Youth With a Mission is a global organization started in the 1960s by Loren Cunningham. He had a vision of young people coming over the land like waves. The organization started small, but it multiplied and now has over 18,000 full time workers all over the world. One of the cool things about YWAM is that no one gets paid. No one. Not a single YWAM worker has a salary -unless you call what God provides their salary! All workers raise support from people they know. God provides the funds necessary not only for everyday living, but also for travel and outreaches across the world! Because no one gets paid, it helps keep everyone on equal level. Take YWAM Madison, for example. We were started by a couple named Warren and Gayle Keapproth. But they don't have a special position above everyone else. They have been found doing things that we all do -cleaning toilets. Just the other day, Warren drove the school bus full of DTS students- he was the bus driver.
YWAM as an organization has what we call the foundational values. These are just things that we value and strive to honour. This includes 'value the individual', 'exhibit servant leadership', 'be visionary', and 'Make God known'. There are a total of eighteen foundational values. One that really is close to my heart as I am pioneering this preschool is 'Champion young people'.
The first step of YWAM is to take a DTS, or Discipleship Training School. In order to join staff, you must do a DTS. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what your experiences are, you must do a DTS to staff with YWAM. This is one very big way that we as an organization champion young people. It is a time to learn about God and to grow in relationship with Him. And that is what you need to do before you can go and tell others about Him! How can you tell people about someone you don't know very well. So whether it is through a DTS or just growing in relationship with Him in other ways, it is so important to know who God is personally before you try to teach others about Him.
But what if we can start younger? DTS is for people who had graduated high school, who are at least eighteen years old. But what about those who aren't old enough for DTS yet? Like our four and five year old children?
That is where this preschool comes in. For two hours a day, three days a week, I have the honour of ministering to these young children. I get to partner with God in championing them! Six of the seven kids in the preschool are YWAM kids, so they know who God is. But hearing and learning about Him from someone other than their parents is really good. And then there is the child who is not from the YWAM community. He will get to know God in a whole new way!
So in this, in investing in our children, we are really living out the foundational value of "champion young people". And this is not the only way. I am the teacher of preschool. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I am alone teaching the seven kids -apart from about twenty minutes on Tuesdays when a YWAMer named Lucy comes and does music with us. But on Thursdays, I have a helper. Her name is Judah.
Judah is eleven years old. Her little sister is in the preschool. Back in the summer, before I ever got to Madison, Greg Ruhland (the guy who's passion it was to start a preschool here, and my main backing for it) was talking about the preschool at staff meeting. He was letting people know that it was actually going to happen, that I was going to come and start it. Well, Judah was at that meeting. Afterwards, she told her father "Dad, I want to help. I feel like God wants me to help with this preschool."
And so she is. She is a great girl, and she is a help! Yet at the same time, she is also learning and growing.
One of the boys in my class has two older sisters. They are eight and six. Very sweet girls. I went to their house for dinner one day before preschool began, and they really latched onto me. So when they hear Justin talking about preschool and how much he loves it, they want to go. Their mom told me that if I ever need help, they would love to come and be my "special helpers". However, they are very young, especially six year old Bri. She is just a year older than some of my kids. So even though I would love to give them an opportunity to hang out for a day, I didn't think it was possible.
And then I found out that this past Thursday, I would only have five children at preschool -two would be away. So I felt that God's heart was for me to invite Abi and Bri to join us. And they did! We had lots of fun!
The preschool is for four and five year old children, but I really feel that God's heart for it is to champion young people of all ages. So I know that whenever possible, if I have an older child who would like to help out or come for a day, I won't say no. I want this preschool to be open to all children, even though practically speaking I can only have the seven that are enrolled.
I have such an amazing job, guys. Each day I wake up in a building full of young adults who are eager to learn more about God, to worship Him and grow in relationship with Him. And I get to do that with them! But at the same time, I get to go and spend time with the children and teach them about God! I get to minister to the young children and help God to champion them! It is such an awesome life that I live!
Blessings,
Katie
Judah reading to a couple of the children
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