This month we hear how YWAM is serving in Lebanon during the current conflict with Israel, check out YWAM in Santa Cruz, see how YWAM Ships is delivering water tanks to Tuvalu, Pacific Island Leaders gather in Honolulu for three days, YWAM Philadelphia continues with their prayer station ministry, YWAM Paris and YWAM Berlin engage in street outreach, YWAM Ashville continues to provide free meals after Hurricane Helene, YWAM Haiti runs training programs at a few of their locations, we find out about a YWAM community in Maytown, Washington, we take a tour of YWAM Adelaide, and more …



Thank you for downloading this, the 159th episode of the Youth With A Mission News Show Podcast, I’m your host, Bill Hutchison.



You can contact us, subscribe to future episodes, leave comments, and find links to all the stories we talk about on the show notes for this podcast at ywampodcast.com/159 …








https://youtu.be/_8nu-1lRv7I




Stories:



YWAM in Lebanon



When Ben and Shannon Soh first heard the call for their family to serve in Lebanon there was no way that they could anticipate the rocket attacks, bomb blasts, economic crises, and political turmoil that they were entering into.







The Sohs arrived in Beirut in 2021, a year after the YWAM Centre in Beirut was established, and only shortly after a massive explosion had hit Beirut, killing 135 and injuring thousands. In fact, when they arrived, the debris at the YWAM location was still uncleared.



The team in Beirut runs a Discipleship Training School, and a School of Missions in English and Arabic. They will also be pioneering a Bible School and Community Counselling Training School within the next year to equip local and international believers. In addition to the schools, they also participate in a Skate Ministry, and a Soccer Ministry.



In October of last year war broke out in Lebanon after nearly 12 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. While the Sohs' used to look out to the mountains, they now saw a land it by air strikes. Fighter jets hurtled past their apartment building breaking the sound barrier. They had to leave a gap in their windows, of the sonic boom would shatter the glass.



One of the huge bombs dropped to take out a Hezbollah leader was just 10 minutes from where the Sohs lived.



Because of the international makeup of the YWAM Team, finding flights out of Lebanon proved difficult to find after the decision to evacuate was finally made. Since finding a flight was proving to be so difficult, the team left for an ulu (remote) mountain shelter and hour and half drive from the city.



For the next two weeks the group stayed in the mountain shelter by night, but then by day they drove back to the city to help the displaced by working at a food kitchen and distributing aid.



When one entire neighourhood was bombed because one man may have been tied to Hezbollah, the YWAM team took the difficult and possibly dangerous decision to allow others to take shelter at their location. Despite the possible risk, the team took people in and served them food and welcomed them.



One of the people given shelter was an Imam, who was "visibly shaken" after having his whole world fall apart around them. This proved to be an amazing witness as when He asked why would "you Christians" do this for us, they responded by saying "We just felt it was what Jesus would have done".



With the continued conflict in Lebanon,