Editorial : Nobody said it was going to be easy!

October 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Editorial

In this our 50^th anniversary year we have been honouring God for all He has done through YWAM in the past. We are rejoicing at what He is doing now. But as true YWAMers we are also looking to the future, not content with what has been achieved, but recognizing that there is still much to be done before the whole world knows Jesus (and then starts helping make Him known!).

We wanted this issue to focus on “where we are not.” Not just where YWAM is not, but on those places where the message of Christ has not yet been revealed by anyone – those blank spaces on the 4K map which Loren has been pulling out everywhere he goes and challenging you to fill. (see www.4kworldmap.org)

A report from this year’s Africa Leadership Team meeting highlighted the sobering reality of working in the places which are yet unreached – reminding us that they are unreached because they are really, really hard: hard to get to, hard to live in, hard to harvest the kind of fruit that looks good in a newsletter. This article challenges us about how much we are willing to sacrifice in serving God’s purposes.

Darlene Cunningham, still travelling to celebrate the 50^th anniversary with YWAM bases around the world, also sent a word that encourages us as we face those difficult challenges. She exhorts us that it is unity which will make us strong when we face persecution, hardship and danger. Rather than making things harder for ourselves, she reminds us to work together.

Finally, we wanted to remind you that there is no shortage of opportunities to be the first to pioneer in a place where the name of Jesus has never been known. We already have hundreds of YWAMers in those places, but all of them are crying out for help in an overwhelmingly huge harvest. As you read these extreme help-wanted ads ask yourself – could you be the answer to prayer?

YWAM is no stranger to adversity, or hardship, or loss. We have always been willing to defy the odds and take on the impossible task. As we grow and establish and maintain, let’s be careful to always keep an eye on the places we have never been and never stop stretching further and further to take the love of Christ to the ends of the earth.

P.S. Have another look at our header photo. It shows one of the first Mukuando believers – a previously unreached tribe in Africa that YWAM worked among for 12 years.

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