Science News » Different Approaches to Understanding and Classifying Mental Disorders

Research in a wide range of disciplines supports the idea that mental disorders result from the complex interplay of biological, developmental, social, and environmental processes; however, the more we learn about mental disorders, the more we realize there are still gaps in our understanding of how best to classify, diagnose, and treat them.

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Ten New YWAM Books

YWAM is full of great stories of God’s work around the world. Here are 10 recent books from YWAM authors that can inspire you and your family.

We Can End Bible Poverty Now, by Loren Cunningham. In this book, YWAM founder Loren Cunningham speaks of his passion and goal to make the Word of God available to every person on earth—in this generation.

 

Taking on Giants, by Joe Portale. From spiritual forces in France to the perilous Sahara desert to war and poverty in Southeast Asia, Joe and his ministry team persevered through many challenges. Their successes and failures provide a roadmap for all who would respond to God’s call.

 

The Homes of Hope Story, by Sean Lambert. A behind-the-scenes account of how God led Sean and Janet Lambert in building homes for the poor and how thousands have joined with them in discovering the joy of giving.

 

Epic Faith, by Marty Myer. In his journey from youth pastor in Idaho to missionary trekking through Nepal and India, Marty Meyer shares his epic failures as well as his triumphs.

 

God and Political Justice, by Landa Cope. Are political justice and human flourishing possible? Landa Cope shows that the answer is yes—and it will require hard work and an unwavering commitment to God’s revealed principles.

 

Bring Your Eyes and See, by Steve and Marie Goode. Steve Goode and Marie Bentley, high-school sweethearts from Tennessee, couldn’t have imagined all they would see through multiple decades of service to the poor and oppressed.

 

Boundless, by Bryan Bishop. First-hand accounts of a startling phenomenon: hidden movements of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists who are following Jesus outside the boundaries of traditional Western Christianity.

 

Love Notes to God, by Linda McGowen Panci. A story of adventure, faith, and healing in the French-speaking world.

 

River People, by Kent and Josephine Truehl. Kent, an American, and Josephine, an Australian, journeyed to an unfamiliar continent and set out to live on a riverboat deep in the Amazon jungle.

 

Happy reading!

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Intramural Research Programs (IRP) Webinar » Adolescent Suicide Prevention: Recognizing Teens at Risk & Responding Effectively

Join experts for this live videocast about adolescent suicide prevention, which will include techniques for early detection and management of young people at risk.

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Blog Post » On Being Ill

After an emergency room visit on Thanksgiving, Dr. Gordon reflects on treatments for injury vs. psychiatric conditions.

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Praying For Pyongyang, North Korea

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Science News » Leading Neuropsychopharmacology Organization Promotes NIMH Director to Fellow Status

Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., Director of NIMH, has been promoted to Fellow status by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology based on his scientific reputation, contributions to the College through committee work and involvement in the Annual Meeting program.

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Scientific Meeting » Mental Health: Youth in Transition

For Mental Health Awareness Week, NIMH partnered with the Embassy of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to host a panel discussion about mental health challenges faced by youth—including indigenous peoples—during the transition to adulthood.

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Science News » NIMH Director Joshua Gordon Elected to Rank of AAAS Fellow

American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to induct Dr. Gordon and other recipients in February ceremony.

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Science News » NIMH Launches Twitter Account for Director

Follow @NIMHDirector on Twitter.

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Scientific Meeting » Mini-Symposium - Computational Psychiatry: Multiscale Models of Mental Illnesses

This mini-symposium will provide an in-depth introduction to the nascent and burgeoning field of computational psychiatry (CP).

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Science News » NIH announces awards for BRAIN Initiative neuroethics research

The NIH BRAIN Initiative has awarded grants to five teams of experts who will study the neuroethical issues surrounding the use of deep brain stimulation in neuropsychiatric and movement disorders and appropriate consent for brain research.

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Praying for Partner Churches

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Scientific Meeting » NIMH Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation E-Field Modeling Workshop

To help the wider neuroscience community submit responsive applications, the NIMH has convened a workshop where a variety of e-field modeling toolsets will be demonstrated.

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Science News » Brain’s Alertness Circuitry Conserved Through Evolution

Using a molecular method likely to become widely adopted by the field, researchers have discovered brain circuitry essential for alertness – and for brain states more generally.

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Blog Post » Sophomore Year

Dr. Gordon reflects on his first year at NIMH and outlines priorities for going forward.

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Science News » NIH BRAIN Initiative Builds on Early Advances

NIH has announced funding for 110 new awards totaling $169 million for the BRAIN Initiative.

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Science News » NIH BRAIN Initiative Launches Cell Census

The NIH today launched a major effort to discover and catalog the brain’s “parts list.”

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Scientific Meeting » NIH Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series: Kate Hoy

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the Multimodal TMS Speaker Series to bring together the leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG and fMRI.

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Science News » NIH Completes Atlas of Human DNA Differences that Influence Gene Expression

NIH researchers have completed an atlas documenting how DNA influence human gene expression.

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15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World

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Science News » NIMH Releases Strategic Research Priorities Update

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently released its second annual update of the Strategic Research Priorities.

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Scientific Meeting » NIH Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series: Risto Ilmoniemi, Joel Voss, & Gregor Thut

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the Multimodal TMS Speaker Series to bring together the leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG and fMRI

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Scientific Meeting » RDoC Office Hours: December Session

The NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) unit holds monthly virtual “office hours” via video conference. Discussion topics may include the basic principles of the initiative, general queries about designing and applying for grants based on RDoC ideas, and the role of RDoC within NIMH and its relationship to other initiatives. Questions regarding individual grant applications or detailed program advice will be redirected to the relevant program officers.

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Scientific Meeting » RDoC Office Hours: November Session

The NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) unit holds monthly virtual “office hours” via video conference. Discussion topics may include the basic principles of the initiative, general queries about designing and applying for grants based on RDoC ideas, and the role of RDoC within NIMH and its relationship to other initiatives. Questions regarding individual grant applications or detailed program advice will be redirected to the relevant program officers.

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Scientific Meeting » NIH Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series: Hartwig Siebner

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the Multimodal TMS Speaker Series to bring together the leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG and fMRI.

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Scientific Meeting » Using the RDoC Framework in Developmental Research

As a pillar of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) matrix, neurodevelopment plays a critical role in the RDoC research framework in understanding psychopathology.

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Scientific Meeting » NIH Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series: Andrea Antal

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting the Multimodal TMS Speaker Series to bring together the leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG and fMRI.

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Science News » RDoC Webinar - Using the RDoC Framework in Developmental Research

NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Unit hosts a webinar titled “Using the RDoC Framework in Developmental Research.”

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Concept Clearance » Computational Models for Validating Dimensional Approaches to Psychopathology

The primary goal of this initiative is to apply sophisticated computational (theory- and data-driven) approaches to research on the etiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders that utilizes a dimensional framework (e.g., Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)).

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Concept Clearance » Development and Validation of Technologies for Rapid Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles of Central Nervous System Origin

This concept was developed by the NIMH to contribute to the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, a framework to enhance cooperative activities among NIH Institutes, Centers and Offices that jointly support neuroscience-related research.

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Blog Post » Suicide Prevention: Next Steps

September is National Suicide Prevention month; focusing on the benefits of collaborations, Dr. Gordon outlines recent research results as well as future directions.

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Science News » Life-Saving Post-ER Suicide Prevention Strategies are Cost Effective

Three interventions designed for follow up of patients who are identified with suicide risk in hospital emergency departments save lives and are cost effective relative to usual care.

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DTS, Disciple-Making

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Science News » Depression’s “Transcriptional Signatures” Differ in Men vs. Women

Brain gene expression associated with depression differed markedly between men and women. Such divergent “transcriptional signatures” may signal divergent underlying illness processes requiring sex-specific treatments.

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Blog Post » Summer Reading

Dr. Gordon offers highlights of his summer reading in science and literature.

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Science News » RDoC Webinar - Reward Sensitivity and Depression: From Mechanism to Implementation

NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Unit, the Delaware Project, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) conduct the second webinar in a series examining the science-to-service pipeline in psychology and psychiatry.

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Science News » Scientists give star treatment to lesser-known cells crucial for brain development

Star-shaped support brain cells, astrocytes, growing in 3-D “organoids” in a dish develop similarly as those in human brain tissue.

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Blog Post » Summer Travels

Dr. Gordon relates highlights of summer scientific meetings.

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Science News » Breakthrough Method Yields Trove of Neuron Subtypes, Gene Regulators

Scientists have discovered a trove of neuronal subtypes by identifying their unique epigenomic signatures.

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Pray for our Singles, Married Couples, and Families

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Science News » Patient-Derived Support Cells Stunt Mouse Brain Development

Support cells generated from patients with childhood onset schizophrenia stunted neural circuit development when grafted into developing mouse brains.

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Science News » Mood Stabilizing Medications an Effective Option for Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder

Two standard medications for bipolar disorder were effective in controlling symptoms at doses tailored to older people in a clinical trial of treatment in adults over age 60.

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Science News » Our Brains Harbor “Residual Echo” of Neanderthal Genes

Researchers have produced the first direct evidence that parts of our brains implicated in mental disorders may be shaped by a “residual echo” from our ancient past. The more a person’s genome carries genetic vestiges of Neanderthals, the more certain parts of his or her brain and skull resemble those of humans’ evolutionary cousins that went extinct 40,000 years ago.

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Science News » Guidelines published for treating PANS/PANDAS

An expert panel has published guidelines for treatment of Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and a subset of patients diagnosed with PAN Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection (PANDAS).

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Science News » Webinar: RDoC - Fear & Anxiety: From Mechanisms to Implementation

This November 2016 RDoC webinar highlights the role of fear and anxiety in disorders such as phobias and depression.

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Video » Webinar: RDoC - Fear & Anxiety: From Mechanisms to Implementation

This November 2016 RDoC webinar highlights the role of fear and anxiety in disorders such as phobias and depression.

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Science News » Imaging Pinpoints Brain Circuits Changed by PTSD Therapy

Using brain imaging to track the effects of treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), scientists have identified a brain circuit on which a frequently used and effective psychotherapy (prolonged exposure) acts to quell symptoms. The findings help explain why the neural circuit identified is a promising target for additional treatment development, including brain stimulation therapies.

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Science News » Scientists Replay Movie Encoded in DNA

For the first time, a primitive movie has been encoded in – and then played back from – DNA in living cells. It’s a major step toward a “molecular recorder” that may someday reveal secrets of the developing brain.

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Pray for our Two-Thirds-World Workers

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Science News » The NIH NeuroBioBank: Addressing the Urgent Need for Brain Donation

The directors of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke discuss the importance of post-mortem brain donation in a joint message.

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Science News » NIH Names Winners of “Follow that Cell” Phase 2 Competition

Two biological engineering researchers are winners in Phase 2 of NIH’s Follow that Cell Challenge. The winners will share $400,000 in prizes awarded for development of new tools and methods for predicting the behavior and function of a single cell in complex tissue over time – and how that reflects the health of the tissue.

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Blog Post » RDoC: Outcomes to Causes and Back

In the second of two director’s messages on RDoC, Dr. Gordon talks about the role of computational psychiatry in the effort to understand the brain processes underlying behavior and mental disorders.

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Science News » Neuroimaging technique may help predict autism among high-risk infants

Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) may predict which high-risk, 6-month old infants will develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by age 2 years.

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Video » NIMH Institutional Training (T32) Informational Webinar

This March 29, 2017 NIMH informational webinar on T32 applications may be a useful resource in preparing applications.

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Science News » Brain Circuit Tweak Wins Her Affection (if she’s a vole)

For the first time, neuroscientists have boosted a female rodent’s partnering with a male by stimulating connectivity of a brain reward circuit. Understanding the circuitry of such affiliative behaviors may lead to improved treatments for social impairment in severe mental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder.

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Blog Post » The Future of RDoC

In the first of two messages, Dr. Gordon shares his thoughts on NIMH’s Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), and discusses how we might be able to use big data approaches to enhance this research framework in the future.

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Science News » Connections Strengthen Within Specialized Networks as Brain’s Executive Function Matures

As we grow up, our brain’s specialized networks become more structurally segregated, contributing to improved executive functioning. These densely interconnected “modules” process information for key functions that underlie development of mental control and self-regulation.

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Science News » NIMH Grantee Wins One of Science’s Most Coveted Prizes

NIMH grantee Karl Deisseroth, M.D., Ph.D., of Stanford University, has been awarded one of science’s most generous prizes. A German foundation presented the inventor of technologies that are transforming neuroscience with its 4 million euros Fresenius Prize.

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Science News » Pediatrics-based Brief Therapy Outdoes Referral for Youths with Anxiety and Depression

A streamlined behavioral therapy delivered in a pediatrics practice offered much greater benefit to youth with anxiety and depression than a more standard referral to mental health care with follow-up in a clinical trial comparing the two approaches.

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Pray for China’s Missions Movement

The Back to Jerusalem movement began in the 1920s when the Chinese church received a vision from God to take the Gospel to all the unreached people groups between China and Jerusalem. Chinese Christians understood that the spread of Christianity had generally taken a westward path and had reached as far as China. Their mindset was that a Back To Jerusalem effort from China westward would complete the circle around the entire globe, ending where it all began, in Jerusalem.

Through decades of persecution, where the primary work being conducted was often underground, this movement has continued. The contemporary Back To Jerusalem movement started in 1983 when Simon Zhao was released from prison. Simon had been one of the leaders of this movement in the 1940s and 50s. During his time in prison he prayed daily “God, the vision that you’ve given us has perished, but I pray you’ll raise up a new generation of Chinese believers to fulfill this vision.”

The current movement has a goal to have 100,000 Chinese missionaries sent out across the globe, primarily in the nations between China and Jerusalem. Many of these nations are within the 10/40 Window and are primarily Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. There are approximately 5,100 unreached people groups and tribes in these nations. The Back to Jerusalem movement helps the Chinese church train and send Chinese missionaries into unreached areas of the globe.

Please join with YWAM’s global prayer day, called The Invitation, during the month of June to pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement. You are particularly invited to pray during our prayer day, June 8.

If you have only a few minutes to pray, pray this short prayer: Ask God to raise up 100,000 Chinese missionaries to go into the nations between China and Jerusalem, and pray that these missionaries would be well trained and supported. For the full prayer information, see below.

Pray for Back to Jerusalem

Prepare to Pray:

• Watch this short video about the Back to Jerusalem movement.
• Ask God to reveal a key prayer request to you that He wants you to pray over and over. Pray this prayer as a breath prayer holding this topic before God throughout the day. Write out a short phrase to repeat in pace with your in and out breath, to pray whenever it comes to mind throughout the day. For example, as you breathe in, you pray: “Merciful and gracious God,” and as you breathe out, you pray: “Have your way in China and westward toward Jerusalem” (or whatever key prayer request the Lord gives to you).

Pray for the Back to Jerusalem movement:

• Pray for continued growth and strength of the Chinese church networks so they can train and send 100,000 missionaries to the 10/40 Window and across the globe.
• Praise God for the growth of the Chinese church. Praise Him also for the Chinese Christians that willingly go, knowing that they may give their life so that the lost can hear the good news.
• Pray that the Back to Jerusalem movement will be protected from people who would want to organize and control it.
• Pray for the Chinese government, who have good historical reasons for being suspicious of Christianity because it was often intertwined with foreign governments and their political and military ambitions. Pray for the Chinese government to recognize that Biblical Christians are trustworthy citizens. Many Christians go out to other nations or to minority tribes within China in the course of their work or as a result of government initiatives.
• Pray for these workers to understand how to be an ambassador for Jesus. Also pray for the many who are wanting to start businesses or engage with other economic activities as part of their missions calling.
• Pray for excellent training to help Chinese missionaries with cross-cultural sensitivities, language learning, etc.
• Pray for financial and prayer supporters to partner with the Back to Jerusalem movement. Pray for the provision of Bibles and of supplies so that Back To Jerusalem can provide for people where disaster strikes and where people have the greatest needs.
• Pray for social change in the 10/40 Window through the impact of the gospel.

Take Action

After you pray, take action to learn about and support the Chinese mission movement.

Consult the Back to Jerusalem website for more stories, information and prayer concerns. Learn about the interesting history of the Back to Jerusalem movement in “A Captivating Vision,” in Christianity Today, April 1, 2004.

Pray about the Back To Jerusalem movement in a deeper and ongoing manner:

• Fast regularly
• Send intercession and spiritual mapping teams to China and 10/40 Window nations and pray on site.

Read books:

• The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun.
• I Stand With Christ, by Eugene Bach and Zhang Rongliang.
• Back to Jerusalem: Called to Complete the Great Commission, by Paul Hattaway.

Conduct research on:

• The 10/40 Window to learn more about these nations. (Start here.)
• Chinese church history.

Support the Back to Jerusalem movement:

• Become a Back to Jerusalem Gatekeeper.
• Provide Bibles.
• Purchase tea.
• If you sense God calling you to partner with the Back to Jerusalem movement in some way, allow Him to lead you to discern where and when.

Share on the June 8 post on YWAM’s Facebook page, post a picture and add a comment about how you prayed.

Go to Twitter, search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time or post a picture.

Send us an email letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

Don’t Miss the Invitation

During May The Invitation focused on spending silent time with God.

• YWAM Champagne, France reported that they were very grateful for the proposal for a time of silence.

In April participants prayed about persecution:

• Multiple locations reported praying for the YWAM worker kidnapped last year.
• YWAM Central African Republic reported that receiving The Invitation stimulates them to pray for matters beyond their area.
• A YWAMer from Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa was inspired by 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and asked herself “Am I willing to give it all and give up myself?”
• YWAM Cape Verde prayed and reported that they are grateful to receive The Invitation in Portuguese.
• Several YWAM locations shared that they utilize The Invitation to share information about YWAM with the students and staff at their location.

Future topics for The Invitation:

• July 13, 2017: Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support
• August 10, 2017: Family, Singles, Marriages

Here’s how to participate:

• Sign up for prayer updates. On ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
• You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: http://ift.tt/2mXjIgI.
• Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to http://ift.tt/1UO8eZP. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
• If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

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Science News » NIMH to Host Multimodal Brain Stimulation Speaker Series

Beginning May 31, 2017, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will launch a speaker series intended to bring together leaders in the field conducting research using non-invasive brain stimulation and functional imaging including EEG, fMRI, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

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Generic (Scientific) » Novel Approaches to Understanding the Mechanisms of the Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer’s and Advancing Therapy Development

On May 8-9, 2017, NIMH and the National Institute on Aging brought together clinical, behavioral science, and neuroscience researchers to discuss neuropsychiatric symptoms and treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s disease.

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Rescue in South Sudan

In 2016, due to fighting in South Sudan, YWAM’s workers in the country faced an urgent need to evacuate. Many of those workers are natives of South Sudan and couldn’t afford the cost of airfare. Thanks to contributions from churches and from YWAM’s emergency fund, called the Storehouse Fund, they were all able to leave safely.

YWAMers from South Sudan and Uganda leave for the South Sudan refugee camp

Now, as violence continues to make South Sudan unsafe for their return, the YWAMers from South Sudan are continuing to care for vulnerable people who live near their new home in Arua, Northern Uganda. They have begun to reach out to other refugees from South Sudan in villages nearby, helping these people find shelter, nutritious food, and healthcare.

Also, a team of eight from the YWAM Arua Discipleship Training School recently had the opportunity to fly back to a refugee camp inside South Sudan. Although many of them had recently escaped the violence, they sensed God leading them back into South Sudan to care for others.

For a month, they ran a seminar on knowing God and making God known. The 118 participants included 20 Muslims who were seeking God. Many of these people were the first believers from their tribes. Many come from the Nuba mountain area in Sudan. By the end of the program, some of the Muslim students had chosen to follow Jesus.

As the seminar ended, a Muslim leader talked to the YWAMers. He said in his tribe there are now 55 Christians. There were never any Christians before. But in the camp these believers had no place to worship. They were joining with Christian groups from other tribes that spoke other languages. He asked the YWAMers if they could build the believers from his tribe a church.

Building the church in the refugee camp

So that day the seminar participants went over to this tribe’s area of the camp and, together with the Muslim elders there, in one day they built a church.

That evening, many of those Muslim leaders joined the Christians for a service in the new church. The YWAM team showed the Jesus Film and many people gave their lives to Christ.

Team leader Vikki Wright, who together with her husband John leads YWAM Arua, is now contemplating how God will lead them next. Fifty of the tribes in the Nuba mountains have no known believers. Most of those tribes have people who have taken shelter in the refugee camp. The YWAMers have many invitations to come back.

Said Vikki, “God is looking for people to fulfill the Great Commission who will go no matter how much money is in the bank, who will have courage to face the fire, who will follow Him step by step, and possess their promised land as they extend the Kingdom of God. We don’t need to be superstar Christians, just people who will trust and obey.”

The South Sudan refugee camp: many unreached tribes

To find out more about YWAM in South Sudan, go to the YWAM South Sudan Facebook page. To learn more about YWAM Arua, visit ywamarua.org.

If you would like to help YWAM care for people in times of crisis like the YWAMers in South Sudan are going through, please make a contribution to the YWAM Storehouse Fund. After helping with several needs over the last year, the fund is depleted and needs more donations. To give, go to the ywam.org donate page and pick “emergency fund” from the list.

 

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Science News » Brain “Relay” Also Key to Holding Thoughts in Mind

Long overlooked as a mere “relay,” an egg-like structure in the middle of the brain also turns out to play a pivotal role in tuning-up thinking circuity. A trio of studies in mice are revealing that the thalamus sustains the ability to distinguish categories and hold thoughts in mind. It might even become a target for interventions for psychiatric disorders marked by working memory problems, such as schizophrenia.

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Creating Space for God

Since the beginning of 2017, The Invitation, YWAM’s monthly prayer day, has focused on growth. Last month we prayed about the possible parallel increase in persecution. As we experience both of these realities–an increase in numbers and an increase in trials–it is crucial that we put our roots ever deeper into God.

Silence can be a gift to us in this regard. Silence offers us an opportunity to become more aware of God and more aware of the truth of our own hearts. When things are going well, as when our numbers increase, we are tempted to rely on our own strength. Silence can safeguard us from the pitfall of self-sufficiency by keeping us in touch with our great need for God. And when things are difficult, as when we face trials and persecution, we are tempted to panic and try to save ourselves in our own way. In silence we are reminded of the greatness and nearness of God.

In any case, as YWAMers we are often a people of action and it is easy to find both fulfillment and distraction in our activity. When we practice silence, we make space for God to meet us beyond all possible distractions. God invites us to know Him and, in knowing Him, to know ourselves and to become the God-empowered people He made us to be.

To remain in silence for more than a few minutes can be uncomfortable for us. We are used to noise and chatter and in the quiet we often find our minds buzzing with all sorts of thoughts. In order to make space for God, we encourage you to join us in this month’s practice of silence–whether as a community, or individually–trusting that this deep listening will lead to a fresh springing up among us of God’s abundant life.

Please join us during May, and especially on our prayer day of May 11, to seek God through silence. If you will be entering into this prayer as part of a YWAM group or a church group, please see below for instructions on how to facilitate a group. If you will be praying on your own, please skip down to the “Spend Time in Silence” section, and pick one of the three activities.

For Prayer Facilitators: Prepare to Spend Time in Silence

This month’s prayer time will focus on making space to hear God’s voice, listening, and being attentive in silence. Here are some practical tips to help those facilitating the prayer time.

• Decide ahead of time if you want the group to stay together, doing the same activity, or if you will let individuals choose for themselves which activity in which to engage. This is important in order to save time. If you want to let people choose which activity to do you may want to have the three options written out, either as a PowerPoint slide displayed on a screen or wall or on a handout. If the instructions are only verbal you may have to clarify and explain a few times, which would take away from the amount of time you could spend in silence.
• As a facilitator please help set the tone of the time by explaining the expectations to the group as you begin. You may want to emphasize the expectation of silence in the room (if you are staying in the same room) or of not talking to each other if the group is going outside. This may be challenging for some.
• Please be sure to give all the instructions at the beginning of the time of silence in order to avoid interrupting the group with further instructions. Include in the instructions a specific time to gather back together again.
• Consider ahead of time how you are going to process and receive feedback from the group. We have included some possible processing questions. Decide who will facilitate the processing time and how you will record the feedback.

Spend Time in Silence

As part of your time of silence, you are invited to consider one of the following three activities as a way to practice “making space for God.” If you are participating with a group, we recommend you all do the same activity so that afterwards you can share together about your experience of God through that activity.

Option A: Take a walk outside, in silence.

Begin by simply noticing how you are feeling physically and being present to the world around you. Practice curiosity and a deep listening to your intuition. Let this time be a journey of the heart, noticing where you are being invited to walk and where to stay for a while. Try to let go of any goals you have for this time (such as to reach a certain destination). Even if you walk only a few steps and simply notice what you see, that is enough.

After spending time slowing down and being present to what is around you, become aware of any questions or reflections that come to your mind. Each season has its own particular questions to ask: for example, spring might cause you to reflect on the fullness of life and time for play. What draws your attention and what questions does your time outside invite you to ask at this particular time of your life?

Finally, once you have enjoyed this time of reflection, ask yourself how are you moving in this journey of life with God. You might choose to mirror your response in the actual movement of your legs and feet as you walk (if you feel hurt, you might walk with a limp; if you are excited, you might bounce; if you are uncertain, you might mirror that in the way you walk). Then ask, how do you want to be moving through life in this season? You could move in that way for a short while. How might God be speaking to you through what this brings to your mind?

Option B. Get comfortable and keep silence wherever you are.

Be sure you have your journal and some pens or pencils. You may want to light a candle as a symbol of God’s presence. Get comfortable in your chair, or on the floor. Take a few moments to settle into this time and notice how you are feeling. Pay attention to the part of you that finds silence difficult, and to the part of you that looks forward to being with God in this way.

After spending time slowing down and becoming present to yourself and to God, begin paying attention to what comes to your mind. Are you aware of questions you want to ask the Lord? Is there something going on in your life that the silence offers you an opportunity to think about? You might reflect on how you have been turning towards God in recent times, and how you have been turning away from Him. Speak with Him about this.

In the quiet, you may well find that many random thoughts jump around in your mind, distracting you. If it helps, write down things you need to remember so you can stay focused during this time. Then simply return to an attitude of openness and listening to God. How might He be speaking to you through the things that come to mind? You could journal about this.

Option C. Reflection on a painting.

Finally, you may choose to spend your time in silence considering a painting such as this one, based on the story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat during a storm (Mark 4:35-41).

Consider projecting this image so everyone in your group can see it, then settling into a silent time of reflection.

As you first look at the painting, ask yourself these questions:

• What grabs my attention right away?
• How does the scene change for me, as I look at the painting?
• What is surprising to me about the painting? What questions does it raise for me?
• Which of the characters do I most identify with, and why?
• What would it be like to be in the boat in such a storm?

You could also consider reflecting on the following questions:

• What are the storms in my life right now?
• In what ways have I overlooked – or been aware of – Jesus’ presence with me?
• What is His invitation to me in those stormy places? And what is my response?

Conclude Your Silence Activity

In conclusion: Whichever activity you choose, at the end of your time simply express gratitude to God for your awareness of His presence, for what He has revealed to you, and for the grace to move toward Him.

Once your time of silence has concluded, here are some questions to help you or your group process:

• How was the time of silence and listening different from having a specific topic to pray for?
• What challenges did you experience in the time of silence and listening?
• What insights did you gain from this time of silence?
• How do you think a time of corporate, worldwide silence and listening like this could impact the mission?
• What do you think God thought and felt as we took time around the world to be silent before Him?

You may like to use this as a closing prayer:

“Lord, thank you that you are not a silent God. Thank you for your desire to communicate with your children. Please give us patience to wait in silence and the ability to quiet our hearts before you. Please train our ears to hear your voice. Help us to be aware of the noises and distractions in our life that may keep us from being close to you, and give us the grace to be still and know that you are God.”

Take Action

Find out more about spiritual formation:

• Read blogs from YWAM Montana and YWAM Salem.
• Attend training on spiritual formation at YWAM Seamill, Scotland.
• Plan another spiritual formation event for your location.
• Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the post on the second Thursday on YWAM’s Facebook page.
• Follow YWAM on Twitter; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time or post a picture.
• Send an email to prayer@ywam.org letting us know how you prayed and what God revealed to you.

 

Don’t Miss The Invitation

YWAM Europe staff worship together in Albania

During April 2017 The Invitation focused on growth and persecution:

• YWAM Melbourne prayed for our Egyptian brothers and sisters from the Coptic Church after bombs exploded in multiple churches on Palm Sunday.
• YWAM Madison and YWAM Melbourne prayed and invited others to join them through Facebook. YWAMers from Homer, Alaska also posted that they prayed.
• Others posted on Facebook that they prayed specifically for Christians in Nigeria, the Middle East and for the Hazara people group in Central Afghanistan.
• YWAMers at a YWAM Europe conference prayed for the nations.

Future topics for The Invitation:

• June 8, 2017: Back to Jerusalem
• July 13, 2017: Two-Thirds-World Workers, Financial Support
• August 10, 2017: Family, Singles, Marriages

Here’s how to participate:

• Sign up for prayer updates. On ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
• You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: http://ift.tt/2mXjIgI.
• Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to http://ift.tt/1UO8eZP. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
• If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us.

Photo credits: Nick Kenrick and Carol Jacobs-Carre, Flickr

 

 

 

 

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Three Voices, One Historic Message

More than 40 years ago, three people, Brother Andrew, Loren Cunningham and Joy Dawson walked together as a dynamic team that challenged leaders and taught the ways of God to thousands. They changed the world. Now, these three living heroes of the faith are joining together again to challenge and bless tens of thousands. Don’t miss this live event!

The event will happen on April 21 at 6:30 p.m. Hawaii time. You can watch live on YWAM’s Facebook page or on www.ywam.live.

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Pray about Persecution

In this, the last of our three-part series on growth, we invite you to join The Invitation this month as we pray about the persecution that often comes along with growth. According to Christianity Today magazine, persecution of Christians continued at a high level last year: “For the third year in a row, the modern persecution of Christians worldwide has hit another record high.”

YWAM’s founder, Loren Cunningham, expects more opposition in the years to come. He says “The reason I believe that persecution is going to increase on us, and I’ve already seen the signs of it, is that we are going to have a release, not just of workers but of effectiveness.”

To hear more of Loren Cunningham’s comments on how to pray about persecution, watch this short video:

Recent examples of persecution of YWAM workers include a kidnapping, families expelled from countries, one YWAM worker killed for his faith and bold witness, a YWAM worker held by militia, family members held by police, all workers from a YWAM location expelled from the country, computers and phones confiscated, home burnings of YWAM associates, burning of a church planted by a YWAM team, government harassment, imprisonment, monetary fines, beatings, hours of interrogation, and intimidation.

YWAM Ozarks prays for the persecuted church

Loren Cunningham warns that persecution can also come by legal means such as media attacks, loss of jobs, and lawsuits against Christians. YWAM leaders also express concern over the ways governments seem to be tightening their control of, and opposition to, Christians.

Persecution is different by region and even from family to family as persecution extends to that level. One of YWAM’s leaders for the Middle East notes that there are some regions currently where “we are being much more bold and active than we have been before, but getting the same or less hassle than before, but there are some areas that have become more restrictive and are continuing to tighten up.” This YWAM Middle East leader thinks YWAM has been spared significant persecution up to this point and attributes this to “possibly quite a bit of prayer cover.”

Said Steve Goode, one of YWAM’s leaders, “As we experience growth, we will also experience greater persecution. Now is the time to review and count the cost of following Jesus to the ends of the earth. God hears the cry of the poor every day and he wants us to respond, ‘Here I am Lord, send me.’”

In some cases, YWAM does not experience the persecution directly but we find ourselves helping others who have been or are being persecuted. Some of these examples are many YWAM locations sending teams to refugee camps that house Christians who have been persecuted in their home country. Other locations offer immediate assistance to cities, towns, and villages where Christians and new believers are persecuted.

YWAM South Sudan staff: most have had to leave due to violence

The most recent World Watch List from the organization Open Doors predicts that the top ten countries for persecution in 2017 will be North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Eritrea. YWAM has had a presence or has a presence in most of these countries.

Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Please join us for The Invitation in April, and particularly on our prayer day April 13, as we pray about persecution.

As you prepare to pray:

• Review these Bible verses and other resources regarding the cost of following Jesus: Luke 14:25-33, Romans 8:16-17, Revelation 12:11. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations or distress, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35, posted by YWAM Abuja, Nigeria.)
• Read the story of a young man, previously a Muslim, who counted the cost of following Jesus and did a DTS in YWAM, southern Nigeria. (Posted by Andy Brooks, YWAM Montana.)
• Review this article, this video and this one, regarding YWAMer Dan Baumann when he was imprisoned in Iran.
• As a group or individually, ask God to give you clarity on the cost of following Jesus for your specific ministries.

Pray about Persecution

YWAM Redding, California prays for persecuted Christians

Pray about the persecution that comes with growth:

• Pray for courage and protection as we make more disciples. Pray for safety for new believers as they become rooted in Christ.
• Pray for courage to bear witness when we are persecuted, imprisoned and brought to court (Luke 21:12-13). Pray that we would endure when we are persecuted (1 Corinthians 4:12).
• Pray for YWAM locations in countries known to be the worst for persecution including: North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and Eritrea. Pray for more workers and disciples in these countries.
• Pray for YWAM locations that have had to leave certain areas including Syria and South Sudan due to persecution and violence. Pray for eventual YWAM growth in these areas.
• Pray for YWAMers in the field who must remain relatively isolated for security reasons.
• Praise God for the way that He works in all things, including persecution, for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
• Pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
• Pray for persecuted Christians to be rescued from their persecutors (Psalm 31:15).
• Pray for the YWAM missionary kidnapped in Africa last year. Pray for his safe return, for comfort for his family and that his captors would know Jesus.
• Pray for God to create “Pauls” out of those who persecute today. Pray for God to provide them with mercy and to show them love through YWAMers and other workers.
• Pray for those who are displaced and marginalized to find safety and for YWAM workers who are ministering to them.
• Pray for loved ones of martyrs of the Christian faith to see their deceased as more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). Pray also for practical relief and spiritual support for these families.
• Pray for YWAMers and their friends and families who are directly impacted by persecution. Pray for strength, wisdom and provision.

 

Take Action:

• Watch Loren Cunningham on growth and persecution: Trees of Growth for YWAM (teaching video, 14:33 minutes, 2017); and Rise of Persecution explained (6 minutes). On the Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog see January 30, 2017 and February 7, 2017 to hear interviews with Loren Cunningham on distributing Bibles in the hardest parts of the world.
• Read books by YWAMer Dan Baumann, who was imprisoned in Iran, to see how persecution has shaped him and his teaching within YWAM: Cell 58 (Formerly Imprisoned in Iran); A Beautiful Way; and A Fresh Look at Fear.
• Track locations, stats and trends about persecution: Voice of the Martyrs Global Report; Open Doors USA World Watch List and Country Profiles.
• Consult Operation World for more prayer points on the persecuted church in each country of the world. Adopt a country and pray regularly or focus on a new country each month or week.
• Review the Back To Jerusalem 2014 Persecution Report. (There is more coming on Back To Jerusalem in The Invitation in June).
• Read books to gain a greater understanding of persecution and the cost of following Jesus: Tomorrow You Die (International Adventures), Reona Peterson Joly, 1996, YWAM Publishing; Singing Through The Night: Courageous Stones of Faith from Women in the Persecuted Church, YWAM Publishing; Jesus Driven Ministry, Ajith Fernando (See what it looks like to follow Jesus through Sri Lankan women and men who have been imprisoned for their faith); The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
• Remember and honor YWAMers who have gone to be with the Lord as a result of persecution or other reasons on the YWAM Memorial site.
• If you missed The Invitation in February or March please review these short videos about growth that were produced for The Invitation: YWAM’s Lynn Green on ten-fold growth; and Loren Cunningham on global growth.

How We Prayed

In March of 2017 we prayed for supernatural increase in YWAM’s work globally:

• YWAM Kuwede Kara, Togo, West Africa received Genesis 1:11-12 regarding multiplication in the Horn of Africa and a vision of an open eye with the Lord saying “I the Lord have my eyes on you, I support you.” They also prayed for growth of faith for staff and students and for ending Bible poverty.
• YWAM Perth sensed God giving them Hebrews 12:26-29, concluding that if we want to see growth and breakthrough we need to refine our character. They also prayed for the children who grow up in YWAM that they would have a heart for the Lord, and for smaller locations to have an increase of staff joining and increase in finances.
• An individual prayed that YWAM would influence youth in their spheres of influence and that professionals and scientists would aggregate their knowledge to the kingdom of God and the advancement of the gospel.
• YWAM Vijayawada, India posted on Facebook that they prayed for women’s ministry growth.

Don’t Miss The Invitation

Future topics for The Invitation:

• May 11, 2017: Spiritual Formation
• June 8, 2017: Back to Jerusalem
• July 13, 2017 Two-thirds-world Workers, Financial Support

Here’s how to participate:

• Sign up for prayer updates. On ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
• You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: http://ift.tt/2mXjIgI.
• Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the post on the second Thursday on YWAM’s Facebook page.
• Follow YWAM on Twitter; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time or post a picture.
• Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to http://ift.tt/1UO8eZP. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
• If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

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Transformative Opportunities for Solving the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health 2017

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AFTD to Congress: Reject Genetic-Information Bill

In a March 17 letter (pdf) to four key members of Congress, AFTD Executive Director Susan L-J Dickinson spoke out against a bill that would require employees to divulge genetic information before joining employee wellness programs. The Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act (H.R. 1313), if passed, would “impose harsh new penalties on employees who refuse to make this private [genetic] information public to their employer.” As Dickinson points out in her letter, genetic mutations are the likely cause of an estimated 15 to 40 percent of FTD cases. “While it aims to expand workplace wellness programs to improve public health outcomes,” Dickinson writes, “this legislation would significantly undercut patient privacy protection for employees at high risk for workplace and societal discrimination given the nature and severity of their illnesses or risk of illness.” Read the whole letter here.

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Training Youth in Papua New Guinea

Perched on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea lies Alotau, capital of Milne Bay Province and home to 15,000 people. Though there are no main roads that lead to Alotau, the coastal town is the gateway to some of the most remote island communities in the world. Alotau is also now home to one of YWAM’s newest campuses, YWAM Alotau.

YWAM Alotau begins to train students

The campus is being established in partnership with Kwato Church of Papua New Guinea, a ministry with a history in training and empowering young people throughout Milne Bay Province for over a century.

“We believe as a church that the training programs that YWAM provides will benefit and empower our young people to reach their full potential as the individuals God intended them to be,” said Bishop Dago Walino.

The pioneering team for the YWAM Alotau Campus have now moved into Kwato Church’s two-story property, known as the Youth Empowerment Centre. The facility was built two years ago and offers a classroom, dining room, kitchen, eight bedrooms, balcony, and land surrounding the property.

YWAM Medical Ships Managing Director, Ken Mulligan, said that the new campus is an exciting step forward.

YWAMers work hard to get the kitchen ready

“We see such hunger in the young people here to learn and do great things with their lives. This campus is all about helping each individual discover their unique gifts and talents, and equipping them with what they need to then use those talents in practical ways. We have a very holistic training approach. It is about developing skills alongside character, which go hand-in-hand when it comes to the development of the individual,” said Ken.

Two-week introductory seminars will run over the next number of months covering a range of topics including micro-enterprise, basic health care, and community technology, delivered in partnership with YWAM’s University of the Nations campus in Kona, Hawaii.

YWAM University of the Nations Kona Executive Director Paul Childers said that the pilot seminars will gauge the appropriate style for training delivery as they progress toward delivering nationally accredited training in the future.

Students graduate from a two-week technology seminar

“Our desire is for the training to be culturally relevant and engaging to help young people not only attain skills, but to also gain a true understanding of their value and their part to play in building their nation. These first few months are really about hearing from the students and the local community as we get to know each other, and together explore the best strategy for long-term results,” said Paul.

There has already been a fantastic response from local young people. Soon after the campus opened, all of the seminars were booked up for the first two months.

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FTD Calendar Benefiting AFTD

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Note: This is not an AFTD calendar but an Independent Grassroots Fundraiser benefiting AFTD. AFTD sincerely appreciates Sharon and Rod’s support.

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Pray for Supernatural Increase

Many of you joined us last month for The Invitation when we prayed for supernatural growth for ourselves and for our local communities. In a video, YWAM leader Lynn Green talked about prophetic messages YWAM has received about ten-fold growth and he explained how praying for growth fits with themes in the Bible.

We asked you to provide growth plans that God has given your community so we could include those in The Invitation for this month as we pray for growth from a global perspective. We heard from many of you and we reached out to several of the ministries associated with YWAM to ask about their growth goals. These specific growth plans and prayers have been included in The Invitation for March (our prayer day is on March 9).

As we prepare to pray for global goals, please watch this short video from YWAM’s founder Loren Cunningham about praying for global growth. This video was prepared specifically for The Invitation this month:

Next month is our final month for praying about growth and we will focus on prayer about persecution that often accompanies growth. If you have a specific prayer or story about persecution associated with growth, please share that with us by emailing us.

Also, from now on we are offering a new way to enter into The Invitation. You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: http://ift.tt/2mXjIgI.

Prepare to Pray

YWAM Estonia drew this picture as they prayed

Spend time as an individual or community preparing to pray for the global growth requests that have been outlined below. “Looking back and seeing the progress and looking ahead I know there is much more to come. What’s going to happen in the future is more exciting than what’s happened in the past,” said Kevin Sutter, leader of YWAM Frontier Mission.

Corporately: Watch the video from Loren Cunningham about praying for supernatural growth.

Individually: Ask God to speak to you as you review the story of Noah (Genesis 6 – 9). Think about the faith that Noah had to be so obedient as to build an ark so far inland. Think about your own faith. Is God showing you an area where you can be more obedient to build what He wants you to build? (Inspired by YWAM Perth.)

As you pray:

• Pray as Jesus prayed: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).
• Pray for all YWAMers to be aware of global goals that God has given YWAM and that each will understand their part.
• Pray for building of character. Pray for leaders of YWAM teams and ministries to effectively disciple staff and students to have a “Jesus” character so that non-believers see Jesus in them and come to faith. (From YWAM Perth.)
• Pray for YWAM staff and students to have faith to live the growth. Pray that we will repent of any unbelief related to provision and growth. Pray that we will trust God with all our heart. (From YWAM Sertão, Brazil.)

Pray for Global Growth

Map of YWAM’s ships

Pray for the following growth goals and prayer requests from various YWAM ministries:

• End Bible Poverty Now: Pray that all the remaining 1,776 Bible-less languages would have at least a verbal recording of the New Testament by Christmas 2020 as a gift to Jesus (endbiblepovertynow.com).
• Frontier Mission: For several years, God has been speaking to our YWAM Frontier Missions leadership team to believe Him for supernatural increase in the harvest. With a focus upon making new disciples and starting Disciple-Making Movements, they have set a goal: “10X and Beyond!” Ten times the number of new believers and ten times the number of new movements among the unreached. Over the past few years, they have already seen a three-fold increase in disciple-making movements. Pray for God to lead them to the fulfillment of their goal to see a 10-times increase by 2020.
• Mercy Ministry: Pray for YWAM and its partners to have 18,000 mercy ministry staff in 200 countries by 2020 ministering to 50 million of the poorest and most vulnerable people.
• City Ministries: Pray for urban ministry teams in every one of the 40,000 cities worldwide where YWAM does not yet have a long-term presence.
• YWAM Ships: Pray for a fleet of 40 ships serving isolated islands and rivers throughout the world. The current fleet stands at 25 vessels. Pray also for trust to develop between YWAM ships and the governments of nations so that YWAM can engage the spheres of the nation where doors are open.
• Horn of Africa: Last month a group of YWAM pioneers met in Somaliland, a country that does not yet have long term YWAM presence, and they prayed for growth in their region. Pray for their goals for the next two years: four teams on the ground in Somaliland, a beachhead into Yemen, and six-fold growth in workers in another Horn of Africa country.
• YWAM DNA Infusion Asia reports that God has given the body of Christ in Cambodia a vision to see a church planted in every village by 2021. Please pray for this.
• Mission Builders currently equips between 500 and 1,000 volunteers to serve as many as 100 YWAM ministry centers each year. Pray for their long-term faith goal to raise up 15,000 volunteers each year to serve every YWAM ministry that has a need. They also want to thank everyone who prayed for them last year. They were able to pay off their mortgage by December 31, 2016.
• YWAM Associates USA: Pray for God to use the transition and changes in leadership to reveal His growth plans for YWAM Associates.
• University of Nations: Pray for effectiveness in serving where the need is greatest, supporting students in completing tracks and degrees and developing courses and tracks that empower people to engage with God’s purposes.
• Homes of Hope is currently building 390 homes for the poor each year in nine different locations. Pray for their growth goal to build 600 homes for the poor each year.

“For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Take Action

Dedication of the new YWAM Battambang, Cambodia campus

Here are some ideas for how take action yourself or how to learn more about the expansion of God’s purposes for the world.

• If you missed this video from last month, watch Lynn Green speaking about prayer for growth.
• Establish an area at your location where global and local growth goals can be visibly displayed as a reminder to pray and to focus.
• Read “Kingdom Reflections” by Kevin Sutter of Frontier Mission.
• Read Tom Bloomer’s warning about unbelief that can cause years of lost growth.
• Read Increase! article from YWAM South Asia. Also, read article regarding why we value reporting and tracking of our activities related to increase.

How We Prayed

In February of 2017 The Invitation focused on seeking God for supernatural growth. Here are a few of the reports we received:

• YWAM Perth, Australia was praying for their YWAM locations in East Asia when they sensed that God was telling them to communicate their specific prayers for YWAM globally. (See prayers above related to obedience and character.)
• YWAM Sertão, Brazil shared prayers noted above and reported that God gave them the word “people” regarding local growth
• YWAM Tallinn, Estonia prayed and listened and sent a photo of their time with the Lord.
• YWAM Colombia: A woman from YWAM Colombia shared several topics for future prayer. Topics included family, marriage and others.
• A Chilean asked for prayers for his country where there were outbreaks of fire, specifically that the fires would cease and that Chileans would turn to God in genuine and humble ways.
• A Syrian refugee requested prayer for his family seeking resettlement in Argentina.

Praying for unity at YWAM Blantyre, Malawi

In January of 2017 we prayed about Christian unity:

• YWAM Blantyre, Malawi reported that God brought representatives from over 10 countries covering five of the six continents to their location in early January. Staff and students from YWAM Kona, YWAM Hernhutt and YWAM Blantyre prayed for unity in YWAM and within the church. After praying for each continent they went out in mixed teams to pray in the community. They also prayed that YWAM would be an effective vehicle in drawing the body of Christ together. They cited Psalm 133:1: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.”
• At the YWAM DNA Infusion Asia Conference in Battambang, Cambodia almost 500 people prayed for unity within the body of Christ. They also thanked the architects of the new campus for their story of dependence on God for every detail of their work.

Don’t Miss The Invitation

Future topics for The Invitation:

• April 13, 2017: Growth–Persecution
• May 11, 2017: Spiritual Formation
• June 8, 2017: Back to Jerusalem

Here’s how to participate:

• Sign up for prayer updates. On ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
• You can now listen to The Invitation as a podcast. To sign up or listen to past episodes, go to: http://ift.tt/2mXjIgI.
• Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the post on the second Thursday on YWAM’s Facebook page.
• Follow YWAM on Twitter; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time or post a picture.
• Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to http://ift.tt/1UO8eZP. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
• If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us.

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Connie Kunkle Memory Walk and Celebration of Life

Connie Kunkle, best known for being an on-air host on Evine (formerly ShopNBC) was diagnosed with FTD in 2015 and passed away in 2016. Her closest friends and family have planned a Memory Walk and Celebration of Life in her memory centralized around a very special place to Connie, Lake Eola in Orlando, FL. All are welcome to attend the Memory Walk and walk in honor or memory of a love one who is or has suffered from anything, not just FTD. Please see the details below for more information on the events.

Memory Walk:

• Date: Friday, February 24, 2017
• Time: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
• Location: Lake Eola (Orlando, FL)
• Click here to view the event flyer.

Celebration of Life:

• Date: Saturday, February 25, 2017
• Time: 3:00 – 4:30 pm
• Location: Downtown Baptist Church (120 East Pine Street, Orlando, FL 32801)
• Click here to view the event flyer.

Contact AFTD’s Grassroots Events Coordinator, Bridget Graham with any questions: bgraham@theaftd.org

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Generic (Scientific) » Addendum: NIMH Conference on Mental Health Services Research: Harnessing Science to Strengthen the Public Health Impact

The National Institute of Mental Health hosted the 23rd Conference on Mental Health Services Research (MHSR) with the theme, “Harnessing Science to Strengthen the Public Health Impact.”

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Concept Clearance » HIV Healthcare Systems Approaches to Improve Viral Suppression (HH-SAIVS)

The purpose of this initiative is to identify, develop, and test healthcare system interventions, or healthcare delivery changes, that could improve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral suppression.

from NIMH News Feed http://ift.tt/2lh3AYU

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Concept Clearance » Mobile and Connected Health Interventions to Improve Care Continuum and Health Outcomes among Youth with HIV

The goal of this initiative is to develop and test the next generation of interventions delivered through mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve testing, linkage to care, retention in care, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence among youth living with human immunodeficiency virus (YLWH).

from NIMH News Feed http://ift.tt/2kuuhoK

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Concept Clearance » Altered Neural Pathways, Receptors and Networks in HIV-induced CNS Dysfunction

The goal of this initiative is to encourage research on understanding altered neuronal networks and pathways in HIV-1 induced central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction in the context of viral suppression and antiretroviral therapy (ART), by utilizing novel research models and diagnostic tools to bridge the gap between pathogenesis research and observed clinical outcomes.

from NIMH News Feed http://ift.tt/2lgNTAO

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AFTD Employment Opportunity: Chief Financial Officer

AFTD is recruiting for a newly-created Chief Financial Officer position. Please share widely this opportunity to play a pivotal leadership role in the organization’s work to drive research to a cure, and improve quality of life for all affected by FTD.

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Science News » Sleep May Trim Neural Connections to Restore Learning Ability

Sleep may be the price we pay for the ability to learn. It streamlines neural connections for optimal efficiency.

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Dr. Gordon explains how computational and theoretical neuroscience can advance research into mental disorders.

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Science News » Revealed: LSD Docked in its Human Brain Target

Scientists have discovered the molecular structure of LSD in its human brain receptor.

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Imperfectly Perfect Jewelry and With Love

Not long after her mom was diagnosed with FTD in 2014, Wendy started designing and making fashionable yet functional medical bracelets to help with communication issues common to the disease. Imperfectly Perfect Jewelry will be participating in With Love this year, in a special way. During the month of February, Imperfectly Perfect Jewelry will donate $5 to AFTD for every piece of jewelry purchased. Please click here to shop.

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Seeking God for Supernatural Growth

YWAM began with a vision of growth. A young man, Loren Cunningham, saw a mental picture of wave after wave of young people covering the continents. YWAM has grown dramatically since then.

A few years ago, YWAM received two more messages about growth, prophetic pictures of YWAM growing ten-fold, from 20,000 to 200,000 missionaries. YWAM’s leaders prayed about these words and sensed they were from God, and in keeping with a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Said Lynn Green, one of YWAM’s leaders, “Growth is just intrinsic to the kingdom of God. So growth should be a part of anything that is being done in obedience to God.”

For the next three months of 2017, we invite you to join us for The Invitation, YWAM’s global prayer day, and pray with us about supernatural growth. Throughout the month of February, and particularly on the prayer day on February 8, we invite you to ask God, do these messages about ten-fold growth apply to me and my community? If so, how?

To better understand what this prayer could look like, watch this video from Lynn Green, prepared specifically for The Invitation in February (for a transcript of the video, see below):

Then, after you pray, if you sense God giving you a vision about growth please share it with us. You can do so by emailing us.

YWAM Medical Ships expands in Papua New Guinea to build a youth training campus in Alotau

In March, we will pray for these faith goals as well as for other global goals in YWAM that seek supernatural increase.

Then in April The Invitation will again focus on growth, specifically on persecution that often accompanies growth and expansion.

As we begin this season of prayer for increase, consider this promise from the apostle Paul: “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (1 Corinthians 9:10).

As you prepare to pray:

• If possible, try to set aside at least 30 minutes to quietly listen for God’s leading.
• Watch the video of Lynn Green speaking on “Praying for Growth through The Invitation”.
• Meditate on scripture that gives you insight into God’s perspective on expansion and growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” Matthew 9:37-38: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Matthew 13: The Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. John 15:1-17: The vine and the branches. Genesis 12:1-3: God’s covenant with Abraham. Acts 2 with focus on Acts 2:47: “…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
• Discuss: What has God already said to you about growth?

A YWAM Perth building helps with growing numbers

Then seek God for supernatural growth:

• Pray for God to give you confidence about growth and that He would take away any fear associated with growth.
• Ask God to show you if you have any pride, unrighteousness or sin to repent of before God can entrust you with growth. Take time to listen. Respond to what you hear.
• Ask God to show you if these words to YWAM about growth apply to you and your location. Again, take time to listen.
• If so, ask God to reveal what He would like this growth to look like. You could ask specifically about locations, spheres, ministries, people groups, partnerships, etc. Again, take an extended time to seek God’s voice.
• If you are praying in a group, give time for each person to report what they have sensed from God. Then pray over what you hear.
• Pray for God to reveal to you and your location the action that needs to be taken now to achieve His vision for your location. Also pray for God to sustain the energy and enthusiasm for growth year after year.

YWAM Harpenden, UK, celebrates a season of training and growth

Along with your prayer, these action steps can help you understand growth better and can help you take steps forward in what you believe God is leading you to do:

• Watch the video from the University of the Nations Workshop in 2013 where Bruce Wilkinson challenged the group to “never be satisfied with results that do not require the intervention of God” (start at 20:15; challenge at 2:04:04).
• Read “Letter from Loren, Part 2” on growth.
• Read David Hamilton’s “Preparing YWAM Leadership Structures” regarding preparing for 2020 and beyond.
• Review YWAM’s foundational values and consider how they are the guiding principles for future growth.
• Conduct a retreat. Depending on where your location is at regarding visioning and planning for growth, use the suggestions for this month as a guide for your time of prayer and goal setting together.
• Share the vision for growth God gives you with ministry partners from your church and other organizations. Encourage them to pray for you and encourage them to seek God regarding ten-fold growth for themselves.
• Please email us with your vision, faith goals and prayer requests about growth so we can include your requests and goals in The Invitation for March.

How We Prayed

In January 2017, The Invitation focused on Unity – Building Bridges. Here are some of the prayer reports we received:

• YWAM Kona, Hawaii prayed during their morning intercessory time. Among other topics, they were led to pray for unity with the persecuted church so that they would see many Muslims come to Jesus.
• In response to the second-Thursday post about The Invitation, there was a lively conversation on YWAM’s Facebook page about unity. In the discussion, one YWAMer cited Ephesians 4:1-6.
• YWAM Tbilisi, Georgia reported on Facebook that they had a great time praying for unity among themselves, missions groups and all denominations of churches. They also noted there is much division on this topic and if we want to win their region for Christ we must come together.
• A woman in Central Asia provided a description of a vision God has given her regarding many Muslims coming to faith only when there is unity and humility of the wider church.

Don’t Miss The Invitation

Future topics for The Invitation:

• March 9, 2017 Growth: Global
• April 13, 2017 Growth: Persecution
• May 11, 2017 Spiritual Formation

Here’s how to participate:

• Sign up for prayer updates. On ywam.org, find the “Stay Connected” box on the home page, put in your email address and click “Sign Up.”
• Join the conversation about how God is leading in these prayer times. Comment on the post on the second Thursday on YWAM’s Facebook page.
• Follow YWAM on Twitter; search for #praywithywam and tweet about your prayer time or post a picture.
• Download prayer updates in a specific language. Go to http://ift.tt/1UO8eZP. (Currently available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Indonesian, Korean or request other languages.)
• If you sense God giving you a word or a direction for YWAM’s prayer, please contact us.

 

Transcript of Video: Lynn Green on Praying for Growth

Lynn Green: The Invitation to pray for this month of February is about growth.

Now growth is just an intrinsic part of the kingdom of God. That is implied through all of Scripture, but there’s one picture in particular that I love. It’s that dream that God gave king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 and Daniel interpreted it. And there is in that dream a stone that is cut out of the side of the mountain without the aid of any human agency, no hands. And the stone strikes the oppressive statue of the kingdom of mankind and the statue crumbles and the wind blows it away. And the stone grows and grows and grows until it becomes a mountain that covers the entire earth. That’s such a good picture of the kingdom.

So growth should be a part of anything that is being done in obedience to God. But, God speaks specific things to us to stimulate our faith. And I want to remind you of two things that God has said to YWAM:

• First of all, the original covenant, the initial covenant that gave birth to YWAM, the map of the world with the waves that God showed Loren in 1956, waves of young people. It was wave after wave after wave, then it’ll stop, there may be a time where the water level goes down a bit, but then it gets higher, it gets higher, and I believe that we are ready for another big wave.
• But more than that, starting several years ago God brought us a word from a prophetic teacher in YWAM about 200,000 new missionaries. And then, at the same time, a pastor who none of us knew very well wrote to Loren and said God had given him a word about ten-fold growth. And because we were around 20,000 at the time those are really strong, confirming words. And we all prayed about it and felt “yes” to that and we don’t want to lose sight of that.

So that’s why this Invitation is about growth. Because when God says “growth,” what He wants us to do, whenever He gives us a prophetic word like that, is to test it, which we’ve done, and then say “Amen” and believe it and start acting in accordance with it.

So the challenge for every YWAM location that is praying into this month’s Invitation is:

• What is God saying to you about growth?
• What would it be like to be 10 times as large, not all in one location, but for say 50 people, what would it be like to grow to 500? How many other locations should you be planting out? What other nations are you called to? What are your circuits?

So, during this time, I’d like to think that everybody in YWAM would be able to pray with confidence that God has spoken and said He wants us to grow.

So then we would say: “How?”

• Does it have to do with all the spheres?
• Does it have to do with the great Chinese missions movement?
• Or the growth of the body of Christ in India?
• Or somewhere in Africa?
• Or all of the above?

What part does God have for us to play and to believe Him for, for this growth that will lead to, in the end, hundreds of thousands of new people added to the missions force? And YWAM can continue to play the role that God has for us.

So, may the Lord give you confidence that He has spoken to us about growth and lead you specifically to set goals for growth that He’s given you that you can hang on to by faith and see it come to pass. God bless you as you pray.

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