In this update, you will read about the World Cup ministry, Mission Adventures, the DTS workshop, and more that is coming up. I have also set up a way for UK supporters to get gift aid for their donations, which you can find out about below or on my support page.
As usual, HERE is the browser version of the Update if you prefer that. There is also a PDF version at the bottom of the page.
Hi family! Wow! Summer has flown by for me. So many things, big and small, happened this summer, and I am finding it increasingly difficult to know what to write in my newsletters because I don't want each to be the length of a bus. I have so many pictures that I want to include in this too. But most importantly, I hope that through this update you will get a taste of what God is doing here in Vancouver. There is also news for my UK supporters in the fundraising section below.
FIFA World Cup - Jesus Saves!
I will start with what God did through our World Cup ministry. This year, Canada was one of the three host countries for the FIFA World Cup. This meant our city was packed with tourists from around the world to watch the games unfold. We received a donation of 1,639 Bibles in five different languages (English, French, Mandarin, Italian, and German) from the Canadian Bible Society. Over the course of the tournament, we gave out 1,127 of those Bibles to people in Vancouver. We prayed for and shared the gospel with many people, lots of whom were eager and ready to hear the good news. Others were not as excited, and we received a lot of pushback, but I trust that God is at work in them even if they rejected His message this time. A variety of individuals from outside YWAM lent us a hand, including members of our local churches, friends, strangers, and even my roommate, who came and helped on his lunch break! It was a lot of fun to partner with God in what He was doing during the World Cup this year. Thank you to all who helped out and made it possible.
Mission Adventures
Mission Adventures (MA) is a week-long discipleship program where we host teams from all over for a week of service, prayer, and learning what it means to be a missionary in every context. Many schools, youth groups, and churches often come to participate. This year, I was co-leading MA through the summer. In September, we had our last (and biggest) team of the year, with 55 people coming and sleeping in a local church. Leading these teams around the city has been a lot of fun, and it fills me with hope for the next generation to see young people taking risks for God. Their tenacity inspires me and reminds me what YOUTH with a mission is all about. Young people taking the Gospel into all the world. It’s been a privilege to lead and teach these young people, and I pray they continue to lean into God for the rest of their lives.
DTS Workshop
In August, we went to a DTS workshop. 10 of us loaded into our van and drove 14 hours to Montana. There, we connected with other YWAM locations that run DTS in North America, learned about best practices for DTS, prayed, and worshiped with one another. There were around 150 YWAMers there, and I loved getting to know so many cool people. Conferences are one of my favourite things for all the different and interesting people who love God.
What’s Coming Up?
DTS Staff Training
In January, our 5-month Discipleship Training School (DTS) starts up, and we have a handful of new staff members who have joined our team. So this autumn, we will focus on staff training to build our team culture and prepare for when the students show up next year. I will be leading a book study each Friday on ‘Values Matter’, which explains the core values YWAM functions from.
MA Conference
At the end of October, I will be attending an MA conference in Ensenada, Mexico, where YWAM centres around the world will meet, talk, and pray about the state of MA. I am excited to learn from other locations that run the MA program; I hope to be inspired by new ways to facilitate discussion with the students. Please pray that I will have all the funds needed to cover travel and registration. The total expense will be $560 USD.
Fundraising Update
Thank you so much to everyone who is partnering with me financially. Truly, I would not be able to do any of this without you.
My average support is currently around $850 CAD/month, which is a huge increase from what it was last year! My goal is to raise $2000 CAD/month so I can sustainably serve long-term, covering rent, groceries, health care, ministry costs, travel, and gradually paying off my student debt.
For UK supporters, I have just set up a Stewardship account so you will receive gift aid for your donations. Thank you for being patient as I figured that out! Here is the link to my stewardship account, which can also be found on the support page of my website.
If you feel led, please pray about joining my monthly support team. Even small monthly amounts make a big difference.
Check out the support page on my website for ways to give. Click here!
I also have a Facebook group where I try to post more frequent updates on what God is doing through my life. If you would like to join, you will find the link to my Facebook account at the bottom of this page.
Prayer Points
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Please pray for our DTS staff team - that we are united and have a healthy culture.
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Pray that we get a good number of students for next year's DTS and that God is preparing them for the school.
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Pray for the MA conference - that I would make meaningful connections.
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Please pray for my relationships here in Vancouver as God opens doors to exciting new things.
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Please continue to pray that God will provide for all my needs.
Thank You!
Thank you for praying, supporting, reading my newsletters, and cheering me on. I am so blessed to have you in my corner. If you want to chat, hear more stories, or ask questions about what’s next, feel free to reach out anytime. If you would like to read more of my newsletters or find ways to support me, check out my website.
God bless you,
Ezekiel Smith
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