GoWests!

GoWests.com – Offical site of the WestSide Story!

Jeremy in Las Vegas March 23, 2015

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 2:50 pm

Hello everyone. What was one Australian guy (me) doing in Las Vegas with 27 ladies aged between 18 and 25?  Teaching in a Discipleship Training School focused on abolishing human trafficking and slavery and ministering to orphans, of course! Youth With A Mission runs Discipleship Training Schools that carry a specific theme or focus.  The one I have been teaching in this past week is preparing to send out two teams on outreach: one going to Nepal and India to work among orphans, and the other to Thailand and Cambodia to amid the human sex-slave industry.  The school consisted of 24 young ladies, plus their staff (of 4 ladies; where are the men?!).  We had a great week.  My topic: the cost of discipleship. It is a huge privilege to work among such committed young people, willing to be trained and sent out to some of the darkest places, to do some of the darkest work. IMG_8568 Back home, the family is doing well.  Samuel and Joel just turned 13 and 11.  Eden continues to be a confident—and darling—7 years old. At the mission here in Montana, we are just finishing up the January quarter. Our DTS has just left for their outreach in Thailand and Nepal.  I was privileged to teach in that school too, that time on grace. Thanks for following us, being on our team, or just even thinking about us!  It means a lot.

Blessings and love to you all out there,JW.

 

A Final Update for 2014 December 17, 2014

Filed under: Family,Photos,Uncategorized,Updates,Video — GoWests! @ 9:48 pm

Hello everyone!

For those of you in the USA, Molly and I hope you had a great thanksgiving, and for all of us, a great Christmas season ahead. We approach the end of 2014 with gratitude to God for all we have been allowed to partner with Him over this last year.  At the close of 2014, we wanted to give an “overview-update” of the year.

As most of you know, 2014 has been busy for the Wests.  I led two leadership training programs (“DTS Equip”) here in Montana (Spring and Summer), as well as overseeing and teaching in two others internationally (Ukraine and Cambodia).  In addition to these schools, there is other work we do to move missions forward.  This means that you are also part of many more initiatives and work which build the Kingdom of God locally and globally.

I also travel and train other students, staff, and leaders—both inside and outside—of YWAM.  I have just returned from a week of teaching the 130+ staff and leaders of all the Discipleship Training Schools at our Kona campus.  I have also taught in other locations in the USA, Asia and Europe.  Equipping local church members and leaders is also a joy and passion, equipping and contributing to reaching the local community.  In this vein I designed and ran a 9-session leadership development series over 18 weeks at our church here in Montana, called “CORE”.  All of the church ministry leaders, small group leaders, and pastoral staff were involved in this.  Our involvement continues to grow with our local church family, as we co-lead a small group, and I am also part of a preaching rotation.

While all of this work is valuable and meaningful, what really gives us satisfaction is sending students and staff out into the field.  This happens at the end of each quarter, as it did a week ago; these are special nights. At our community worship meeting we had the opportunity to worship together, hear from the students and staff, and then prayerfully commission four teams for their outreach assignments.  Over 50 people headed out on 4 teams to: Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, and India.  For the next two months they are not only the hands, feet, heart and voice of Jesus, they are also our hands, feet, heart and voice.  This is why we do what we do, and why YWAM exists: to obey the great commandment, and to perform the great commission.

YWAM Lakeside Montana is training and sending out dozens of teams out each year.  These teams are Bible teaching teams, discipleship teams, evangelism teams, community development teams, children’s ministry, human-trafficking ministry, English teaching, and more.

Finally, a word about our car situation.  As many of you know (and have been communicating and praying with us) we were looking hard for a car.  Well, the time of waiting came to an abrupt end with 4 degree Fahrenheit weather forecast for an upcoming weekend!  We just bought a 2007 Toyota Highlander.  It’s a great solution for us.  Smaller than our van, but with 4wd and studded tires it tackles our icy hill nicely.  Just as well, too: the night we got it we had 6” of snow and the low temperatures I mentioned.  We took the money we had, and took out a loan for the remainder (that’s info for a lot of you who had been following our “car adventure”).

We have included a few photos also.  Our Christmas tree adventure, teaching in Kona, and [for family members and those who walked with us through Samuel’s school transition] some video of Samuel’s Middle School choir.  He is front row, center.  Each are about 35-40 seconds (they were actually very good).  (Forgive the quality – most were taken with my phone, in poor light)

Merry Christmas!

Jeremy, Molly, Samuel, Joel and Eden (oh ok, Boomer too)

Kona Staff Training

Kona Staff Training

Tree and Truck

Molly the tree-hunter

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16 ft of glory for $5: You gotta love Montana!

To hear Samuel’s Choir, click links below:

Samuel Choir 1: http://youtu.be/sbQp95lg1Vg

Samuel Choir 2: http://youtu.be/VOP5q7wlMCY

Samuel Choir 3: http://youtu.be/QxArNPErA0w

Samuel Choir 4: http://youtu.be/mkQaPB-P0QQ

 

Equipping in Ukraine, and my new friend Sergie July 18, 2014

Filed under: DTS Equip,J's Journey,Uncategorized,Updates — GoWests! @ 11:01 am

Hello out there!

I just finished the first week of the Eastern European DTS Equip here in Ternopil, Ukraine.  This is a great group indeed.  A very solid feeling of being unified and focused, and just amazing as the Spirit is so evident in their lives, calling, and every one of our classes.  It was such a privilege to be here.
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As you know this is a leadership and staff training school.  Those in the classroom represent several nations and ministries; Ukraine, Georgia, Finland, Russia, and the USA.  The current political [regional] climate here is unstable, yet they are moving forward “business as usual”.  Unfortunately some participants were turned back at the border, or unable to come due to the tensions and fighting.  As we can see from recent news, the fighting is real, and in so many cases, the injustice indiscriminate.  This has the potential to affect multiple ministries (and all who work in them) in many nations over here, especially Russia, Ukraine, and the other Eastern European nations.
A character snapshot…
One guy over here I connected with is called Sergei.  He is a Ukrainian-born American, from New York.  At 23 with an engineering degree, he is now moving here to live and work among orphans.  Why orphans?  Because, as he says, “God told me, ‘Sergei you will be working with orphans'”.
When he told me this he didn’t mention that he was an orphan himself.  In fact, he doesn’t talk about it unnecessarily or volunteer it at random.  This is what amazed me so much about Sergei.  He is such a great guy, so relaxed and gentle, so balanced, you would never guess the horrific first 9 years of his life.  In Ukraine, his father was an alcoholic and his mother a prostitute.  Sergei had been through 4 orphanages, at each one being tortured as part of a covered-up child medical experimentation program.  Despite the  cruel punishment and treatment, he is literally a walking testimony, amazingly alive today.
Sergey-001
Finally, at the age of 9, he was adopted by an American couple while at an orphanage in Kiev; they also found and adopted his 3 siblings from 3 other separate orphanages around the country, simultaneously!  (This amazing couple are pastors in NY and have also started “Justice for Orphans”).  Most of his family have been in missions, as well as Sergei today.  But it hasn’t come easily for him.
Troubled years followed as he grew, and more than a decade of nightmares began taking their toll.  Less than 3 years ago Sergei came to the end of himself, and while considering suicide to stem the pain from repeat nightmares, other trauma, and other pressures of life, God literally spoke to him: “Sergei, don’t do it.  I really love you.  You are going to work with orphans”.  God began an even deeper work in Sergei that night.  The years of sowing into him by his family, and his own devotion to Christ have brought him to the place he is today.  He has even traveled back to Kiev to these orphanages to walk out the process of forgiveness (today it is a legitimate orphanage).
Sergei is here being trained for further discipleship and leadership, and to work as YWAM staff with a ministry that focuses primarily on orphans in Ukraine.  He is a living, if young, Moses who has come back to Egypt.  Meeting people like this is an unbelievable joy, encouragement, and challenge.  Thank you to our support team who makes it possible to invest in and help launch people like this.
Now, it’s time to make my way back to my family in the USA and to our own DTS Equip in Montana, where our staff are finishing up week-3 without me.  Three more weeks with them and then off to Mexico to run a leadership development week for leaders and disciplers from several different YWAM ministries and schools.
Blessings to you all, and thanks for following!
JW
 

To Seek and Save the Lost July 13, 2014

Filed under: DTS Equip,J's Journey,Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 11:45 pm

Equip is up and running in Ukraine for the second time. Given all the recent unrest, we were unsure if the course would even run, but it is!

And Jeremy is there teaching this week!

We would appreciate your prayer – that all the participants receive the encouragement, revelation, and training that God has for them! What a privilege it is to be part of the Gospel going forward in Eastern Europe and Russia. Go God!

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost”
Luke 19:10

 

June on the Westside June 21, 2014

Filed under: DTS Equip,Family,Photos,Uncategorized,Updates — GoWests! @ 12:35 am

Dear Ministry Partners,

It’s time for an update of facts and photos.

Below you will find our current ministry and family happenings. Prepare to be encouraged!

Ministry:

May – Our Montana Leadership teams decided to include Cambodia as a “target nation” (a nation or people group that we strategically focus our resources and efforts toward), along with the 5 we already have (India, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine).  We have personally served in all these nations and it is our JOY to have the whole campus taking on Cambodia!

    khmer boyTextjeremy cuong

June thru’ October – Jeremy has been asked to develop and run a leadership training series (called “CORE”) at our local church.  Our Pastor is asking everyone serving in any leadership capacity to attend.  This allows Jeremy to serve in the church in his area of gifting: discipleship and leadership training.

CORE Theology | CORE Identity | CORE Action

CORE Theology | CORE Identity | CORE Action

 

June Thru October  – 3 EQUIP Programs in 3 regions

equip header

1. Another Equip (leadership training program) starts here in Lakeside in 10 days!
2. Equip in Ukraine, starts in July.  Despite the civil unrest, training, evangelism and discipleship continue.
3. Equip in Cambodia, starts in September.  This will be the third Equip run in Cambodia.

Family snippets:

samuel guitar

Samuel just finished 6th grade and is into guitar and shooting hoops

joel scout

Joel just finished 4th grade is an active cub scout, and loves his Wii games

eden ballet

Eden just finished Kindergarten, is doing so well at ballet, and loves her Lego

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Update:

Jeremy & I will celebrate our anniversary this Saturday the 21st , so we decided to get a new house to celebrate  😉  Here is a house update.

2014-06-07 15.03.59

photo (1)

2014-06-07 15.05.14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are now in the “finishing” stage and should be moving in the week of July 14! The fighting for the toilet will soon come to an end!  Thanks to all of you who have given in time, and sponsoring portions of the project.  Your gifts are making it happen!  Interestingly, when our family moves in, we will immediately have guests in the guest room too!  Awesome.

CURRENT NEEDS:  As the project finishes up…so does the funding…If God would lead you to give towards items not yet covered….we would be grateful!

  1. Carpet (bonus room): We have $5560; still need $1260
  2. Lighting: projected need of $1500
  3. Closet hardware: This one caught us by surprise $1500
  4. Bathroom accessories: $500
  5. Grass, soil and seed: An unexpected need. We have $1200; still need $800 more to be sown  🙂

As you know, the whole project is a God story and we continue to put our trust in Him! As we are working hard on everything we can, we are confident He will provide the rest.  We have so many stories already of people giving, donating materials or seriously discounting them for us. Others coming over and working, as well as completing major [specialized] construction jobs.  Various tradesmen donating time, and good cheer!  It seems that as long as Jeremy promises not to “help”, they are willing to do the professional job themselves  🙂

Thank you for your part in our ministry.  Together, we are reaching the world for Jesus, and equipping others to do the same!

Love,

Jeremy, Molly, Samuel, Joel & Eden

 

Spring Equipping April 24, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 8:48 pm

Hi friends!  We are half way through Spring DTS Equip – the leadership development seminar we lead. We have 14 wonderful participants and the most diverse group we have facilitated. The youngest is 18 and the oldest in their 60’s (with staff in their 70’s!). Various ministries are represented including:  Dance, Sports, Facilities, Children and Youth, Biblical Training, and of course DTS and Crossroads DTS programs. Both Molly and I have been teaching, as well as an amazing line-up of international and domestic teachers and trainers.

IMG_3180

One particular “paycheck” for us so far is the presence of Yuka (back row, easy to spot!) one of our key staff from Cambodia.  Yuka works with the South East Asia Equip in Cambodia.  Not only did he manage to raise money for the trip, but he received a visa within two weeks of applying, first try (that is a miracle in itself)!

2014-04-24 11.26.26

 

Molly and I continue to serve on our YWAM leadership council here in Montana which keeps us very busy. We are currently in one of the fullest seasons ever, with over 160 full-time staff now serving the nations from here, as well as just as many students taking training courses. We currently have teams in Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Thailand, as well as many of our teaching and training staff serving in other nations such as Nepal, Ukraine, Mexico, and more.

Molly and I have also been blessed with our church family. We are actively involved in a church “life group”, sharing some of the leadership and pastoral cares. This has been very enjoyable for us; to be so involved in the body of Christ not only in the nations with YWAM, but also in the local community. This service will grow as the year progresses, which we will share more about in the months to come.

DSC006422014 is shaping up to be a busy year for us. In February I (Jeremy) recently completed my Master of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership. We are currently building a house, the “West’s International Headquarters”, and as already mentioned we are half-way through the first DTS Equip of the year. Late June the Summer Montana Equip begins, mid-July the Eastern Europe Equip (in Ukraine) begins, then in September the Sth East Asia Equip kicks off in Cambodia. More details will follow as the year unfolds.  Whew!

The family is doing well. It’s hard to believe that the Samuel, Joel and Eden are in their last term for the year, and will have completed 6th grade, 4th grade and Kindergarten respectively.

Thank you for your continued prayer, communications and support. Having such a group of people supporting us is so encouraging and plays a HUGE role in the mission work we do. Together we are making a tangible difference.

Love to you all!

Jeremy, Molly, Samuel, Joel and Eden!

 

Headquarters – Family News April 14, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 10:03 am

West’s International Headquarters Update

It is amazing to report, but we have almost finished the framing of our house!

We began mid March and things are really moving forward quickly. It is a surreal feeling witnessing our home come to reality. Our contractor has been fantastic; a real answer to prayer. God has been involved in many elements of the project. Here are some of our God-stories so far:

  • Many people have donated materials and time to us. Windows, doors, stone, financial gifts and more.
  • Our excavation cost an extra $2000 due to the discovery of blue-rock.   But then the following blessing happened to pay for it…
  • We received a call that someone was donating all of our roof shingles. That is worth around $2500!
  • Then, two days later a friend from church told us he would install all of the roofing for free!
  • Another friend from church is stone mason. He offered to provide the stone for our fireplace for free, as well as all of the labor to lay the stone!
  • We were going with Formica counter-tops… Then our contractor found a friend of his who is entering the granite counter business and convinced him to use our project as a way to move into the market, model his work, and advertise. We are getting granite for the cost of Formica!
  • We decided to make a change to the roof-trusses above the garage and make a bonus room (it will be unfinished initially). It was estimated that the cost of different trusses would only be around $1300 (very cheap for a huge room addition!). But, according to our (honest!) contractor they have only cost us an extra $650.

At every turn we are being blessed. Even though we are under contract with our builder, he is so happy to accommodate these donations and gifts, even though each one removes some of his profit margin.

Our next big miracle area will be appliances. We will soon need to select appliances to be installed. We are screening the clearance and returned sales at Lowes and Home Depot waiting for the right bargains to appear!

Here are some photos from start to present.  Thank you for celebrating this miracle with us.

 

March 12 – Footings in

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Framing – this happened remarkably quickly

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Trusses in

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Last week – Roof going on

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Notice all the sunny days?  That is another God story!

 

 

 

 

 

3 Short Updates from the Field January 31, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 9:39 am

We love being part of sending out teams and hearing the good reports!  Be encouraged today!

 

Thailand Update from one of the team leaders:

“We’ve just come out of the jungle where we’ve been for the last few weeks, and I actually have internet access at the moment, so I’ll write you a brief update…

For those who haven’t heard yet, our time at Ging Gaan was AMAZING!! We we’re able to speak to 2000 people in just one week, and we saw so many fruitful relationships, prayers of salvation, and lots of progress for our friends at Ging Gaan.

We just finished working at a children’s home near Chiang Rai, Thailand. We were teaching English and doing construction projects for the home…our team re-roofed a hut, painted a mural, and laid a huge piece of driveway. So much concrete…and all of it was stirred and poured by hand! So proud of our team!

Yesterday, we traveled to Mae Sai on the Burmese border, and Cortnie and I sat in a little canteen right on the river between the two countries, and it was amazing being able to stare across at Myanmar…hopefully, one day, we can go there with another team! (And to all our friends in Myanmar, we’re thinking of you…)

Tonight, we get on a bus and travel down to Phuket, where we’ll be working with an organization that helps women caught in the prostitution industry as well as teaching English and job skills to immigrant workers and their families. Pray that our time there is as fruitful as what we’ve seen here up north.

As many of you know, there have been protests in Bangkok since before we arrived in Thailand, and it has started to escalate with an explosion and at least one death. As a result of the escalation, we’re bypassing our stop in Bangkok that was planned, and we’re traveling straight to Phuket instead. Please pray for the eight or so million people in Bangkok that the protests stay peaceful, that no one else gets harmed, and that there’s a quick solution found for the Thai government and its people.

We have amazing, intelligent, and very helpful contacts here in Thailand that are making sure we all stay safe. Internet access will continue to be spotty for our remaining two and a half weeks, but we will send another update as soon as we’re able.”

 

Taiwan Update from one of the team leaders:

“We’ve been having a busy last month here in Taiwan. We traveled to the Southern part of the island to help with a new church in the area. We led Bible Study, preached, led worship and got to do some open airs in the community. It was an awesome 10 days of building relationships with people and encouraging the church there. We saw several new people come into the church during our stay and ask you to keep praying for the people of Kaohsiung and that their influence in the community would keep growing!

We then taught at an English camp for 4 days that had about 100 High-school students attend. We got to talk to a lot of students about the Bible and they had many questions about How to Hear God speak! The way our team loved kids and served with joy had a huge effect on the teachers we were working alongside during those 4 days.

We have now returned to the base in Danshui for our final two weeks of ministry and are getting to work with The Rock coffee bar which many of you know of. It’s Chinese New Year so things are bustling in the area and there’s SO MANY opportunities to talk to people about Jesus. We are praying to see more salvations as fruit of the many relationships we’ve built here! Keep praying with us in these last two weeks!!”

 

Mexico Update from one of the team leaders:

“We have had a great couple of weeks of ministry which was highlighted by building a Home of Hope. We built a 16’x20′ house for a family of 15. With the house we also were able to give them a table and chairs, a nice bunk bed and most of all a nice small range that they can cook on. When we arrived for our first day of the build there was a small fire going outside with a pot on it, so giving them this range will bless them immensely.

In addition to the house, we were able to bless the small community with some blankets and bags of food. Last night we went to the church there and all the community showed up which is a lot more than the normal 12 people. We were supposed to preach but the Pastor was caught up in the moment of having his church filled, so he went for it and preached the gospel. We snuck in a drama and I was able to give my testimony. God is doing some good things in that community.”

 

We also have teams currently in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Russia, and Ukraine.. but this update is already long enough =)

Jeremy leaves today for Amsterdam where he will be in International meetings for a week.  The 50 or so leaders gathering together are coming from around the globe, reporting on what God is doing in their regions and planning for the next seasons of training. Good stuff.

It’s a privilege to serve.  Thanks for being on our team!

 

This week, in the mountains of NEPAL… October 30, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 11:23 pm

What a privilege and a joy to be able to share with you tonight

that we currently have a team in Nepal that is sharing the love of Jesus

to Nepali people who have never heard the gospel before!

Image  NEPAL 2

This discipleship training team of 15 from Lakeside, Montana (8 of whom

are internationals) are hiking through different mountain ranges of Nepal, sharing with

trekkers and Nepalis alike that their lives have been turned upside-down by Jesus and

inviting new friends into the journey with them.  Jesus said “Go into all the world

and make disciples”; please pray for this team and the people they are meeting and ministering to!

 

 

Molly on a “Live Hangout” Online Discussion Panel September 18, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — GoWests! @ 6:27 pm

Hi all.

Molly bringing some fun heat in Cambodia

Molly bringing the heat

Just an FYI, at our YWAM training location here in Montana we run an online Hangout discussion forum.  Today, Molly was part of a 4-person panel discussing publicly “What does the Bible say about MISSION?”

It has been pasted onto Youtube.  Check it out at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LIGf5Aju8U

JW