Southern Perspective

Southern Perspective
April 2009
Y W A M Ox f or d ’s
Ne w s l e t te r
From the Director
Inside this issue:
SBSCC
2
AW80
2
Chris Donaldson
of work and a lot of chow!
Ski & Snowboarders 3
DTS
SDTS Student
Testimony
4
Mission Adventures
5
Staff Profile
5
Building Update
6
EarthCare DTS
6
Father’s Love
CDTS
7
King’s Kids
7
Prayer and Staff 8
Needs
Final Words
8
Important Dates

Official Opening of the new
building, Saturday May 30th

Don Richardson Seminar
"Stars, Sand & Dust", May
2nd to 7th, at YWAM Oxford

YWAM NZ Staff Conference,
May 28th - 31st, at YWAM
Oxford
Welcome to Southern Perspective! Join us
in this edition as we share the amazing
things God has been doing in and through
the lives of our staff and students. Also
read up on our plans for the rest of this
year. We have some significant events on
our calendar.
So, great things in the past and great
things in the future but right now on the
base we are pumping! Around the World
in 80 Days DTS is our biggest DTS ever,
with 44 students. At the same time we
have 12 SBS students hard at work with
lectures, charts and copious amounts of
reading. If you think this sounds like a
crowd, you are right. But on top of 56
students and 25 staff we have about 20
mission builders as well. The kitchen is preparing food for 105 people. That’s a lot
The new building is rising up before our
eyes. Look at the amazing progress the
mission builders have made since starting
in mid January. God is so good. We
praise the Lord every day for these hard
workers. We continue to pray in finances.
There are three more fundraiser banquets
planned: two in Christchurch and one in
Portland, Oregon, USA. May God richly
bless every single person who has participated in this construction, be it swinging a
hammer or making a donation for building
materials. It truly has been “Many hands
make light work.” We still are looking to
the Lord and his people for $NZ250,000
to complete the inside, do the plumbing,
drainage heating, equip the kitchen and
provide furniture.
Enjoy the read. Be blessed,
Chris Donaldson
Page 2
Southern Perspective
SBSCC in Lecture Phase
Roger & Julie Philpott
The School of Biblical Studies (SBSCC) is continuing well, with ten students from seven nations and a staff of four.
So far we have studied Philemon, Ephesians, Acts, Mark and Romans. We are all being accommodated in the
hospitality house, which is very warm and comfortable and with all the mod cons. The work is hard, the hours
long, but the rewards are eternal! The Word of God speaks into our lives with life changing power.
AW80 in Lecture Phase
Will Rosenberg
March 1st 2009 the AW80 DTS began. There is something special about this years school. Personally when I
step back and remind myself what we are doing I am
blown away by the BIGGNESS of our God!!
The vision is to mobilize. The vision is to go deeper into
Jesus. Students come from different backgrounds - GRACE is here in this place, it is here to meet us.
My prayer is for HOPE to be restored; life to be refreshed; beauty to be returned to the way that we see ourselves. So
often the image of God is distorted in us. In our perceptions of our selves, in our perceptions of God. The world is a
tough place at the moment. Yet I sit in this room, looking at the 43 students and 11 staff that have chosen to GO - chosen
to step out and BE here in this place, desiring more in this life.
Yet sometimes even in this context we strive for the excitement and the thrills that come with this kind of lifestyle. Where
does our joy come from? Our JOY comes from above. Our JOY comes from God no matter what - no matter where our
life situation is, no matter where we go or what we do. Life with God is full of redemption, joy, love, hope, freedom, intimacy, abundance, and so much more.
The AW80 journey has begun. Seeking after the King together in this place. It began months ago for our staff and students as each one prepared to leave their “home” and venture off on this journey that is an Around the World DTS. We
have settled into the weekly rhythm of worship, intercession, teaching, work duties, small groups, etc. The days are full,
the weeks are full and God is in the mix. He is dwelling in this community and changing our lives.
What is it about? Seeking JESUS and life in HIM. Dwelling in community and going out to the nations. Knowing JESUS
and making HIM known. This is the heart of YWAM. This is the heartbeat of what we do. It is in our structure - it in in our
DNA - it is in what makes us - us. Structures may fail and become stale, but God does not. HE is constantly alive, moving
and BEING in our midst. My heart is to keep that the focus of all we do in this school. Keep GOD the focus of our structures and formulas that we create to connect with Him. I feel that He is engaging us in this place. I am beginning to see
the walls come down and His love increase in the midst of this crazy thing that we call a DTS.
You may be sitting there wondering what your life is about. I encourage you this day to BE JESUS in the midst of your
surroundings. In the midst of your day to day; let HIM LOVE you today.
April 2009
Page 3
Upcoming Ski and Snowboards DTS
Alison Lam
As the director of the Ski + Snowboarders DTS here at
YWAM Oxford, New Zealand, I’m convinced that God loves
this extreme mountain snow sport! He speaks throughout His
Word about “the mountain of the Lord” where He lives
(Isaiah 2), He came up with the original idea of snow, and we all know how God
loves to go on extreme adventures of faith with His kids, where He takes us to the
highest peaks and then asks us to take bold leaps of faith racing down into unfamiliar territory not knowing if we will crash at any moment, or make it to the bottom
alive! He’s the King of the Hill and as His kids, His love for the mountain is in our
DNA!
Certainly, over the past year, God has taken us on an adventurous ride with this
school. There have been transitions in leadership, and at one point last year, we had
no leader and no staff, yet we had eager students already ready to start their DTS
and meet with God on the mountain. God came through at the last moment, providing a new leadership team with fresh vision to bring this school to new heights! What
a ride it has been!
Last year’s school was small in numbers, but big in faith and spiritual power! Sixteen
students and six staff from around the globe joined together in one of the most dynamic schools we have ever had on base. God spoke the word to us to “DO IT
SCARED” which became our motto. Basically, God was saying that even when we
“feel” fear, that we should take hold of courage and do it anyway! This cultivated
an environment of openness and boldness in prayer, healing, spiritual warfare, evangelism and an eager willingness to reach out to others with the gospel around New
Zealand and Indonesia where the entire school went for their two months of outreach.
Our desire in 2009 is to see the Lord continue to build upon the foundation of joy
and the tasty fruit that we saw in last year’s school. We want to go to new and
higher heights. God has spoken about “keeping it fresh” and with that word, we will
be bringing in many new young, dynamic speakers to impart a fresh word to the
staff and students. We also desire to increase our impact on the local snowboarding
community in New Zealand and in other parts of the globe. It’s looking to be another
exciting ride with the Lord in ’09!
Alison is from Ontario, Canada, but has
called Oxford, New Zealand home for
the past 3 years. In 2005, Alison joined
YWAM as a full-time missionary. She
completed the Performing Arts DTS in
2006 in Kona, Hawaii. After that, she
joined the YWAM Oxford base where
she managed the office and then joined
the Around the World DTS staff team in
2007. Since 2008, Alison has directed
the Ski + Snowboard DTS in Oxford.
Alison's mission trips have taken her to
various parts of Asia and Africa and the
Middle East. Alison's heart is to encourage and mentor young people on to
freedom in Christ and, ultimately, spiritual maturity. She loves to be creative
with art, design, music and leading worship. For more, visit: www.alisonlam.com
Page 4
Southern Perspective
Snowboards DTS ’08 Graduate Testimony
Jake Agnew—Blenheim New Zealand
Kia ora, I’m writing this as I drink a cup of super-strong coffee. Coffee is my one guilty
pleasures. You can’t deny the existence of a loving God when the wonderful nectar called
coffee exists. But my story is not about my vice of triple shots of some sweet Jamaican
Blue Mountain rain from heaven, it’s about something much more nasty and dangerous: A
vice called drugs.
At first a little bit, then a little more, then a lot. There's a Doobie Brothers album released in 1974, which is cleverly titled
'What were vices are now habits,' and I think that sums up where I was at for a couple of years. If I saw myself 4 years
ago I would have kicked my own butt and said 'What the hell are you doing, you're the one who has to deal with that
crap you are smoking.' Hindsight is a killer.
I was quite a bright cookie before I got into drugs. Despite a lack of study I passed every exam I sat with good marks
until my second year of university. Around that time I get heavily into drugs, mostly marijuana, which had a devastating
effect on my brain. Social skills, concentration, short and long term memory were dealt a nasty kick. Even basic brain functions like walking, breathing and my vision were severely messed up. For a long time I had to consciously put one foot in
front of the other to get from A to B. I woke a few times as I had just stopped breathing for 10 seconds and was gasping
for air.
Things were pretty serious. I started hearing things. Hearing voices is not healthy; believing what they say is downright
dangerous. After I stopped smoking weed, the remaining demons of depression, anxiety, paranoia and insecurity stuck
around for a long time. I went into the mental health system, and had two absolutely amazing guys who worked with me,
a doctor and a psyc nurse. So after going on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics, I was getting better, but I needed
something more, something other than pills.
I had a few friends who had done YWAM courses. The one I was looking at was a snowboarding themed one. I knew
exactly what I wanted and what I was going to do. I wanted a quick fix, an immediate change, and I knew without a
doubt that YWAM was going to provide that atmosphere for me. Snowboarding was just a bonus.
When I arrived in Oxford in July of 2008, God had already been preparing me for a long time. On the first or second
day, our school had a time where we wrote down what we wanted from this next 6 months. Mine was simple.
Freedom.
Total Freedom.
And that freedom came from Christ.
Joy was the first thing to come back. An actual happiness that was lasting and fulfilling. I felt loved by God and by everyone around me and experienced peace and a release from paranoia, depression, anxiety and insecurity that would
have taken me a long time to get, just living at home by myself. From having no vision of the future, God has given me
dreams and plans. I am absolutely positive I was meant to go to YWAM, absolutely positive it was supposed to be in Oxford.
Get in behind YWAM Oxford - this place cranks out more world-changers than Mensa. That sounds like a joke but there is
a lot truth in it. And of equal importance is the change it produces in those who study, work or are just associated with it.
May God bless you as much as he has blessed me, and even more.
April 2009
Page 5
Mission Adventures
Fleur Hanner
Mission Adventures New Zealand is
gearing up for a big second half of
the year with teams going to multiple teams going to Vanuatu, Fiji,
Samoa and our first trip to Uganda
happening in December!! Earlier this
month Ingvar Olsen from the Mission
Adventures head office in San
Diego came to visit Wade, Erica
(Mission Adventures Directors) and
myself. We spent the weekend in
Rotorua, looking at boiling mud, trying to find secret hot spots in rivers,
eating great food and sharing the
vision for Mission Adventures. This
was an amazing time for the three
of us to get connected with the
wider network of Mission Adventures. I am really excited to get to
be a part of what God is doing
in this generation of Kiwi young
people, He is defiantly raising
up an army of young people
who are passionate for truth
and justice, and Mission Adventures gets to be a part of this!!
Staff Profile
Wanda Loveless
Wanda - 26 - Indiana - USA
Wanda was born at a very early age and lived pretty much the idyllic American life.
After getting her bachelor’s (4 year) degree in Mechanical Engineering, she discovered that “normal” life didn’t suit her and began to consider YWAM. She first came
to Oxford in Jan 07 to do the AW80 DTS. She loved YWAM and returned to Oxford
in Sept 07 for a 3 month internship as registrar before staffing the AW80 Jan 08 DTS.
Then she came back again on Feb 1, 2009, for another season of serving in the office. In addition to her office duties,
Wanda is frequently called upon to fill other roles including giver of really good hugs, random fact of the day person,
walking Bible concordance, creator and singer of silly, nonsensical songs; and “hey, why isn’t my computer doing what
I want it to?” troubleshooter. Outside of base duties, Wanda is interested in oral storying as a means of presenting the
gospel, and plans to get involved with this in the near future through the One Story partnership. She enjoys the beauty of
NZ, a good story, making people laugh, figuring things out, foreign languages, Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, and a
lot of other things that aren’t mentioned here.
Southern Perspectives
Page 6
Building Update
Chris Donaldson
The construction is speeding ahead, far more quickly than we expected. The
MMM guys are amazing, as well as other volunteers who have come to join us in
building. The finances are a little slow at coming in but we praise the Lord for
$31,000 generously given at a desert evening in Christchurch on Friday May 3rd.
We have another planned for May 8th in Christchurch and another near Portland
Oregan in July. Please continue to pray with us for all the finances we need to
finish this amazing building.
Earth Care DTS Update
Rob and Jenny Blakely
“EarthCare – restoring a relationship of love, worship and fruitfulness between
God and His creation.”
This is the focus of the EarthCare DTS. As we are heading towards lift-off, the
plans and preparations are progressing. The EarthCare DTS will begin on the 4th
of October in Oxford and have a three-month outreach in Bali, Indonesia and Battambang and Ratankiri, Cambodia – ending on the 19th of March 2010. Next
month we are traveling with our family to Thailand and Cambodia – to follow up
on previous projects and relationships, but also to prepare for sending outreach
teams to these locations.
We have several interested, potential students but as of yet are waiting on more
staff, especially a woman with a love of the outdoors. Trusting and working with
the Lord is certainly an exciting challenge and adventure!
April 2009
Page 7
Father’s Love CDTS
Carolyn Chisholm
God the Father is longing for His children to truly know Him as Abba, Daddy and to find a place of belonging ,where
Father's love brings healing and freedom. This school will provide a place of encounter with the Father ,where His
presence is valued and where lives can be transformed. The outreach phase will allow us to pour out the Father's love
to a broken world ,longing for the touch of a Father.
We are excited as we see God bringing details for the school together. He has been showing us the importance of
laying right foundations in prayer and intercession as we pioneer a brand new school.
As we confirm speakers, dates and topics we were delighted this week to have confirmation from Rev. Dr. Chris
Harper from Phillips Exeter Academy in N.H. USA who will speak on the 7 days of creation. It seems God is choosing
the very best for our school! Chris is a Kiwi geophysicist who was a world leader in radioactive carbon dating and a
competent astronomer. More recently he is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Mass.
While this school is to be a caravan/motor home DTS we will also be offering dormitory accommodation for those
who would prefer this option. We would love to invite you to join us on this wonderful adventure if you want to experience a deeper revelation of the Father's love for you!
Kings Kids South Island
Justin Taylor
Let us introduce ourselves, we are Juddy (like chuddy) and
Rachel Taylor and we finished our Family DTS in Matamata in
December. As you can see we have 3 blonde girls aged 28years. Before we left we felt that God was calling us to reignite Kings Kids South Island. We love the idea of children having their own intimate relationship with God and would
love to see families growing together through Kings Kids outreaches.
We feel to start by holding a WEEKENDER reunion camp from July 3rd-5th at the Oxford Base. The idea of this is to
learn from those who’ve been involved in the past and to plan, dream and pray into the future. We would love you to
be involved. We want as many people from a wide variety of ages present . So if you’ve been on a tour of duty with
Kings Kids at anytime then you’re welcome. If you know of others who have but we don’t have their details then either
contact us or them so they don’t miss out. We will endeavour to keep the cost to an absolute minimum. We don’t’ envisage having an outreach of any sort. We would still like to include teaching, intercession and training sessions for everyone present.
We will run a longer outreach in the September holidays of this year. Check out our website for more details
www.kingskidssouthisland.co.nz
Prayer Needs




Staff Needs

I.T person

Administration

Registrar (come July)

BCC staff for 2010
Health and safety for staff
and students

Grounds and maintenance
All Staff Needs to be met

Hospitality (August)

Kitchen staff

DTS staff (all schools)

Mission Adventures staff (long
term and school holidays)

Training Co-Ordinator

Basic Leadership School Leader
Finances to complete the
new building
AW80 outreach and finances
Final Words
2008 Backpackers DTS Student Testimony
Anonymous
Two weeks into outreach, my team was in church singing “Amazing Grace.” As I sang the lyrics we all knew so
well, my prayer was that there would be NEW people in New Zealand singing those lyrics because of meeting our
team on Outreach. As I prayed, I felt God tell me not to limit him to only the next eight weeks; I felt him tell me that new
people would be singing those lyrics because of my LIFE. I let Him lift the pressure and anxiety of “being on outreach”
off my shoulders and replace it with faith and confidence in His plans to use our team - both on outreach and for the
rest of our lives!
Once I EXPECTED that God wanted to use our willing hearts ... of course He showed up! That evening we met
two girls traveling from Israel and it was obvious that God planned to use us in their lives. Three nights later we parted
ways with the girls after having talked and prayed with them, and were honored that God had used us to tell them for the first time in their lives - who Jesus is! As we left the girls, one of them had a New Testament in her hand and had
said “I’ve been reading about Jesus and where he came from... this makes a lot of sense!”
This experience was an incredible taste of what I will live to let God do with the rest of my life.
Ywam Oxford P.O. Box 47,
Oxford, Canterbury, NZ
www.ywamoxford.org
email: [email protected]
P: 64 3 312 4951
F: 64 3 312 4955