Focusing on God, not Religion

As a little girl at Wooddale, I grew up hearing about missionaries and had a love for travel, adventures and meeting new people. The summer of my senior year in high school, I traveled to Vietnam and China on a mission trip. It was there that I saw for the first time what a global God we serve. He speaks the language of every person in the world and is able to meet all of their needs. My heart broke as I realized that none of the Chinese teenagers I grew to love had any idea who Jesus is, or of the hope and purpose he has for their lives. There was such an incredible need for people to go and share with them and others like them.

Since that trip, I have been involved in many different ministries. God has taken me around the world on an incredible journey of knowing him and making him known.

Currently I am working with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in the French coastal city of Biarritz as part of a team of eight. New-age beliefs, drug and alcohol abuse, loneliness and depression are common throughout France. I believe that these issues point to an incredible heart-cry for the light and hope of Jesus.

With a long history of misunderstanding and misrepresentation of who God truly is, most French people are not interested in “religion.” They are, however, interested in truth. YWAM Biarritz is working to bring truth, light and discipleship to France. We do this through a two-part bilingual (French/English) discipleship course called Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). Each DTS begins with a three month learning phase focusing on topics such as the nature and character of God, relationships, and hearing God’s voice. The next three months we put the teachings into practice through an outreach into north-west Africa, the Middle East or major cities in Europe.

Biarritz is home to one of the best surfing beaches in Europe, so the October DTS has a surfing and snowboarding focus. The January DTS has a general focus and will be pioneered this January with students from many different nations already inquiring and accepted.

I love people and seeing them come into a place where they truly know God and see how he created them. My prayer is that through YWAM working and growing here in Biarritz, we will see God bring transformation, hope and light to the people of France.

My favorite part of living in Biarritz is getting to call one of the most beautiful places in the world “home.” From the incredible waves, sandy beaches, sunsets over the Pyrenees mountains of Spain, quaint narrow streets, colorful house shutters and small bakeries, Biarritz truly is a picturesque city. With the ocean only two blocks from my apartment, I am reminded daily of God’s beauty and the hope that he has for the nation of France.

Carissa Bast, Wooddale-supported Global Partner

Please keep France and Carissa’s ministry in your prayers! If you’d like to learn more, visit www.ywambiarritz.com. Merci!