The Good, The Bad, The Different

Wow, what a crazy few months! How have you been doing? In honesty, we’ve had good, bad, and overall different life experiences than we had ever expected for 2020. We can only imagine that the same is likely true for you as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has in some shape or form affected just about every individual on the planet. However, this time has reminded us that it’s never about what we do or where we go, but what God already did. This has brought us a deeper understanding of rest and God’s abiding love for us that has become foundational to our development of YWAM Niagara.

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The Good

Despite the interruption COVID-19 has caused, we have also seen first-hand that what is meant for evil, God uses for good! He has provided us and our team time to lay firm foundations both spiritually and practically for our YWAM Niagara ministry.

Since the beginning of lock-down, our team has been committed to meeting together 3 times a week to pray for missions, the church, Niagara, and the nations! We also want to pray with you. The 1st Thursday of every month we host an open Zoom meeting where you can join us in praying for these things too. The next one is in just two weeks!

Our team has been committed to knowing God deeper through a Bible course by YWAM’s University of the Nations. We’re a third completed and have received so much revelation on who God is, who we are, and what to do about it!

It has also been an absolute blessing to walk alongside and disciple our missionary team throughout this course and this season of life in general. Through weekly one-on-ones, we’ve witnessed them take great steps of faith and grow in so many areas as we dive into the Scriptures together. God’s Word is truly sharp and active!

Here’s a short testimony from Kaitlyn who Melinda has been mentoring:

“The BCC has already taught me so much about the Bible and how much I missed while reading it in the past. I realized that I used to read the Bible very passively. I wouldn’t put much thought into it, which explains why I never felt like I got a lot out of the reading. The BCC has shown me how to actively read the Bible, ask questions, and ask what God wants to reveal to me through it. God has given me a renewed passion and interest for the word. Everyday I look forward to reading and spending that time with Him.”
–Kaitlyn, YWAM Niagara Missionary

The Bad

COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s lives differently. For some; the death of a loved one, for others; loss of securities, and for everyone; a total inconvenience. We’ve experienced all of the above. Our apartment is an inconvenient mess with our dining table-turned office, managing a team that is separated has been challenging and fundraising efforts have also slowed with events and meetings cancelled. Hardest of all, Melinda’s Uncle passed away suddenly from cancer during a time when mourning together as a family was very challenging due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

We don’t want to sugar-coat the tough realities that this year has had on our world, we’ve felt it and we know you have too. Yet, we certainly don’t want these negative circumstances to take all of our attention away from Christ who suffered the pain to restore our relationship with God forever. So we’re not dismissing these hard things, instead, we’re clinging to our creator and cheering each other on to run this race with endurance! If you have any encouraging testimonies of how God has been working in your life during this quarantine season, we would love to hear them! Because when our faith is in God, rest and grace are no longer dependent on our circumstances but dependent on Him! ⁠

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

–Psalm 63:8

The Different

“Blessed are the flexible for they will not break”

This funny addition to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 has been a personal slogan of ours as we continue developing YWAM Niagara from our dining table. We’ve been asked a few times, “Isn’t it a bit of a weird time to be establishing a new ministry?” We are confident that God is not taken by surprise and has called us to this task according to His good timing. From our own perspective though, we can feel discouraged as most of our 2020 goals have become delayed. Nonetheless, we have sought God’s leading as close as we can and created new goals in light of His inspired direction.

We’re so thankful for all the ways we’ve been able to continue laying the foundations for YWAM Niagara even though it looks very different than we first imagined. More than ever, these differences have allowed us to realize that we are already on a foundation, laid for us by Christ and stewarded by many Christ-followers throughout the years. This brings us confidence despite the ever-changing circumstances, that our feet are always on solid ground.

What’s up with YWAM Niagara?

As Niagara moves into stage 3, we are looking forward to returning to our storefront office in August! Our team is also beginning to move to Niagara! This week the Araujo family are moving into their new home in Niagara Falls. We have loved getting to help them with this big transition into full-time missions. The rest of our team, Katilyn & Jenny will be moving in with a local pastor at the beginning of August. We are excited to get to serve local ministries together as they begin to reopen and continue to plan our upcoming training programs!

Here are some extras!

Here are some resources that have really encouraged us during the good, bad, and different times of the last few months!