Happy Belated Easter! This is always such a special time of year as we celebrate the single greatest event in human history. Fitting with this special time of year, we put on a large outreach in a part of the city along the lake called Ouchy (pronounced Oo-she). There was a wide array of different ministries, and in the mix, was my photo ministry group. Using battery-powered printers and our cameras, we take portraits of people on the street and print them out. This simple method creates an amazing space to encourage people and let them know that there is a God who loves them. We had a great afternoon meeting a whole range of people and encouraging them with photos. It was also really fun to introduce new participants to the method of sparking up interactions.
Two of the many photos we did at the outreach.
Another impactful project that has been slowly coming together in the background for quite some time also finally came to fruition. There are a number of smaller YWAM locations and ministries in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (called the “Romandie”). The leaders of these ministries decided that it would be beneficial for there to be one central web presence to display the wide breadth of these groups who do everything from providing Christian counseling to operating medical relief ships around the globe and everything in between.
Myself and Debbie, a crazy-talented graphic designer from Nigeria, were tasked with taking these dreams and turning them into a functioning website. We did this all over the course of an intense 2-day “Sprint” with some of the other ministry leaders who helped with things like translation. For me, it was very challenging because we were using a web development tool I had never worked with before. But with a couple of helpful youtube tutorials beforehand and a little trial and error, I quickly got up to speed. The site is in French & English and helps to connect people to ministries and locations where they can get involved in making a difference. This kind of “Home page” is a newer concept and my prayer is that it will be a catalyst and guide for people to connect to ministries and discover more of God’s purpose for their lives.
On another exciting note, we are also trying something new in our office. While we have been doing different kinds of work/study style internships for those who work in the office for quite some time, we recently decided to open it up to those not so closely connected to our department. A guy who works with our campus’ worship ministry, Noah, was interested in learning more about diving deeper into video editing. So, we worked out an arrangement where he comes and studies with us for 2 days a week. So far this has worked out really well. He is enjoying it, and his skills are growing rapidly. I am also really excited as well because this is serving as a kind of test run for similar arrangements we might pursue in the future to invest in training more people in the area of media.
The weather has been much more summery and as a result, I have been making good use of my scooter. It has made getting around so much easier and I even enjoy taking it out for quick little cruises through the forest over my lunch breaks on days with clear weather. Altogether I have managed to put nearly 300km on it, most of which have been in the last month or two. It has been such a huge blessing. I am so thankful for it and the generosity of all of you who contributed to it.
As always, thank you for coming along with me in this adventure of faith,
Ben