As promised, here is the first of many monthly reviews on the happenings of
OYAMA and what Brittany and I have been up to during January 2019.
Look Back
We started January with a 3-day Winter Retreat. We took the 8 current students to
meet with a dozen local pastors to hear their stories and be encouraged to stay
obedient to the Call. This was a great time to network and hear about how to stay faithful even in the hardships of ministry.
Our weekly meetings on Wednesday included our 1-on-1 coaching conversations as well as teaching on topics such as healthy
communication in life and ministry as well as a study on Bibliology (the study of
the Bible itself). These topics are of utmost importance because without good
communication skills and without an understanding of what makes the Bible true
(how history/archaeology give validity to its claims), it is impossible to be
successful in ministry.
During the month of January our six 1st-year students finished their time Job
Shadowing at Hope Church in Albany ending with serving at Catalyst Winter Camp and the two 2nd-year students took & passed their
Assembly of God credentialing tests!
As for myself, I have been busy coordinating Church
Visit calendars for February-April, working
on the next couple month's teachings/topics for in class times and beginning preparations for the students' Summer internship. This has also been a time of really pursuing raising financial support for the ministry as well as continuing my US Missions fundraising classes through the AG. I also want to give a shout out to my amazing wife, Brittany, who helps me in every single facet of OYAMA and is super involved at McNary High School as a basketball coach in the thick of the season. She really is a rock star!
As always I want to say thank you to all of our family, friends and fellow ministers. There are so many I could thank for pouring so much into our students and into the success of the ministry. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us and for supporting us through prayer and financial giving! OYAMA exists because of people investing in the future of the Church.
Of course if you'd like more info feel free to contact me anytime and check us out at http://oregonyouthalive.wixsite.com/programs/oyama
If you are interested in partnering with us in financial support you can go to https://giving.ag.org/ and type in ministry code 282345.
