Mid May of 2026 found my family back in Monroe, Washington as Candy and I taught for the YWAM Discipleship Training School on Evangelism and Prayer. We had 14 students in the class, plus some staff who also participated. It was a bi-lingual DTS with English and Korean, and everything was translated. Language levels varied. Some of the students were fluent in English, others were not but had still had some English.
The week went well! We enjoyed teaching and helping guide the students to discover truths about Evangelism, prayer, and disciple making. Even my 3 year old daughter Olivia contributed a video where she shared a gospel presentation that she learned from the childcare volunteers at Bible Study Fellowship!
On Friday afternoon, the students were scheduled to go out to do intentional local outreach. The assignment was simple: follow the Holy Spirit and apply what they had learned that week for the next couple of hours. We divided them up into groups focused on four basic locations around Monroe and gave them a form that helped them seek God’s guidance for the time out. We signed up for locations, prayed, they grouped up, listened to God a bit, and off they went!
A couple hours later as the students came back, I could see the excitement and joy on their faces! We had about 30 minutes scheduled to share testimony before dinner time and that time passed by very quickly! A few students expressed that they really wanted to share and hadn’t gotten the chance to yet, and I assured them that they still could! It is always a good sign when more people want to share testimony! To honor the kitchen team, I asked that we go eat and continue to share testimonies over dinner. Thankfully the sound system worked in the dinning area and we continued on with our extended testimony time.
There were a number of good encounters. One student, who had somewhat limited English skills, talked to a woman in McDonalds who let him practice his English. Eventually, he was able to pray for her and her family! He expressed how much this helped his confidence and that when we decide to obey God, then God works!
Another student met someone who was a martial arts instructor who had gotten too busy for church. After agreeing to receive prayer from the student, the instructor asked for this his number and wanted to stay in contact with him. Hearing that the student was doing missionary work also seemed to awaken something in this man and he expressed how he would love to do something like that.
A couple other students shared how they inquired about a mans tattoo to start a conversation. Even though this man didn’t seem to spiritually interested, he did end up letting them pray for him in the end. They also inadvertently said his first name in the midst of the conversation without him telling them what it was! It was a sort of “accidental” word of knowledge. Funny how God works sometimes!
Another student shared how they had to wait a long time for the right moment to talk to some guys in a coffee shop who were very engaged in a conversation. It was rather ironic because when they did finally talk to them, they ended up finding that their prayer request was for “patience!”
Another student shared how she actually got prayed for! It turns out one lady she approached was a believer and they prayed for each other. The woman even prayed for their upcoming overseas outreach with the school overseas. This student also practiced stepping out giving words of knowledge for healing. She wasn’t sure if she was quite accurate in both instances, but demonstrated humility in her approach and we applauded her for being willing to step out and try as she was growing!
One of the school staff shared how she tended to normally give quick words she received from the Lord for people rather quickly, and then move on. She was encouraged by how the student who partnered with her was so relational and lingered in conversation with the woman that they ministered to. It’s fun how we can learn from each other and each other’s strengths as we do this!
Another team of two female students shared how God guided them very clearly in a shopping area. They found natural ways to connect with workers and customers. One of students ministered in Spanish to one lady who didn’t speak much English. They went outside and God shared with them that there was someone else they should minister to inside, so they went back in! God guided them to the exact spot in the store to meet the right person. The man they talked to wasn’t open to talking about the gospel as he said he’d heard it before. However, they were able to pray for this man as he shared he had stage 4 cancer. He began breathing hard during the prayer and afterwards his eyes were more clear and he was open to listening to them. These students learned how God goes before us and we just need to hear His voice and follow!
Another female student shared that God showed her that she was to pray for men that day as her group went to a coffee shop. She connected with a medical student and through the conversation, she really related to him as she was reflecting on the stress from her own college years. She was able to share some of her life story with him and found a lot of common ground. He received prayer from her at the end and told her that he would ‘never forget today.’ This student shared with me later that she was not really feeling up to going out that day. But after talking with him, she felt so “fed”, energized, and refreshed! She was still raving about the experience the next morning to me as well!
One of the points that I made while teaching that students that week was a quote from Jesus in John 4:34: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work…” In context, Jesus was saying this as he spoke about the ripe harvest of souls to his disciples. I explained that while we definitely get fed reading Scripture, praying, listening to God, and worshipping, there is also more food for us—perhaps even different spiritual “nutrients” available for us when we say yes to our part in the Great Commission!
As a teacher, there is nothing quite so satisfying as when your students experience as truth the very thing you taught them. Hearing these stories was the highlight of the week for me—the cherry on top of a great few days! I believe (and pray) that these students will continue to live a missional lifestyle wherever they go. May they do this first for the glory of God, then out of love and compassion for those around them, and then so they themselves can be healthy spiritually and grow and mature as they eagerly anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. May we all join Jesus as laborers in His harvest fields!
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