Hi, my name is Thomas, I’m 31 years old and I am a follower of Jesus. I have grown up in the church and have continued to develop a greater love for Him throughout the course of my life. Through this love for Jesus I have found myself wanting to carry His Gospel to the world.
The Gospel of Christ is more than just good news; it is a life-changing message that can (and has) changed the world. To know that we have not only been redeemed of our old life of sin, but have been given a new life, one that will keep us in His presence forever, is a message worth bearing; it is a message worth carrying to the ends of the Earth.
Over these last few years I have increasingly felt a call to carry out this mission, given by Christ himself, to share this message of grace and love with the world. Last year I accepted the call to participate in a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through an international missions organization called, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). This was a six month school that helped train and equip me to share the gospel with my neighbor and with the world. During this time I was blessed with the opportunity to serve in Norway and in England, alongside local churches and ministries to help spread the Gospel.
Since 1960, YWAM has been dedicated to seeing the fulfillment of the Great Commission, given by Christ, to see every nation, tribe and tongue reached for His kingdom. At the heart of YWAM is prayer, worship, community and the Word. In partnering with this organization, I have applied for, and been accepted into, their Leadership Track. This three month training will lead into staffing the DTS program that I went through last year. As a staff member I will be discipling the young men that share housing with me, helping to facilitate and walk alongside the trainings that they will go through, and will help plan and lead an outreach to the nations. There, I will be discipling and helping to forward young believers into the mission field so that the gospel will be spread, and the beliefs they claim will be put into action. YWAM’s mission is, “to know God and make Him known.” I believe that, as followers of Christ, we are all called to do this, and therefore I can affirm that I am called to this as well.
In deciding to answer this call to help reach the nations for Christ, I have found myself in need of support as I go, first in prayer, then in finance. Prayer is our first and foremost method of defending and supporting our brothers and sisters in Christ. Throughout the course of my life, from infancy to adulthood, every major change in my life can be traced back to prayer. There have been a number of times when my life was on the line and God made himself known. God has been with me every step of the way, and I am excited for this next step of partnership with Him.
- Thomas