“The impact of the teaching was great. We enjoyed all the speakers and trainers. Our staff have continued talking about it among themselves, feeling a huge burden to share with other staff and volunteers at home what they learned.”
YFC South Asia held an ASPIRE conference in May ‘18. ASPIRE stands for “Asia Pacific In Relational Evangelism.” This bi-annual conference, not held since 2018 due to Covid, fosters a strong YFC future through training, collaboration and spiritual challenge. The 2022 ASPIRE targeted over 60 Young Leaders, emphasizing leadership and evangelism ministry methodologies training, also was planned to comfort and encourage YFC staff after some very hard pandemic years. The theme, therefore, was “Christ: Our Strength, Hope, and Refuge.” Planning the conference almost entirely through Zoom meetings was a challenge, but our host nation Nepal did a great job filling in gaps and Bangladesh brought expertise to ensure things ran smoothly.
Here are some comments of staff and National Directors about the experience:
“I have never attended a conference with people from other countries. I learned a lot by interacting during the conference. We have a shared mission, but I also realized the uniqueness of the YFC ministry God has given us in our nation and have committed more highly to serve Christ faithfully in this ministry.”
“These 5 days were some of the most unforgettable of our lives. We were very blessed by the training (especially using technology and communication tools in our ministries) and seeing how our God is working to expand his kingdom through the 5 nations of South Asia, where over 20% of the world lives!”
“The impact of the teaching was great. We enjoyed all the speakers and trainers. Our staff have continued talking about it among themselves, feeling a huge burden to share with other staff and volunteers at home what they learned.”
“One new inspiration came through ideas presented during a workshop about internet based ministry we are not currently capitalizing on. These things are increasingly effective and important to know about as we reach today’s youth.”
“A new sense of team spirit has taken hold among our participants. They have seen a BIGGER PICTURE of YFC.”
“Most from our nation were attending their first ASPIRE. It was wonderful for all of them to have such good exposure to the South Asia YFC family. The challenging sessions, seminars and Bible studies were very thought provoking – especially about renewing our calling in the Lord – and the overall conference had a great impact upon us. One of our leading volunteers said during a small group sharing time that she wants to be more willing to serve God and work wholeheartedly with YFC back home. Others shared the same feelings and made various commitments, and we will encourage and feed these commitments far into the future. We praise God for it!”
“The outing day and some outdoor events like games were not only fun, but provided beneficial time for staff from different nations to become acquainted, discuss how YFC succeeds in their nation, share struggles and more. This is one unique value of conferences like ASPIRE! It cannot happen online. Information can be shared online these days, but relationships that motivate, encourage and inspire young people to succeed in ministry need to happen in one another’s presence!”