YWAM

Going to Hawaii may seem like just a vacation to most people. At first glimpse this is exactly how I felt. But taking a closer look, this is a place where many people seek out the will of God. Kona, Hawaii is one out of the hundreds of bases around the world that hosts a YWAM program. Youth With A Mission is an international movement of Christians from many denominations dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world, with a calling to know God and to make Him known.
I currently am attending GRCC for Dental Hygiene. I am in the process of completing my first year and a half of prerequisites and there is now a year waiting period to get into the actual dental program. I was talking with some of my classmates about our options of what to do during our break from school. Different ideas ran through our heads such as taking a few more class, finding a job to get us into the dental work force, or even changing our occupational focus. Not knowing that something such as YWAM would be so in reach, one of those classmates suggested how some of her friends from high school decided to take a year to travel and find God’s call through this program called YWAM.
At the beginning of my summer, still not knowing what God had in store for me the following year, one of my very close sisters in Christ pulled out a photo album one night and it happened to be about her YWAM experience of her semester in Hawaii. Looking at those pictures and hearing her stories, passion, and how on fire she was for this program and God himself, I was drawn in. How could someone be so on fire for God and want to live that out each day? I wanted that for myself! After finding out more information from this friend and by doing my research on YWAM and the programs they have to offer, I could not think of a better way to grow in Christ and do the will of my Father on my break from school. What a great opportunity to travel and serve my God at the same time. It could only be God’s will that this was so perfectly planned out and at the right time in my life as well.
Applying to University of the Nations in Kona took quite a process, but once it was completed, all I had to do was pray for God to show me his plan for this next year in my life. Finally I received my acceptance! Even the specific focus or class that I will be partaking in is exactly what I was hoping for along with my parents and friends. I received an acceptance into the Justice Discipleship Training School (DTS) at the University in Kona, Hawaii. The Justice DTS is an opportunity for me, and the rest of my class, to use our abilities, talents, and gifts in a cross-cultural, international setting. This course will encourage us to know God personally in character development, in building healthy relationships and in seeing our role in Christ's call to "Go into all the world and disciple all nations.”
With hundreds of references in the Old and New Testament concerning issues of justice it seems necessary for followers of Christ to engage in this area. Justice is a broad term that covers everything from gender-based issues to modern day slavery. Yet the Justice Focused DTS will focus more specifically on the issues that arise from cultural or national conflict. All across the world nations war against nations, peoples against peoples. As Christians we have both the authority and the call to bring reconciliation and justice to those who lack both.
I will be starting off my adventure in Kona on January 1, 2009. For the first twelve weeks I will be studying on campus in Kona through their lecture phase. Here I will be challenged to learn the character and ways of God, how to hear the voice of God, the power of forgiveness and repentance, building relationships, personal character development, dealing with spiritual warfare, and so much more. These are some of my hopes and intentions, but I am excited to know that God has so much more planned for me.
After my 3 months in Hawaii, the next phase is a field assignment. This will take place in another country which is not yet decided. This field assignment will take me into the heart of the cultural and national conflicts. I will be working alongside fellow Christians whose goal is to bring reconciliation in places of conflict. This field assignment is designed to provide me as well as the other students with an opportunity to use their abilities, talents, and gifts in a cross-cultural, international setting. Applying what I learned throughout the Justice lecture phase of the DTS, we will be “doers of the word and not just hearers only". This phase is 8 weeks long during the months of April and May, and will end on May 29, 2009.
While God has opened up this door for me to develop a greater heart of compassion for His people around the world, the exciting part is that you will be able to share in this compassion along with me. If you are able to, I covet your prayers for me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who will be sharing this experience and journeying with me. We will need your continuous prayers that God will prepare us for this journey and bless our efforts as we seek God’s direction as well as serving him abroad. Specifically, please pray that I can be the hands and feet of Jesus willing to walk where Jesus walked. Another request is for safety in my travels, in my stay at Kona, and especially on my outreach during the field assignment.
While I am away next semester, I will still be able to keep in contact with everyone back at home. I would love to stay in touch with you through email, letters, phone calls, Facebook, and more. I will be setting up a blog spot to post my happenings of how God is at work in my life through this YWAM program. I will be getting that to you at a later date if you are interested. Please feel free to stay in touch, I would greatly appreciate it!

Hazak (Be Strong),

Kelsi Grassmid
616.836.2221
kelsilynae1@hotmail.com



Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20