actually say that I understand 90% more than I ever have before. It was such a revelation to me, and an inspiration as well. I can’t believe how creative God is. So I hope that you understand some of my struggles, but also see how God can use them to both inspire and teach us. I am so excited to see what is next for us.

Covering up the “Sleeping Beauty Castle” tiles!

Gluing the granite pieces into place… realizing some of the measurements were a bit off!

Top piece of granite needed to be re-sized.

Colin is very happy to see all the granite fit into place!

Attempting to slide the fireplace into position…

More sizing adjustments!

Finally all put together!

Colin and Yan very pleased with the end result!

Testing the fire… yep, it works!

Our beautiful new, shiny fireplace!!!

I joined YWAM Harpenden as staff in November of last year to work in one of the ministry offices. In my time here so far, it has been interesting to see what life is like ‘behind the scenes’ as it were of a mission organisation that is generally regarded as on the frontline of missions. What do I see most? I see the needs that we have.
In many ways it can be very fulfilling to work here. Getting things done, seeing things happen through your ministry. But there can also be a greatly frustrating ‘hobbled’ feeling - that no matter how hard we work, if we are to realise our potential there is always more that needs to be done than we have time and people to do. We are held back by circumstances seemingly out of our control.
From where I am just now, the limiting factor isn’t that we don’t have enough people from the UK, or that we don’t have enough men, or that we don’t have enough people who are visionaries, or anything like that. It is the dearth of people that serve as accountants, receptionists, and IT workers. Those that do, are invaluable and do a sterling job.
The trouble is, these are the jobs that don’t appear to have a place in missions. People find it hard to believe that you can be a missionary accountant. And for those that do feel called, it is often hard to raise support. There is still a misconception that to be a missionary you have to go overseas; that to serve in missions means being an evangelist and so on. But they most definitely do have a place here. We cannot run our ministry’s website by ourselves. Without an accountant, our ministry and base are going to struggle to keep tabs on bills and the money supporters send us. And as our ministry, base and mission grow, these people become an even more important part in keeping things going day by day; on the days when there aren’t outreaches or big events happening just as much as the days when there are.
It is difficult to recruit people who want to serve in roles such as these. Our DTS’s focus on firing people up for mission and evangelism, and rightly so. So how and from where do these vital people come to us?
We ask God to call them to us, and trust that He will.

Peter, UK

My husband Jon and I moved to the Oval just over 3 months ago to work with the DTS Centre. I must admit it was quite the experience to show up with 5 suitcases to an empty flat and a new community. We have spent some time in the UK previously, but the changes in moving here add a lot more to the mix; finding furniture, setting up a bank account, learning new jobs, living in community and finding how to “set up home” in a new country is quite the transition. There have been times of being very overwhelmed, we’re learning as we go, but we’ve also experienced many wonderful blessings along the way. It’s been amazing to see God’s provision from furniture to food to the small things that are making the Oval feel like home to us. The trees are currently blooming and there are signs of spring everywhere as we move into the next season of the year. I’m also learning to enjoy each season in life as we go through them. I’m thankful for this season of moving and transitioning, but I’m also looking forward to the upcoming seasons as well. And only God knows what He has planned in the seasons ahead!

Leah, USA

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!