Why I went to leadership school

I’ve never really seen myself as a leader. I was not a “follower” either for the most part, I would just say I was independent. I really like doing things in my own way, and of other people didn’t like it I didn’t really mind much.

I think it was around 2016 or 2017 that God told me I needed to look into a leadership school in missions. I didn’t really know if that was all in my head at the time, because to me it didn’t really make any logical sense for someone to place me as a leader. A separate time He told me to look into London. I had done a DTS when I was only 18 with YWAM a long time ago. So naturally, I take to google and simply type in YWAM London. Two mission bases popped up: YWAM Urban Key and YWAM Radiant.

When I was in the World Race there was a week-long gathering in Cambodia where multiple squads met up to worship and hear a few messages. Two people from different squads on different days that barely knew me prayed for me and told me that I was going to be doing art. This matters because it shows you how I looked at the two mission bases in London.

YWAM London Radiant is a mission base heavily focused in the arts and in sports. YWAM Urban Key offered a school of Leadership and Urban Ministry Development (LUMD). At the time, YWAM Radiant did not offer a school in leadership. I looked at both of these bases a little bit puzzled wondering what I was supposed to be doing. I theorized that I was supposed to go to Urban Key and then transfer to Radiant at some point. But to be honest at that point I was very much over jumping around. I had just spent the last year changing environments every month in the World Race.

I was a little standoff-ish at the idea of going to Radiant to do missions in the world of art. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I had been convinced that as much as I loved art it was not a sensible way to spend my time or money. For an artist, I’m obnoxiously sensible. I love to analyze finances and graphs about as much as I love to paint. So naturally because of my hesitations, I applied to Urban Key for LUMD. I didn’t tell anyone I had applied to leadership school quite honestly because I felt that unqualified. I just mentioned that I had applied to a program at a mission base. At the same time, I needed a job since I was coming home from the World Race. I returned to a temp agency I had a good history with since I figured I wouldn’t be staying around long. Apparently, I was wrong.

As I started the application with Urban Key, I was chatting with them and they said they would get back to me on my application process. I heard nothing for a few months so I emailed them. I called them a few times and left messages. Nothing. I’m not going to place blame on them because I’m sure they are very busy and have a lot on their plate, so I’m just going to chalk it up to Urban Key not being in God’s plan for me.

For several months at that point I had been looking at Feed My Starving Children an awful lot. I had volunteered with them for some one-time volunteer events (known as MobilePack) but had learned that a permanent site existed near where I lived. I looked at the job opportunities quite frequently while I was on the Race. I don’t know, I was just very drawn to the idea of working there. I felt decently comfortable with the idea of all the things you would have to do with the Team Leader position, except for one fact: it was a Team Leader position.

I loved the idea of working with a Christian charity, actively fundraising, and doing some public speaking about some real serious topics such as poverty and world hunger. I was getting in better shape so the fact that I would have to perform some physical labor didn’t bother me either. But the idea of giving instructions and having people actually listen to me kind of terrified me. I felt as though my application to a leadership school was ignored so I really didn’t feel like I was exactly meant for the job. Besides, they wanted someone with leadership experience.

Since I was at a temp agency and saw that I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon I started to consider the possibility of getting a job that was a little more permanent.

I told God, “Apparently you want me to learn about leadership anyway so I’m applying for this. If you don’t want me to commit to staying with them for a year, just make sure I don’t get the job.” I was really convinced I wouldn’t get it anyway. I had a phone interview, which led to an in-person interview. I was rather convinced of two things: 1. That I didn’t do my best in the interview. 2. That God probably didn’t want me there anyway.

I just shrugged it off and assumed I didn’t get the job. Apparently, I was wrong.

I got to spend two amazing years with Feed My Starving Children working with volunteers, learning about leading, and ultimately getting to take part in assisting so many ministries while fighting world hunger. God used this time in order for me to learn about how to effectively rally people to come together under one mission. I also learned an awful lot about communication and teamwork. I could go on and on about my experiences and the people that impacted me there but I’m going to very briefly talk about the CEO, Mark Crea.

As an organization with many locations spread across four different states and countless one-time events in other states you might imagine an organization to look much like your own experiences. In most organizations like this someone of my position would probably never interact with the core administrative group at the top of the organization—especially since they are based in another state. However, he makes a point to meet every single staff member no matter what their status is in the organization.

One time he was meeting with us at our site location before we had a packing session and he was telling a story about the overwhelming struggle they had trying to get food into a country with a particularly hostile government. This team strategized a master plan utilizing different guards, personal connections they had through different nations that had a more positive connection with this foreign government, and so on. He presented this plan to their ministry contact and he said, “I’m really impressed. There’s probably a 50% chance it will actually work.”

Now Mark Crea asked us, “So when you exhaust all your resources, you meet with a team of professionals that come up with this brilliant strategy, and there’s still a 50% chance that it’s not going to work out what do you do?”

We all just stared at him dumbfounded, and then it came to me.

“Pray?” I asked.

“That’s right, you pray.”

He told us how important it was to keep God at the center of everything we do. That’s why staff members like myself would call all the volunteers into prayer over the food every session. That’s why we would have a time of fellowship and prayer for each shift as staff. And ultimately the hard work we put into our ministry matters, but it’s nothing compared to what God can do. Mark said he met with the CEO World Vision and mentioned that FMSC had a success rate of 99.7% of getting the food where it needs to be safely. The guy apparently straight up didn’t believe him, because those numbers are unheard of. Mark doesn’t take credit for this, he credits God.

So, time goes on and eventually I did an internship with YWAM London Radiant and I knew that the next step was their school of Leadership of Urban and Ministry Development. I didn’t really think I was capable of being a superstar leader in missions, but I did know one thing was for sure: An all-powerful God could use me for His glory when I keep Him as the center of my life.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV