Adventure Comes From Risk: Saying Yes To Jesus

When my fiancé and I were first approached with an invitation to go to YWAM Ships Kona new ship, the m/v YWAM Liberty, to help get her ready for operation as a medical vessel, our reaction was to laugh loudly. The thought of packing up and heading out to Australia less than a month after we returned to Kona seemed ridiculous. We had barely settled back into our roles as base staff and we were looking forward to being back in our community.

Once the initial shock wore off, we looked at each other and I think we both mentally agreed to take this seriously. We had been on the Pacific Link (another one of Port YWAM’s vessels) late last year and we had already planned on heading back to one of our ships to help out again – but we imagined more of a 2018 timeline versus going back in early 2017.

We sat in the hallway outside our rooms and talked over the logistics of going and what it would all possibly look like. One of our dearest friends walked by and we grabbed her and asked if she would join us in praying right then for direction and clarity. Our financial plans also needed to be figured out. We didn’t have the money in our budget for flights to Australia on such short notice, along with all the other expenses that would add up.

We began praying and I felt goosebumps raise up all over my body. I knew that this was something big and unmistakable. This was one of the clearest yes’s I had heard in my life. We ended our time of prayer and just looked around at each other. We shared what we had heard from the Lord and it was unanimous across the board. He said yes to us going across the ocean to a country we’d never been to, to help get the ship ready to serve people in need. We all laughed a little nervously. Then things started moving quickly.

Our friend went to her room and came back with her wallet and handed us her credit card with no words. We were speechless. She told us that our flights were her wedding gift to us, that she felt so strongly from God that she was supposed to do this for us that her heart was burning within her.

The rest of our time in Kona flew by. This adventure started on Saturday night, by Sunday afternoon we had flights booked, and the next couple of days were spent packing and getting ready. We left Kona on that Tuesday afternoon in a whirlwind of activity. We landed in Townsville, Australia on Friday and moved onto the ship that afternoon. Being able to witness the signing of the paperwork that made the YWAM Liberty officially ours was amazing and we all celebrated this incredible miracle together.

Since we got here, there have been a few moments where I’ll reflect and be taken aback at how quickly all of this happened. The journey from hearing about the ship to signing for her happened in an unprecedented 2 weeks, and our personal journey to the ship start to finish was one crazy week. All because people heard the voice of God and said yes.

Our everyday lives might not always involve saying yes to Australia or to moving across the country. It might not seem like a massive decision but the thing that is most important is to just say yes to what God is asking you. We felt that God was calling us strongly to the ship, and even though at that point we had no idea how it would happen, with timing and money, we still chose to say yes and take a step of faith – and boy, did He follow through.

You might not get the full picture or the full plan before when God presents you with an opportunity. You might just get a single word sometimes, or a vision of something strange. It might seem impossible in your current situation, or possibly so far-fetched that it feels laughable.

But in those moments of confusion or uncertainty, the important thing is to say yes. Step out in faith, give your obedience a chance to grow, trust that He has it all planned and taken care of on His side. All we need to do is say yes and move into that next step of following what He has called us to, and doors of opportunity will open.

When we say yes and take a next step, then the place that we were in is left open for someone else to take. We create space for other people to move into where they are supposed to be and experience their own life changing stories that come from saying yes.

If our leadership hadn’t said yes to receiving the ship in the first place we wouldn’t even be here. We wouldn’t be able to reach hundreds of thousands of people with life-saving healthcare in incredibly remote locations. We wouldn’t hear the stories of the individuals whose lives were changed through the medical care we can provide with our vessels.

If Ben and I hadn’t said yes to going, then our friend wouldn’t have felt God pressing on her heart to give towards our flights, and none of us would have seen the incredible way God provides. We wouldn’t be on the YWAM Liberty right now, helping set up all the systems and processes that will ensure the ship runs smoothly for many years.

If God is whispering something in your ear, or tugging on something in your heart, why not take a leap of faith and say yes? You’ll never know what blessings are going to pour out of your step of obedience in your life.
By Brooke Everheart
Port YWAM Kona Communications Staff

Start your journey in saying Yes.
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