In 1971, Lynn and Marti Green were the first full - time workers for YWAM here in the UK They came with a vision to be involved in discipling and mobilising a generation of British people into mission. They had no idea that out of these little steps of obedience God would do so much.

In 1971, two YWAMers; in 1999, 320 working England alone, plus 250 British people working overseas, which makes us the largest mission - sending agency in this country. All of this has been done without the backing of a major denomination, but has been an act of faith, of trusting in God and working in relationship with our supporters.

When Holmsted Manor was purchased in 1975, and became our first permanent training base, and individual had a vision where they saw dim lights coming into the training base. During the time they were there, they became brighter and brighter, and then these lights went across the face of the earth. And of course, in a remarkable way we have seen this happen. Over 8,000 people have gone through our training schools, Operation Year and the many secondary schools we have put on. These 8,000 include a great many British people, but over half have come from around the world; from Nagaland, Japan, Africa, South America, Eastern Europe and many other nations besides. Not only have a good proportion of these gone into overseas missions, many have become long - term missionaries.

Here are just a couple of stories out of the many that we could tell.

Andy Broom has spent the last seven years in Albania and through his ministry and the ministry of others there, we see New Testament church - planting really happening.
Here is a country that was officially atheist only nine years ago; now not only are there many churches and many Albanian believers, but there is a dynamism and a vitality in the life of the church.
During the recent Kososvan crisis, a United Nations worker said to YWAM that he had never seen anything as moving and as effective in helping masses of refugees as the church in Albania.
Andy lives like an Albanian, speaks fluent Albanian, rides a donkey and has been used not only in planting several of these churches, but in the overall leadership of the body of Christ in Albania.

Christine (not her real name) went on outreach to a Central Asia nation where for the first time ever she met people who had literally never heard the Gospel.
Unable to escape from this picture in her mind of people starving for the real Bread of Life, she returns there shortly to learn the language and culture. Her long- term goal is to see churches planted in this unreached nation.

Of course the other area that YWAM has been involved in is the work here in England. This included our urban ministries where we currently have over 80 workers working 18 projects. I can remember being in a prayer meeting where we first heard God speak to us about coming out of the comfort and security of Holmsted Manor to work in the cities. We began with a small team in Brighton, then London, and look back now with real pride in those teams but also a tremendous sense of thankfulness to God as we look at the lives of the individuals who were damaged and are now restored and healed.

Also our work in England has involved working with churches. Thousands of students have returned to their local churches with something of a burden for mission in this nation and others. We have many open doors to take the discipleship teaching God has given us into churches. In recent years, we have had the privilege to take in the new things on cells and youth cells and help churches think through what they should look like in the next century to reach their communities and young people.

One such church in London which recently held a three - month discipleship programme comments that previously it was the church leaders who had vision for outreach. After the discipleship course, the leaders were overwhelmed by the response of the church members wanting to reach out to the poor and needy. They are now focusing on asylum seekers, old people and street people.

We've also had the privilege to be involved in what I call a God idea. We've worked with many good ideas that came from God that worked specifically for us and our work. But every now and then we get involved in something much bigger than anything YWAM could ever achieve, something with a national or international dynamic.
The first one I was involved in was the Keith Green memorial tour in the early '80s. We booked some of the largest concert venues and town halls in the country and for 20 nights saw these halls filled with young people hearing the challenge of Keith's life. 'Go and be obedient',

We could also think more recently of the Reconciliation Walk that Lynn has been involved in, or what YWAM is currently doing with cells and youth cells. So we in YWAM are deeply thankful to God and to our supporters who have prayed and given.