Ministry Update: Discovery Youth Group

Hi Team!

Two full weeks have passed since my School of Ministry Development (SOMD) began. God has been challenging our SOMD class to grow in leadership through the community experience of living at YWAM Orlando.

Dorm Life: To foster relationship between new and returning students, DTS and SOMD students share rooms during lecture phase. In my own dorm room, I have 4 roommates who are attending DTS and one fellow SOMD’er! Living in close relationship with new people always offers fresh opportunities for character development as we are daily living with one another in close quarters and challenging each other “as iron sharpens iron.”

Hospitality: As secondary students, we join with staff to welcome new students on base. This is a responsibility that is very close to my heart for 2 reasons: 1) because of my personal love of hosting people and 2) because of how much the hospitality of SOMD students positively impacted me when I myself was a newcomer.

Local Ministry at Discovery Youth Group

Our SOMD split into 3 small local ministry teams. My group is serving locally as leaders/volunteers in a youth group at Discovery Church in Winter Garden (a city west of Downtown Orlando). Last Wednesday Night, I was a part of a Missions-focused small group where the pastor taught about ASSET-BASED MINISTRY. Asset-based ministry focuses on people’s strengths and passions rather than simply focusing on their needs or the negativity of their situation. Even though I was there to serve, God taught so much through his teaching: that empowering people to serve others reminds them that they have something to offer and gives them the encouragement they need to take their eyes off their own situation. We are called to feel God’s heart for people and not simply focus on what is wrong with the world.

At this youth group, I look forward to forming relationships with the youth (ages 13-17) that attend Discovery! We will be returning to the same group every week, so this allows for a more relational kind of ministry and mentoring. I am so excited!!!

Lecture Week 1: Vision

During the first week, YWAM Orlando base leader Michael Berg taught us on “The Principles of Pioneering.” This topic reviewed the practicals of leading ministry while being led by the Holy Spirit. To illustrate his principles, Michael recounted stories from the early history of YWAM Orlando and how God led the leadership team and the Berg family through practical challenges of ministry such as real estate investment and times of community repentance.

Lecture Week 2: Finances

To be honest, “Faith and Finances” was the topic I looked forward to the most when I applied for SOMD!! Andy Miller taught us the heart and how-to’s of fundraising as a missionary. We covered areas like the Biblical Foundation, Mindsets and Approaches, and Practical Steps of fundraising. We looked at the lives of missionaries like William Carey, who was a missionary to India in the 19th century. To his supporters he said this: “I will descend into the pit if you will hold tightly to the ropes.” This is how intertwined the roles of missionary and donor are!

FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
MY SOMD ($7500) IS FULLY FUNDED!!!

Thank you Jesus for Your miraculous provision and thank you to each one of my financial supporters. Thank you for believing in the work we are doing here at YWAM Orlando and investing in it. Last week I sent out 30+ thank you letters, and more of you have given towards my tuition since that day! If you gave towards my SOMD and haven’t received a letter yet, keep an eye out. I want to thank each one of you, from the bottom of my heart. ♥️

Interested in supporting me financially?

March 19, 2021March 19, 2021

Tanzania Outreach Stories

Good afternoon dear readers! I have compiled a list of outreach stories on my Instagram to give you a sneak peek into our outreach and all the amazing work God did. He is SO PRESENT in the country of Tanzania! See the stories compiled below…

OUTREACH STORY #1: SHARING THE HEART OF THE FATHER

During our first week in Arusha, we participated in an after-school SOCCER MINISTRY for young boys. The vision of this ministry is to break the cycle of absent fathers in Tanzania and to disciple young boys to be strong leaders and faithful men of God. We shared with them the story of the Prodigal Son. They each noticed themes of love, forgiveness, and redemption. After the study, one young boy shared that when he was reading the story from the Swahili Bible, He felt God’s love for Him. Another shared that he used to be afraid of God but after reading this story He knows that God truly loves him so he doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.

Each week in Tanzania, our team would pile into a bus or van like this yellow school bus and go to visit churches in the area. What an encouragement to worship with believers from another country! Here at this church in Arusha, one of my teammates shared a testimony of the Father Heart of God and how God redeemed her family. This story ministered to a brother and sister in the congregation who had recently lost their parents. We saw the true meaning of the Scripture passage “weep with those who weep” and prayed over them healing and restoration.

God is REDEEMING FAMILIES in Tanzania!

OUTREACH STORIES #2 and #3: GOD HEALS THE BLIND AND THE DEAF

In Singida, our DTS split up into different MERCY MINISTRY teams, traveling 5-10 miles on foot to carry valuable food supplies to remote houses. During these house visits, we also ministered to the families through prayer. We saw physical healings like A BLIND EYE OPENED and A DEAF EAR RESTORED!!! Sooooo cool. Watch the video for the whole story 🙊🎥💥

God is WORKING MIRACLES in Tanzania!!

OUTREACH STORY #4: WORSHIP AND WARFARE IN MATALA

During our time in Tanzania, we sent 2 teams to an unreached village called Matala. Both teams experienced heavy spiritual warfare and struggled against the elements of heat and sun. The first team met a lot of pushback and struggled in many ways, but continued to persevere. We worshipped and interceded in the public square and saw a few precious salvations.

The second team also worshipped and interceded— and they were able to break further into the spiritual barriers!! During one market day, the team spent almost 2 hours worshipping in a public square and evangelizing. Because of persistence and relentless intercession from both teams, we saw 15 PEOPLE SAVED during that one market day in the public square!

On one of the last days, a small group of us went to the local clinic to pray over the sick, as we had been doing for the past 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks we had not always seen healings and our team struggled against the elements of heat and sun. It had been difficult to persevere. But on the last day, the team still obeyed and walked the long distance to the clinic. When they arrived, they prayed for a few people but realized there weren’t any other patients in the waiting room. After asking the doctor, he gladly told us what no one expected: “There is no one left. Over the past weeks, your teams have prayed over and HEALED EVERYONE WHO WAS SICK in this entire village!”

God is FIGHTING OUR BATTLES in Tanzania!

OUTREACH STORY #5: THE SONG OF THE REDEEMED

One of my personal favorite parts of outreach was worshipping in Swahili, in churches and with people groups all over Tanzania.

A worship gathering with the current DTS at YWAM Kilimanjaro, singing “Ndio Bwana” (Yes Lord)

Our worship breaks unseen walls of intimidation and fear. Our worship encourages and uplifts the body of Christ! Our worship connects us in love for one another. Our worship opens a pathway for us to feel the love of God and to express our pure devotion to Him.

Dancing with children at King’s Kids in Kilimanjaro and singing the song “Yesu wa Baraka” (Jesus of Blessings)

God is HAVING A PRAISE PARTY in Tanzania!

THANK YOU FOR READING!

A beautiful sunrise over Mount Kilimanjaro as seen from the remote village of Engikaret, Tanzania. Even though some people groups in Tanzania are still unreached by missionaries, God is already revealing His glorious nature to them…

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..." (Romans 1:20, NIV)

March 8, 2021March 19, 2021

Africa Outreach and Secondary School Update

🚨READ TO THE END FOR INFO ON MY NEXT SCHOOL🚨
Looking to give? Find instructions at the end of this update!

Jesus is worthy of praise in EVERY NATION and EVERY TONGUE!

Our Discipleship Training School has just returned from 🇹🇿TANZANIA🇹🇿– a beautiful country full of a vibrant and lively people! We spent almost 2 months doing mission work that fell into these three categories: training, evangelism, and mercy ministry. Our team was busy for 7 weeks and I have many stories to tell about miraculous healings, lives restored, and battles won… God deserves the glory for every single miracle.

Training: As a worship leader, my favorite part of the trip was learning African worship songs and learning to sing in Swahili. We visited many SCHOOLS and CHURCHES where translation was required to share a message, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t worship in the same language! It was an incredible privilege to encourage children and adults by SHARING TESTIMONIES and teaching them about God’s love.

Evangelism: Our team visited houses and started conversations in public marketplaces, sharing the love of Jesus that has changed our lives. Worship often took the forefront during these events, and our teams witnessed the change in atmosphere. On several occasions, God HEALED PHYSICAL INFIRMITIES as we worshipped, and during one of our public worship sessions, our group saw 15 PEOPLE ACCEPT JESUS!

Mercy Ministry: When we visited houses, carrying the Gospel with us, our teams also brought PHYSICAL GIFTS of food and valuable supplies like soap to bless the families. Twice our teams traveled over 10 miles on foot, carrying hiking backpacks filled with these supplies to remote houses that are inaccessible by car. During these visits we would often also see salvations and healings! God called us to Tanzania not only to bring the message of the Gospel, but also to be His hands and feet and to SERVE in tangible ways.

Hakuna Mungu kama wewe / There is no God like You
Hakuna nahata kwepo / There is no one like Him! 
HAKUNA MUNGU KAMA WEWE - Worship Song in Swahili

Pictured above: Our team built 3 different houses for Maasai widows in the region of Tanzania called Engikaret. The house pictured above was built for a widow named *Tumaini*, which means “Hope” in Swahili. One day after we finished our work, the widow treated us to yummy chai tea. The people of Tanzania are truly hospitable!

We made the houses from a framework of sticks that is covered with a mud mixture that dries in the sun like Tanzanian cement. This mud mixture is made with dirt, water, and COW MANURE! 🙂 If it works, it works. All this to say, I have officially learned what it means to “get my hands dirty” as a missionary. If I wasn’t already signed on for missions, this experience sealed the deal.

JESUS IS WORTH IT!

Lessons in Leadership

In addition to my role as a DTS student, I also led a group of 11 students from our Worship Elective, organizing teams and formulating strategies to stay prepared despite our ever-changing schedule. All of my fellow students are qualified worship leaders who took initiative and gave everything for the Gospel– it was a privilege to serve with each one of them.

Although I have led teams before, our overseas outreach was a very different atmosphere and I found myself praying for guidance almost every single day! On one of my off days, the Lord guided me to study the book of Nehemiah, which He used to speak into my situation and teach me about leadership through the process.

Even though many people in Tanzania are still unreached with the Gospel, God has already revealed His nature to them through His beautiful creation. We saw so many stunning sunrises and sunsets… the heavens declaring His Glory!

The Adventure Continues: SCHOOL OF MINISTRY DEVELOPMENT

During my time in Africa, God opened the door for me to stay at YWAM Orlando and continue to develop my calling of Hospitality and Worship ministry. God is sifting and shaping me as a leader, and I strongly believe that this next school will accelerate the process.

On April 5, I will be returning to YWAM Orlando to attend a School of Ministry Development, a school designed to develop leadership qualities and teach how to operate well in long-term ministry. During the first 3 months of this school, I will receive more teaching and have more hands-on opportunities to lead ministry efforts in the Orlando area! The lessons I learned on outreach about leadership are just the beginning.

My financial need for this 5-month school is $7500.

God has already provided $500 towards my goal through the faithful giving of supporters like you! Please prayerfully consider supporting me in this next school. If you have supported me in the past or are on this mailing list, I would love to have a phone call or in-person meeting during the next 3 weeks to provide more information and answer questions.

HOW TO GIVE:

DIRECT: ywamorlando.com/pay/
1. Scroll Down the Webpage…
2. Payment Type: “Payment for a Student”
3. Name: Anna Tuttle
4. School: SOMD

OTHER WAYS:
Paypal: paypal.me/annactuttle
Venmo: @annactuttle
Cashapp: @annactuttle

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
Bwana Asifiwe! / Praise the Lord!

December 25, 2020March 19, 2021

Jesus March on Miami Beach! – OUTREACH UPDATE

At YWAM, Worship is not a HOBBY, it’s a WAY OF LIFE!

In the 3 months of my lecture phase at Discipleship Training School, our class has been learning just how practical and applicable the love of Jesus truly is. Our minds have been renewed through Biblical instruction about God’s character, His heart for the nations, life with Jesus, and more; but the heart of our learning and training lies in the mission… the action… the Great Commission! The highest goal for all efforts at YWAM, including our DTS, is “to know God and make Him known.”

At home on the YWAM Orlando base, our group learned that Hearts of Worship are grown through hard work, diligence, and simple walks and talks with our Creator. Even though God is sacred and holy, communion with Him can be found anywhere– and He teaches through our limited points of view!

Because of a burning heart to share the Good News not only overseas but also right here at home, God gave our team the opportunity for a stateside outreach before Christmas Break. For me, our outreach location was even closer to home — Miami Beach! We partnered with 3 churches in Miami-Dade County, including my home church of Calvary Chapel Miami Beach.

Homeless ministry: hygiene bag and food giveaway for Christmas

During prayer times for our outreach, God highlighted a strategy for our group to release His power and love over the city of Miami: public worship! Over 10 days, our team encountered over 450 people in Miami Beach, Downtown Miami, and Miami Gardens during times of street evangelism and Operation Christmas Cheer (distributing candies and chocolates). We saw 12 people radically healed and 16 people saved by Jesus! We also collaborated with local ministries distributing hygiene bags and food to the homeless and Saturate Miami. Our last day ended with a Jesus March, a longtime YWAM tradition of worshipping publicly while sharing messages of the radical salvation and love we have found in Jesus. We carried signs and worshipped while walking a 13-block course along Miami Beach, ending with a beach baptism.

THANK YOU to everyone who supported me financially for DTS! You share in the fruit of our ministry, and lives have been changed because of it– and we’re not even finished!

It’s not over yet! In January 2021, our Discipleship Training School will be embarking on an overseas mission trip to TANZANIA, AFRICA! There we will be partnering with a YWAM base in Arusha, continuing the mission: “to know God and make Him known”.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

November 3, 2020March 19, 2021

Important Outreach Updates!

In this update, it is my privilege to announce that my DTS international outreach location has been decided — our group of roughly 50 students and staff members will be going to Tanzania!

Although we don’t know much about our physical work in the country yet, our general mission is to spread the radical message of the Gospel and do our best to communicate the love of Jesus in a truly tangible way. Over the past few weeks, God has brought so much revelation to our DTS about how much He loves us and how we were made to be in relationship with Him. Our Triune God is RELATIONAL and created us to share His presence and delight! I pray that God will use our team to bring this revelation to His people in Tanzania as well.

Our team has been interceding for Tanzania and our prayers are becoming more targeted as we research more about their history, customs, and environment. This past week, our DTS split into groups to research different areas of Tanzanian society to better understand their world there.

Tanzania’s position on the African continent

One of the most fascinating things I learned was related to music, dance, and arts in the country. Hearing another group’s presentation has inspired me to research more about their worship traditions!

In worship elective, since we have finished our two songwriting assignments, our next challenge is to write a 15-minute teaching on something worship related. I have chosen to research worship traditions in Africa and am hoping to find more information about worship in Tanzania, specifically. However, I also know that I won’t have a full view until I am there in person. With every passing day, I am even more excited to go!

PRAYER/CONNECTION POINTS FOR TANZANIA:

Pray for the people of Tanzania and the unity of their country, especially because they are currently going through a season of political turmoil after their recent presidential election.
Pray for the gender norms of their country, and for an increase in the value that they place on women and children specifically. Although they highly value families, the culture in Tanzania often only values women for their child-bearing ability, and in turn defines children by the success or mistakes of their parents.
Pray for religious confusion in Tanzania. The two main religions (data from 2010) are Christianity (61%) and Islam (35%). However, even in the percentage of Christianity, many false teachings are still popularized, teaching Tanzanians that they are only loved by God based of works/performance or intertwining witchcraft/spiritism with Christian customs.
Pray for our team to truly adopt the heart of God and have wisdom for the messages HE wants to communicate to these people that He loves so so much.

Stateside Outreach in New York City

Our DTS will also be going on local outreach before Christmas. In the first 2 weeks of December, half of our school (including me) will be going to New York City! My team will be aiding a local ministry as they hand out winter garments and hot drinks to people on the streets of New York. The other half of my DTS will be going to Miami and staying in my home church of Calvary Miami Beach. If you see them, say hi and ask if they know Anna Tuttle LOL!

Please pray for unity for our school, since we will be splitting into two separate teams for our first outreach. We still receive the same love supply from God and the same mission even though we will be separated, but it will be difficult to be separated since we have been spending so much time in close community together.

¹Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.
²From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61

Today our DTS also spent time interceding for our own country — and for God’s nature and goodness to be revealed to those who still don’t know him. Our teacher this week said, “If everyone on earth really knew who Jesus is, they would all want to be close to him.” I thank God that He is listening as we pray to Him and that His desire is always to lavish more and more of His love on us. While we may be preoccupied with our security on this earth, He is seated in the highest place and wants to commune with us. The safest place for us to be is always in obedience to His will — wherever that takes us.

Amen?? AMEN!

As always, thanks for reading! Thank you Jesus that all of my outreach fees have already been provided for my DTS. However, I am currently praying about continuing here at YWAM to do a secondary school. If God wills for me to continue, I will have another significant financial need– stay posted for updates in the next month or so. Thank you for all of your prayers! I pray for my Miami community very often here as well and you have all been on my mind.