August 2024 Update

Hey! I hope you are having a great summer! This is my first summer in Vancouver and I am loving it. I am beginning to solidify my place in this city and invest in ways that will help to extend my time as a missionary. I have made a great friend group, and I’m getting stuck in at my church, helping with kid’s ministries and setting up for the service. I have also gone on a lot of adventures, such as; climbing Mt. Baker, going on bike rides everywhere, swimming, hiking, skating, water fights, scavenger hunts, and the list goes on. It’s safe to say I have done a lot this summer, but there’s much more on the horizon for me.

Visiting Home

I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Oregon and spend time with family and friends. While I was there, my brother graduated from university!!! It was great fun to celebrate with him and some of the family. I also got to spend a little time with my church in Oregon. I am so happy I got to see you, but I miss you all a lot.

Jesus Celebration

I was given the responsibility of organizing a booth for an event called Jesus Celebration. This event aims to unite Christians across the greater Vancouver area and to share the different ministries going on. So we met a ton of interesting people who are dedicated to following Jesus, and we got many chances to invite people into what we are doing in Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Vancouver. Constant musical worship and performances were going on the whole day, led by a variety of local churches, and there was even a football (soccer) tournament! I had a lot of fun checking out all the different booths and making friends. I can’t wait to do it again next year!

Mission Adventures

During the last week of July, we hosted a team from Seattle to take part in our Mission Adventures (MA) course. The MA program is a week-long invitation to participate in the life of local missionaries. The vision for the program is to inspire Christians to do outreach in their own communities and neighborhoods, so we provide many examples of what that could look like. Throughout the week, we take the team all over Vancouver and introduce them to local ministries that are making an impact on the city. Some of the ministries we partnered with include food banks, rehabilitation centers, feeding programs, litter clean-up, prayer stations, and a few others. We also spent time in prayer for certain topics. One of the nights we committed ourselves to pray over the porn and sex/human trafficking industry. It was somber, but a time of recognition and hope as we contested against an evil that holds the hearts of so many. I also got the privilege of teaching the team about missions! It was a great opportunity to gain some experience with teaching from the front of the classroom, as this was my first time. I would like to improve my teaching skills, so I am looking forward to the next chance I get to do so. It was also a lot of fun to get to know the team that joined us and be able to lead them relationally through the week.

Ministry In the City

Summer long we have been reaching out to the city of Vancouver through many different avenues. One of my favorite ways has been through prayer stations. Every Thursday, we stand outside the Skytrain station wearing bright red aprons, holding signs that say “Free Prayer” and then we wait. Just like fishing. We have prayed for a lot of people this way. Sometimes they flock to us and other times we just get ridiculed, but every time we are contending for the Kingdom. A stand-out story from one of our days was with a young man named Nathaniel. Before Nathaniel walked up to us, we prayed that God would send us someone who wanted to receive Jesus. Then Nathaniel walks up and tells us how he felt overwhelmingly lost and without purpose. This broke my heart because I could relate to where he was. As we prayed for God to guide him through his life, the spirit prompted me to ask him if he wanted to follow Jesus, so I asked him, and he looked at me with desperation in his eyes and said yes!

Upcoming

These are some of the things that are happening in the coming months.

DTS Workshop

I have a Discipleship Training School (DTS) workshop coming up this month. We are going to a YWAM base in Montana for a week to learn more about the strategies and techniques that make great DTS staff members. I look forward to hearing stories and advice from other people who have been in staff roles for a long time. This will also be a good chance for me to make some more friends in the world of YWAM.

DBS

I will attend a Discipleship Bible School (DBS) for 3 months starting on September 2nd. The school will be run by the YWAM base here in Vancouver. This school will be an intensive study of the entire Bible, where we will look at the complete narrative of God’s plan throughout history, to deepen our journey of being a disciple of Jesus. This school will consume a lot of my time as we will have in-person classes, local outreach requirements, and even homework assignments. The school will cost $5000 CAD to take part. So if you feel called to sponsor me, please check the support page on my website. If you would like to learn more about the DBS click here.

DTS

We will be running another Discipleship Training School (DTS) in January! Already we have begun praying and planning for this upcoming school. So far we have 4 students accepted, and some speakers have agreed to come and teach. We are so excited for this school, as several new staff members are joining us. One of the students from this year's DTS has been called back to join the team here in Vancouver! If you would like to hear how this year's DTS went check out my last newsletter, you can find it on my website here. And, if you want to learn more about DTS click here.

Fundraising Update

As you can see, I made a pretty sweet graphic showing where all your money is going each month when you decide to partner with me. For all my American supporters, this is in Canadian dollars. This is the goal that I would like to be achieving each month. The average is below it at the moment, but God is faithful and He has been providing for me. I am so grateful for everyone who is living by faith and contributing to what I am doing at YWAM Vancouver. Because of you, I was able to lead a team to Japan! Because of you, I was able to pay the deposit for the DBS! And because of you, I was able to buy groceries! You have no idea how impactful it is to me to know that you are willing to share your paycheck with me. God bless you.

Prayer Points

• My future is looking very busy and slightly overwhelming. I would appreciate prayers for peace, wisdom, and a deeper trust in God’s plan and timing.
• Please pray for provision as I still need to raise $4000 CAD for the DBS, on top of daily living expenses.
• Can you please pray for the upcoming DTS. For the new staff members joining us, the students who are accepted and the students who have not yet applied, for the teachers, and also for the outreach location.

Thank You!

Once again, thank you so much for getting this far! I have many more stories to share from this summer, so if you would like to hear more please reach out. I hope you enjoy the new format for my newsletters, I am having a lot of fun playing around with them.

God Bless you,

Ezekiel Smith.