Reflections on the 50th Anniversary

Dear YWAM family member...

We are writing to THANK YOU for your involvement in the YWAM 50th anniversary celebration in your region. What an amazing Jubilee Year we had. It is with great joy that Loren and I think back, look at pictures and remember the individual events. YWAMers surely DO know how to celebrate God, His goodness, and one another!!!!!!

Loren and I visited the YWAM family at 44 locations in 35 nations! We went around the world two-and-a-half times on 109 flight segments - not to mention the land travel. And all of the flights were on time - now that IS a miracle! (But then, as Loren told many of you, God made jets for YWAM!) We have documented statistics of participants from each location totaling 26,115....for most locations, the stats did not include the Wee-YWAMers, and meeting them face-to-face and praying for them was one of our greatest delights. So altogether, we figure we visited well over 30,000 YWAMers, alumni and friends throughout the year.

THANK YOU so much for being there with us and for adding your name and your commitment to the YWAM Jubilee Covenant and the Christian Magna Carta! (Please find the copies you took home with you and review them regularly - you can also find them on www.ywam.org)

We ended the Jubilee Year with a grand celebration in Kona, with approximately 3,500-4,000 people in attendance. We recounted God's faithfulness and had such a sense of the Lord's favor over our year-long family reunion. The inserted photo below is our "mahalo" to you ("mahalo" is the Hawaiian word for "thank you") that captures a bit of this final celebration.

We are grateful for God's faithfulness over the past 50 years. But as you can guess, our excitement is compounded as we look toward the future and the multiplication of ministries that is about to explode - so many innovations were unveiled that will release the Gospel further and faster, utilizing the internet and new technologies. What an amazing season of time for Great Commission Christians to be alive!

Loren and I so appreciate you - our YWAM family - both as co-workers and friends. YWAM would not be YWAM without the obedience of every single individual like you.


With love and great appreciation,
Loren & Darlene

P.S. there are a number of websites we would like to recommend to you: www.ywam.org, www.ywamlife.com, www.uofn.edu, and www.ywam4k.net
P.P.S. Here are some of our observations, having spent a year "on the ground" with our YWAM family:

1. YWAM is healthy - we are seeing phenomenal growth, both in numbers and innovations.

2. We were thrilled to meet so many first generation Christians in YWAM who are multiplying the mission as evangelists and church planters. We spent time with our YWAM family in a number of countries that had NO known Christians the first time we visited them not so many years back, and now there are thousands and tens of thousands of Christians. God has used YWAM to play a key role in seeing that come about.

3. YWAM stands as a testimony to strong, enduring relationships and friendships - there is great joy (which produces strength) when working together with people you love and respect, and with whom you share a common Great Commission calling.

4. Another strength around the world is the large number of 2nd generation YWAMers, passionate for Jesus and called to missions. Our hearts are exploding with joy over this!

5. Many celebrations drew in a large number of YWAM alumni - people who love YWAM, who are faithfully serving Jesus in various spheres of society. The 50th brought about significant re-connections and encouragement.

6. Everywhere we went, we witnessed a commitment to the Words of the Lord to the mission reflected in our YWAM values: the value of the individual and relationships...commitment to release young people and new vision...a spirit of hospitality and generosity, etc.

These are only a few of our observations, but they serve as foundations for the future growth and health of YWAM. God's plan in bringing Loren and me to visit you was His strategy to bring the family together for deepening of relationships and strengthening of ministries.