Jonas Missions
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About me.
My name is Jonas and since January 2024 I am part of an international team of volunteer workers with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in New Zealand for at least 2 years. The team recently changed its location, and I will be assisting in establishing the work and the base at the new location.
Where? "YWAM Zion" last year moved to Whangarei, which is the northernmost city in New Zealand with about 55,000 residents and growing. A significant portion of the local population consists of Maoris and "Pacific Islanders" - people from the Pacific Islands, mainly Samoa and Tonga. Many people live in challenging circumstances, which also leads to crime and gangs being not uncommon.
Why? Primarily, I want to give young people the opportunity to experience a Discipleship Training School (DTS) as I did. It's a great environment to take significant steps in faith, meet incredible people, and have transformative experiences and adventures. Personally, would like to engage in long-term missions, and I believe my time there will be very instructive, particularly in terms of leadership since I will also lead a few 2-month overseas missions. "YWAM Zion" and its leaders are of great importance to me, and I'm incredibly excited to work with them in establishing the work at the new location. I've grown very attached to the Kiwis (the people of New Zealand, not the fruit 😉) and their culture(s), and I want to invest in this nation for that reason. But most importantly, it's crucial for me to make God's name as prominent as possible and fulfill His mission for me in this world.
Who? The team is led by Barry and Letitia Gager, a Kiwi-American couple that has been with YWAM Zion for a long time and have now taken over leadership. Many of the other staff members have done their DTS with me and are among my best friends.
What is a DTS? The DTS is a discipleship school that I was able to attend in the fall (New Zaland's spring) of 2022. It starts with a 3-month lecture phase, during which young people learn, experience, and grow a lot. With topics like "Hearing God's Voice," "Relationships," and "Identity," you learn a great deal about God's character, yourself, and your relationship with other people during these few months. It was also a healing process for me, and I experienced tremendous personal growth. Equipped and as an incredibly cool group, you then spend the last 2 months in a different country (in my case, Tonga) to help people, share the good news, and have extremely impactful experiences. My highlight is the deep friendships that have emerged from the many highs and lows during this time. The DTS is a course of the University of the Nations, which you could consider a Bible school or, more accurately, a mission school.
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Support.
Donations
The financial situation at YWAM is based on the principle that everyone is responsible for their own expenses. The idea is to live a life in dependence on God for financial provision. This provision primarily comes from people who believe in us and what we do. We dedicate our time to serving God and others, and those who feel called to do so support us financially so that we can fully focus on our work. I'm very reluctant to ask for money, especially from friends and close acquaintances. Probably like many others, I prefer not to depend on others and would rather cover the costs myself. Unfortunately, that's not possible for me at the moment. But ignoring my calling to New Zealand is not an option for me right now. So, if you feel called to support me and my work in New Zealand, I would greatly appreciate a donation. If you would like to get more information about how I spend my money, feel free to contact me.
You can either make a one-time donation (for things like flights, vaccinations, or visas) or a monthly donation (for things like housing and food). I appreciate any support, no matter how large.
If you would rather support me in prayer, you can join my prayer-chat on Whatsapp with the link below. Whenever needed, I will post my prayer requests in this chat.