Hey there, friends!

I'm Matthew, currently serving with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) as part of the Fire & Fragrance movement in South Africa. Three years ago, I had a life-changing encounter with God that set me on this mission journey. Unsure of my next steps, I prayed earnestly for direction. A stranger's generous act—handing me $100 for missions—confirmed my calling to join YWAM and step out in faith.

My YWAM journey led me to Kona, Hawaii, where I completed my Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Fire & Fragrance. During an outreach to an unreached tribe in South Sudan, God ignited a passion within me for global missions. This led me back to Kona for the School of Biblical Studies (SBS), where I received a clear calling to serve in South Africa and South Sudan.

Fueled by my love for God's Word, I pursued further training in Oral Bible Translation (OBT), completing the program in 2023. Engaging with Bible-less communities in Papua New Guinea opened my eyes to the transformative power of Scripture transcending language and culture. I'm deeply grateful for the support and encouragement I received from my home church, Harbor City Church in Aberdeen, Washington. Their prayers and partnership in sending me to the nations have been invaluable on this journey.

Now based in South Africa, I'm committed to training missionaries in OBT and empowering mother-tongue translators across Africa. My heart burns to see the nations transformed by the Word of God so that every tribe and nation will stand together in the throne room, worshiping God in their heart language for eternity. I truly believe that this begins with translating the Bible orally.

I invite you to partner with me in the mission to end Bible poverty through YWAM's End Bible Poverty Now initiative. Together, through Bible translation, distribution, and engagement, we can bring God's salvation to every corner of the earth.

Matthew