In Coffs Harbour, Australia we did a lot of evangelism in nearby malls and shopping centers. There were a handful of other ministry opportunities including dressing up in clothes from a thrift store to launch more clothes from said thrift store into a crowd of youth, spending an afternoon in a retirement home, join a men’s group with guys from all over the world, and worship on a beach that led to a meal at a stranger’s home.
During evangelism, we were able to pray over, make relationship will, and show the heart of God to so many people. Each day we would all debrief with stories of talking to strangers and encouraging them, praying for people we felt God put on our hearts, and gained greater insight into things we had previously been figuring out in our minds.
There were also many times during our time in Coffs Harbour that we would intercede over (pray) and have times of worship for what God had placed on our hearts for Coffs Harbour. These consisted of silent prayer, shouts of praise, dance parties, and interceding over the team as well.
Testimonies
The first Sunday in Coffs Harbour, we went to a church and had dinner with some people from the church. There was a guy we invited over to just get to know him. He had recently graduated, had became a Christian in the last few weeks, and was looking for what was next. We told him a bit about YWAM, and about studying the bible. I felt like I was supposed to pray for him, so I asked him if I could, put my hand on his shoulder, and started praying for him. I mentioned something about him having an impact on his dad, and that led him to ask how I knew about his dad being in prison. I didn’t, but we prayed for his dad, whose name happened to be “Joel”, my middle name. It’s crazy how God uses our thoughts and prayers to bring people closer to Himself.
One of the nights that we had decided to do an evening worship session on the beach, we met a woman who worked with many of the refugees in the area of Coffs Harbour. She had passed us a few times that evening while doing a prayer walk on her own at that very beach. When she came over, she showed me what she had been listening to, and joined in during the last few songs. Before we left we all prayed for her, and speak truth over her husband and sons. She then invited us over for what all of us on the team would agree to be one of the best meals we had over outreach. The night at her house was full of worship, laughter, and delicious food. It was one of the many outreach highlights that we all shared as a team.
During the time we had in Coffs, my roommate and I were invited to a men’s bible study where the guys could find community in other men and have accountability and encouragement in their walk with God. During this particular meeting, there was a man who was older and mentioned that he was experiencing a lot of pain early in the meeting. Before we broke up into smaller groups, a man who had been glancing at me from across the room motioned for me to come over and pray for the older man. Both of us laid hands on him and began praying. Nothing more than a few words asking God to heal him. The man thanked us before getting up and walking out. From there we left and went back to the church we were staying at. We returned to that church the next Sunday where the head pastor acknowledged our group from the pulpit, and told us of how the next morning he had received a call from that older man saying how the pain had gone away completely.
Another time, our entire group was doing evangelism. We had paired up except for my group which was three of us. At first the two girls I was paired with were hearing so much, to pray for this person, and encourage this other person, buying things for some of the other girls on the team. They turned to me at one point and asked what I was hearing. My answer was a quick “Nothing”. I had no desire to be there, let alone be doing ministry… So I just walked into a store that sells writing supplies. We had been in that store for a while before one of the girls had started talking to the lady behind the counter. Naturally, the other two of us joined in the conversation to get to know her. One thing led to another, and the lady spoke about how she was going through a rough patch in life, mentioning that she was pregnant and that her baby had cysts in his brain. I asked her if I could pray for her, put a hand on her shoulder and told her I thought she should put her hands on her stomach. I prayed for her, her daughter, and her baby. As soon as I had finished, she said “Whoa, when you were praying for my baby, he kicked…” We all agreed that was pretty cool, exchanged contact info so that we could contact her after getting back to Newcastle. By the time we had gotten back we were anxiously waiting the time we could call her. Three days after getting back, we called her. She told us that not only was her baby completely healthy, but the cysts were completely GONE. God had healed her baby!
Special Thanks to YWAM Coffs Harbour, James, Jim, and all of our contacts for helping us out in Coffs Harbour.
Outreach at YWAM Newcastle
Every quarter (January, April, July, and October) we have teams that are sent to the ends of the earth to partner with God in what He is doing. The model is just as it is in Acts 1:8 (Jerusalem, Judea, and all of Samaria), we have a local, regional, and international location. If you would like to contribute financially with myself or YWAM Newcastle, please reach out via my email or under the Contact Me tab.