Family came to visit

My two sisters, their husbands, and two of their children came to visit during the Christmas holiday. It was great to see them and we enjoyed a long bike ride on the West Orange Trail near our YWAM Orlando. What a great time together!

Merry Christmas from the Berg's

We know this is a very busy time of year for you, so instead of writing a long letter we thought we would use a few pictures as a way to give you a quick overview of our year.

Teaching at YWAM Kona

YWAM Orlando's Golf Invitational

Building a Home in Mexico

Mexican Family Receives Their New Home

Joshua in Nepal

Leading Worship At YWAM's Eastern North American Gathering

Leading YWAM's Eastern North American Gathering

Speaking at Banquet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Speaking at Banquet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Dedication of the Depot

Depot Was Completed & Dedicated in May

Berg's with Loren & Darlene Cunningham

Master's Cohort

Basic Leadership School Graduation

YWAM Orlando Staff

Graduation with Master's in Leadership

Thanksgiving Celebration at YWAM Orlando

20th Anniversary Celebration

Fun Family

First Golf Invitational in Minnesota

Helping to Lead Worship at YWAM Conference

Helping to Lead Worship at YWAM Conference

Speaking at a YWAM Conference

YWAM Orlando 20th Anniversary

YWAM Orlando 20th Anniversary

Thanksgiving starts early at YWAM Orlando's 20th Celebration

 Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving is a very special time of the year to pause and consider all that God has done. Last Saturday we celebrated our 20th Anniversary for YWAM Orlando! He has been so faithful over these last 20 years! We have trained 6,336 people in our various programs and have shared the Gospel with over 280,000 people around the world. We have grown from five people in 1995 to over 123 staff today, from an office in our home to 184.45-acre campus, and from only ruined, uninhabitable buildings to 14 fully functional buildings, and seven more being renovated. 

Many friends and alumni joined us!

So many have invested to bring us to this point!

Sharing Memories from 20 years...

Sharing fun memories of 20 years at YWAM Orlando

Kristen helps to lead worship

We exist as YWAM Orlando so that all may know Jesus!

What a joy to celebrate what God has done!

God deserves all the glory!

Like any anniversary there is cake and fun memories!

Our hearts are brimming over with gratitude to the Lord!

YWAM's Eastern North American Gathering

Michael with Dr. David Damian

Over 700 YWAMers gather

Kristen was part of the worship team

Kristen helps to lead worship for the conference

Lives Changed Forever

Making Declarations to Live a Lifestyle of Forgiveness

A couple of weeks ago, I taught for one week in our School of Ministry Development on the topic of Pioneering and also in the Discipleship Training School on the Father Heart of God.  There was an amazing move of God during the week I taught in the DTS. Late on the last night, we were standing around a bonfire near our lake, and students were thanking God for their new-found freedom from various forms of bondage.  One student in particular had been sexually molested for many years and still carried the bitterness in her heart even though she had become a follower of Christ.  As she forgave and declared her freedom, my heart was overwhelmed with joy.  This is just one of many stories of life transformation.

Minnesota Golfing Event

Immediately after this commissioning, I flew to the Twin Cities in Minnesota for a golf fundraising event.  We had only 16 golfers, but it was amazingly fruitful.  The generosity of this group towards God’s work through YWAM Orlando was truly humbling.  The weekend before returning to Orlando, a good friend took me fishing, and I had a great time landing this fish. Of course true fisherman are probably not too impressed :) 

Commissioning

What an exciting fall!  In September, 90 students arrived for our fall training schools.  Early in the school, during one of the morning times of worship, a student took the microphone and declared that she was committing to be a missionary.  Shortly after this, students lined up to make commitments to follow the Lord anywhere and do anything He asked of them.  Most made a commitment to be missionaries.  I had the privilege of commissioning this group of passionate, dedicated young men and women for missions.

I am a missionary!

During one of our morning prayer times at YWAM Orlando a student came up and declared, "I say yes to the Lord, I commit to be a missionary!" This led to many doing the same. Once a crowd developed each personally committing to God that they would be His missionaries going anywhere He called them to go, then I stood up and prayed to commission these world changers for the kingdom of God! What an exciting quarter filled with passionate and dedicated young men and women. Check out the video!

Teaching in Newcastle

Teaching in DTS at YWAM Newcastle, Australia

Depot becomes our fully operational campus cafe'