Mabuhay

LETTER FROM THE BASE DIRECTOR

A year that marks fifty years since 'Youth With A Mission' began. But  the vision of waves of young people washing up on the shores of the world and moving inland predates 1960.

We are told in Galatians 4:4 - "When the time had fully come..." Times have siginificance. Faithful man's waiting for the promised Messiah was over. Our Heavenly Father sent His only Son in accordance with his word - 'when the time had fully come' when conditions had developed to a particular point.

The Year 1960: Loren tried to make sense of God's leadings that he'd been laying up in his mind. He decided to travel around the world. It was the awfulness of man's condition with God, experienced at the funeral pyre of an Indian teenager killed in a knife near his hotel, which penetrated his soul. Listening to the hopeless wailing of the family who'd lost their child smelling the burning flesh as the boy it was cremated. Loren was impressed with the great urgency for the Gospel to be preached.

When Loren returned, his friends sensed his detachment and enquired of him what was going on. It was then that Loren spoke out what was upon his heart. He gave expression to his yearning to bring a challenge to youth that could be channeled to mission, a challenge of rugged evangelism - not sight seeing. A challenge not to just one denomination but to the whole church because 'There's so much you can do to make a difference out there.' Loren's burden of youth raised up and released to carry the gospel became burden shared. When they heard Loren explain his vision their response was "Let's do it!"

A small beginning but timely and after 50 years with enormous repercussions.

Liliosa Plaza