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YWAM Tyler's Response to Haitian Earthquake

YWAM Tyler’s MercyWorks is responding to the worst earthquake to strike Haiti since 1770. MercyWorks has several ER doctors who have already indicated their readiness and availability to go. Their initial job is to immediately take care of people affected by the 7.0 earthquake, then over time transition to primary care. The plan is to send waves of teams to the area to sustain ongoing restoration efforts. The first MercyWorks team is tentatively scheduled to depart tomorrow, and will focus on providing medicines, food, and help with rebuilding efforts.

The response effort will be immensely challenging. The earthquake occurred 45 minutes before the sun set and due to the loss of electricity, people were soon in total darkness. Phone service was lost, keeping people from getting in touch with family and friends. Dozens of aftershocks measuring up to 5.9 kept people awake throughout the night. Even before the earthquake, there were few, if any, emergency services in Haiti. Most of the people survive on less than $2 per day. Haiti’s envoy to the United States described the earthquake as a “catastrophe” and says the damage from the earthquake could run into billions of dollars.

Wes and Danielle Chapman have been full‑time YWAM missionaries for five years. In 2002 they each came from very different backgrounds to receive training at YWAM Tyler, where they met, fell in love, and married.

Written: December 2009
In the fall of 2006 we came to Asia with the OneStory Project* to bring the Word of God to the “Z” people. We didn’t know all that it would take but we jumped in with both feet. We began simply by observing and learning the culture of our people. We prayed fervently every day, “How can we make our wonderful God attractive to these people?” We discovered that the “Z” people are filled with fear. Demonic spirits, superstitions, and age-old traditions bring bondage in every village. We wondered, “Can God truly set these people free?”

Soon we learned enough language to begin crafting the Bible stories that would bring light into this darkness. From the very beginning we knew prayer was the key. God spoke to our hearts, “If you want Me to move in every village, then pray in every village.” So we did. Earlier this year, we prayed in village number 108. We had done it; we had prayed in every village!

Today, with the help of several “Z” friends, we have crafted 34 Bible stories and three Bible songs. We’ve trained over 40 “Z” people villagers to tell those stories and sing those songs and to teach others to do the same. These trainings alone have resulted in first, second, and third generation house churches. The “Z” people are hearing the word of God in their own language from their own people.

Written: September 2009

Dear Friend,
About 50 years ago, Fran and I began our ministry together pastoring churches. Ten years later, we joined a young organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Over the last 40 years we have had the wonderful privilege of leading a part of this ministry and of experiencing the Lord’s faithfulness to make it grow and multiply in so many ways. A few years ago, Fran and I began to pray about handing over the leadership at some point in the future. We sensed that this role should be passed down to a younger generation. In praying carefully about this over a significant period of time, we sensed the Lord speak clearly that we were to appoint Chris and Debbie Lascelles to this role. When we approached our council and asked them to pray about Chris and Debbie taking on the leadership of YWAM Tyler, there was great enthusiasm; they all sensed that this decision was from the Lord.

Written: September 2009

Forty years ago the Lord directed Leland and Fran Paris, founders and chairpersons of Youth With A Mission Tyler, to leave the pastorate and begin a YWAM ministry in Hammonton, New Jersey – YWAM’s first training facility in the United States. Afterward they journeyed westward and began a YWAM ministry in Solvang, California, eventually relocating to Tyler, Texas, where the ministry continues today. Throughout the years, thousands of us responded to the invitation

Written: June 2009
While I was preparing to take a team to an Asian nation for outreach, I was told that it is closed to the gospel of God. I was told that we can’t preach, we can’t do dramas about Jesus, and we can’t sing songs about God’s love. So as a team we prayed, and we asked God the following questions: “How do you share the freedom of Christ in a nation that has no freedom?” “How do you preach the gospel without words?” “How do you convince a person that Jesus died just for him, when he’s one amongst millions?”

Well, we didn’t really have the answers when we left, but in faith we knew that God would provide a way to share His love with the people in that nation. There are many stories about this trip, many salvations and wonderfully amazing moments, but to me the following story is a story of how God wants us to live our lives, every day.

Rodger and Katrina met in the fall of 2002 at their home church in Wichita, Kansas. They were both surprised to meet somebody there who had a heart for missions and for YWAM. Rodger had traveled for a year with Impact World Tour, riding a freestyle BMX bicycle during ministry campaigns. Katrina had just returned from her Teachers for the Nations outreach to Kenya. After seven short months of dating and serving their home church, they got married. In 2004 they came to YWAM Tyler so Rodger could attend DTS and SOE training schools, and Katrina joined staff at Fatherheart maternity home.

The long winding road took us deeper and deeper into the Haitian outback. Baking in the morning sun and choking back the dust, we carefully scanned the horizon, wondering where our final destination would be. The barren landscape showed no sign of life.

Just as our restlessness peaked, we saw it: A narrow path emerged to our right, carved out of the abandoned rice fields. Our truckload of people and supplies jostled about as we turned off the main road and made our way across the wilderness, only to find life at the other end. “There it is!” yelled someone to my left, “See the mud huts!” This would be our resting place, and our home, for the next seven days.

There is an amazing remnant everywhere. In fact, it is bigger than a remnant. The nation is full of godly, practical, common sense people who are hungry for the things of God. Welcome to the normal: Police officers, school secretaries, moms, plumbers, students, maids, and lawmakers—normal people who lighten the world. Like a mighty army, this holy remnant is hidden and quiet but the season is changing. God has given His people a voice and He has opened doors to influence the world in the seven spheres of society: church, family, government, education, arts and entertainment, media, and business and economics.

It was the third week of our outreach in South Korea, and it was a grueling one! Every morning we played with kindergartners before heading off to teach English in a middle school. After lunch we continued teaching English at two high schools all afternoon. Then, for four hours every evening we ran a kids camp, where we taught the kids dances, skits, songs, and Bible stories.

Starvation and Cholera Run Rampant in Zimbabwe

Urgent Help is Needed

Once the richest nation in Africa, Zimbabwe now lies in ruins while its people are starving. According to a MercyWorks colleague in Zimbabwe, there is no food for people in the government hospitals. One church has "adopted" a hospital and takes meals there three times a day.

In addition to widespread starvation, thousands have died from a severe cholera outbreak. This disease is not a random mishap. It is a product of state failure, a direct consequence of decaying municipal infrastructure and a health system that can no longer offer basic services. Sadly, the under-nourishment of many people makes the risk of death from cholera a life-threatening certainty.

"Funerals of people dying of cholera are a common feature of our daily lives," said Tapiwa Hove, who lives in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. "But it seems no one cares. Sewage is flowing all over. It's like living in hell." Harare's Parirenyatwa Hospital, which was once one of the finest in Africa, is now closed with burst pipes leaking into its darkened operating rooms. One doctor said, "We've gone from some of the best healthcare in Africa to people dying because they are living in their own sewage."

MercyWorks is responding to this urgent crisis by raising prayer support and financial assistance for the people of Zimbabwe. They also plan to send a medical team as soon as possible. Initial departure was planned for early March; however, conditions on the ground made it too great a security risk. The team is prepared to go in on short notice when safety concerns have been sufficiently addressed.

For more information on how to get involved, visit www.mercyworks.org, call MercyWorks at 1-866-77-MERCY, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Whoever expects to meet their future spouse halfway around the world? Well, Josh and Marsha Langer never did, but that’s exactly what happened. Josh is from Germany, and he came to YWAM Tyler to do his DTS in 2002. Marsha, who is from Ohio, was in the same school. They began dating at the end of their second level school, School of Evangelism. Marsha then returned home to finish university, and Josh joined the YWAM Tyler staff in 2003.

For the past 23 years, Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Tyler has annually hosted Take Action, a multimedia event aimed at encouraging young people in their walk with God and exposing them to world missions. The event includes a multimedia production (drama, music, video, and dance), worship, small groups, workshops, and times of prayer and interaction with the participants.

One day our DTS outreach team split into two groups to minister to a couple of churches out in the bush. When my group got to its church, we were informed that plans had changed. Now, we needed someone to preach. One of our team leaders came to me before we started and asked if I would share a message with the people. I had preached a few days earlier on fear and happened to have my notes with me. I began the sermon, but within a few minutes the Holy Spirit took over.