Today, Heather and Ryan speak with Lisa Weaver, Outreach Administrative Assistant at WC, on her YWAM experiences.

Kids often feel pressure to know what they want to do after high school. It is often the #1 question they are asked and often they have no idea what they want to do.

Lisa didn’t know what she wanted to do after graduation, but was invited by a friend (with whom she had gone on a short term mission trip to Nashville TN in 10th grade) to go on a mission trip to Guatemala, Ecuador, and Nicaragua which was her introduction to YWAM (Youth With A Mission). She worked in the kitchen and made a lot of guacamole! She came back, worked for her parents business, and then decided to attend YWAM DTS in Tennessee, near Nashville.  The best part of YWAM is the deep, deep community she found there. You eat, sleep, take class, learn how to work through conflict with them. Lisa was there on campus for 3 months and went on outreach to Malaysia for another 2-3 months. Lisa then felt God was calling her to do a secondary school, which is through YWAM but much more specific than a DTS. Lisa did the School of Ministry Development, which is like a leadership school. The schools are incredible, with cross cultural experiences and academic classes. Some classes are accredited and you can earn college credits. You learn a lot about the Bible and also interpersonal skills. She then made a 2 year commitment to go back as staff and lead a DTS school that was soccer focused. Lisa was in YWAM for almost 10 years (part of that time she was in Germany and England, which was during the Olympics). YWAM partners with their local churches and the community. When Lisa felt that God was calling her to go to secondary school she felt it was a gut feeling. She felt that if she did something else it would be okay, but felt that this is where she needed to go that came through a time of praying, asking God, and reading and still being slightly unsure. It is almost like a theme in her life - “Not sure this is what God is saying but I am going to go with it until something else comes up or until God says no”. Stepping out and trusting, it kind of takes the pressure off of feeling you have to make all of the right decisions for your life. After doing a trip in Europe and visiting other ministries, she felt called to return home. Went on a trip to visit ministries in US and then decided she wasn’t called to any of them and was called to work. Got involved in The Living Room here at WC. Got a job she loved and got married. You can have this plan for your life, but even if it doesn’t end up how you thought it would go,  it is still awesome.

Often we don’t know how much we need community until you are in a place where you have it, but then when it is gone you realize how much we need it. The "Great Steak and Shake Debate":  Lisa and her friends debated (while eating at a Steak and Shake) that people are very spiritual or they are secular and there is not really an in-between. Lisa debated that spiritual life is important and the rest of life doesn’t even matter. She felt they just didn’t get it. And now looking back Lisa feels she is the one that didn’t get it. “I thought I knew everything but it turns out I don’t know anything.” Actually God is involved in every area of our life, andwe should put Him first and be passionate about what He’s given us and the passions he has given us. Every Christian already has a call from God. Mathew 28: 19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Links: YWAM - @ywam_org
Facebook - Lisa Weaver
Instagram - @lisahairflipweaver
Email Lisa questions about YWAM - [email protected]