Uganda!

Noun: Wanderlust
          |'wón‑duˌlúst| 
- Very strong or irresistible impulse to travel
- =itchy feet

No one really knows how many countries are in the world, mainly because not everyone can agree on the definition of what a country is or how to clarify that. One thing for sure is that I want to go to as many as I can. 

Ever since I can remember I have loved travel, the excitement of stepping onto a plane or bus or train or boat and not knowing what awaits me at the other end. Experiencing new cultures, traditions and the hospitality of people all over the globe fills me with joy. 

One of the things I love about being a missionary is the chance I have to travel with a purpose. Not only feeding that wanderlust inside me but combining that with sharing hope, value and love with others around the world. 

So far I have been able to visit 13 out of roughly 196 countries. (5% of the world) This December I get to add another 1 to that list when I travel to Uganda for 2 months to lead an outreach team of 12 people. 

During our time in Uganda my team will mainly be partnering with the work of Hope Child Care Programme and YWAM Jinja. 
We will be serving with many ministries out in Uganda such as working with orphanages, working with victims of HIV/Aids, serving communities, building a house for a family in need and many things in between. 

Thank you so much for your continued support in helping me serve the nations!

Team Uganda

Onto Year 2

This past month I celebrated 1 year in full time missions (365 days) and what a year it has been! 

Me and the outreach team I led.

I was able to staff our Music and Missions DTS, a 5 month discipleship school where students grow in their relationship with God whilst developing their talents and learning how to use them to impact the world. 

As part of this school i was also able to lead a team of 15 on outreach through Mexico and Belize for 2 months. During this trip we were able to connect and share Jesus with thousands of people, build 5 houses for families in need, work with local schools, orphanages and churches. 

After staffing DTS I played in the worship team for our spring Mission Adventures program, Mission Adventures is a short-term mission trip experience for high school students and this program has a special place in my heart because the first time i came to YWAM Ensenada I was as part of this program. 

Since mission adventures finished I have been working in the Media department on base, making new promotion videos about our Schools, this has been such an awesome opportunity for me to use something I love doing to raise awareness and further the kingdom. 

Teaching Lecture in DTS

During this time i also have been working on becoming an official builder for Homes of Hope and on July 20th I will do my first build as a trained builder. 

To continue volunteering out here I need to raise a support network. to celebrate my first 365 days in missions and to cover the cost of another 365 days i need to raise £3650/$5700, this will cover my basic costs for the year. This covers £160/$250 p/m for rent(inc. utilities and food) and also covers debt built up since moving. 

What will the money go towards? 

Over the next year I will be moving into staffing another Music and Missions DTS here in Ensenada and I am so excited to see the transformation that is going to happen in the lives of the students who come and dedicate 5 months to developing and growing in their relationship with God. i will also be leading another outreach team for 2 months, hopefully to Uganda. I will also be more involved with Homes of Hope, building more houses, now that I am trained to build. 

Building in my new role with Homes of Hope

Please consider joining my support network, either with a continuous monthly donation or with one off donations and become part of the work out here in Ensenada. 

You can donate through the paypal button at the top right of this page or through www.ywamsdb.org or email me at josh.brown@ywamsdb.org for more information. 

Thanks! 

Josh 

Homes of Hope

It's crazy to think that It has been 10 months since I moved to Mexico, and even crazier when I think about all the stuff I've been able to do and see since being here,

• Building around 10 houses for families in need. 
• Trying to learn Spanish (HELP). 
• Staffing a Discipleship School of 27 students 
• Connecting with over 4000 people whilst leading an Outreach team through Mexico and Belize. 

This past weekend I started my training to become an official Builder with Homes of Hope! 

Homes of Hope is an amazing program where in just a couple of short days a group is able to transform a slab of concrete and a pile of materials into a home for a family that desperately needs it.

Day after day, month after month, workers from all over the country come here for jobs and to create better lives for themselves and their families. However, often these people are taken advantage of and end up worse off than they have been before.

Inside a house I visited last week

This means that thousands of families are left lacking what we take for granted every day: walls around us to protect us from the elements and keep our families and us secure. 

To date, Homes of Hope has already helped create a radical change in the lives of thousands of families here in Baja California. This year the program is celebrating 25 years and will be building the 5000th home!

I am so excited that I get to start working more and more with this program and see transformation in the lives of the people of Ensenada. 

Get Involved! 

I'd love to share the opportunity for you to partner with me and be involved in this work! 

There are a couple of ways you can do this: 

Tools: 
I need new tools to be able to work effectively in this ministry, if you would be interested in helping me get these please email me at joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk

Financially: 

Please Consider Partnering with me financially during this time and becoming part of the work out here. 

Youth With a Mission is a Non-Profit organization and all workers are volunteers, this means no one receives a salary and I am totally reliant on Donations and Gifts to sustain myself. 

I need approximately £300 per month and this will cover all rent, food, bills, visas and health care.
Here are a couple of easy ways you can Give:

• Direct Bank Transfer - if you prefer to make a direct bank transfer then please email me at joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk and I can pass over my bank info. 
• Paypal - For a quick and easy way to donate straight to me click on the donate button on the right hand side of the page   -----------> 
• You can give through the YWAM website by Clicking Here. There is the option for a one off Gift or a recurring monthly payment.  In order to make sure I receive the gift you must designate under your donation amount that it is for Josh Brown - Ensenada. (3% of your gift is used for processing) 

Thanks for reading and please keep checking back for regular updates from the field! 

God Bless, 

Josh

X

Think back over the past month, What have you learned? What will you take away from those 4 short weeks? How has their content impacted you?

As I look back over the past 4 weeks it doesn't feel like that at all,  i'm not looking 'back' or at the 'past' at all. What I'm looking at is the future, the foundation for my next couple of months, no wait...it goes way beyond that.
A constant theme for me over the past month has been  developing my acceptance and dependence of Gods faithfulness....Truly accepting and depending.

Right now I am preparing to lead a team of 13 students on a 2 month outreach through Mexico and Belize. We will be ministering to the poor, helping in rehab centers, working in schools, serving any way we can and using music in as many ways as possible to connect with people and share the gospel. 

These next couple of months are hardly going to be a walk in the park, more like a marathon. 
There's the excitement and buzz, waiting for the start. 
The confident, sprinted first strides. 
Some time of ploding along and then.... 
'The Wall'. 
The only way I can break through that is with that true whole hearted dependence on God and his faithfulness.

That is what this month has prepared me for.

Getting through 'The Wall'.

Time for School

5 MONTHS  30 STUDENTS 17 SPEAKERS  2 OUTREACH TEAMS 1 GOD

Whether commuting to work, chilling in a coffee shop, having a beer with friends or worshiping, music impacts everyones life every day. It is a language that speaks to and connects everyone, defying the limitations of spoken word. It drives culture and creativity, building relationships and bringing out the unexpected in people. 
What an amazing gift we have to reach out, connect and change the world. 

As i'm writing this, around 30 students are preparing themselves to leave the comfort of home and 'regular' life in order to be part of the next Music and Missions DTS here in Ensenada. 5 Months of learning, growing, healing, travelling, sharing the gospel, serving, performing, sleeping in strange places, experiencing new cultures, building new friendships and eating some pretty suspect food are all ahead for the students as they step out and follow God's call. 

School starts September 18th - Get ready world. 

New Beginings

I can't believe it has already been a month since I moved out here to Ensenada.

So much has already happened but it seems like I only just got here. Since I arrived I have been working on the Mission Adventures program that the base runs here. 

Mission Adventures is an awesome short-term missions program aimed at mobilising young people, such as high school kids, into the mission field, where they will see God change the lives of those that they serve and seeing God change their lives also. 

Over the past couple of weeks I have Co-hosted 2 amazing teams, one from Maryland and one from Newcastle. With these teams we ran eye clinics, worked in several orphanages and Rehab centres, as well as doing 3 House Builds for needy families. 

One of the highlights of the month for me was definitely running the eye clinics. The team from Maryland had a representative from Global Vision 2020 who brought 400 pairs of glasses with them. After being trained in the method we set out and ran 3 clinics over the week. We were able to distribute over 100 pairs of glasses to people who couldn't afford or have access to an optician or glasses... and they left the remaining glasses with us so we can continue this ministry! 

It was amazing to see how something that I have always taken for granted be so impactful in peoples lives and to see that they could feel God's blessing from it.

It has truly been an amazing first month here in Ensenada and I can't wait to see what amazing opportunities the next month brings. 

Want To Get Involved?

If you are interested in what I'm doing and would like to get involved there are several ways you can partner with me!

- Prayer: 

I believe the power of prayer is SO strong and I'd really appreciate everyone's prayers for supporting me during this time. As amazing as this is going to be, I am aware that it is also going to have its tough times and challenges and I'm so grateful for the prayers of strength and encouragement. 
Some things to pray for now are: 
- Strength, protection and energy for me. 
- Continued Smooth transition into mexican culture.
- Finances/Support (more below)
- My spanish to get better as I attempt to learn! 

- Finances: 

As a Full Time Volunteer with YWAM I won't be paid for being out in Mexico, ( no one in the whole organisation takes a wage from the money donated.) My average costs per month are approximately £200-£250 per month, this covers all rent, food, bills, visas and health care.

I will be totally dependant on sponsors, donations, gifts and blessings for this, I have 100% faith that this will come in each month even though I don't know exactly where from right now. 

If you feel led to and are able to support me in this way then please contact me either on Facebook or via e-mail at joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk and I can let you know the best ways to do this. I also have a budget breakdown I can e-mail out to you if you wish. 

- Keep in contact:

While I am out there, there will be both physically and emotionally tough times and having the support of those back home is something that will be so valuable for me to have. There are many ways now to keep in contact so please feel free to hit me up on Facebook, email (joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk), Instagram (johs777), Skype (beardedjohs), FaceTime, iMessage, whatsapp! I will also be sending out a monthly newsletter via email so if you want to keep up to date with me send me your email and I'll add you to the list! 

Thanks for reading and please keep checking back for regular updates from the field! 

God Bless, 

Josh

X

    

The Next Step!

¡Hey everyone!  

As many of you reading this will know, I recently spent 5 months in Ensenada, Mexico, as a student of a Music and Missions DTS. During my time there I grew so much in my faith and my maturity within it.

Something that also came with that was the realisation of the need for reaching out with love to the needy and the lost. My heart was really challenged to change from the 'normal' way of looking at the needs of this world... 
To stop seeing them as things that are there, have always been there and always will be there, but to look to the fact that change in this world is possible and maybe there is a role for me to play in it...

So I started to think and ask what my role in this could be, Could it be working with a charity/organisation back home? 
Could it be working out in Mexico? Could it be doing nothing yet, just getting on with life and waiting for the 'right time' to do something? Could it be going somewhere else in the world?...the possibilities were pretty much endless! 

After thinking and praying about it for about 3-4 months it was so clear to me that I was being called to be back in Ensenada working out of the YWAM base there.

So its now official... on July 10th 2014 I will be moving to Mexico for 2 Years! 
I will be joining YWAM San Diego Baja (Ensenada Campus) as a Full Time Staff Volunteer. 

This base gives me a great footing to follow the plans that I believe God has for my life as well as incorporating my passions such as Music, Tech Work, Travel and Discipleship. 

During my time there I will be able to  serve others by being part of exciting, impactful ministries and programmes such as; Homes of Hope, Mission Adventures, Music and Missions DTS, (I'll do some more in depth blogs on those and the fantastic work they do but check out the links for now.)  as well as all the other amazing work that is happening out there. 

This is a big step out of my comfort zone but is something I believe I have to do. And whilst being scared of the unknown future ahead of me I am so stoked to see the amazing things that God is going do and use me for in the next 2 years! 

Want To Get Involved?

If you are interested in what I'm doing and would like to get involved there are several ways you can partner with me!

- Prayer: 

I believe the power of prayer is SO strong and I'd really appreciate everyone's prayers for supporting me during this time. As amazing as this is going to be, I am aware that it is also going to have its tough times and challenges and I'm so grateful for the prayers of strength and encouragement. 
Some things to pray for now are: 
- Smooth travel and transition from England into Mexico.
- Finances/Support (more below)
- My spanish to get better as I attempt to learn! 

- Finances: 

As a Full Time Volunteer with YWAM I won't be paid for being out in Mexico, ( no one in the whole organisation takes a wage from the money donated.) My average costs per month are approximately £200-£250 per month, this covers all rent, food, bills, visas and health care.

I will be totally dependant on sponsors, donations, gifts and blessings for this, I have 100% faith that this will come in each month even though I don't know exactly where from right now. 

If you feel led to and are able to support me in this way then please contact me either on Facebook or via e-mail at joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk and I can let you know the best ways to do this. I also have a budget breakdown I can e-mail out to you if you wish. 

- Keep in contact:

While I am out there, there will be both physically and emotionally tough times and having the support of those back home is something that will be so valuable for me to have. There are many ways now to keep in contact so please feel free to hit me up on Facebook, email (joshua.d.brown@live.co.uk), Instagram (johs777), Skype (beardedjohs), FaceTime, iMessage, whatsapp! I will also be sending out a monthly newsletter via email so if you want to keep up to date with me send me your email and I'll add you to the list! 

Thanks for reading and please keep checking back for regular updates from the field! 

God Bless, 

Josh

X