JonandLaurieIrons

  In preparing our young staff who have joined us for a commitment of long term service, we are blessed with the gifts and talents of these whom the Lord has brought to our campus. Leadership is our main theme, with areas of growth to prepare them for a life of bringing the Gospel to others. Whether they are here helping to lead a department on our campus, discipling future students or across the ocean living among the lost, our goal is to help them be prepared to love the Lord, and those He leads them to reach and serve.  After our students have attended a year of training at our campus here in East Texas, we want to help transition them from being students to learning to become effective staff and prepared  missionaries.  Laurie and I along with a team of other like-minded staff have been meeting once a week to impart useful tools to assist them on their journey  and develop a lifestyle of mission mindedness.

 Online discipleship halfway around the world looks more like this these days than actually going to the nation God has called one to. And the current pandemic has given us great opportunities to explore new ways of encouraging young believers. We are half way through our second semester of Bible study together, and I see growth in these three future International leaders. I also look forward the day I visit these three and their families. 

 Communicating with three International Students from half way around the world on a Monday Morning has changed my perspective in the way to build relationships.  Let us be people of God's reflection as we share the truth of God's word to all peoples and nations of the world.  We can let Pandemics control us or we can take steps to overcome the obstacles that seem to be in our way. We also need to be willing to get out our usual comfort zones and step into the next thing God has for us. I appreciate these three young women and their commitment to be light in a country where little light shines yet is enough to draw all men to Him.  I am forever grateful for the relationships that God places before me. Please remember these three sweet daughters of God.

  English Corner - Fall Semester 2020 Learning English online Last week was the beginning of another semester with these awesome graduate students with UT - Dallas as we discuss the latest American English idioms and cultural topics such as Business practices, meeting new people, or learning how to understand how to watch American Football. These are just some of the many topics discussed while online as well as get to know each other better and find out how everyone's week has been. A few YWAM staff and other friends have been meeting on Fridays for several years now and have enjoyed getting to know these International students (mainly from China and Taiwan) who have come to America to study. Social distancing did not keep us from meeting and we continued to gather online, yet miss the opportunity to have an enjoyable Korean home-made meal together. Please pray with us this Fall Semester as more students join May, Isabell, Gary, Yummi, Lena, Charon and Harry in on the discussions,

or the Day after Yesterday The day is today and how one looks at it. With all the news that is being reported lately, it is the latter, but if it were up to me, I would want change my  way of thinking. Many songs have been written about the past, such as ‘Yesterday’ by Paul McCartney, who wrote a simple song of the choices made in the past and how we wish we could change those events that happened.   Maybe it is something we did, that we regret or something we wish we had said, but didn’t. I think many of us dwell in the past and want to continue to judge ourselves as to choices we wish we had to make better ones so we could have a better outcome in life.   We can’t change our past, but we can do our best to determine our future, as long as it is up to us. With all the events that are currently happening around the world and what the news media is talking about, it seems that most people are focusing on the ‘wrongs’ that people have done or to blame others for the ‘bad’ things that hav

In preparing the next generation of International Leaders, we continue to utilize the campus the Lord has blessed us with. The Globe, as this building is now referred to as,  is the beginning of Global Mission Center which will consist of several other buildings. The center will have a guest house, classrooms, and a resource library where students can come and learn more about how to impact their world for Jesus Christ. We have already made use of this building for classroom teachings as well as several meetings and social gatherings. 

Keeping relationships going as well with UT Dallas graduate students, as well as starting new ones, takes commitment. Each week, we get together and discuss a topic that the students suggest the week before. As you can see in this screen shot, one student had just woken up, but knew he did not want to miss what was going on.  He later took his cell phone with him to the bathroom; just to brush his teeth, thank goodness. And then proceed to leave his dorm to go get something to eat. That is truly a compliment for us that he would stay that committed.  How have your relationships been these past two months?