I was once told God would keep us apart until it is no longer good for us to be apart. We didn’t initially plan for me to come home in December, but the closer time came for us to come together, the more we knew the separation was becoming a negative. We spent 7 ½ months on opposite ends of the earth, but that season ended on Dec 2, 2010. I arrived in Dallas, Texas that evening, met by Hannah at the airport and we began our relationship in person. I am so grateful for our time apart due to the skills we have learned, a major one being communication. Not every couple develops this skill, but we have had the opportunity due to our situation. It was not easy, but it was good, however, I prefer being in the same place as her.

Hannah and I were in the states for the holidays where we were able to spend the holidays with each other’s families, Christmas with hers and New Year’s with mine. Looking back, this was a vital time for us to get to know each other’s families and begin to understand what it means to be in a relationship in person, not just over Skype. I remember the first time I hurt her. It was finals week for her and I was going to sit down on the couch and put my arm around her at the same time she was beginning to sit up. There was a collision, my elbow with her upper cheek right below her eye. I was mortified, remember this is finals week, so there is already so much stress present and this just topped it all off. I can laugh about it now…kinda, but back then I just wanted to crawl under a rock. This is part of learning what it means to be in a relationship in person. It is not a bad thing; there is just tension as you begin to bring two lives together.

Our plan was for her to come back to South Africa with me in January and go back to the states mid March. Through us processing and praying as a couple, we decided that it was not good for us to be apart for another 6-9 months, like we had the previous year. This decision had implications to what our lives would look like after March. Hannah and I started to have some discussions on this topic and through much prayer and consideration, two decisions came out on top. The decisions were: 1) Her going back to the US in March to raise money to do the DTS in South Africa in June and 2) Me going back with her in March as we pursue marriage and start our life together, getting married not long after we get back.

We continued processing these decisions as we got back to South Africa. We met with other couples to pray and talk with them. We prayed together and we prayed separately. All though this process we saw how God was for us and knew he would direct us. We have seen the hand of God all through this relationship and expected him to continue to guide us in the path we should go. We saw the implications of each decision. There were 3 factors that made this decision a bit more complicated: 1) we were not open to spending that much time apart on different continents again, 2) I had a commitment to the Youth With A Mission base to lead the next July DTS, and 3) Hannah just graduated from Baylor and has school debt that she takes over payment on in June.

This was not an easy decision, but I feel confident that this is the right one. After asking a lot of hard question, talking with each other, and most importantly seeking the Lord, we feel that God is leading us to go home together, which we will do on March 10.

We are not leaving missions, however. Our plan is to spend about a year and half to two years at home, building into the relationship and establishing good foundations for our marriage. We will set a goal date at which we are looking to return to missions and from there we will do a DTS together. We are not sure where just yet, but we are working on that one. We both feel this is the way of wisdom and the way the Lord is leading us.

What does this mean?

I will not be staying in Youth With A Mission or be continue leading the Discipleship Training school.  I have spoken to the leadership here on the base and they have released me from my commitments in order to go home. It is sad to say goodbye to something that has been such a big part of my life, but so exciting to say hello to what lies ahead! Hannah and I know this is where God is leading us and we look forward to how it will play out!

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or have questions that you feel have not been answered. Thank you for your support as I continue to walk in what God is calling me into.

As Hannah and I were pursuing each other on separate continents, I discovered that being in a relationship was a process of constant self discovery. What was REALLY in my heart was being shown to me day by day, as this beautiful and God-given relationship triggered things I didn’t know were there. I had made the statement that no matter how long we were together, our relationship would continue to be a process of self discovery and I had no clue how true that statement was.

Fast forward 9 and half months and you find that Hannah Bainum, the girl who was initially someone that I liked, is now the woman that I am in love with. On Jan 6, Hannah and I stepped off the plane, unfortunately separate planes, but arrived in South Africa together. 1+1=2 again, this time more than I originally knew. Where before I was the main influence in my life, now there are two people. Where will we eat, it’s no longer just my opinion. What will I do next week, it is no longer just my opinion. This is not a burden and I would never want it to be communicated this way. Hannah and I are pursuing one another and this is part of the process of getting know the other person and learning what it means to eventually live our lives completely together.

What am I seeing you may ask? I’m selfish. I love Hannah, with all my heart, but in my human nature I am still being renewed. Just the other day I made plans that affected the both of us. They were plans for me, but it affected both of us. Instead of first consulting Hannah and then making the plans, I just made them and told Hannah afterward. I was not used to thinking about us together. You see, for 7 1/2 months we were in a relationship on separate continents, we had Skype times, but I was still the main decision maker in my life.

Loving and being loved in return destroys fear. For the first part of our relationship, I was very fearful. I would guard myself and hold myself back from Hannah in certain areas of my life because I was fearful. I did choose to man up and step out in some of those areas. It was beautiful and terrifying. As I began to fall in love with Hannah and she began to fall in love with me, those fears fell to the background. It reminds me of what 1John says, “perfect love casts out all fear.” I know that refers to Christ’s love, for his is the only perfect love, but I think the principle holds true. Love is a beautiful, motivating, revealing, and freeing thing.

I am learning what it means to be in a relationship now that 1+1=2 and I will still be learning even when 1+1=1. From this day to forever.

Tears…it may seem like and odd thing to delight in seeing around me. Often tears are associated with pain, sorrow, grief, hurt and so forth. So why would i want to see that in the students we are working with?

I was sitting down with one of the students the other day and I asked them how the mornings teachings went. They started to answer, but only got about a line out before they were choked up with tears. “I have heard that Jesus loves me, but I never really knew it until today.” They were overwhelmed with who Jesus is and how much He cares for them.

A few days ago, one of the students got a word for one of the other students on the school. “I feel like Holy Spirit is saying that he want to bring healing to your heart.” The one receiving the word broke down because God was highlighting the hurt of the persons past, showing He cares for their wounds and desires to see them healed.

Tears are healing. When God does a deep work in our hearts, tears are often involved in the process. When I see the tears, I know God is up to something. I think of my own life and when God has spoken deep things to me or done a deep work in my heart, the tears are flowing. I can say on this school so far, I have had a few of those moments. When that happens, I come out of that experience feeling lighter, freer and more in love with Jesus. I have a deeper understanding of who he is, one that goes beyond understanding. My passion for his word, his world, for Him is stronger. I experience Ephesians 3:17b-19,

“And that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Tears. They are a beautiful thing and love the work that Jesus does and how I am able to see people to a working knowledge of who he is!

We have a student coming from an African nation to be part of the DTS. We are very strict with our visa policies and how people go about getting the right visas and not cutting corners. One reason we do this is because it is the law in South Africa, as well, in the process, God does amazing things confirming they are to be here on the school – of which God has done yet again. The embassy was making this student go through so much red tape, making them do things that I have never heard of embassies doing before. They were trying to make it as hard as possible for this person to get to South Africa, not sure what the deal was. As they were about to go the embassy for yet another attempt to get the visa, they ran into a lady working for the embassy telling them she had taken care of all the leg work that was needing to be done for the visa and that she would call them when the visa was ready to be picked up. This is unheard of. God gave so much favor in a time when we were not sure the student would even get the visa and in the last minute God pulled a surprise out for us. This was an amazing blessing and miracle God performed for us and for this student.

A situation developed with one of our students coming to the DTS, where they had to give away the majority of their lecture phase money. This was a big blow to them, for this was how they were going to pay for the school. They contacted us, informing us of the situation and what they were doing to see the money raised again. As we discussed it, we felt that we should still move forward trusting God with them for the finances. A couple days later, I went to the office as my normal routine, checking the email for new communication about the school and I received and email from this person. They were writing me to inform them that the previous day, someone had written out a check for $2000 towards this person’s trip to South Africa. This was an amazing act of provision, seeing that the person had all the money, but had to give it away. God not only provided for the needs of the family, but for the needs of this person as well!

We as staff were praying in the beginning of June and felt like God told us we would have a Pacific Islander on the school. We were very encouraged by the word, but also realized that we didn’t really have any connections to the Pacific Islands and therefore had no way to really recruit from there. So we decided just trust that God would do it. The time got closer to the school and still no sign of a Pacific Islander and the close the school came the more we realized that it would be next to impossible to get a visa. I finally came to the place where I released it to God and actually didn’t expect to see someone from that nation on the school. On the same day that I received the information about the $2000, I received more amazing news…we had a Pacific Islander. There was a DTS in Durban South Africa that was canceled that this person was going to attend. As soon as they found out it was canceled, one of my former staff contacted me asking if this person could apply for the July DTS. What I think is so amazing about this story is that God did what He said he was going to do, bring a Pacific Islander. Not only did he do that , but he brought someone that was already on their way to South Africa with a visa to do a DTS. I was worried about the visa situation and there is Jesus standing there saying, “Hey man, don’t worry. I got ya covered.” I love

So these are three main miracles of provision and divine encounters that the Lord has done and the school has not even started yet! I so excited to see what will happen over these next few months!

The other day, my roommate lost the keys to his car and we were looking everywhere for them. We decided to sit down and ask Jesus where the keys were and Jesus told us they were in my roommates bag. We checked the bag and didn’t see them. So we carried on looking and still couldn’t find them. Again we asked Jesus where the keys were and He said in my roommates bag again…so we looked again. Still nothing. At this point, I have to leave to go somewhere and by the time I got back he had found the keys. Guess where they were…you guessed it in his bag…lol. The third time he looked he decided to tear apart the bag and upon lifting the bottom flap there they were, laying in the bottom of the bag. Jesus knew where they were all along.

A few days ago, I took some people to the bus station at 4am, so early. They gave the keys of the place they were staying for me to them pass on to the owner, then they returned from break. All was well, except for the fact that I forgot the keys in the base car. This is the car that the entire base uses. Earlier tonight I get a text saying that he is coming back into town and needs the keys…and I remember that I had left the keys in the car. I run to the car to get the keys only to find that they are not there!! They guy is coming in less than an hour and I have not clue where his keys are, so I ask Jesus. My roommate and I sit down and ask Him where they keys are and Jesus says “Back Pocket”…ok. I check all my pants and find no keys. Well through a series of phone calls, I find the person who took the keys out of the car and find the person who has them. As I walk up to the guy and ask for the keys…guess what he does. That’s right, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the key…lol!!

I love the fact that Jesus told us where the keys were each time, but looking back on these two stories, there are a few principles I can see drawn out:

Sometime when God speaks, we may not see the fulfillment of those things due to lack of perseverance. The keys were there all along in the bottom of the bag and the only reason we didn’t find them the first time was that we didn’t persevere to the bottom of the bag. When God speaks, keep trusting and walking, even if you are not seeing the outworking of that thing. Not only does perseverance build you character, but it will get your through to the end.

When we hear Jesus speak to us on an issue, it is easy to move out before we really have a full understanding of what He is saying. How much time would have been saved if when we heard the words  “Back Pocket”, we would have asked the question, “Who’s back pocket?” When God speaks to us, we need to make sure we are hearing the whole story and moving out with only a partial vision. He is full of grace and just as we found the keys, you will get where God is taking you, but if you have the full picture you will save yourself time, energy and frustration along the way.

There is another law that that John Maxwell speaks about, the Law of process. This law states that leadership is a process and that leadership is not built in a day, rather that it is build daily. I started thinking on this, and if leadership is built daily and leadership is about influence, then an aspect of leadership would be the process of me building up my influence daily. Each day we can do things that either increase our influence or decrease our influence.

Today I was walking on the street and I witnessed a father yelling at his son about how he was opening the door. I do not know what has happened the father’s life this past week or even today that caused him to respond like that and I don’t want to judge. The one thing that I can say is that father’s ability to influence me in how I relate to my children (when I have them), as well as how I train others in the Father Heart of God has decreased. I do not know him, but that is what I saw in my heart as I observed the situation.

Each day we can do things that either increase our influence with others or decrease it. So in essence, in order to begin this process of increasing our influence, in our day to day lives, we must first look at our own heart, dealing with the issues that are there. This can come across quite performance oriented, but it is the principles that I would like to bring out.

Coming now to application, in this next season of my life on the July 2010 DTS, each day I have the ability to increase or decrease my influence with the students. I have the title of leader of the school, but that title is meaningless if I have no influence. As events happen, I can choose to react to situations (the emotional response which is more often than not negative) or I have the chance to respond (the calculated counter action, which is thought through, whether that thinking is 2 seconds or 2 hours). As I respond more than I react, I believe I will see my influence increase as well as the effectiveness of the school.

I’m excited for the successes and failures this school will bring…

Jesus had just fed four thousand people that had been following him for 3 days. Whether they had eaten in those three days, it is not clear, but what is clear is come day-3, they were hungry and had nothing to eat and Jesus fed them. Out of 7 loaves of bread and a few fish, 7 large baskets were picked up. That just in itself is an amazing thing about the provision of God, I mean there are countless stories of provision of food: fish jumping out of the sea onto dry land, rats carrying food to Christians in China, groceries being left on doorsteps with no one around. Amazing, but this is not what struck me when I was reading this passage, rather what happen afterward in verse 15.

In the boat, with one loaf of bread, the disciples were talking about the fact that they only had one loaf of bread. I can hear them now…

“Peter, I told you to grab the bread before we got in the boat!”
“I though you had it? James, you were standing right beside the basket”

…and so forth and so forth until Jesus came in to silence them and their “fleshly” display. Being focused on the specific situation, they had forgotten what Jesus had just done – feeding 5,000 from 5 loaves and having 12 baskets left over – feeding 4,000 from 7 loaves and having 7 baskets left over.

Personal application in the airport

When I arrived in South Africa, I realized I had made a bit of a mistake…I didn’t have a yellow fever injection and coming from Kenya, i have to have this get back in the country and was, subsequently, forced to get the injection – cost R600 ($80) – ouch! That happened to be all the money that I had access to while I was at the airport. The amazing thing is that there was a deposit into my account the day before that gave me the money that i needed for that injection, the Lord provided in the nick of time!

There I was in the airport, realizing that I had spent the money I had budgeted for food on a yellow fever injection, reading about the disciples being in the boat “discussing” the fact that they had only one loaf of bread and forgetting the miracle that Jesus had just done. This story had a lot more significance at that specific moment, speaking volumes to me. I had almost forgotten the miracle that Jesus had just done in providing for the yellow fever injection, because I don’t know what would have happened if I would not have been able to purchase it. The good thing is now I am good for 10 years…lol.

In that moment, I was so grateful to God for the way He had taken care of me!

Personal application for the future

How many times have I been lost in my own situation in the past, forgetting what God had done for me in the past – many. I think about the message of Habakkuk, trusting in who God is (His Character) no matter what you see around you. I think of the Sabbath commandment in Deuteronomy 5:15, not only to rest but to remember. This is where life is, remembering who God is and what He has done and applying that knowledge to my situation and my future.

I want to encourage all those who sometimes find themselves in a place where their current situations may mask what God has done in the past, to not focus on the 1 loaf and in so doing forget about the 7 baskets full that were left over. Go back to God, ask for his perspective, and remember who He is and what He can do and doing so find Life and Peace.

Imagine a dark room, no visibility, not even to see a hand in front of your face. What feelings and emotions would swell inside? Would you panic, frantically looking for a way out? Would you give up, slumping into a ball of hopelessness on the floor? As you strain to see something, anything, you notice a shade on the far side of the room, a hue of light. The closer the light comes, the more visible the room becomes. A person enters a torch in hand, lighting your face and theirs along with the rest of the room. Your heart leaps because you see something that will bring relief to the weariness that dwells in the core of your bones. You see Hope.

“The people who were sitting in darkness saw a GREAT LIGHT, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death upon them a LIGHT DAWNED.” Matthew 4:16

Do you want to be the torchbearer, bringing light to those who have no light? Do you want to be the one lighting the faces of those who sit in darkness? Do you want to be part of something radical, yet relevant? The Nations2Nations July DTS is the place for you.

Lecture

Do you desire to know God intimately, hearing His voice personally for yourself? Do you what to know who you are in Christ and what it means for how you live?

The DTS is about 2Pet 1:5-7 – Imparting deeper faith, cultivating a stronger character, and increasing knowledge of how to live it all out in a radical, yet relevant way. It is about creating a 24hr live learn environment where getting to know God, yourself and those around you goes deeper than you have ever dreamed. It is about receiving training from qualified lectures who help you to understand God, his ways and His world. It is about sharing Jesus in creative ways that allow people to fall in love with Him more.

Outreach

God has clearly spoken to us on how to be strategic and intentional in the area of outreach, so that, we will be able to see long-term, lasting fruit in the places we are going. We will revisit some of the locations we have gone to in the past, building on relationships to see the Gospel penetrate society on a deeper level.

Thailand – in the north of Thailand there is an unreached people group known as the Shan People. As the DTS, we have adopted this people group and have committed to sending teams to this location to see this people group radically changed by the Gospel. Do you have a heart for Thailand – a heart for unreached people groups? Here is your chance to be part of the pioneering of something new and to populate heaven with those who have little representation. In doing so, you will work toward the call of Rev 7:9, having “…every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the lamb…”

South Africa – We want to invest in the place where we are, therefore we will have a team doing the outreach phase in South Africa, most likely in a few different places. One will be up north, in a town known as Steinkoff, a colored community that has so much potential, but needs encouragement. This pooper community, submerged in addiction and heartache, but in this community dwells hope. Will you be one that will call forth that hope? Will you be someone that will work to disciple a young person that will transform their community?

What’s Next

Upon completion of the July 2010 DTS, you will then have the opportunity to either, come onto staff at the base working with the DTS Department, or to go on to do more schools to further equip you for your calling. There are many different roads you can take in Ywam, the possibilities are endless, the sky being the limit.

Come to the DTS, friendships will be forged, your worldviews and understanding will be sharpened and you will overall be refined. This is an adventure you cannot afford to pass up; the adventure is waiting…

In January, I had the opportunity to teach the Inductive Bible Study method to a group here in South Africa. This was a 15-hour seminar teaching, similar to the one that I taught at Calvary Baptist Church in 2006. I had the opportunity to walk with one of our staff members, mentoring him on effectively leading small groups. I was able to serve the January Discipleship Training School (DTS), through conducting one on ones, which is a time of personal assessment, as well as serving the base, through being the registrar. Serving as registrar, mentoring the small group leader and doing one on one continued until the end of March.

At the end of March, I was able to join my uncle in a different part of South Africa, teaching working with a bible school and a high-density impoverished area. This was a stretch for me because I had to speak on topics I had never taught on before, but have become very real in my Christian experience. These topics included Intimacy with God and Identity in Christ.

April and May was a time for me to receive personal training where I took part in a program that equipped me more in the area of effectively leading the schools that I am facilitating. The program lasted two months and blew my mind away. Some of the topics that were covered included leading with passion, Ministry of Holy Spirit, spiritual leadership, and learning styles.

June was the time for me to apply some things that I had recently learned as we started staff training for the July DTS. We, as staff of the school, took time to review topics covered in the training I had received in the previous months, as well as, to see how they would practically look on the upcoming school.

From July to September, I was leading the lecture phase portion of the DTS and in this phase of the DTS, we bring in people from different backgrounds and cultures to lecture on a range of topics. Some of which are character and nature of God, worldview, relationships and evangelism. We walk with the students, in all areas of their lives helping them take the things they are learning and incorporate them practically. The discussions and the teachings happened in many different forums, from one on one to small groups to practical experiences that serve as teachable moments.

At the end of September, we left for Thailand, which was a pioneering outreach where we worked in three places: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and in remote villages in the north of Thailand. Our target in going to Thailand was an unreached people group, the Shan People. We were able to scout out a new village that we would like to invest in over the next few years with a goal of seeing a number of churches planted. On a personal note, God did so much in my heart during this time. The challenges we faced gave me a practical opportunity to respond in the Spirit.

On our return, we had a time of debriefing the students as well as the staff. Soon after the completion of the school, I went to my visit my aunt and uncle, in Durban, for the holidays and take some much-needed rest. At first, I was exhausted, but the more I rested the better I felt. There must be something to this rest thing. I can see why the Lord said to set aside time to enter into rest.

As I look forward to 2010, I am looking in anticipation toward many things the Lord has placed on my heart.

In January, I will be doing a week long pastoral visit to Kenya to follow up on an outreach team YWAM has sent there.

I will have the opportunity to train and prepare a number of teams for their outreaches, helping to equip them with practical tools so that they can be more effective in their various ministries.

I will also be leading the July 2010 DTS. This is a giant endeavor that will take a tremendous effort to set up. I am super excited to see what God is going to do in me as well those participating in the school.

In September, I will be leading another team to Thailand, following up with the village we recently visited. The relationships built in the initial 2009 outreach are to be strengthened through continued teams being sent to this same location. Over this next year, we will send 3 teams to this area, each following up on the work of the other.

I still have a hope, in my heart, to go home in 2010. I was not able to make it home for Christmas and it has been close to two years since I have been back to the United States. If my plans work out, I would like to schedule that trip from the beginning of Feb to mid March.

As I look at the things the Lord has placed on my heart and the means it will cost to make it a reality, I am seeing that I will need an increase in my monthly support per month. The total that I will need to have is roughly $700, with an extra $300 per month going toward ministry related travel. Those in the US will be able to mail a check payable to “YWAM” at P.O. Box 3000 Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000 with instructions on a separate sheet of paper indicating the funds for “Jeron Kelly Pearson”, which is a tax-deductable contribution. Those outside the USA will be able to donate directly to the Ywam Base in Muizenberg, with the reference entitled, “Jeron Pearson”. You can click on the following link to get the account details of the Ywam base http://www.ywammuizenberg.org/new/donations.html. Both those in and out of the USA will have a third option of donating through my personal banking account. For this information, please contact me directly.

Thank you for standing with me in this past year. The presence of the Lord, your support and personal perseverance has made this past year a success.

Thank You

Jeron Pearson

This DTS was my first school to lead and I can testify that it was not an easy task. Over the course of the school, I have seen more of the value of rest, in that the further the school progressed the greater my body cried out for it. I cannot say that I did not rest, but I know I did not rest to the degree that I should have.

As the DTS came to a close, I looked forward to the plans of visiting my Aunt and Uncle in the Durban, South Africa area. This was to be a time to visit family for the holidays and to rest. I arrived in Durban on Tuesday, Dec 15 and for the next week as soon as noon time hit, I was ready for a nap. Now to fully understand the significance of a “nap”, you will need to know that I have never been able to take naps. I have tried on many occasions, but the only times I have tried and been successful have been on occasions when I was sick or extremely exhausted. All other times I just stare at the ceiling in frustration, until boredom or a scheduled event cause me to move onto something else. Moving back to the story, I was ready for a nap. As this continued, I began to take note of my body and understand…there may be something to this “rest” thing.

After about the second week at my family’s home in Durban, I began to get more energy in the afternoon and upon observing this, I made a conscious effort to continue this rest throughout the year. I do not want my times of furlough to be consumed with feelings of lethargy and inactivity, but rather items which bring me life and restore energy.

I said early on in the school that i just lead, “I know there is a way to finish a school and not feel…dead, I just am not sure what it is yet”. I believe that rest is a a key factor and look forward to the implementation of it in the next year.