Hi! My name is Ashley Diederiks and I have been on staff with Youth with a Mission or “YWAM” for over 4 years now. When I did my DTS (Discipleship Training School), I went on my first outreach to Uganda where the Lord ignited my heart for missions and also for Africa. I then came back to join staff with YWAM and led a team to the Philippines where we saw God move in mighty ways and even got to help plant a church in the upstairs room of a strip club in the middle of the Red Light District (one of my favorite Jesus stories by far!)

I met my husband Jaco through YWAM and we are now helping to pioneer a school called Foundations for Revival and Reformation at YWAM Kona where we have been trained, equipped, and raised up to take it and plant it in South Africa this fall. This school is focused on raising up Kingdom leaders who know God’s word, know Biblical worldview, and are equipped to release His kingdom into whatever sphere of society they are called into. We have loved getting to develop and help pioneer this school at the YWAM Kona base over the past 3 years and we have stood in awe as we’ve seen God use it to raise up some incredible kingdom minded leaders. We are so expectant to see how God will use and shape the school for what He wants to do in South Africa as well.

Jaco and I also just welcomed our first baby named Hans on January 16, 2021 and he is already such a light and joy in our life! We felt God say to name him Hans after Hans Neilsen Haugue, a famous Norwegian reformer who was fearless for the Kingdom and brought reformation to nearly every sphere of society. We can’t wait to watch our little fearless reformer grow into the man of God we know he is called to be.

We truly believe the time is now to train up local and indigenous leaders on how to bring revival into their cultures that will lead to lasting and kingdom reformation and transformation in every sphere of their societies. I believe the world is hungry and ready to be equipped, empowered, activated and released to spread the truth, love, and power of the kingdom.

We are so expectant to step into missions and to see all that God has for our family in South Africa! Thank you for partnering with us and investing in what we are doing to train up leaders who can release the kingdom across South Africa and the rest of the continent of Africa as well!