Dear family and friends,


I am now over half way through the second month of the DTS and it has been full of challenges!  It has been a very difficult time, but God has continued to lift me up and encourage me.  I am learning soooo much about servanthood leadership and to be more like Jesus.  My responsibilities in the school are many and constantly take me out of my comfort zone.  It  is especially difficult to confront the students about their bad attitudes, inappropriate reactions and complaining and I am often the one having to do this.


There is a real spirit of complaining amongst the students and I find that I have to battle against these lies and thoughts in my mind.  I am learning to apply God's truth to these lies and not allow them to control me.


Just last week one student ran away in the night and I together with the base leaders Pedro and Leo, spent hours searching in the dark on the beach for them.  We prayed and saw how God was able to show His love to this student and they returned back to the base.  So as you can see there is a real spiritual battle going on for the lives of these students and we are seeing the lightness conquer the darkness in a very real way.


Last week we had two teachers, Guille and Beulah from the Counseling School come and teach us about the Divine Plumbline who are dear friends of mine from the YWAM base in Buenos Aires.  It was an amazing time of learning truths.  It never ceases to surprize me how the devil tries to bring his lies and deceive again, but God is victorious.  We had some amazing times of inner healing and transformation where again I was a witness to the amazing battle that exists over our lives. Praise God He is GREATER!!!!


NEWS UPDATE...NEWS UPDATE....NEWS UPDATE....NEWS UPDATE....NEWS UPDATE


The DTS outreach (the practical part of the school) will be in England and Rumania. I will also have the opportunity of going to Spain from Dec 27 - 14th January to be with family before going on to the outreach in England which I am so thankful for.

PRAYER POINTS:--


That God would guide us (the DTS leadership) with wisdom in organizing the outreach.


For the finances for the outreach/flights= Spain - England - Rumania as I will need approx U.S $500


For finances to cover the cost of the monthly rent at the base in Mar del Plata during my absence which is about U.S. $250 a month.


Pray that I will be able to take full advantage of my time in Spain.

DONATIONS: For tax deductible donations (US only), send a check to: YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000. On the Check please DO NOT put my Name, write the check to ywam, and in a separate piece of paper in side the envelope put my name "Benjamin D Barnreuther" .

Thanks for taking your time to read!

Benji

The first month....

Well, the first month of the Surf DTS is almost over and so much has happened! This Surf DTS has been very unusual to say the least!  There are no surfers, three students don’t know how to swim, two students have never seen the sea and the rest have no desire to surf at all!  All of these things completely took me by surprise and didn’t fit into what my expectations were for this school. 

This made those first few weeks of the school very difficult (to say the least), and there was a lot of rebellion, complaining and opposition, all of which was very oppressive, and I was very discouraged.  I felt like I didn’t have faith that the students could change.  There were days when I really didn’t want anything to do with them and found it difficult to try and help them. I had no hope!  Then God gave me the verse in Galatians 6:9

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I know that God has been really helping me to extend His MERCY and His GRACE to the students.  Let’s say that I KNOW the theory, but putting it into practice has been a real challenge and has brought me to the end of myself.  It was a real battle against my “flesh” and my feeling of “justice.”  Having said that, I can see that God has been (and is!!!) working in my heart and on my character.

We have had some good classes and until now have only been able to cover the basics like:  The Fear of God, The Lordship of Christ,  and The Person of Christ.  In each one of these classes I have been translating from Spanish into English and visa versa.

God is really transforming me into a leader… a “servant” leader.  I am learning so much from our dear YWAM base directors, Daniel and Norma Etchart.

God has also spoken a lot during our National YWAM Staff Conference  in Mendoza.  The base there has approximately 15 hectors of land.  I was helping out with the Worship during the Conference as well as being in charge of organizing a schedule for all the practical work such as clean up etc.  On top of that I was also the captain of the football team from Mar Del Plata.  We came in 4^th out of ten teams which wasn’t bad when you think that there were other bases whose emphasis was on sports!!!

During the Conference I was able to meet and get to know some amazing people, including Yoli who was from Puerto Madryn, students from my DTS  and so many more!!!

The theme of the Conference was “Building our Altar” which was right on for me.  It was an intense time with regards to all the responsibilities I had, but at the same time it was a time of spiritual renewal.  It definitely was NOT a physical renewal that’s for sure!!!

Our return trip from Mendoza to Mar Del Plata (which lasted 24 hours on the way there) ended up lasting a lot longer on the way back home.  The bus didn’t have any air conditioning and the heat was terrible!  You could hardly breath!

Being on a bus full to the brim with YWAMmers without any airconditioning was hard enough, but once I was able to fall asleep I was woken up and told that we had to get off the bus.  One of the YWammers had seen the bus driver with a bottle of alcohol, so they stopped the bus.  The bus driver then said that he had the bottle of alcohol because one of us had told him to buy it!!!!  So they made everyone get off and line up beside the bus as if we were criminals (all we needed was a number around our necks!!!). Anyway we ended up waiting for two hours until the police arrived… it was horrible.  Finally it was all sorted out and we were able to continue on with our journey, but it was a really long trip home!!!  God protected us that is for sure!

Points for prayer:-

*I will be working more with the King’s Kids ministry in the coming days.

*That God would continue to give me revelation and wisdom in dealing with the DTS Students.

*For the DTS and for the students.  

DONATIONS: For tax deductible donations (US only), send a check to: YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000. On the Check please DO NOT put my Name, write the check to ywam, and in a separate piece of paper in side the envelope put my name "Benjamin D Barnreuther" .

Thanks for taking your time to read!

Benji

The Surf DTS Starts today in Mar del Plata!

Today was the first day of the DTS!  I am sooooo excited about what God will do during this DTS, not only in the students but also in me.

All the staff have been busy preparing and there has been a lot of stress, but amidst the stress we have sensed the PEACE of God.

I was put in charge of editing a welcome brochure for the students where we give them basic information about the base and about YWAM in general.  Because we have one student from Canada this brochure needed to be done in English as well as in Spanish!    It took me one week to design and edit it in Spanish and being under time pressure to get it to the printer, I had to finish the English version in ONE day.  This involved not only translating into English (which is double the work for me) but working on pictures as well and I spent hours in front of the computer and had lots of spiritual attacks in the form of power cuts which meant I lost everything and had to start again.  But it is finished THANKS BE TO GOD!!

The jobs for the DTS have been divided amongst the staff and I will be doing: translation, artwork, maintenance and Praise &Worship.

Just yesterday I had to move out of the base along with 3 other guys to another house because with the students coming there isn’t enough room.  This new house is completely EMPTY: no furniture  or even light bulbs!!!  There aren’t any beds but just old mattresses, so we are sleeping on the floor.   Having said all of that, I am thank God that I can be here and be a part of establishing God’s Kingdom here!

Points for Prayer are:-

I have a really bad cold and sore throat and this makes translating and leading worship very difficult, so I would appreciate your prayers for healing.

I need to see God raise up people to support me financially on a monthly basis. 

I still need a Surfboard!

Pray for the Surf DTS that starts today 11^th October,  that it will be a time where we can go deeper with God!


Thanks for taking the time to read this and for your prayers!


Benji



DONATIONS: For tax deductible donations (US only), send a check to: YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000. On the Check please DO NOT put my Name, write the check to ywam, and in a separate piece of paper in side the envelope put my name "Benjamin D Barnreuther" .

I´M IN ARGENTINA!!!!

The trip from Spain to Argentina was full of tension and stress because there was only ONE seat left on the plane and I travel standby!
Travelling standby means that I never know if I will get on the plane or not until the last minute. There were also eight other standby passengers for this flight who even had priority over me. Praise the Lord this one remaining seat was given to ME!!! I arrived safe and sound in Buenos Aires, and was able to spend almost a week at dear friends’ house on the Ywam base there before travelling on to Mar del Plata.

On September 20th I took a “Remis” (which is like a taxi service) to get to the bus station in Retiro, Buenos Aires. There was very little time before my bus to Mar del Plata was supposed to leave and I was still trying to get all the change together (it cost 40 Argentinean Pesos )and feeling the pressure of not missing the bus. I had also forgotten to write down the number and address of the YWAM base in Mar del Plata so I was struggling with the money and not knowing where exactly I was going. But Praise God one of the YWAM base staff came to meet me at the bus who was also able to loan me 5 pesos to be able to make the trip to the base!!!
Once at the base I realized that I already knew some of the other staff members and during the week I already feel like I am “at home” and with family!
On October 11th the Surf DTS will begin. As a staff member of this base I will not only be working with the DTS but also in many other ministries that the base is involved in, such as Rescue and Relief work, King’s Kids etc..
This past weekend our base organized a Bible Marathon, which involved reading ALL of the New Testament in the centre and squares of the town. It was AMAZING! There was an older lady who approached me and we began to talk and she accepted Jesus into her heart!!!!

Here are a few photos:

Here are some prayer points:

• At present we only have 4 students signed up for the Surf DTS. Please pray that other students would join us!
• That the local Churches here in Mar del Plata would open their doors to what God wants to do.
• YWAM Mar del Plata is prayerfully considering buying a Hotel in the centre of town just a few blocks away from the beach. It would cost 180,000 Dollars.
• I need to raise at least 200Euros to be able to attend the YWAM Argentina’s National Conference in Mendoza. (As staff here in YWAM Argentina I am “obliged” to be there!)
• I need 250Euros to be able to buy a Surfboard!
• I still need to raise monthly support to be able to live here. As a Staff member I need a minimum of 300 Dollars per month for room and board. This does not include personal hygiene items and so on. Please pray that God would move the hearts that need to be moved as part of this monthly provision.

DONATIONS: For tax deductible donations (US only), send a check to: YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000. On the Check please DO NOT put my Name, write the check to ywam, and in a separate piece of paper in side the envelope put my name "Benjamin D Barnreuther" .

Thanks for taking your time to read,

Benji

 

The time for my big challenge has started!

Dear friends,

First of all I would like to thank you for taking the time to catch up on my blog and what I feel God has prepared for me in this new phase of my life.

As you know I finished my DTS (Discipleship Training School) with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) on the coast of Argentina in a town called San Clemente in June.  It was a time where God brought a lot of light into my life as well as healing, vision, dreams and purpose.  Actually above all, God has given me many challenges!

During the DTS I was feeling somewhat lost about what would happen when the DTS was done, but God began to bring confirmation about things and help me discover my calling and His purposes for my life.

I feel that God is calling me to mobilize and lead young people to know God in a deep and intimate way.  I began to look for ways in which I could grow in this calling and I saw that YWAM offered Leadership schools and thought… that’s interesting! Also after reading a book called “Spiritual Authority” I learned that the best way to be a leader and to lead is to be lead at the same time, and this is exactly how it works by being staff on a DTS: you disciple and are being discipled.  I felt that this is what God wanted me to do after my DTS.

God has also being laying on my heart a city called “Mar de Plata” on the coast of Argentina, and during my DTS this kept getting confirmed over and over. (if you would like more info about this just send me a message and I will let you know all about it as it’s an amazing story!!!)

So here I am taking up the challenge to go back to Argentina to lead and be lead!   I will not be going back to base where I was for my DTS, but to Mar de Plata where they will be doing the FIRST Surf DTS!  This is also a pioneer base, so God is leading me into the NEW where I will be faced with many NEW challenges!

I am nervous and excited about all that God is going to do in Mar de Plata, and am preparing myself for this call!  To be honest it is going to be a challenge to go for TWO years where I will be away from my family, my friends, my country, my comfort zone, my bed J!!! and so much more!!!  I would really appreciate your prayers right now! 

Here are a few prayer points: -

1.     That during my time in Argentina, God would be able to do all He needs to do in my life so I can be more effective for Him.

2.     That God would give me wisdom as I share in a Youth Group here on the 9th Sept.

3.     That all the preparations and the trip to Argentina would go well.

4.     The financial challenges (more info below)

As you can imagine this whole adventure presents financial challenges and this is maybe the biggest mountain at the moment.  Maybe God would like you to be a part of this challenge with me so I will take the liberty to share the numbers (most urgent needs) with you:-

350$ US              Monthly housing/food payment
*400$                         Health Insurance.
*300€             Surf Board (imagine I don’t have one yet and it’s a surf DTS!!!) and                                                    Wet Suit.

VERY IMPORTANT!

I would like you to see your offerings/donations  not just as a “survival fund” for Benji in Argentina, but rather as an INVESTMENT in my life and what God will do in/through me. Please pray and if God lays it on your heart to give, please do not hesitate !!!!

During this time I am trusting God to provide people who feel led support me on a monthly basis.  Why do I say this?  Because this would mean there would be an amount of money I could count on each month, and it would really help me to be able to administrate better.  Even if it is a small amount, know that every little helps and is valued!

• Support with out Tax Deductible: Send the money to me at 2090 E 104th #300 Thornton, CO 80233
•  Support With Tax Deductible: Soon I will have an account with YWAM, where you can send the money to YWAM in my name. I will inform you when its available.

During the first weekend in September I was able to participate in YWAM Spain’s Annual Staff Conference and during that time God spoke some words during a time of prayer they had for me which I would like to share.

·      I am going to learn!

·      I am like the point of the arrow, polished with passion but not able to doing ANYTHING without the other parts of the arrow.  It is these other parts that will catapult the point into the direction where God wants it to go.

·      I am going as a servant and prisoner of Christ, handcuffed by His LOVE.

·      Not to be despised by my youth but that this should inspire me to be an example not just to unbelievers but to those in the Body of Christ.

·      God is going to use me to impact millions of young people but also millions of the “not so young!” by the Grace that God has given to me!

Receive a BIG hug from me!  Thank you so much for investing in my life!

Benji 

Here is The Video Promo of the Surfing DTS