How YWAM Began

The vision of the waves that Loren received as a young man has become the first Legacy Word and the Foundational Covenant which gave birth to Youth With A Mission. Loren was a few days short of his 21^st birthday. He and his music band were to perform for a group of young people in the Bahamas. Afterwards, Loren was going to speak and challenge the young people to give their lives in service to God. Loren knelt by the bed in the guest room where he was staying. He asked God to give him a message to share with the young people that would gather that night. While praying, he lifted his eyes to the white wall on the other side of the bed. Suddenly he saw a map of the continents of the world come alive with waves crashing onto the continents of the world. The waves become young men and women going from everywhere to everywhere, demonstrating the love of God and preaching the gospel.

This vision was totally unexpected; Loren did not initiate it. He had only wanted one message for a small group of young people in the Caribbean. But God gave him much more than he asked for; something much bigger than he would have dared to imagine or envision: a vision that would shape the rest of his life and that of multiplied millions of young people all over the globe.

The vision of the waves was much more than a good dream. It was the covenantal foundation on which God would build a global movement of Great Commission young people. The covenantal vision of the waves is about two key foundational points: It was about youth and championing young people. And it was about the all and every of the gospel – the waves of young people covered every nation in all the continents, being global, comprehensive and inclusive.

This was Loren’s story, but it has become our story. We have many visions in YWAM, but there is one foundational covenant vision. Therefore, we must always champion young people and we must always focus on the alls and everys of God’s redemptive purposes. If we drift from our call to release young people or our call to the alls and everys, then we will miss God’s call to YWAM.