Renee starts at YWAM

Renee Dueck
c/o YWAM
2859 Commercial Dr.
Vancouver, BC V5N 4C7
Home Phone (604) 255-3154
YWAM Vancouver (604) 255-5262
Chocolate_thebreakfastofchampions@hotmail.com

August 26, 2003
Dear Friends

I hope this letter finds you doing well and enjoying the last days of summer. At this time last year, as you may remember, I was preparing to leave for a Discipleship Training School run by Youth With a Mission Vancouver.

I spent three months of the school in Vancouver, learning about a wide variety of topics such as How to Study the Bible and World Missions. Then we went on a two-month outreach to South East Asia, visiting a total of four different countries. In Singapore we worked alongside local churches promoting missions and doing street evangelism. We ministered to drug addicts and homeless people at drop-in centers in Malaysia. In Thailand and Cambodia we spent much of our time praying for those countries and had opportunity to be involved in all kinds of ministries, from working with prostitutes and street kids, to sorting clothes to be sent to poor villages in northern Thailand.

Overall, it was a very rewarding experience, and during this time I felt God calling me to more involvement in missions. So in June I went back to Vancouver to staff the summer Mission Adventures program. This program is designed to get youth groups involved with missions. During the summer we run four ten-day programs, each of which consists of four days of training and six days of outreach, mainly to different drop-in centers and soup kitchens in Vancouver. My duties consisted of directing the passion play our staff performed during every training week, supervising clean-ups, preparing meals, and hospitality. This summer we had very few teams, so we were able to spend some time on Vancouver Island helping out with Vacation Bible School at a church there, as well as spend a lot of time at drop-in centers ourselves.

This fall I will be staying on as full-time staff with YWAM Vancouver and have committed to working with them for at least two years. My main focus in being there will be in drama ministry, working with DTS students to prepare dramas they can use on outreach, and with mobile teams to give presentations to churches and schools in the Vancouver area. I also hope to have plenty of time to be involved in local outreaches at some of the drop-in centers I worked with this summer and am looking into the possibility of a free drama club an outreach to kids in our neighborhood. God has really given me a heart for the city of Vancouver and I feel confident that I am where he wants me. I am so excited to see what the next two years will bring.

The only aspect of working with YWAM that I dislike is asking for money, but it is necessary as no one in YWAM is paid a salary, from the president on down. I will be raising support to pay for all my housing, food and general living expenses and I would ask you to consider being one of my supporters. Please do not in any way feel pressured or obligated. All I’m asking is that you pray and ask God if you should give and in what capacity. You can give a one-time donation or donate on a monthly basis. If you would like up-dates on how I’m doing so you can pray for me, please let me know. My contact information is at the top of this letter. All cheques should be sent to:

YWAM Donor Services
Box 21505 Little Italy PO
Vancouver, BC
V5N 5T5

*Please make all cheques payable to Youth With a Mission. Donor Services cannot process any cheques with anyone’s name anywhere on the cheque, even in the memo line, so please leave the memo line blank and include a note of designation. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter. I am so grateful for all your prayers and support. Thank you for taking an interest in my ministry. Please take a few minutes to fill out the response form at the bottom of this page and send it back to me. Once again, thank you and may God bless you abundantly this fall.

With Love,

Renee getting ready to go to YWAM

Renee Dueck c/o Raymond & Martha Dueck
#2 Eagle Court East St Paul, MB, R2E 0L2 CANADA
Renee Dueck c/o Youth With A Mission Vancouver
Box 21507, Little Italy PO Vancouver, BC V5N 5T5 Phone: (604) 255-5262

Aug 14, 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

I graduated from Riverton Collegiate Institute in June. Many people asked me at different times throughout the year if I knew what I wanted to do next year and for most of the year, the only answer I could give was “absolutely no idea”. I really wanted to be involved in a short-term missions program, but with so many organizations to chose from, and so much need in the world, it was hard to know exactly where God wanted me.

One of my favorite verses this year has been Jeremiah 29:11—“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” I had this verse taped inside my locker door as a constant reminder to me that God has a special plan for me; that I shouldn’t run ahead of Him and try to do my own thing, but that I should wait patiently for His leading.

In May, I sent away my application to Youth With a Mission (YWAM) to attend a Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Vancouver. At the end of June I received a phone call from the registrar letting me know I was accepted. For those of you not familiar with YWAM or the DTS program, it consists of a 12-week lecture phase, which takes place in Vancouver, and an 8-week outreach phase. There will be outreach teams going to Morocco, Mexico City, and Central Asia.

During the lecture phase I will be living in dorm at the YWAM base in Vancouver. The days will consist of lectures, small group discussions, intercessory prayer groups, worship, and work duties. There will also be opportunities for outreach during the lecture phase. As for the outreach phase, I am not entirely sure what it will involve, as I am not sure which country I will be going to. However, in whatever country I go to, we will be involved in cross-cultural evangelism as well as service opportunities.

I would like to ask you to pray for me as I prepare to leave for Vancouver this fall. It will be a big adjustment for me to be so far away from my family and all my friends. Also pray for me that I will be able to discern God’s will as to which outreach team I should join. And of course, there is also a financial cost involved. The DTS costs anywhere from $6000-$7000 CDN depending on the location of the outreach. I spent three weeks this summer working at Beaver Creek Bible Camp , so I was not be able to earn very much of the needed amount. I would appreciate whatever financial support you are able to give. And I will definitely need your support through prayer.

I am in great anticipation of next year, and look forward to seeing how God will work in me and through me. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged and supported me in this decision. May God bless you in the year to come.

Sincerely,

Renee