With the DTS students headed home and a blurry vision for the future I eagerly awaited the Lord to speak in direction for my next season. Was it time to finish my time in YWAM and head back to Manitoba and make that the missions field? Or was it time to place some roots down in missions and commit for the long haul? Both of these were real options for me going into this time.
But as you know I will be staying in Italy to be a school leader in YWAM Trentino. Committing for the long term, I'm excited to see what God is calling me into and to be sharing this with everyone around me, for His glory. I’ve been praying and asking God what He has in store for me in this upcoming year/years and He’s been sharing a few things with me.
Future Vision
True Discipleship
I feel God really built a passion in me for true discipleship. This is something I think that has been growing in me since I’ve been in YWAM and I anticipate it will continue to grow. Jesus is the perfect example of how to disciple, how to lead people to God. Jesus is love and He is not afraid of you, your mess, or anything about you. He is all in, in every way. His love knows no bounds. I’ve found that it's really easy to love someone who thinks and acts like you, and this is the same in discipleship. It is easy to disciple someone who’s like you because there is no clash, no hard situation where you need to go in with them. God has really been growing my heart to being ‘all in’ in leading and discipling. Being all in, not afraid of what may come or what mess people may have but walking together towards Christ. At all times we are discipling and it's up to us whether we are intentional in our actions or being passive in discipleship.
Eternal Perspective
During my time in missions God has been building this in me, what it means to have an ‘eternal perspective’. It’s hard to explain over text so I'm going to try and simplify, basically highlighting to me what's really important in life. What in life is actually going to last? Making the important things important again and bringing the things I’ve made to be important back to God and giving Him the utmost importance. I’ve found that sometimes living in the here and now has made me forget that the investments we put in for the kingdom of heaven are eternal! God's kingdom is everlasting! Also in this, living a life of simplicity. This is something God has been building in me and Has spoken about for my future.
Missionary
God has been speaking about how I’m first a disciple of Jesus, a missionary for Him and that in missions He comes first. In speaking this I felt that God was saying that I'm not a ‘YWAMer’ (a person that works with YWAM) but first I’m His! He has blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him through this youth movement. But YWAM isn't the goal, bringing people into the Kingdom is! So I will continue to serve God through YWAM but in the future I'm also looking at other ways where I can be serving Him while the DTS is not running, as it is a six month course. I feel that there are other options where I can be serving during the other six months, maybe even outside of YWAM! In the previous years during the other six months I have been continuing to serve through YWAM but I feel that God might want to open some other doors to partner with Him in.
In conclusion…
I’m looking forward with excitement to the future of missions God has called me to. To be a long-term missionary. Laying down some roots in Italy and being able to serve the Italian people as well as others in this ministry! God is on the move, and what a joy we have that He chooses to partner with us.
Blessings, Lucas
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