Summer 2012 marked YWAM Lausanne’s first-ever English/Spanish Discipleship Training School–a traditional DTS including a 12-week lecture phase followed by an 8-week outreach phase with a special focus on developing our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters!

YWAM Lausanne has long had the vision of mobilizing Latinos into the missions field in Europe. Now we are able to see the fruit of that vision with young people coming from all over Latin America, including Venezuela, Mexico, and Brazil.

We are excited to discover the many ways God will use this school to His glory and work in the lives of our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters this summer.

Set in the beautiful scenic Switzerland, students in the July DTS have an array of options to enjoy the beautiful Swiss countryside through a variety of outdoor activities. Opportunities to hike, rock climb, swim in Lake Geneva, sail, explore Lausanne and neighboring cities, and much more are awaiting!

Students at this DTS also have the unique opportunity to participate in YWAM Lausanne’s REGENERATION Outreach, which happens every summer along the shores of Lake Geneva. It is an exciting time to share the Gospel through a variety of arts and cultural performances.

Do you have a desire to know God more intimately and share that knowledge and love with the nations? Then consider joining us this July 2013 for our English/Spanish DTS!

Dates: July 2, 2013 – Novemember 12, 2013

Costs: Lecture Phase – 2890 CHF / Outreach Phase – 2500 to 5000 CHF

Languages: English & Spanish

More information: Visit our DTS page to read more about what a DTS includes. For specific questions, feel free to contact us!

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This July, YWAM Lausanne will once again host the (FCM) Foundations in Counseling Ministry School!

The FCM is a 12-week school designed to equip students with a Biblical foundation for counseling ministry.  In the FCM, students learn to facilitate Christ-centered spiritual and emotional restoration. Through daily lectures, discussions, workshops, small group interactions, personal studies, and one-on-ones, students grow in their understanding of Biblical counseling and are given many opportunities for practical application.

Following the lecture phase, students apply lessons learned during an 8 to 12-week outreach phase and get to join firsthand in God’s restorative work around the world.

Course content includes:

• Understanding God’s grace and extending it to others
• Biblical foundations of counseling and active listening
• Healing and restoration through relationships
• Family systems
• Identity in Christ
• Role of the Holy Spirit in counseling

If you have a heart for compassion and for reaching out to the hurting and broken, then the FCM is the school for you!

Dates: July, 2 2013 – September 20, 2013

Costs: CHF 3990

More information: info@ywamlausanne.com

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Reaching out to the nations with the gospel is YWAM Lausanne’s mission and calling. While that often means sending students out into the nations around the globe, it also means reaching out to our neighbors next door in our great city of Lausanne. That’s why YWAM Lausanne actively engages in local outreach to the nations right here in our own city.

Long-time tradition

It has been a long-time base tradition to travel to the city center every Wednesday afternoon for “local outreach” to talk with people, worship in the square, host children activities and games, and more. And we’ve seen some amazing fruit and relationships come from these afternoons.

It has also been a yearly tradition to reach out to the festival-goers at the annual Montreux Jazz Festival every July in neighboring Montreux (interested in joining us this summer?) through art, dance, music, and children’s activities.

YWAM Lausanne also hosted its first-ever Neighbors’ Day this past fall. It was a great afternoon of food, fun, and family-oriented games for the whole neighborhood and a wonderful opportunity to welcome neighbors to the base and share more of what YWAM Lausanne is all about.

Looking ahead

In the last year, YWAM Lausanne has prayerfully considered how to increase YWAM Lausanne’s engagement in our city and as a result has adopted two new, impactful ministries.

La Soupe Populaire is a soup kitchen in Lausanne sponsored by Fondation Meresofia, which serves hot meals to those in need every night of the year. Several of YWAM Lausanne’s staffers have joined La Soupe to minister to and serve the people of Lausanne. Staff have really enjoyed getting to know the people every week and are deepening their understanding of the needs present in this city.

Also, as a result of a clear prompting from God, several of our female staffers have started visiting the redlight district of Lausanne weekly to build relationships with the women over a hot cup of coffee or tea.

God has revealed himself in new ways through both ministries, and our staff are greatly encouraged by the relationships being build and the doors God is opening.

Please pray with us that God would continue to work through our staff and through these ministries to reach the people of Lausanne with His good news!

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Apprentissage intensif de l’Anglais ou du Français

불어/영어 언어 집중 학습

Knowing the ‘local’ language of a country is crucial to your ability to connect with the people around you. That is why for the second year in a row, YWAM Lausanne is providing a unique Language Learning Intensive to aid students in developing their French or English skills and help them better reach the people around them with the Gospel message.

This 4 week intensive seminar will give you the confidence and conversational fluency to help you share your faith more effectively in one of two of the world’s most commonly used languages: English and French. Students will have the opportunity to choose between the English Language Learning Intensive and the French Language Learning Intensive, and focus their time solely on improving their skills in the language of their choice.

Learn by doing

There will be ample opportunities to learn through practical activities, including:

• Daily lectures and learning exercises delivered by professional instructors fluent in French and English
• Field trips to local sites and opportunities for practical application
• Interactive classroom activities designed to improve grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities
• Access to YWAM Lausanne’s language learning lab equipped with computers and Rosetta Stone language learning software
• A multicultural environment where students can practice their newly acquired skills at a practical level

Dates: August 26 – September 20, 2013 (Arrival Sunday, August 25)

Cost: CHF 1,600 – includes tuition, food, housing, Rosetta Stone license, and Lausanne public transport pass

To apply: contact Admissions at info@ywamlausanne.com

We welcome students of all skill levels. Hope to see you there!

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Reach out to visitors from all nations at this 10-day outreach at the annual Montreux Jazz Festival in neighboring Montreux, Switzerland. Thousands of music lovers flock to the festival during the month of July, making this a prime opportunity to share the Gospel with those who may never have experienced the love of Jesus personally.

While serving with Regeneration, participants will benefit from daily teachings from international speakers on evangelism and how to have a deeper relationship with God. Each evening is spent at the festival ministering in a variety of ways – worshiping, performing, playing games, serving others with hospitality, talking with onlookers, and much more. Each person plays an important role in this effort and can impact someone else’s life with a simple word or a listening ear.

Participants do not have to have completed a DTS to join. The only prerequisite is a passion and love for Jesus that can’t be contained. Come and see the ways God is moving within the nation of Switzerland for yourself!  And, while you’re in the neighborhood, consider joining the Summer of Service in Paris as well.  God is moving in Europe—will you be a part of this renewing wave?

Join us!

Dates: July 10 - 21, 2013

Costs: CHF 500 upon arrival for room and board

To Apply: email us at info@ywamlausanne.com

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Sprungbrett, meaning “springboard”, is a unique 9-month school tailored to recent graduates from Switzerland’s German region. Designed ideally as a gap year program, the Sprungbrett school “launches” students into the next phase of life equipped and prepared to do big things for God.

Students begin first by completing an entire Discipleship Training School including an outreach phase. After, the students return to base for a period of in-depth Bible studies and worldview seminars. As a whole, the Sprungbrett is designed to further develop and equip students spiritually, personally, and socially as they prepare for their career path ahead.

Sprungbrett students have the opportunity to acquire new language skills, explore new cultures and peoples, and learn intensely about themselves as image bearers of God. The Sprungbrett meets students at a unique time in their lives, helping to shape them and their futures in light of God’s plans for the world.

To Brazil and back

Recently, the Sprungbrett students returned from their outreach phase with great stories and testimonies of God’s goodness and provision. The students spent the first 5 weeks travelling through Brazil, participating in a variety of ministry opportunities. Students had the opportunity to lead bible clubs for children, prayer walks, church services, and special events for the communities they visited, building friendships along the way. The students particularly enjoyed ministering in one of the local youth prisons where they performed skits and shared their testimonies with the youth.

“It was really encouraging to see how God used us as a school in Brazil and it really pushed the students out of their comfort zone leading them to try things they haven’t done before,” shared the Sprungbrett staff.

Students then boarded a plane bound for Europe, stopping in France for 2 weeks and England for 2 weeks before returning to YWAM Lausanne. The weeks spent in France and England were much different and stretched the students in new ways, said the staff, though still proved to be a fruitful time of ministry.

In France, students worked alongside existing ministries, helping them in practical ways including painting and other building projects. Students continued leading prayer walks and building relationships. The language was particularly difficult, said the staff, “but they pushed through and grew immensely in their language skills. We were very proud of them for that.”

In England, students helped in practical, hands-on ways with local ministries, witnessing firsthand how the Church in England is serving the people of their nation.

“The whole outreach really opened their eyes to new experiences, cultures, and people, and greatly influenced their worldview.”

Finishing strong

After a short break, in which students returned home to rest and visit family, students have now resumed classes at YWAM Lausanne. Students are currently in the Biblical studies portion, will finish with studies in Biblical worldview, and will graduation this June!

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The eyes of the world are upon the nation of North Korea as it continues to make the global media headlines. And so are the eyes of the Lord upon this nation. He is watching over them to comfort and restore them, redeem them, and equip them, in order to begin sending them out as a new, radical wave of missionaries for the 21st century.

God is eager for young men and women who are willing to be used by Him to serve His people in North Korea and to speak the life-giving message of God into people’s lives. When this happens, the Spirit of God is able to rise up mighty workers for the Lord to be used throughout the world.

Do you have a heart for the nation of Korea and desire to learn more about it? Consider join us for our upcoming New Korea Servant Seminar.

Participants will learn how God is moving in Korea, and come to understand the remarkable ways He is working in this nation.

 

Guest speakers: David Ross (YWAM Korea founder) and Daniel (Worked in DPRK for 12 years)

Date: Saturday May 11th, 2013, 8:30AM – 6:00PM

Cost: Free (donation)

Languages: English, Korean and French

To apply: contact us at info@ywamlausanne.com

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The Worldview and Development Workshop will explore the relationship between worldview, poverty, hunger, and development through a biblical lens. Participants will examine the foundational role of worldview in contributing to the development or impoverishment of communities and nations. Key topics will include:

• The root of poverty
• The role of belief systems in contributing to poverty
• The importance of a biblical worldview in development
• The goal of development
• Biblical worldview and resources
• Who drives development?
• Economic stewardship

Who is the workshop for?

 
The Worldview and Development Workshop is designed for missionaries, relief and development workers, and those who have an interest in topics of hunger, poverty, and development. It is also open to all YWAM alumni and churches in the Romande region!

About the Speaker

Darrow L. Miller has been a popular speaker on Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women for over 30 years. He has traveled and lectured in over 70 countries, and his books and publications have been translated into 20 languages, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures, Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women in Building Healthy Cultures, and LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day.

For 27 years Darrow served as a Vice President of Food for the Hungry International (FHI) in the areas of recruiting, staff development, and the creation of curriculum in worldview and development. While at FHI, he and Dr. Bob Moffitt founded the Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA) in which he is still actively involved.

Learn more about Darrow Miller by checking out his last visit to YWAM Lausanne, when he shared his heart and wisdom with our LTS (Leadership Training School) students!

Join us!

Dates: Monday 29th April 2013 to Wednesday 1st of May 2013 from 19:00 to 21:00

Cost:  Free (offering will be taken)

Languages: French/English

To apply: contact us at info@ywamlausanne.com

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YWAM Lausanne has a heart for seeing nations know God intimately and be transformed, both through sharing the gospel with others and through being the hands and feet of Christ to people in practical ways.

At YWAM Lausanne, we refer to these practical ministries as Compassion Ministries, and we have prayerfully considering ways to expand them both locally and internationally.

So, in addition to the 2-week outreach to Togo coming up this July, we are also offering a 1-month outreach to North Africa, this summer 2013!

Why North Africa?

North Africa seemed like an obvious choice for our second summer international outreach location because of YWAM Lausanne’s heart for this region and its people, especially the many Sudanese refugees living in North Africa. This outreach comes out of a strong love for our Sudanese brothers and sisters and a desire to encourage and equip them to be change-agents.

Calling all volunteers!

Volunteers will be involved in pioneering a ministry workshop that will empower and equip Sudanese refugees with an understanding of biblical worldview and community development projects. Alongside this main focus, there will be numerous opportunities to engage in conversation with those of other faiths, and volunteers will be able to extend joy and encouragement to the persecuted church in North Africa.

Volunteers can join for the full 4 weeks or opt for 2 weeks (July 1-14 or July 15-29). If you pray and sense God calling you to join us to bless our Sudanese brothers and sisters in North Africa this summer and want more information, please email us at: summeroutreach@ywamlausanne.com.

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Leading up to Easter, the base was buzzing with action. Students began packing their bags (wondering how they accumulated so much over 3 months!), finishing up last minutes outreach details, and altogether cherishing their last days on base together as Quarter 1 schools.

This quarter has truly been a season of great growth and blessings in both the lives of the students and the staff. “This time has been very special, and it was made that way because of each student’s presence here and prayers during this time,” says Base Director, Markus. Thus, it’s only appropriate to seal each quarter with a special evening known as Commissioning Night!

Commissioning Night is a special celebration in which the entire base joins together to celebrate the students’ accomplishments and commission them into the nations—whether that be entering outreach phase, returning home, or venturing down a new path God revealed to them during their time at YWAM Lausanne.

This quarter we celebrated students graduating from the Winter DTS, the Introduction to Communications and Design School, English Learning for Missions School, Early Childhood Education internship, the School of Worship, and one student who received his Associate’s Degree with the University of the Nations from the International Provost himself, Tom Bloomer, as he continues towards his Bachelor’s Degree. Phew! It was a busy quarter.

Each school leader was given the opportunity to share about their school and their students:

“It was such a lively and diverse group and I loved seeing the diversity of this school and witness them grow together. I’m so proud of all their hard work,” said English Learning for Missions School Leader, Alex.

Joy, the School Leader for the Introduction to Communications and Design School shared, “I am so very proud of you all because you attacked each new challenge we gave you. But what really made me the most proud was that you did every challenge with the goal of impacting others. You were always thinking of who you could help through your work.”

“We have been praying and anticipating the launch of this school for a few years and finally January 2013 came! We’ve had an incredible journey together and have had the chance to see amazing growth in all our students,” said the School of Worship Leader, Daniel.

Finally Doris, co-leader of our Sunny Smiles preschool program, shared about the two interns who successfully completed their internships with the ECE, “We’ve come a long way and I want to commend them both for really being biblically-minded teachers.”

Yet, the night was not over. With our Quarter 1 DTS students now on outreach, the whole base took time to surround the team in prayer as they embarked on their amazing adventure.

The staff are incredibly proud of all of you and pray that you would continue to follow Jesus in all you do with the same tenacity and boldness we have witness in you this quarter!

God is with you.

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YWAM Lausanne has a heart for seeing nations know God intimately and be transformed, both through sharing the gospel with others as well as being the hands and feet of Christ to people in real, everyday ways.

At YWAM Lausanne, we refer to these practical ministries as Compassion Ministries, and YWAM Lausanne has prayerfully been considering ways to expand them both internationally and locally.

One way the base has decided to do this is through facilitating a 2-week hands-on outreach to Togo this summer 2013 open to all YWAM alumni and the churches in our surrounding area!

Why Togo?

Togo was prayerfully chosen as one of the two (more on the other to come!) premiere international compassion ministry outreaches because of YWAM Lausanne’s longtime relationship with YWAM Togo and partner missionaries.

“We felt that God was asking us to reach out internationally to the marginalized and the poor and look for where there is great need,” says, Peter, the leader for this upcoming outreach who recently returned from a preliminary trip to Togo. “And then to look at how we can assist people in practical ways.”

Calling all volunteers!

We are looking for volunteers to join us this July 7th – 20th who possess skills in basic healthcare, construction, hygiene education, and more! However, if you don’t have specific skills in these areas, this should not dissuade you. We are looking for a variety of skills and the outreach activities will be coordinated around the team members’ skills. Additionally, both English and French speakers are welcome, as the outreach will be facilitated in both languages.

If you pray and sense God calling you to join us and contribute your skills to serving the nation of Togo or want more information, please email us at: summeroutreach@ywamlausanne.com.

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KOSTA, a bi-annual conference event hosted in roughly 26 different nations, aims to gather, connect, and encourage Korean Christians living and working abroad. This year’s Europe-based conference was held in Frankfurt, Germany and gathered together over 800 Korean Christians from across Europe!

The conference, centered on the theme “Set Free Into Fullness”, was a jam-packed time full of daily seminars, lectures, times of worship, prayer, and plenty of time for relationship building. YWAM Staffers, Changgyu and Moonjeong, represented YWAM Lausanne and were able to build great relationships with other Koreans working in missions.

“It was our first time attending, and we were surprised to see so many Korean Christians join together, committed to doing God’s work, and passionate about their faith,” says Changgyu.

“It was a great opportunity to connect with other Korean Christians working and living in Europe,” adds Moonjeong. “And since we have such a heart for calling forth Koreans into missions, we really desire to connect more with the Korean churches throughout Europe as well as with churches back in Korea.”

Changgyu concludes, “It was a great reminder of how God works through unity. When we join in relationship and connect with other believers, God is able to further His mission through us.”

We look forward to seeing how God will use the connections built through Changgyu and Moonjeong in the future to calling forth more Korean Christians into missions.

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It is our privilege this week to host Bob Fitts, founder of the School of Worship, at YWAM Lausanne. This week Bob and his wife Kathy will teach in the School of Worship and encourage all students and staff through leading times of worship.

Bob Fitts, who has been writing songs and leading people in worship since the early 1970s, founded the School of Worship at YWAM in 1990 and has since been traveling the world teaching, ministering, and touching nations through his gifting in worship.

This morning, YWAM Lausanne staff welcomed Bob and Kathy to the base and were blessed as Bob and Kathy shared some of their heart with staff members as well as led worship in the staff meeting.

Recognizing the diversity of the YWAM Lausanne staff, Bob and Kathy reminded the team that, “Worship may sound and look different between nations, but the essence is the same because our worship comes out of a similar relationship with Christ. What ultimately binds us together is Christ.”

Bob continued, “The role of worship is to point up and say ‘look!’ It’s about directing people to God so they can grow to know Him better.” After all, God’s mission in this world to bring life in its fullest sense is not in our ability to fulfill. It is His mission to fulfill and we are allowed to join Him in its completion.

“It’s not meant to lie on our shoulders because it’s already on the shoulders of Christ. So the more we can relax into God, the more our gifts can reveal themselves,” encouraged Bob.

We look forward to all that Bob will be sharing with our community this week and especially to his upcoming concert this Friday night where he will share his gift of leading worship with the YWAM Lausanne community and the wider body of Christ in Lausanne.

Bob will be leading worship this Friday night, March 15^th, at Eglise Evangélique Provence 24 in the city of Lausanne at 19:30h. All are welcome! For more information, feel free to email us at: info@ywamlausanne.com.

Hope to see you there!

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Recently, YWAM Lausanne’s School of Worship (SOW) students and Eglise évangélique Provence 24 teamed up to host a cultural worship night open to the public to come and experience the various ways different cultures worship God.

“One of the best ways God expresses His beauty is through different cultures,” says YWAM staffer, Luzanne, introducing the evening’s events.

Indian “musicianary”, Benny Prasad, played his one-of-a-kind guitar—the only one ever created with drums built into the guitar itself—and shared his amazing testimony with the audience.

Also sharing in the evening was the South Korean cultural worship group, “One Voice”. Comprised of nearly thirty members, “One Voice” uses Korean cultural artistic expressions to reach out to and encourage all nations and tongues to worship God in their own ways.

All in all, the event was a powerful evening worshiping God together with the nations and celebrating our diversity as one body of believers comprised of different nations.

Check out photos from the event below!

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Our team has returned safely from the Korea Vision Tour with YWAM founder, Loren Cunningham, and has many stories to share. But before we catch up with them to hear more details of the trip and what’s next, we wanted to share with you some of the trip highlights and the amazing things God is doing in South Korea!

While this tour was an opportunity to reach many young people unfamiliar with YWAM, it was also a great opportunity to catch up with some former students. Twenty-five YWAM Lausanne alumni attended Loren’s first speaking engagement. It was a gift for our staff to be able to follow up with these students and discover all that God has been doing in their lives since their time at YWAM Lausanne.

The team was active in passing out over 1,000 flyers about opportunities at YWAM Lausanne at Loren’s speaking events. The team was also able to have very fruitful conversations and times of prayer with students desiring to enter the missions field.

“We really feel privileged to be a part of what God wants to do in and through Korea during this season,” said one of the team members.

In each church Loren spoke about God’s love for the nations. He urged South Koreans to rise up because, “God has prepared Korea for such a time as this,” said Loren, quoting Scripture.

Loren is convinced that a new wave of young believers is rising in South Korea with new believers coming to know Jesus everyday, and the Discipleship Training School is a great step to exploring and deepening that relationship in powerful ways.

We look forward to hearing more about the tour from our team. Check back soon for more highlights and testimonies!

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In efforts to make the DTS more widely accessible to all young people sensing a calling from God into the missions field, YWAM Lausanne has restructured our DTS school fees. As a result, the new fee for lecture phase has been reduced to USD2990!

More details about these reduced school fees will be coming soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact the Admissions team at: info@ywamlausanne.com for more information or to apply.

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Swiss staff members performed light-hearted skits about Swiss culture and organized fun games to help break the ice.

Following the games, students headed to the dining room for a traditional fondue dinner, yum!

After a feast of cheese and chocolate, students gathered again to watch a short movie about the landscape of Switzerland as well as enjoyed a presentation by staff member, Peter, about the religious history of Switzerland as well as present challenges and opportunities for sharing God’s love with the people of Switzerland.

Check out photos from this quarter’s Swiss Night!

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A team from YWAM Lausanne sets off today to South Korea where they will join YWAM founder, Loren Cunningham, and another YWAM team from Kona, Hawaii for a two-week speaking tour around South Korea.

The visit is the first of a three-part Korea Vision Tour and was birthed from a vision Loren Cunningham experienced in which he saw a second wave of young Christians going out from South Korea into the nations as missionaries, just as the previous generation did before them.

With a clear passion for calling forth young Koreans into missions, Loren and the two teams are excited to travel around South Korea visiting churches and speaking with young people across the country. Starting in Seoul, the team will head out to six cities and visit nine churches in the southeastern region. Loren will share about missions and the vision of YWAM and team members will share their life-transforming experiences serving in missions and pray with the young people.

“We want them to get a taste of what missions entails and help them discern if they are called to missions,” says Tyler, one of the YWAM Lausanne team members. “I know that my life was transformed through the Discipleship Training School and I want to share my experience with them because I believe that a lot of youth are searching for God and the Discipleship Training School is a great place to start on that journey of knowing God better.”

For Jinah, another YWAM Lausanne team member, this tour is especially personal since South Korea is her home country and she will have the opportunity to call forth young people into missions from her own culture.

“I think Korea is a very unique country because of its history and the way God has moved in that country. We’ve seen so much of God’s blessing, and I really believe God’s handprint is on that country. But that passion for God needs to be revived and a new wave of young Christians must respond to God’s calling on their life,” says Jinah. “Id love to see more young people jumping into missions and following God’s call in their life.”

The team arrives tomorrow and begins touring on Saturday. Please join us in praying for the release of young people in South Korea into missions and check back for regular updates on the team’s experiences while on tour!

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At the start of every new quarter, the students and staff head out on a tour of the historical old city of Lausanne to help become acquainted with the city they will spend their days during lecture phase. However, what makes it truly fascinating is the rich history of the Christian faith in this historic city of Lausanne.

Tom Bloomer, Provost and Vice President of the University of the Nations, led the tour of students and staff through the old city. Starting at the city’s historic marketplace, the students traveled through the windy, cobblestone streets up to the city’s main cathedral–a mark of any Swiss city. It was here that Bloomer dove into the history of Lausanne during the Reformation.

Located along what once was a main route for traders and followers of the Catholic faith making their pilgrimage to Spain, Lausanne has a rich history dating back to the 13^th Century. When Christians were being persecuted, it was Lausanne and the surrounding area in which they sought refuge and experienced religious freedom.

Fast forward to the 1960s when God called Loren and Darlene Cunningham, the founders of YWAM, to establish the first YWAM base in Lausanne. Since then, the YWAM Lausanne base has been a site of great movement, spiritual awakening, and ministry, calling students from numerous nations to its halls and sending them back out to proclaim God’s goodness and share His Truth.

“I believe God has truly anointed this place,” says Tom summarizing all that God has done in the city and region over the last centuries. We look forward to what God will do through our students and staff this quarter, using them to reach out to the city and its people as Christians have done in its streets for centuries.

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As we start this new year continuing the work God has started at YWAM Lausanne, we want to update you about a few exciting opportunities coming up for our April 2013 Quarter.

Please join us in calling forth students from the nations by sharing these life-changing opportunities with your friends and family!

Foundations in Education School (FIE) (April 5 – June 24)

The Foundations in Education School is designed to equip aspiring teachers with the necessary foundational principles in education. Students will learn the foundations of early childhood development as well as how to prepare and teach children in a variety of contexts. The FIE provides a biblical framework for those who wish to teach children in their foundational years.

Biblical Core Course (BCC) On Location (April 5 – June 24)

The BCC On Location is a unique opportunity to travel to the places where the stories in the Bible took place. The BCC On Location will begin in Lausanne, move to the Middle East (Egypt, Israel, Turkey), and finish in Greece and Italy, stopping at historical sites along the way and bringing the Bible to life!

English/Korean Discipleship Training School (April 5 – August 16)

The April 2012 Korean/English Discipleship Training School is a unique opportunity for students to take five to nine uninterrupted months to discover God’s plan for their lives. Designed to mobilize, empower, and equip young believers to impact the world, the opportunities to grow in God are endless! Students will learn from world-renowned speakers about a variety of topics, develop Christ-like character through community living, and live out their faith while serving the nations during outreach phase.

For more information on any of these upcoming schools, contact Admissions at: info@ywamlausanne.com.

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To mark Human Trafficking Awareness Month, students from this fall’s Engaging with God’s World School share what they have learned about human trafficking.

Over the course of three months, the students worked together to try and unpack some of the root causes for human sex trafficking and its occurrence in Europe from a Biblical perspective. Passionate about the issue, the students took to researching, praying, and raising awareness about the issue, presenting their project to the base and leading a time of prayer for the victims.

The students chose to look specifically at the relationship between pornography and human sex trafficking, explaining how our cultures’ demand for and acceptance of sexually explicit material can, in some cases, lead to the trafficking of women for sexual purposes.

“As Christians, we learned through prayer and research that we can’t stop sex trafficking without first addressing the struggles and hypocrisy in our own lives,” says one student. “We must consider if and how we are contributing to injustices through our own actions.”

The students completed their study by writing an e-book that summarizes their findings and continue to raise awareness about the issue.

You can find the students’ project, The Trap We Set, and download their e-book at:

http://www.facebook.com/thetrapweset

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As the DTS came to an end, with my bags packed and my final photos of the mountains taken, our school took time to reflect individually and as a group on what God taught us during our time together.

Looking back, I see that I developed many new skills, even everyday skills like planning a menu and grocery shopping for eight people—a stretching experience for a single girl whose everyday menu consists of frozen dinners!

Though through the ministries we worked with while on outreach in Central Asia, I identified more of my passions, such as assisting refugees and women at risk.

I’ve experienced and now better understand just how vital prayer, worship, and spending time with God are for my life. They help me maintain a healthy perspective, giving God the opportunity to minister to me.

I also made new friends with both the people we met while on outreach as well as my teammates, and are friendships I plan to continue long after DTS.

Yet what has changed in me most significantly through the DTS is my deepened relationship with God. I experienced His faithfulness, His grace, His heart for the nations, and His compassion for the poor in new ways.

As one of our leaders said our last week, this journey of knowing God that we experienced in DTS will continue “until we see Jesus face to face.”

And now that journey continues at home as I continue to experience more of God and hear His voice each day.

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What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

This was a question that was posed to us numerous times during our lecture phase in Switzerland, and it is a question that kept coming to mind throughout our entire outreach.

Because the word “Christian” is interpreted negatively in some of the countries we’ve traveled to during outreach, the believers there prefer to use the phrase “follower of Jesus”—explaining it puts the emphasis on a relationship with a Person rather than a religious system.

Yet in adopting this concept as part my identity, it begs the question, “Who is this Jesus, and what does it mean to follow Him?”

To help each other explore this question, my team members made the commitment to read the four Gospels and discuss our thoughts and impressions together every week. And out of these discussions, in conjunction with our outreach experiences, God has revealed a lot about what it means to be a “follower of Jesus.”

See, Jesus had 12 close followers while He lived on Earth, and I realized that the DTS has been in some ways a condensed version of the training the disciples went through. In the same way as us DTS students, the disciples also had a time of learning and watching before Jesus sent them out to preach the Gospel.

In the same way, I can see that the type of ministries we participated in during outreach were also important to Jesus in the three years of His ministry.

Jesus showed His love to these people and had compassion on them. He spent time with people who the religious elite viewed as “sinners” even at the expense of His reputation.

Similarly, we worked with organizations and people who reach out to those who are often overlooked or undervalued—orphans, the poor, and women at risk—just as Jesus did.

Jesus preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God, teaching large groups of people, and witnessing one-on-one. And much in the same way, we also testified to God’s great plan and purpose for people in churches, in the streets, or in the homes of friends that we’d made.

Jesus also loved His Father and made it a point to spend time with Him. During our time on outreach, we have spent many hours with God one-on-one and in group worship and prayer.

Yet our experience on outreach only scratched the surface of the question of “who Jesus is?” and how we can best follow Him, but has inspired a thirst within me to pursue this question after DTS ends and for the rest of my life.

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Excited, DTS leader Adriano says, “Today we are going to taste, hear, and see a glimpse of the many things these groups did during the last several weeks.” Presenting their experiences through song, skits, videos, and photos, the rest of the base really did get a strong picture of both the countries they visited as well as their experiences.

The team that remained in Western Europe traveled to the UK and Germany where they ministered in churches, schools, and on the streets as well as partnered with a street pastor ministry to reach out to the people of London.

The Central Asia team also was able to participate in a variety of ministries. Despite the difficulty posed by the language barrier, students were able to interact with people on the streets by passing out information about Jesus in the local language. Students also partnered with a ministry to help women at risk, preached in churches, and prayed for people.

The final group traveled over 35 hours to their destination of East Timor. There, the all-female group ministered in hospitals and orphanages, praying for the sick and playing with children living in the orphanages.  The group also taught English classes in the evenings and led children programs through the local King’s Kids ministry.

As a result of their faithfulness and hard work, God used the three groups to minister to over 2,500 people and over 60 people came to know Jesus Christ! The groups also served practically, blessing churches with supplies and musical instruments to enhance their ministries and gave much-needed mosquito nets to families in East Timor to protect against malaria.

While sharing their reflections of their time on outreach, one student encouraged the next DTS to really rely on God whilst on outreach. “I think outreach is a way to learn how to truly serve others and to depend more on God. Whatever you will go through, I want to encourage you by reminding you that you can always lean on God, no matter what.”

While God clearly used the students to “plant seeds” and walk alongside people on their journeys of faith, God was equally, if not more, at work in the hearts and minds of the students—opening their eyes to new cultures and traditions, God’s amazing provision and power, and to the plans He has for each of them after this experience.

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The Engaging with God’s World School has had the privilege of learning from many speakers this quarter who influence their communities in various spheres of society: religious, social, and now this time – political.

The EGW students recently welcomed the Swiss politician, Heiner Studer, to discuss where politics and faith collide.

Heiner Studer, a politician with the Evangelical People’s Party (EPP) in Switzerland for many years, served on the National Council from 1999 to 2007 and is currently the president of the EPP Switzerland since 2008.

Studer explained the rich history of Switzerland’s political landscape, while challenging the students through topics such as the role of power and biblical principles for politicians.

Studer says that as a politician, one has substantial power and it is essential to discern why such power is sought after.

“Do you love the people you serve? Is your motivation to get power, or to give the people power to discover solutions to their own problems?” asks Studer. For power, as Studer explains, is to use it to love and serve the people under your influence rather than using it to one’s own benefit.

This, Studer says, is what should define the Christian politician – one that serves the people rather than themselves, one that exercises influence rather than domination.

Studer explains that it is possible to apply biblical solutions to today’s problems, but that it takes quite a bit of prayer, discernment, respect for others’ opinions, and a great sense of responsibility.

“The world is ultimately God’s and we are responsible for how we care for it,” says Studer.

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Nathaniel from YWAM Townsville in Australia recently joined us for our weekly intercession time to talk about the incredible work that YWAM Medical Ships in doing in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The medical ship travels between Australia and Papua New Guinea bringing life-saving and life-giving help to the people of PNG. With a population of 6 million, there are less than 40 dentists country-wide and people have to travel long distances to reach health centers, only to find that they are often under-staff or under-resourced.

From treating malaria, disease, and malnutrition, to providing prescription glasses, to giving free dental work, YWAM Medical Ships continues to give second chances to many who wouldn’t have one otherwise.

Nathaniel shared with the base the exciting things that YWAM Medical Ships is working on. Nathaniel explains a new program started in PNG to train students, churches, and communities to identify diseases and administer the necessary life-saving medications.

He also talked about an encouraging new technology – a fold-out dental chair and optometry kit that collapses into a backpack. This allows medical workers to travel into isolated villages and treat community members who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to seek such medical help.

Students, rightfully inspired, prayed for the people of PNG as well as the ministry and mission of YWAM Medical Ships, praying for big prayers including the purchase of a newer, larger ship by 2015!

Will you join us in praying for this amazing ministry? Want to find out how you can help? Check out their website at http://www.ywamships.org.au/.

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This quarter, the students in the Engaging with God’s World (EGW) School have explored new ways of interacting and understanding God’s creation. Through a variety of engaging and practical activities that help to link lessons learned in class with the real world, students continue to use their critical thinking skills to better understand God’s view and purpose for humanity.

One such event that ignited the senses and linked classroom principles with everyday life was the EGW’s Food Night!

Food Night encouraged students to discover more of God’s creation by being creative cooks!

So many times we forget the source of the food we eat, but this evening, students were able to explore the topic of healthy living through a biblical lens.

Students gathered together to take a stab at making homemade butter and pasta made from scratch with ingredients purchased from the local farm. Students also made bread from a recipe taken straight from the Bible!

Following the recipe in Ezekiel 4:9, which promised to feed Ezekiel for 390 days, students mixed together wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt and baked to perfection delicious and nutritious bread rolls. Yum!

It really showed the students that they can be hands on with the food they eat, and be creative with the resources God has blessed us with.

School leader, Sindre Vaernes, explains, “We’re learning in class that discovering God’s ways and following them leads to life and health.” Sindre continues, “Walking in God’s ways in faith leads to life just as eating healthy leads to health and life, and this is a tangible, hands-on way of teaching that.”

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YWAM Lausanne has been praying for students to come forth for next quarter’s School of Worship (SOW) and He has provided! Yet we still have much faith that God wants to bring more students from the nations to be equipped through this unique opportunity.

Help us spread the word! Know a gifted artist? Someone passionate about using their talents to bring glory to God and minister to the nations? Take a moment and share this inspiring opportunity with them. Sometimes all it takes is a word of encouragement from a friend to help students receive confirmation from God.

NOTE: For those who are involved in missions and have a vision to engaged or develop in worship ministries after the school, we are offering partial scholarships. If this applies to you and you are interested, contact Admissions at info@ywamlausanne.com or through our website!

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