It'll be Alright.

Last night here at YWAMSF, where I live and work, we were honored to have an event that has been years in the making.  We hosted the graduation from our 360° program of a guy by the name of Ali, who’s been coming here for years.  It wasn’t until the event was taking place that I realized the gravity of everything that was happening.  This has apparently been a story 15 years in the making, since Ali first had contact with YWAM San Francisco.  I don’t know his whole story, so I feel like it wouldn’t do him justice if I even tried to elaborate, but the long short of it is that he was on the streets, ensnared by drugs and a degraded lifestyle.  Throughout the years YWAMSF had reached out to him for a while, presumably first with our once Street Team ministry.  Eventually, Ali decided to join our newly pioneered 360° ministry, a ministry aimed at discipling people from the streets into a lifestyle in line with God, and in honor of Christ.  15 years later, Ali is the first graduate of this ministry.  

Seeing people’s responses really opened my eyes to a bigger picture going on here.  There’s a transient nature about YWAM in some respects, as since initial staff commitment is two years, and people are self supported, and a numerous amount of other factors, there don’t often happen to be people who have been around for a whole 15 year chunk of a ministry’s existence.  But here at YWAMSF, we do have a bit of people who have been around for a lot of it.  Seeing their response to Ali’s graduation was eye opening.  These people have seen at last 10 years of one man’s trials to coming close to Christ.  10 years!  And it had finally come to fruition.  Even though Ali’s been following Jesus for a while, and been discipled along the way with helps of 360°, this was a milestone in his walk.  Next, Ali will go on to become more involved in the big picture of YWAM San Francisco, becoming akin to staff members instead of simply a volunteer.  I’m not sure if that means he’ll do a DTS, and do everything the official way or not, but he’ll at least essentially be staff.  

It really makes me think.  Have there been people I’ve been ministering for over 15 years?  Man, I’m only 22, so I doubt it directly, but there have been people who have been on my heart for over a decade to come to knowledge of Christ as savior.  It’s crazy to think.  What if they were doing what I was doing someday?  What if the people who I’ve desired for so long to know Jesus, but at times seemed so impossible, were missionaries?  Nights like last night give me hope.  It’s not impossible, not for anyone.  And now my eyes are opened more.