missions

melanies

LAUNCHING
YOUN G
PEOPLE
INTO
I M PA C T I N G
RELATIONSHIPS
BY
RELEASING
FREEDOM
AND
T R U T H
INTO
THEIR
LIVES

The Papuans learned best by our

example, so we decided to simply
do life together, all of us in the
same village for two weeks, and
through that we became a familylearning what the freedom of a
real, loving relationship with God,
self, and others is like.

True humility has the power to transform every problem in the world.
Humility saves relationships,
and relationships save the
world.
A lecture speaker of mine once said that
Every problem in the world is a problem of
relationship, meaning that if everyone was
living in a proper relationship with God,
themself, and others, there would be no
problems in the world. Another speaker once
told me that every relationship problem is a
problem of pride. What is pride? We
mistakenly believe that pride is thinking too
highly of ourselves. Then what is humility? It
must be thinking less of ourselves. However,
during my DTS I learned new definitions for
pride and humility.

What is a YWAM DTS all

about?

May

2014

In one of Dean Shermans books on

relationships, he says, Pride involves moving
outside of the truth of who we are, who
others are, and who God is. True humility
occurs when we move within that reality. So
when we live in humility, we live in truth, and
when we live in truth, we live in freedom.
Going into my DTS, I was far from free. I
had some false ideas about Gods attitude
towards me, I was believing lies about myself,
and I was reflecting those insecurities in the
ways I related to others. As the lecture weeks
went by, and I studied topics such as Hearing
Gods Voice, the Character and Nature of
God, and Fear of the Lord, truth became
revealed to me.
I dont have to be held back by fears,
insecurities, faults, and lies, because I know
the truth about God, myself, and others. This

freedom has helped me to become so much

more effective in all of my relationships and
ministries. My hope is that the people Ive
discipled will learn to walk in the freedom of
humility as it transforms their relationships and
resolves many of their problems.

Pride involves moving

outside of the truth of who

we are, who others are,
and who God is. True

humility occurs when we
move within that reality.
-Dean Sherman

Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is a movement of believers from many denominations and
different cultures working to fulfill the Great Commission. YWAM has over 15,000 volunteers
doing many types of ministry in more than 150 nations.
Discipleship Training School (DTS) is the entry-level course for all missionaries involved with
YWAM. There are many different DTS tracks for people with varying interests. The school
involves 12 weeks of lectures, followed by 6-12 weeks of cross-cultural missions.

MELANIE THOMPSON | MELANIESMISSIONS@GMAIL.COM | MELANIESMISSIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM | +1.972.632.7071

You will know the

truth...

...and the truth will set you free!

God has been calling people to freedom in Him!

A family in Borneo set free
from bondage to false gods
Deep in the jungles of
Indonesian Borneo,
right off of a bumpy
mountain road, is a
small village called
Kalimue. Most of the
people living in this
village practice
witchcraft and worship many gods, hoping to
save themselves from a life of grief and pain.
However, that is exactly what they are living
in. One family with nine children came to us
asking for prayer to our God, because their
youngest daughter had suffered demonic
attacks at night for as long as they could
remember. We prayed over the girl, and then
felt the need to ask the family if there was
anything they wanted to give up. The father
brought out a sacred pigs tooth (a witchcraft
tool meant to bring protection over the
household) that he had been hiding since the
familys conversion to Christianity. He
abruptly renounced all other gods, repented
of his sins, and burned the pigs tooth right
there in his front yard. It was an amazing time
of healing for the family as they watched their
father come to intimacy with the one true
God. The next day, during a church service
my team was hosting, the father came
forward to inform the community of Gods
freedom and protection, because for the first
time ever, his daughter had slept an entire
night without facing any spiritual attack!

Discipling by example in
Papua
Papua is a developing province in
Indonesia that has had to move from the

Stone Age to the Information Age all in the

last 50 years of westernization. When
Christianity first entered the province, the
natives adopted it as their own strict religious
practice. However, the Papuans had trouble
understanding our message about Gods
desire for a loving relationship. Hearing a
sermon about Gods character didnt impact
them. They learned best by our example, so
we decided to simply do life together, all of
us in the same village for two weeks, and
through that we became a family- learning
what the freedom of real, loving relationship
with God, self, and others is like. I think the
Papuans learned more about the character of
God in those two weeks of experience than
any sermon ever couldve taught.

An aboriginal youth meets

God on the playground
The first time I saw her, she was teasing
my team, stealing our ministry supplies, and
shouting rude names. Her name was Takyla.
A 10 year-old aboriginal in the outback of
Australia, she had never experienced the love
of a father, and was desperate to receive the
Father on my last night at the local park in her
town. I was able to lead her in a salvation
prayer while she
giggled in
excitement about
her new Dad. My
prayer is that she
will continue to
discover great
freedom and love
in our great God.

-John 8:32

Whats next?
Summer 2014:
This summer I am focusing on building
stronger relationships with God, my
family, my friends, and the people that
I disciple. I am getting involved with
multiple ministries
in North Texas,
and am working on
building a stable
support team for
me to continue into
full-time missions
this fall.

Fall 2014:
As Ive been praying about what my
next big step is, I feel very strongly
that God is leading me to join YWAM
as a staff member to serve and partner
with DTS students. This will allow me to
further my passion of releasing Gods
freedom and truth into
young peoples lives
and launching those
young people into
positions where they
can make an impact through their
relationships. Unfortunately, because I
am still in the application process with
the YWAM base, I cannot announce
the location or details yet.

How to get involved:

Pray for me as I continue to minister
to those in my area and sphere of
influence
Learn more about my vision by
scheduling a coffee date or video chat
Consider giving regularly as I enter
into full-time, full-support missions

MELANIE THOMPSON | MELANIESMISSIONS@GMAIL.COM | MELANIESMISSIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM | +1.972.632.7071