Update from Shaun- September 2011

DTS (Discipleship Training School)

We currently have 50 students from all over the world to starting their 6 month Jesus journey called DTS (Discipleship Training School). It starts tomorrow!

Jessica and I are are not directing the entire program this time.

In this school we will be working much more directly with the students in discipleship and mentoring. Part of Jess’ and my role is also to help provide pastoral care for our fellow staff.

We are also overseeing six local ministry tracks that the DTS students will be joining with in their school, including the two ministries that we are personally leading; the Skate track and the Create track.

We will also be planning and leading a three month overseas outreach at the end of the year!

Did you know that there are YWAM DTS’s running in 125 nations and in 95 languages?

Brief update from this summer:

Colorado
-We spent two weeks in Colorado Springs (where Jess is from) to spend time with friends and family

-I spoke on The Great Commission at a skate church in Denver, Worked with a skate church in Colorado Springs and judged a skateboarding competition with Victory Outreach

-We taught in a cell group of about 30 college aged people on Commitment and Intimacy in Relationships.


Infusion
-Infusion is a summer program at YWAM LA. It’s basically a two week DTS. Jessica and I taught on Relationships and Purity and I also taught on The Great Commission. It’s amazing to see how much growth and transformation God can work in a person in just two weeks! A couple of my skatepark disciples did the program and they have never been the same since(in a good way)!

-I had the honor of baptizing 15 of these wonderful young people who were changed by God in Infusion. This includes two dudes from the skatepark!


GROW
-Jessica and I spoke on a Friday and Saturday at the GROW youth conference at Valley Park Church in the San Fernando Valley. On the fist night I spoke about Purpose and the second day we spoke about Missions.


YWAM University of the Nations Conference
-YWAM LA invited eight staff to a major YWAM conference in Kona, Hawaii.

They covered our conference fees and I got my flight with frequent flyer miles, so the whole trip was totally covered! It was so good to connect with and learn from YWAM leaders from all over the globe, including Loren Cunningham, the man who founded YWAM 50 years ago! (this is what I was doing while Jess was in New York...not a bad deal eh?).


I'M PUTTING TOGETHER A SHORT VIDEO FROM MY EAST ASIA SKATE OUTREACH. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT!

I cannot post it on the internet for security purposes but I want to send all of you a DVD. If you have never given us your mailing address, please send it to me so that I can send you this video when it is complete.


Praise the Lord! Thank you so much for your partnership with us! Let us know how we can be praying for you.


God bless you,

Shaun Hover

Fashion Week Outreach NYC- More short stories.

Backstage I was able to tell dressers about Christ and encourage their lives. It even got to a point where I was telling one dresser about Jesus and then another came up to me and asked "Will you tell me how you became a Christian?" I got to help them, love them, remind them of their value, comfort hurting hearts, and laugh with them when things got too stressful. It was amazing to see God use seemingly simple interactions to deeply impact lives. .

The models are young, far from home, and exhausted- we were able to pray for them, encourage them, and lavish love on them. One girl said she had been modeling for years and can remember only 4 dressers that cared about her in all of those years, my friend Jen was one of them. One model said she hated New York because no one was kind to her, except me. A male model was speechless when he realized that one of our girls was genuinely listening to him. He was shocked, he said that he is very alone and no one ever listens to him. My friend was able to spend time listening to him as he shared about his lifestyle that was made up primarily of drinking and modeling. He opened up about his dream of having a home one day. By the end of the show he thanked her from his heart for taking the time to treat him so kindly. It meant the world to him.

I was staying in the same building that P. Diddy lives in, so after praying for him for a few days I decided to buy him a Halmark card, write an encouraging note in it, and drop it off at his office across the street. I was assured that he would get it.

I met many people in the lobby that I was able to pray for and encourage with the love of Christ. At one point we were in line standing behind a woman that had met me in the morning, she didn't realize we were behind her, but she was excitedly saying, "There are Christian models here! They are praying for me!" Overall everyone we met was really open to share about their lives and their desire to see God work in them. One of my friends from our team, Kayla Sanders, led a girl to the Lord after spending the day praying for her, sharing with her, encouraging her, and reminding her of God's love. Such an awesome story!

One gorgeous woman was next to me in line. She was from Mexico and her classy husband was clearly a man of power. I can't remember who he worked for but it was apparent that he was wealthy and extremely successful. At one point he had stepped away from the line and I asked the woman how I could be praying for her. We had been talking already and she knew I was Christian so it was the perfect time to ask. She was both surprised and incredibly grateful. After remaining quiet for a bit she began to get tears in her eyes, she said that her husband works all the time and she was wondering if I would pray that her marriage would work out.

I met Tyson Beckford and told him I'd be praying for him. I attempted to meet Justin Bieber and Usher as well, but there were too many screaming girls in the way for that to happen, so I just prayed for them.

Fashion Week Outreach NYC

Karolina.

Every week we pray for people in the industry. I have their photos and their names printed out in a little packet and every Friday my friends and I pray.

Karolina is one of the models we pray for. The beautiful 27 year old Victoria's Secret model has been covered in prayer since my last Fashion Week outreach in February.

Jen and I were preparing to dress for Chado Ralph Rucci but we were quickly hustled into another show that was about to begin and still had lots of models who hadn't been changed yet. As soon as I walked in I saw Karolina's name on the board of models and knew God was going to do something awesome. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I was helping to put a gown on Karolina herself! I was praying that the crowd of people around her would leave so that we could talk. Within a moment the crowd dissolved and it was just Karolina and me.

I touched her arm, "Excuse me, Karolina?"
She was texting on her cell phone but she leaned towards me to show that she was listening.
"My name is Jessica and I have been praying for you by name and by photograph every week since February."
At this point she was shocked, she stopped texting and looked at me in wonder, sweetly she asked "Are you sure you have the right girl?"
"I am completely sure."
Still in wonder, "Why are you praying for me?"
Excitedly I told her, "Because I am struck by how much God loves you and I know He wants you to know that. I will keep praying for you."
By now she was looking forward as if to take it in, then she asked, "So... you... are praying for me.. so that I.. can share that with people?"
I was smiling now, "Yes, that's exactly it!"
She stuck out her hand toward me, "I'm Karolina"
"I'm Jessica"

Within minutes I was shuffled out of the room and back into the original show I was supposed to dress for, as I was leaving the room she shouted, "Goodbye Jessica!"