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YOUTH WITH A MISSION
We are part of a larger international movement of Christians dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. That movement is called YWAM, or Youth With A Mission. Our passion is to know God and make Him known. So we come together, strengthened by our diversity of backgrounds, to show Jesus’ love through evangelism, mercy ministries, and Biblical training. We are among those who say:
YWAM SHEEP RIVER
We are a ministry that has been training, sending, and supporting missionaries since 1985. Our campus is established along the Sheep River in the foothills of Alberta, but our hearts remain in Southeast Asia where we are focused on blessing the Shan people.
We embrace our calling by activating young missionaries through our local training programs and overseas ministry.
A UNIQUE CALL
In 2019, after years of prayerful consideration, we obeyed God’s word for us to offer the training phase of our programs without charging fees. Students and participants are not charged for their tuition, housing, and food while with us, but we ask all of our staff and students to join us in prayer as we rely on God’s faithfulness to meet our needs through his miraculous provision.
By running our ministry this way, our faith has grown as we’ve seen God provide time and time again for our practical needs.
MOUNTAIN VENTURE DTS
Mountain Venture Discipleship Training School (MVDTS) is a five month program encouraging deeper growth in your relationship with Jesus, as you explore the natural beauty of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. This adventure culminates in a two month outreach where you will experience a taste of international missions.
HARVEST DTS
Harvest Discipleship Training School (HDTS) is a 5 month program that empowers you to pursue God with authenticity and the power of the Holy Spirit in your personal life. These experiences are extended beyond the classroom into the real world, through evangelism and other ministry opportunities during a two month outreach.
SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES
The School of Biblical Studies (SBS) offers an in-depth study of the Bible from cover to cover. Over nine months you will experience a detailed study of the historical background, genre of literature, and important themes of all 66 books of the Bible. This intensive study will lead you to discover God’s heart for humanity and the beauty of His interconnected story.
TITUS PROJECT
The Titus Project is a ministry focused on equipping the global church with the tools to study God’s Word. This is done through developing SBS graduates with teaching and preaching skills, and then providing Titus participants with opportunities to equip believers in places where Bible training is needed.
As a Youth With A Mission campus, we uphold the eighteen foundational values of YWAM. Within this broader YWAM identity, we recognize our need to understand God’s unique identity-formation in our own local YWAM expression.
Like a tree branching from the trunk, all of our values stem from the foundation of the Bible, as we seek to study and apply all of its principles and values as God’s timeless guidance for us.
GOING TO THE NATIONS: We are called to bring the Gospel to unreached people groups abroad, while serving our community at home in Canada.
HOLISTIC DISCIPLESHIP: We seek to grow as a community and individuals, through leadership growth and mentorship, emphasizing stewardship, prioritizing edificationships, and championing servant leadership.
INSPIRATIONAL FAITH: We look to God for direction and provision in all things as we walk on this Faith Journey together, hearing His voice and worshipping Him as the One who has called us to the work of His kingdom.
Andrae BraunOne word describes Andrae best: passionate. He is enthusiastic about soccer, soundtracks, the Bible, and his family. But most of all Andrae is motivated by championing others, and seeing this community obey God’s call.
- John Taylor
John is our Encyclopedia Britannica here on the base. Extremely knowledgable and proficient in all sort of ways he’s known to some as the most interesting man in the world. John loves playing Civilization IV, Whopper Wednesday with friends, and spending time with his family.
- Helen Packard
Helen has a heart for the nations and spends a large portion of her year on outreach, especially in SE Asia. Serving with Mountain Venture DTS, Titus Project, and the Leadership Team gives her lots of opportunities to invest in the staff, students, and participants that call YWAM SR “home!” Helen loves outdoor summer adventures with friends, ice cream, and curling up with a good missions biography and a cup of coffee.
- Jennifer Villaflor
Jenn is diligent, caring, intentional, and passionate about how God’s Word transforms lives. A worshiper at her core, YWAM Turner Valley’s Tuesday morning worship times come alive when Jenn lets her passionate “Cheeehuuuu!” ring out in the midst of a song! Jenn loves cooking, tea, deep conversations, and getting hooked on a good TV show.
- Sanal Thomas
Sanal is a passionate evangelist with a heart for seeing the lost come to know Jesus through signs, wonders, and the preaching of the Word. He challenges and encourages believers to put feet to the Gospel through reaching out to our local community with the love and truth of Christ. Sanal loves cricket and motorcycling, and enjoys adventures with his son and daughter.
Our campus is established along the Sheep River in the foothills. A 10 minute walk brings you into Diamond Valley, a small town with Albertan charm. Nearby is a grocery store, coffee shop, and other amenities. If you want the mountains or the big city, we are about an hour away – a perfect amount of time to listen to a podcast or your favourite music on the drive.
THE MIRACLE (80s)
In the winter of 1985, God led a group of individuals to purchase and move into the location now known as YWAM Sheep River. Originally the group lost the bid for the property, but God saw to it that the property would come back to YWAM…Not long after the building became YWAM’s, all the pipes in the main building froze. Three thousand feet of piping was pulled out of the building, and God provided for the massive bill incurred, which at the current market value, equalled the original cost of the entire property. Through much more renovation the building was made livable. This was to be the seed of many years of outreaches and transformed lives.
TO THE NATIONS (90s)
Initially missions teams were sent to Mexico. On the home front, a few training schools such as School of Evangelism and Discipleship Training School were offered. Gradually the ministry would target the Carib people of Dominica and then Kel Hoggar of North Africa. Since 1998, YWAM Sheep River has been reaching out to the Shan people of Southeast Asia. Not long ago, people from YWAM SR planted a Bible Study and community development program amongst the Shan people of southeast Asia. We feel this is only the beginning of a new chapter of missions history for YWAM Sheep River.
CALLED TO A PEOPLE (NOW)
Our way of offering what we have before Jesus is through encouraging young people to consider offering their lives to reach out to the Shan. We are excited to meet the challenge of missions to the unreached abroad as the Holy Spirit leads us. Much like the rest of YWAM, our community of friends is always changing. Our building and property have improved, our location’s mission statement has evolved over the years, and we have even changed our ministry name from YWAM Turner Valley to YWAM Sheep River. But what remains the same is YWAM Sheep River is called to the unreached. We exist to know Jesus and make Jesus known.
We are always looking for passionate people who love Jesus and want to be a part of a misson-minded community. There are many ways to get plugged in as a full time staff or a part time “mission builder” in our many departments.
- DTS and SBS programs
- Kitchen
- Social Media and Communications
- Maintenance
- Housekeeping
- Property Development
