Looking back at all that has happened over the last month, all I can say is WOW. I have almost had to pinch myself on numerous occasions.
For starters, on Aug. 30th, we finally launched the new website for the YWAM base. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief as it went live. This has been such a massive undertaking with months and months of work culminating in the launch. The site went live in the evening and as an office, we had a small celebration with some cake. As is always the case, there were a few small things to fix, but overall it went remarkably smooth. This was a big answer to prayer.
Instead of using a premade template, the site is running on a custom framework I wrote. Creating these can be quite challenging, as they have to be written to make the site look good on hundreds of different screen sizes, different internet browsers, and be as small and efficient as possible to make sure the site loads quickly. As we got close to the launch, I was really nervous that there were things I had overlooked, forgotten about, or not addressed correctly. Months and months had gone into crafting this site, and the last thing I wanted was for it to fizzle. However, when go time arrived, it came together beautifully. People love the new look and feel of the site. Every day 600-1000 people visit the site and so far not a single major problem has come up. While on its own it might not seem significant, the new website is offering better support to all areas of the base helping to propel the ministry forward. There are still several ideas we have for the further development of the site that we will likely work on in the coming months, but for now, the site is live and I can breathe easy.
As most of you already know, I also have come back to Montana for the month of September. It is the first time I have been back in almost 2 years. I love Switzerland very dearly, but there is truly no place like Montana. It has been amazing to reconnect with so many amazing people and get some much-needed rest. I am glad there is no shortage of responsibility, projects, and initiatives on my plate, but I do end up running myself pretty intensely. So the break has been extremely refreshing.
I have also been so thankful to get the opportunity to share about the ministry with some church groups and individuals. For me, this is always a bit stretching, as I am not a big fan of being in front of larger groups of people. However, I have been blessed to have nothing but warm reception. While away I have done my best to share about what is happening, but some things just don’t translate in writing or even video. Thus, it has been so so good to be able to finally be here in person.
Another very exciting element of my time in Montana was getting to be at my sister’s wedding. I am so happy for both my sister and her new husband. The wedding was such a special time that so perfectly reflected John and Bri. It was also wonderful to be able to see some of my extended family which is something I do not take for granted given the much-increased complexity of travel these days. Our family has always been pretty close-knit, so it meant an awful lot to be there for such a big moment.
Looking ahead, I am flying back to Switzerland on the 1st of October. This time, instead of goodbyes at the airport, my parents get to come with me. They will be in Lausanne for 18 days volunteering on a development sprint for the U of N’s record system. It will be so special to have them around, even if it is going to be a very busy time. I am looking forward to getting back refreshed, recharged, and ready to roll up my sleeves again.
As always, thank you for coming along with me in this adventure of faith,
Ben