Welcome June!

Happy Memorial day to all of you, Stateside. From the sounds of things, the weather’s been lousy and if it keeps up, you may be able to swim to work soon. We hope you all are doing ok and we do pray for you often. Can you believe it is already June? Time is flying by!

These last 10 days or so have been quite busy. Our team has done ministry in a prison, a shelter for young kids who’s parents aren’t fit to care for them, parks, and a church. Our team is really starting to fall into place as far as the different rolls we have for ministry. As a leader, its great to see this happenings, as ultimately it makes less work for me :) Also as a leader, its truly a joy to see the students take charge and really own and be responsible for the ministries we are participating in.

This past weekend we were with a church in San Salvo, a town about an hour south of Pescara. We had a time of worship in a park, then passed out invitations to a “Gospel Concert” we would be putting on in the evening. We spent a few hours in the park, painting faces of children, talking with people and supporting the coffee bar that was there. Sunday was a very warm day and there were many people in the park. We ate lunch with the church and had a bit of “free” time in the afternoon. I was to lead worship for the “Gospel Concert” that evening and spent much of the afternoon preparing for that. We had, as a team, a great time of prayer prior to the service. The music worked well, as Rebeca (the girl in the picture above) assisted me in leading the songs in Italian. Our team did the “Everything” Drama that they’ve been working on, (Look for it soon on our videos page). Kaylyn shared here testimony and spoke wonderfully. Several people were moved to tears as she declared, through a translator, that she would choose to follow Jesus and give her “yes” to Jesus each day. Our time in San Salvo served to encourage the church and excite them about the opportunities there are in ministry within their own town, and missions, within Italy and across Italy’s Borders.

This week we have been learning on relationships from Jo Rocha. Jo is Brazilian, but lives in Belgium with his wife and 3 children. Jo and Kristien watched a son lose his battle with leukemia about 5 years ago. In light of our family’s recent battle, we have felt a strong kinship with Jo. He’s a sweet man who really is living out his teaching.

In the coming weeks, we are quite busy. This weekend we leave for Bari, for 8 days. We will be staying with church there to offer our teacher for the week to their church and community. This will be an important time in outreach preparation for us as well. When we return from Bari, we will have just over a week in Pescara before we leave for Belfast. Please be in prayer for the last two weeks of the lecture phase of this school. God has done some incredibly amazing things, but we are confident he’s not done yet. You can look forward to a new gallery soon, as we’ll have pictures from the last few weeks and the weeks to come!

A New Start

Hello all. Much has happened since our last post. Where to start...

The last several weeks of lecture have been very good. We had Mike Oman teaching on the Father Heart of God. This was a fantastic week, getting to know Mike, hearing his stories, and developing a friendship that we hope to maintain for some time. Mike invited us to attend his Leadership Training School Seminar in October in Switzerland. We both feel that God is telling us to spend more time in his classroom, before we grasp hold of His anointing for our future ministry. This could be a great opportunity for that. (Please be praying for direction for us)

Next we had David Da Carvahlo teaching on The Divine Plumbline. This is a teaching on the foundations of the heart. As we are hurt by authority figures in our lives, we build walls around us to prevent ourselves from being hurt again. The walls get crooked and actually prevent us from reaching Jesus completely. The Divine Plumbline is dismantling these walls and building new walls with Jesus as the foundation. This was a great week for us!

We've also had teaching on Worship, Spiritual Warfare, Covenant Commitment and Evangelism.

Our team is developing quite nicely and we are becoming a great family. This is important as we move into a planning phase for outreach (more on that later). Its been fun for me to see the students reach and surpass some of the goals they set in the beginning of the school.

We have also been working in local churches helping with their weekly worship services. This DTS is focussed on the Italian church. Its been a joy to be with these people, and share with them about missions and the other words God has given us to share (Lordship of Jesus, Hearing the voice of God, God's Faithfulness). We have a drama that our students perform and its quite powerful! Many of you may have seen the drama before, to the Lifehouse song Everything. This drama will be a great tool for our group during our 2 month outreach. We've had the opportunity to pray with and for people in the local churches as well. This has been great for us, as we've seen broken people find peace and hope in Jesus.

Our outreach location had been decided early on in the school, however, due to a few un-forseen circumstances, we'll no longer be able to go to Sicily in June. Our staff team prayed and sought God for a second location and after much consideration we, with the students, reached a decision! We will be spending 2 months in Northern Ireland (mainly Belfast)! For many of us on the team, this is fulfilling lifelong dreams! We leave June 21st for Belfast and will be in and around Belfast until August 25th. Please be praying for this time and for the next month as we prepare for outreach!

As far as personal things for Kaylyn and I, there have been MANY new things. Two weeks ago, Kaylyn's cousin Luke, who had been battling Leukemia lost his fight. We have been praying so hard for Luke's complete healing and now, he is completely healed, though not in the earthly sense. We ache for our family in Vancouver that is missing their son, yet we rejoice with them knowing that Luke is pain free and with Jesus! Please be in prayer for Steve, Vikki, Jake and Tori Jensen (Luke's family) as well as the rest of the extended family (Whites and Spencers and more).

The computer we arrived in Italy with didn't make it too far past our arrival date. We had about 3 good weeks with it here in Italy. Soon the machine wouldn't turn on or stay on for long. We needed a replacement computer. It has arrived, after much anticipation and waiting. (This is the reason for lack of Blog Posts in the last month) We now have a great computer that will help us keep in better contact with you!

Last Saturday we took a day trip to Rome (2.5 hour drive). This has long been a desire of both Kaylyn and I, to go to this city. We left Pescara at 6 in the morning and spent an entire day in The Eternal City. It was absolutely breathtaking. It rained the entire day. We waited in long lines to see the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. We walked several miles. We were on our feet from the time we got off the bus, until we got back on the bus. But it was absolutely breathtaking. (See our facebook Pictures for a glimpse). Absolutely breathtaking. We are making plans for another trip there, possibly just before we fly home in August.

Thanks for stopping by. We will be posting more frequently now, as we have the means to do so. If you want to get in touch with us, you can send us an email to: bradyandkaylyn@gmail.com or find us on skype: b.k.manning We look forward to hearing from you!

Bonjourno!

Two days have passed since we said "Arrivaderci" to Vancouver and "Bonjourno" to Pescara. Tuesday morning at 5:00 we arrived and checked in for our flights at the Portland Airport. (I love flying out of Portland, because its SOOOO easy!) Kaylyn and Alisha (our friend from church who is on this journey with us) and myself (Brady. And yes, it will usually be me that is writing these.) arrived in Washington DC at 3 pm EST. The girls were on a 6pm direct flight to Rome's Fiumucino Airport, and arrived safely in Rome around 8:30 AM local time. Then on to Pescara by bus (about a 3 hour bus ride). I took the scenic route; through Brussels and 8 hours later, landed at FCO as well, taking the same bus route into Pescara. After little or no sleep for nearly 48 hours, the end of my itinerary was a welcome sight! Although it was 10pm local time when I arrived, I was able to see a bit of the city as we drove from the bus station to our new home. The family we are going to be living with are Brazilian, but are making their home here in Italy. It has been fantastic to catch up with them after 5 years. (They were staff for my DTS in Kona in 2005) Arriving at their condo on the hillside in Pescara was a like a breath of fresh air. The Lord's faithfulness in this adventure of ours is ever apparent as we begin to settle in and have our expectations of what life would be like here absolutely blown away! From our un-problematic travel (all luggage arrived unharmed and all flights were on time) to the sense of community we're already feeling here, we see the true fingerprints of our Maker! As I posted on Facebook earlier, "This is Right". We want to thank you all for your prayers. We do really believe that when God's people pray, He moves in huge ways. That being said, we would like to remind you and urge you on to prayer for Luke Jensen (Kaylyn's cousin) and the Jensen/White/Spencer clan. (Luke is battling Leukemia again. See Luke's story here) We are believing God for a complete and miraculous healing of this boy, for the Glory of God's name! Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned...

What is DTS?

Now that many of you have been freshly introduced to YWAM (see previous post) we would like to formally meet DTS (Discipleship Training School).

Discipleship Training School (DTS) is YWAM's foundation. This unique course sets young people (and older people as well) on a course for radical living for the rest of their lives. Really, the great commission is implanted and interweaved within the hearts and minds of DTS students during the 5-6 month course. The format of the DTS is 12 weeks of lecture followed up by 8-12 weeks of outreach. During the lecture phase of the course, students study topics such as; who God is, hearing God's voice, Evangelism, Worship, Prayer, Culture, how to integrate into society as a Christian, etc. The average DTS size is 30-40 students, though there have been much larger (305, as in the case of Brady's) and much smaller (10-20, as in the case of the DTS in Pescara that we will work with).

The Outreach phase of DTS is where it gets exciting! This is the opportunity for the students to go into the world and put what they've learned to use. In many cases, the outreach location is not determined until several weeks into the lecture phase. This allows the students to pray and seek God's heart for this decision. Its pretty incredible to see God show up in huge ways, leading the students to truly divine appointments! Outreach can include street ministry, building projects, church projects, assistance with sporting events, worship events, prayer walks, crusades, bible studies. The list could go on for many more pages! For some, it is also huge step outside of established comfort zones. (this part is also exciting)

The DTS, being the foundation of Youth With a Mission, really seeks to prepare and equip young people to be disciples and to disciple others.

We ask you to pray for the students who will be attending the DTS in Pescara, Italy in April this year. We are looking forward to meeting them and developing friendships that could last for many years. Please begin to pray for open hearts of these students. There is a firehose of information flowing at them during the DTS. Pray that they would be as sponges, soaking up the information and letting it impermeate deep into their hearts! Pray for God to begin to direct them and show them pictures of what Outreach will look like. Pray for strength and for courage, as many of the students will be in a new country, immersed in a new culture and hearing a new language. Also, in the next two months, before this school, please be praying for financial provision for the students and staff (us included)!

What is YWAM?

YWAM or Youth With a Mission is an interdenominational missions organization that seeks to know God and make him known. You can see the YWAM Website for a detailed history. This year is YWAM's 50th year of ministry! In 1960, Loren Cunningham had a dream. This dream was of waves of young people coming ashore to distant nations to spread the Gospel. (Mark 16:15)

Currently there are over 1,000 YWAM locations in over 150 countries. There is a volunteer staff of nearly 16,000 people from all walks of life.

YWAM functions under 3 main Pillars of Ministry:

Training: Teaching and training young people to fulfill the great commission. The foundation of YWAM is the Discipleship Training School (DTS, look for the next blog to highlight this). DTS equips students to...

Evangelism: "Go and make disciples of all nations..."(Mt 28:19)
YWAM believes that the bible calls us to go into the world and tell people about him.

Mercy Ministries: The "hands and feet of Jesus". To show the world the love of Jesus we are called to meet the needs of the needy.

YWAM is a very diverse, multifaceted ministry that believes in the power of the Holy Spirit to direct God's people in His will. The unique organizational structure allows and encourages new vision and exploration of ways to fulfill the great commission.

A New Direction

The Mannings have chosen a new direction for their lives! (Perhaps the direction isn't so new, but the "living it out" portion of it is)

We will be leaving for Pescara, Italy at the end of March of this year. Kaylyn will be attending a Discipleship Training School through Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and Brady will be helping lead this school as staff. We are looking forward to this new Journey and especially to the wonders God will show us along our way. We invite you to join with us on this adventure! Please sign up for our mailing list so we can keep you aprised of what's going on!

Stay tuned to our Blog. Over the next few weeks we will be explaining what YWAM is, what a Discipleship Training School is and why these are important to us!

Thanks for your support!

We're Home!

Friends and Family!

We have made it back to the Pacific NorthWest and have begun to settle in quite nicely here in Vancouver. For an undetermined time, we will be staying with Kaylyn's parents. I (Brady) will continue to work for Swiftpage as a remote Sales Representative and Kaylyn will work for GAP Inc at the Old Navy location in the Vancouver Mall.

We are very happy to be home and to have friends and family much, much closer. God continues to guide us, as much as we fight against him, and continues to provide for us, as little as we thank him for it. He is a faithful god!

We are praying about joining close friends of mine (Brady) in Italy for a stint with Youth With a Mission next spring. Kaylyn would attend a DTS and I would work on staff at the YWAM Pescara base. This truly is an exciting time for us, as we lean on eachother, our friends and family and Jesus for guidance. Please join us in the journey by praying for us!

If you're in the Portland Metro area and would like to see us, please let us know! We'd love to visit with old Friends!

Happy Summer!