Teaching people to live like Jesus requires a willingness to slow down and provide mentorship in every area of life.

“Hey Emily, I need to repent to you,” Jess shared one morning as I was leaving worship in the Chapel. While working together in the garden the day before, it was clear to me something was bothering her.

Jess - like every YWAM student - has work duties to fulfill during her time in training. We call these work duties “Community Responsibilities” or “CR’s.” Sometimes when students arrive at Youth with a Mission Orlando, they’re surprised to find out they’ll have to learn practical skills and throw in to keep the YWAM campus running.

It’s important to understand something: these CR’s don't just exist as a way to lower the YWAM operating budget; they’re a vital part of our discipleship community. Training happens in the class room, but discipleship happens when students work alongside us in real-life environments. In fact, I’d argue that the classroom is in insufficient to provide discipleship. Teaching people to live like Jesus requires a willingness to slow down and provide mentorship in every area of life.

The YWAM kitchen garden is one of the areas that students may be placed for their CR’s. Over the past couple months, I’d been working closely with Jess.

“When you asked me to water the garden for the second time I got pretty upset. I felt like I hadn’t done a good enough job and that’s why you asked me to do it again!” Jess shared.

When I heard this I realized I didn’t explain to her why I asked her to water again.

I responded, “I asked you to water again because some plants needed more support and care that day since it was so hot. It wasn’t because you didn’t do a good job the first time - it was because the circumstance dictated that the plants needed more water.” 

“I asked you to water again because some plants needed more support and care that day since it was so hot. It wasn’t because you didn’t do a good job the first time - it was because the circumstance dictated that the plants needed more water.” 

We both repented to each other for not clearly communicating and then continued our conversation. I mentioned to her that the plants did nothing wrong to put them in that situation, but their circumstance was really hard. Similarly we may do nothing “wrong” but our circumstance may be really hard- and the Lord still “waters us.”

She said later that that conversation deeply moved her and helped her realize that she didn’t cause all the “hard situations” in her life, and she has to stop blaming herself for them. She realized that the Lord is so kind, gracious and generous to care for us through those hard times, whether it’s our fault or not.

This is just one conversation out of hundreds that I’ve had in the garden with YWAM students and missionaries. We are a discipleship community. That means we’re all committed to being discipled and discipling those around us. Because of this commitment to each other we’re able to grow in the likeness of the Lord and become mature, fruit-bearing followers of Christ.

Tending to a large garden is hard work and can bring us to “our knees” literally and figuratively. The intense Florida heat and hours in the sun can bring out the ugly things and lies we believe about ourselves that are hiding in our hearts. But because we’re down there together, when those things come up we’re there for each other to respond in love and correction.

As students work in the garden, they grow together in maturity and strength - and that leads to bearing fruit for the Kingdom. This vegetable garden is more than a way to feed missionaries: it’s an opportunity to disciple the next generation. 

Until all have heard,
Emily