back to the future.....

This year feels like we have gone back to the future. Since March of 2020, all of our worlds have changed. Thank you all for your support, partnerships, and volunteer hours. Because of you, Families and Youth in our community know what it means to be loved.

Currently, YWAM Fort McMurray is running 6 different programs serving Families and Youth in our city. Here is a breakdown of those programs:

YOUTH LUNCH: Runs every Tuesday and Thursday during lunch hours. Students are served a free lunch and coffee. Most days, we have anywhere between 70-100 youth come through the doors. The focus is that students have a fun, safe place to have lunch and somewhere to be that they are loved and cared for.

FAMILY NIGHTS: Every Thursday night at 6pm, we serve a community supper for families. Along with providing a meal, families also participate in different activities. Also, on Thursdays, we deliver to families who can not make it out. Each week we serve anywhere from 50-100 meals. The focus of this night is families, as they are our foundation, and as they succeed, we succeed.

FAMILY CAMP: At the end of June, we take the families involved in family nights to camp. It is a fun relaxing time away that allows families to have a fun family vacation. It is also a time to hang out and get to know each other better.

Family Christmas Party: Christmas is a time of year to celebrate! We spend November and part of December gathering gifts and grocery cards for the families that come on Thursdays. On the last Thursday before school ends for Christmas break, we host a Christmas celebration where we hand out gifts and support for the families; most years, even Santa makes an appearance.

Youth Group: Every Tuesday night, we host a Youth Group for students in grades 7-12. This is a space to have a meal together, play games, and explore faith. We have anywhere from 20-35 students coming. Throughout the year, we host different events with students. On November 18, we took 26 students on our Edmonton in 24hr trip, where students get to go to West Edmonton Mall for shopping, the waterpark, the Rec room and then go paint-balling. It is a super fun time where students get to spend time away with friends in a fun, safe environment. It also allows getting to know them better.

Youth Leadership Program: Is focused on giving students in grades 8-12 an opportunity to learn about and practise leadership. This is a unique opportunity where students are the leaders; they spend 10 months learning and practising leadership through hosting fundraisers and building a leadership definition they can live and practise. On July 6-18, 2023, students will travel down to Modesto, California, to work with YWAM Modesto, where they will have opportunities to volunteer with different organizations, from the San Fransisco Food Bank to World Relief, that supports Afghan families. This year we have over 12 students signed up to come!

To finish this up, we want to acknowledge and say thank you to Fort City Church; the partnership we have with you gives us the ability to run these programs.

Would you consider partnering with us and giving a one-time donation or becoming a monthly sponsor?

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Reasons why you should do a Discipleship Training School

Its a Foundation for your life:

On the first day of my DTS, I opened my bible to Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” At the time, it was a verse I just read. As the teachings, the worship, the prayers, living in community, the personal discipleship and Holy Spirit doing what He does best allowed an experience that this passage was not only a verse but a guide to my DTS and my life. Granting God the time and ability to set a foundation for my life was vital during my DTS to experience a transformation and shed light on what I wanted and needed in my life.

Discover your calling:

Knowing how much God loved me allowed me to acknowledge that He wants this for all His children. The Great Commission to disciple the nations then became second to none. All the theoretical information, lessons, daily worship and prayer fired me up to want to share who Jesus is and make God known to others. My identity was no longer identified by my works, but by who I am created to be. I realized that I am called and want to work to fulfill the Great Commission.

Experiencing Community:

Hearing someone's story about how Jesus showed up financially or how God’s grace gave them the ability to get through a loss not only grew my faith, but it gave me the desire to want more of Him. I have life long friendships that have come out of my DTS because when living with others from all walks of life, from all parts of the world and seeing their faith grow as you are experiencing God and life together, it is extraordinary. Knowing that we all have the same desire to know God and make Him known allowed for conversations, memories, and adventures. These friends I continue to connect with as they pour life into me as I do theirs.

When God asks, will you say “yes” that is an adventure in itself? I have moved my life from the southern hemisphere to Canada's north; if that wasn’t God or an adventure in itself, then I don’t know what is. I believe God has an adventure for us all, and its a matter of us saying “Yes” to what He asks of us. Mine was to continue to make Him known in Fort Mcmurray would yours be to do a DTS in Fort Mcmurray?

START NOW

Dulcie

Top 3 Summer Reflections

I wanted to give you a glimpse into what it looks like for us in these long beautiful summer days. For our YWAM location, summer takes on a slightly different schedule. With the change in schedule comes an opportunity to take an intentional time to pause and reflect on what God has done. As we sat down to do this, it was quite apparent that there was a long list of ways we saw God at work, especially considering the change that we have all seen during this pandemic.

Our first reflection this year included an immediate reminder that our Creator is an extravagant provider, faithful even when we do not understand what is happening in our world. It was an astonishing reminder of hope. A reminder that in 2020, God is at work bringing beauty from chaos, and we can put our faith in Him.

Our second reflection takes us back to a scripture that profoundly impacts all we do. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus gives the greatest commandment "To Love God and Love Others." In this, we see the importance of relationships. Witnessing the beauty of this the last few months has brought value in such a tangible way. Hope happens when created, and the Creator meet where that intersection then impacts the relationship between all created things. Through meeting people at a distance from their doorways with food or water, meeting each other with genuine care for their well being in the midst of such bizarre times.

The 3rd reflection is something that seems to be a national, maybe even global awakening. The beauty of creation...... never before have I witnessed so many people taking time to enjoy nature in the same ways. I, too, have been caught up in the wonder of it all. I genuinely believe this brings the Creator joy, to see His creation enjoying each other and beginning to realize the effect that we have on each other. I hope to see this continue in myself for sure, and my prayer is for it to have a global impact honouring all created things and honouring the One who created it all.

I want to leave you with two things. First, if you haven’t already taken the time to reflect on the last few months, definitely do it! I believe it will be time well spent. Ask God what He wants you to know about Him through it and see what happens. And lastly, I would like to share this quote by John Burroughs and encourage you to take to time to reconnect with your Creator.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed and have my senses put in tune once more.”

Steph,