“I am a full time missionary with YouthHOPE, a ministry of New Mission Systems International. YouthHOPE exists to transform the lives of global youth by equipping the church to meet their holistic needs. We currently facilitate three training programs: Youth Leadership Academy, Youth Ministry Leadership Training, and The School of Youth Ministry Trainers. A typical year will involve traveling throughout the world and leading these trainings with pastors, youth workers, teachers, and community workers that serve youth.”
Working as a Youth Development Specialist
“When we aren’t training overseas, we work out of an office in Fort Myers, Florida to write curriculum, develop resources, and network with global youth workers. Roughly 90% of the worlds youth ministry resources and trained youth workers reside in the United States. The U.S only has 4% of the world’s youth. Our goal is to resource the world and the other 96% of youth with trained youth workers, curriculum, and quality youth ministry in places where it is lacking, and in places where it often doesn’t even exist.”
How does your faith interface with your work?
“Faith is everything. Faith is central to what we do because without faith we would not be here. We trust daily that God will provide everything we need, and our faith in God keeps us going when finances are tight, when we are traveling to unsafe locations, and when life is just hard. We believe God called us here, and our faith is what keeps us going each day.”
Luke’s Advice
“Keep breathing. Cherish your limited and valuable time at Messiah. Cherish your classes, friendships, and experiences. It will be over before you know it. Find peace and rest in the season God has called you to: to learn and grow.”