It has been estimated that there are over 1000 deaths attributed to the cyclone so far, with some estimating that it could reach into the tens of thousands dead. Around 1.7 million people are affected across South East Africa, with 100,000 people needing urgent rescue near the city of Beira. There is no running water or electricity in much of the area, and many homes have been swept away and roads destroyed by floods. Over 400,000 Mozambicans are estimated to now be homeless.

There are reports of cholera in the area, and there is risk of other outbreaks, including malaria, which is already increasing.

Two Youth With A Mission centres have been affected by this natural disaster. Thankfully no YWAM staff or students have reportedly lost their lives, but they are trying to recover from the shock of the disaster. Both locations have had the majority of their buildings severely damaged.

YWAM Beira runs a home for 29 boys and young men and a community school for over 600 students. Classrooms, dorms and other facilities have all been damaged.

YWAM Dondo runs a preschool for 68 children, a laboratory to diagnose malaria and a HIV patient care program and pastors seminars and much more. The classrooms, accommodation, laboratory, and clinic have all been damaged.

There are also many people in the communities around the Youth With a Mission locations that are in desperate need of help.

Youth With A Mission is engaging in a unified response to this crisis. YWAM has linked up with RescueNet and Mercy Air to ensure that they are giving the best response possible. Mercy Air has already done a flyover assessment and RescueNet Europe is on their way to provide some of the necessary assistance.

To allow for a swift and coordinated flow of resources YWAM Southern Africa has set-up a dedicated office managed by John Sulter and Dave Peter at YWAM Muizenberg, South Africa. The office will manage donations and communications for people wanting to donate to help, and for people or teams who may wish to volunteer in the rebuilding effort.

You can contact the office directly to find out how to donate and help at mzidai@ywammuizenberg.org.

The situation in Mozambique is very serious. We ask that you would please be generous towards our brothers and sisters in Christ in Mozambique. They are in desperate need of food, water, shelter, and medical supplies.

The post YWAM Response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

They have started producing some videos of their time in Angola, and it’s exciting to hear some of the stories that have come out of it already.

Below is the first video that they have released from their trip.

Communication Ministry in Angola from Miranda Heathcote on Vimeo.

They are looking at producing a few different additional videos out of their time in Angola including a 15-minute promotional video, a documentary style video, prayer material, updated web-site, photos of the ministry happening there and quality articles for publication. They are looking at wanting to raise awareness of the needs of YWAM Angola.

YWAM AfriComs has also recently picked up a new staff member to help in the area of video production, so we look forward to seeing even more quality work coming out of the team that is working there.

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Since the team have been in Zambia they have:

• Machetti`ed the clearing for the medical clinic. It was hard work clearing the land but very satisfying.
• Been busy helping Vinjelu and Kathryn finish building their home.
• Visited a the rural village to pray for the people and learn about Zambian culture.
• Hosted two afternoons of the Cherish girls program where girls come for an afternoon of love, encouragement and fun times.
• Visited a Vineyard house church with the vision to minister to community in creative ways and bringing the kingdom to West Lusaka.

The YWAM community the Calgary team is staying with has 25 people, which includes the staff and students. It’s been a wonderful cultural exchange and sharing of work duties, food and laughter. They are enjoying n^shima, which is like corn based thick potatoes which is eaten with their fingers.

The YWAM centre is a very entrepreneurial centre… there are the ladies who are being taught to sew, a fellow making jewellery and hiring people to build, teaching a few trades along the way… as Vinjelu explained, “Zambians are creative and make what they need as best they can, with the supplies that are here.’”.

There have been many God encounters as they have shared lives with the people there, and everyone is very excited to see what is next. The team has been struck by the perseverance and joy of the people. Life is simple, yet full, and the team is realising the “necessities” of life like internet, phones, and television really aren’t as important as they thought.

The medical clinic that the team is clearing land for is to serve a community in desperate need for additional help with HIV treatment, ante-natal care and nutrition. There are funds and people to continue the work, and there will always be need to keep it going.

There are many stories of how kids cannot go to school and how food is not available as there is no money. The team is working to find a way they can continue to support the vision of this centre to care for those in need and to bring the love of God people.

The team is asking for continued prayer.

• For good health, safety, following God`s will in the many areas they can serve
• That Vinj and Kathryn could move into their home soon
• Health for Vinj and Kathryn’s family
• Continued good connections with the YWAM staff and students

Next week will be spent clearing more of the land for the medical clinic and finishing the house. They will also be connecting in the village and experiencing Zambian dancing in the community church times.

The post YWAM Calgary Team in Zambia appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Youth With A Mission has been active around the world over it’s 50-year history in bringing clean potable water to the nations it’s worked in.

Some of the things that Youth With A Mission is currently doing to help provide clean water are:

• Repairing damaged wells and pumps in Haiti after the earth quake
• Proving clean water along with education and health care to the Aluwawe People of the Zambezi Delta in Mozambique (here)
• Building concrete rain water collection tanks in Vanuatu where they have already built nine water tanks in the Northern villages of Efate, where I did my YWAM DTS outreach(here).
• Building and improving wells in southern Sudan (see video below)
• Running a Community Water Technology Seminar through the University of the Nations (U of N) in at least two locations in the world (here),
• Water for Life & Platypus Go-Teams out of YWAM Tasmania to help provide access to safe water through seminars, training and short term missions trips (here).
• Water for Life ministry in Kona, Hawaii as part of the University of the Nations (U of N) which currently has projects to help people develop safe and sustainable water sources in  Kiribati, Indonesia, Brazil, Kosovo and Rwanda. (here)

YWAM work continues to help provide clean water for the estimated 2 billion people around the world who are lacking adequate water supplies and sanitation.

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Funds have been raised for the building supplies needed for the school but there is still a need for a vehicle to transport the supplies to the location of the school. The materials need to be moved piece by piece from Huambo, where the YWAM Centre is located, to the region of Kamakoyo. After the school has been built the off-road vehicle will be used to transport outreach teams into the region.

You can read more and find out how to donate on the YWAM International web-site, here.

The post YWAM Building a School in Angola appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Football (soccer) has already been declared the official sport of YWAM, so there is much anticipation for the world cup. It’s estimated that about 350,000 soccer fans will be visiting South Africa during the world cup, with literally billions of people expected to tune in to watch it on television.

YWAM still has room for volunteers in the areas of fundraising, publicity, web-design, administration, hospitality and outreach / evangelism teams.  The plan is to have YWAM teams in each of the host cities for the world cup, with a focus on outreaching to the visitors and locals during the world cup.

If you aren’t excited about it yet, then check out this video:

Unfortunately my mother country of Canada did not make the World Cup (no real surprise), but my adopted country of Australia did make it. So our family will no doubt be following the Socceroos during the tournament. It’s almost enough to make me want to get cable …

You can find out how to get involved in the YWAM World Cup Outreach here.

The post YWAM World Cup Outreach appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

YWAM in Jos, Nigeria have been helping to provide relief aid and clothing to the many who have been displaced by the violence. The Red Cross has built up hastily built camps to provide a place to live for the many who are now without homes.

Much of the violence is religious in nature as Jos is a located in central Nigeria, right between the predominantly Muslim North of Nigeria, and the predominantly Christian South.

Read more about the area, what YWAM is doing there and how they are being affected over at the YWAM International Web-Site here.

The post Death and Violence in Jos, Nigeria – YWAM Staff Safe appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

Around the same time God has also opened the doors for the staff of Youth With a Mission Swaziland to bring themselves closer together on the same property. This helps to build community and reduce costs, which will allow the ministry to grow further in what God’s calling them to.

You can read more about the latest news from YWAM Swaziland, including these latest exciting developments, here.

The post YWAM Swaziland Becomes Official appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

The crusade went for four days and included a lot of preaching, teaching, worship, dancing, prayer and practical ministry. A team from the Colorado Springs YWAM base was working with the staff at YWAM Arua when they heard about the crusade. The team was given chances to preach, share their testimonies and lead worship.

During the crusade there were some amazing stories of healing and faith. Many people came to know Jesus personally and others were healed of long term physical and mental illnesses.

You can read more about The Great Gospel Crusade and some of the stories around it here.

The post The Great Gospel Crusade in Nyadri, Uganda appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.

In addition to the school there is also a radio station on the mountain top. The solar-powered radio station will reach people all over the area with the gospel and local news. Funds raised through advertising on the radio station will be used to supplement the finances for the school, which have been tight since the war in Sudan ended.

You can read more about the school and radio station, including their need for radio broadcasters and equipment, here.

The post YWAM Journalism Student Reporting from Southern Sudan appeared first on YWAM News that Bill finds Interesting.