Update from the Islands

Island happenings
Hello! Greetings from Kona once again. The training quarter is more than half way over, and the rainy season has given way to what is going to be a hot summer! The Biblical Studies students barely notice however. They have been busy in what all of them admit has been the most academically challenging two months of their lives :-). By the end of this quarter, they will have completed historical research and compiled their own inductive commentary on almost every chapter of the New Testament. Please keep our campus in prayer this week. This is the final deadline for students to pay their tuition and outreach fees, and there are still many waiting to see how God will bring in the funds they need to complete their programs. God has been challenging us here on our campus not to settle for "little victories" like the people of Israel when they left Egypt. After their first victory, they wanted to pitch their tents and settle there, when the whole promise land still lay ahead of them. My prayer as we walk together towards the purposes of God in our lives, is that we would not be "settlers," but become "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37) in all the areas God want's to bring victory in our lives!

The UofN students of April 2011, gathered at the Plaza of Nations

A short trip to the mainland
The end of May found me in California for the first time ever! I had such a week of divine appointments, I feel like I have to share because God was seriously so amazing in preparing the whole trip. I was able to attend the wedding of a great friend, but also visit with several other friends from ministry in years past, and had incredible times of mutual encouragement, prayer, and networking for the Kingdom of God. I met with a friend from years ago who had gone back to school and is now feeling called into missions again, and feeling led to Indonesia in the area of education, along with a group of their classmates from Fuller Theological Seminary. The amazing thing about this is that a colleague of mine is currently working closely with the Indonesian government to develop B/A degrees for educators across the country, that will be facilitated by the University of Nations. Not only that, he lives less than an hour's drive from where we were sitting having lunch! They are setting up a time to meet and discuss God's dream of discipling this nation of Indonesia through Christian higher education.

Grassroots News
I want to share with you a new ministry that is starting up in YWAM, and is already making an impact in the area of news reporting. For years now, God has been challenging us as a mission to use our network (permanent training locations in 187 nations) to network and share stories of hope, and what God is doing around the world. Grassroots News is a response to what we have felt is a calling of God on our mission, and this summer, YWAM trained reporters will be broadcasting news stories from every nation on earth as part of the network launch. I would encourage you to check out this internet TV channel, as it is a great place to find up to date breaking news without political or advertising agenda, and exposes the hope, rather than the despair that is so often the focus of breaking news. Just to give you some examples, YWAM's grassroots news reporters were submitting breaking news stories of the earthquakes and relief efforts in Haiti and Japan before any major news networks had anyone on the scene!

God at work in Indonesia
There has been an on-going urgent education discussion with educators and christian leaders of Indonesia dialoguing with Loren Cunningham, founder of Ywam's University of the Nations (UofN). Indonesia has passed a law that by 2015, ALL teachers in ALL schools must have a bachelors degree or they will not be able to continue teaching. This will affect approximately 1.7 million teachers including 30,000 christian teachers teaching in Christian schools. This potentially will result in the shutting down of Christian schools. The body of Christ in Indonesia in cooperation with christian educators have a plan to establish over 1000 E-LEARNING CENTERS throughout Indonesia served by local churches to provide E-learning to christian teachers to help them get their bachelor's degree that is government approved. This is the first phase. Each e-learning center will serve between 20-40 teachers studying part time in the evenings over a one year cycle. A key to this strategy is providing FACILITATORS at each e-learning center who "LOVE THE LORD AND LOVE THE LOST". They will provide on-going discipleship, mentoring, coaching and guidance to the teachers so as to impart Jesus' heart to love and disciple the children in their classrooms .

UofN International has been formally approached to help train these FACILITATORS in Indonesia using much of our DTS content and values. Loren has made a call internationally and at least 10 of our largest bases in Ywam worldwide and Ywam leaders from Indonesia has responded to this challenge. Mark Brokenshire, International Dean of UofN's College of Education is facilitating this partnership. FACILITATORS coming for training will be sent by their local churches who are starting up these e-learning centers. UofN's primary task is to help train and disciple 4000 FACILITATORS within the next 2 years. Transformed facilitators will in turn transform teachers who will transform students who will transform an emerging generation What an opportunity to disciple a nation! UofN Bali will begin the first FACILITATORS training this July and will establish a pilot e-learning center shortly after.

Would you pray with University of the Nations and the body of Christ in Indonesia as we embark on these two challenges? Pray that the Lord will strengthen our partnerships and bless our friendships especially at key leadership levels. May He grant us faith to do the seemingly 'impossible' because He has spoken and He is able to accomplish as we hear and obey.