Kevin and I met while working with Mercy Ships in West Africa and Europe, and served 5 years together, then we did another 2-year stint on the ship when the boys were little 2008-10. We loved living with, and serving a multi-national community on the ship, and we have also been involved in YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and gone through their life-changing and gut-level Counseling School together. So, here's an overview of what's next:
WHO?
We are a family team: Kevin, Rachel, Daniel (10), Zaden (8), and Ashani (4), all having made the decision - together - to go. We feel strongly that each one of us has unique giftings and abilities to offer, without which the team would not be complete. We feel passionately about this: The children are very much involved and we know that God will use them richly, just as He has spoken to the boys about His plans for our family. We prayed with Daniel the other day as he was needing some encouragement from God to help him with the sadness of missing his friends. The next day he got a fortune cookie that said, "You will travel South and do great things". (God can speak to us through anything, even fortune cookies!)
WHERE?
We will be moving to the town of Worcester in South Africa, about 1.5 hrs NE of Cape Town.
The Republic of South Africa is one of 55 countries that comprise the continent of Africa. It is approximately 1/8 the size of the USA, and has 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. South Africa proudly calls itself the Rainbow Nation, made up of 79% Blacks, 9% Whites, 9% Coloureds (black, white, Asian mix), and 2.5% Indian and other Asian. It is really a unique country - very much "first world" in parts, with glistening malls stuffed with designer stores and expensive restaurants, and heart-breakingly "third world" in others, with poverty and despair that you would see in any other struggling African nation:
An hour and a half north-east of Cape Town, Worcester is an educational hub situated in the beautiful Breede Valley, and the home of "YWAM Worcester", one of the larger Youth With A Mission bases in the continent of Africa.
Check out www.ywamworcester.com for more information.
WHEN?
We plan to leave Ellensburg on July 2nd, and spend 3.5 weeks in the UK before flying down to South Africa on July 29th. At this point we expect to be there for at least 2 years initially, possibly longer.
WHAT?
The YWAM base in Worcester is very involved in reaching out to the community and making a difference in the nation of South Africa. The base also runs many different YWAM schools that we have a heart for helping to facilitate, for example the Foundations of Counseling Ministry School (which we have both done and Kevin has staffed before), and the Family Ministry School (which Kevin has taken but I haven't, yet). We are so excited for this opportunity to help staff some of these schools, as we will not just be training people in not just intellectual concepts but bringing about change in them at heart-level, and equipping them to return to their own nations or elsewhere, spreading the light of Christ and bringing about lasting change!
Kevin will be full-time with YWAM and I will be a little less than full-time, helping while the children are in school.
WHY?
During our time with Mercy Ships, Kevin and I had the privilege of creating and delivering Marriage Courses for local pastors and their wives in Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. We found that our simple counseling tools and teachings made a profound impact and we saw marriages being transformed and strengthened. We were also amazed at the lack of resources they had available to them in their own nation. Because of its location and costs YWAM Worcester draws students not only from all over the continent of Africa, but also from all over South America and Asia - including India (which incidentally will be great for us as Ashani grows up and wants to know more about her heritage). We are so excited about this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people from developing nations all over the world, strengthening the church and empowering the next generation of missionaries!
HOW?
That's a very good question. It's going to take a lot to pack up and rent out our house, sell our vehicles, and transplant our entire family to another continent. It is a daunting task because there are more unknowns than knowns. We don't know anyone in Worcester, so we will be starting from scratch. We will need to find a house to rent, a school for the kids, a vehicle, and do everything else that comes with moving to a new country.
We would really appreciate your prayers as we enter this potentially stressful time of huge transition. There is a lot to sort out, but we know that God goes before us.
I love this verse from Isaiah: "He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young." We know that He will lead all of us gently and open the doors ahead of us.
We recognize that we cannot undertake this challenge without the support of family and friends. We truly covet your prayers - both for the transition time and also especially for our ministry and the ministry of YWAM Worcester as a whole. Without a team of people praying for our protection and our effectiveness, it would be an uphill and possibly fruitless battle.
Another big part of the "How", of course, involves money. YWAM is a volunteer organization, we will be working as unpaid volunteers, so will need to provide our own living expenses in order to meet our day-to-day needs. When doing missions in the past, God has provided for us through friends and family who have committed to supporting us a certain amount each month. If you are interested in doing this, please email us at kryangas@hotmail.com and we can send you our bank details (either USA or UK). Or, if you would rather contribute to our one-time relocation costs, you can do so by clicking on this link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H5UZT7HL3JZA2
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