Peace in the Process

Hey everyone!

Just a little transparency; This has been the hardest newsletter to put together yet. I've struggled with what to say and how to put into words everything that's happened in the last month. We have been affected, as has everybody, by the Covid-19 virus and all of the measures being taken to slow the spread.

During this time, Brittany and I have been through many of the same thoughts and feelings as many of you - uncertainty, stress, anger, disappointment, concern, sadness and restlessness. Yet, through this time, the Lord has spoken as clearly and plainly as ever and has given us great peace, encouragement, joy and resolve to follow His will obediently and pour everything we have into serving His church! He is alive! He isn't surprised! He has a plan!

This past month has given us an opportunity to self-assess and ask some deep questions. Why am I doing this? What is the point? Will the Lord continue to bring students to us? Can we facilitate ministry in these difficult times? Time and time again we've come to the conclusion that regardless of what it looks like, regardless of the result and regardless of the trials we face; Jesus has called us to serve Him faithfully through Youth Alive and to be obedient to His Call.

OYAMA, like so many things, may look very different right now but the goal remains the same.

• To be a blessing to the churches of Oregon as well as all of the communities in need of Christ representatives -and-
• To help young people fulfill the Call God has placed on them to serve in ministry.

OYAMA Happenings:
 
     - Our weekly meetings are still taking place over Zoom. This is the time of year where our students are in the last stages of preparing to leave us in May and join a church as their Youth or Children's Pastor. As such, our time is spent discussing how to prepare to join a new community and church, putting together plans for building ministry teams, how to plan an event, campus ministry and specific ministry scenarios.

     - The restrictions on gatherings have resulted in our students having the amazing opportunity to learn the ins and outs of ministering almost entirely digitally. Many of our internships have been working hard to stream church services and provide plenty of digital content for kids and students to watch and participate in throughout the week. While we would never pray for this tragedy, the Lord is using it to propel His message even further than before and spurring Pastors to grow and minister in new ways!

     - Graduating students are moving forward in the interviewing process. Our graduates have narrowed down the field of 20+ churches that came to be a part of our Ministry Fair in early March to ten churches. Over the next few weeks, students will be speaking with the leadership teams and Pastoral staffs of each of these churches and will be making decisions for where they will be sent to serve in ministry.

As we all continue to pray for all those affected by the virus, please join with me in prayer for these things as well...

• Pray for our students, that they would have wisdom and listen to the Holy Spirit as He leads them in making major life decisions.
• Pray that they finish the year strong in their internships as well as in school as they prepare to graduate.
• Pray for us as we navigate the changing times and adapt to new ministry methods and timetables.
• Pray for missionaries everywhere who are doing their best to spread the Gospel of Jesus and minister to others while relying on the Lord to provide during this difficult time.
• Pray for Pastors everywhere who have worked around the clock to continue to serve their communities and provide hope at this time.

As you are seeking the Lord about these things, I'd ask that you pray about supporting this ministry financially. You can set up recurring support or a one-time gift at https://giving.ag.org/ Type in the ministry code 282345 and follow the instructions from there.

Brittany and I love and appreciate all of you and look forward to a time when we can meet up and share a meal or a cup of coffee.