January Update

Dear Family & Friends,

2014 brings a new season in our lives!  Last month, Kristen graduated from University of Central Florida with honors - we are so proud of her!  Now all three of our children are done with their undergraduate work and are in the process of discovery for the next season of their lives.  Justin is still on outreach in Indonesia, Kristen is now attending the School of Ministry Development at our base with the intent of joining our staff team, and Joshua is working in Atlanta.

This means that, for the first time, Darla and I are empty nesters.  We are enjoying our time together but certainly miss our kids.  We are also the last of our staff team that plans to move near the campus.  We have recently begun to get our house ready to put on the market.  As we begin to look a bit for homes near the campus, we have discovered that we would need to put a larger down payment together.  To our amazement, we have already seen God at work on this. Recently, a friend told us that he is committing to give $5000 to add to our down payment funds. We can’t tell you how encouraging that was.  We’d certainly appreciate your continued prayers for God’s wisdom and provision as we seek Him for the right place for us to live in and minister from.

Last week, I taught in both our Discipleship Training School (DTS) and our School of Ministry Development (SOMD).  It was an amazingly fruitful week in spite of the fact that both Darla and I were sick with the flu.  In the DTS, I taught on the Father Heart of God, and in the SOMD, I taught on Principles in Pioneering.

The week before last, I was in Mexico helping to lead our first Leadership Forum.  This was a training time for North American Base leaders and their leadership teams.  We hope to host one of these twice a year at various locations, including our base in Orlando.

On February 15th, we are hosting our first open house from 11 AM to 3:00 PM.  There will be tours, games, food, worship, and much more.  Please check out our YWAM Orlando website for more details.

This Open House will happen in the midst of our second annual Alumni Reunion, which runs from Friday, February 14 - Sunday, February 16, 2014. If you were with us in Miami or in Orlando on staff or for any program, we invite you to join us for our Alumni Reunion, which will include worship, teaching, food, and games.  This year, I will be the main teacher, and both Darla and I are looking forward to seeing you then. 

This is just a small portion of all that is happening in and through YWAM Orlando, and your partnership has helped to make this possible.  We are tremendously grateful - thank you!

Until all have heard,

Michael, Darla, & Kids