唯需單純順服 Missions is About Simple Obedience

每當有人問「青年使命團有什麼特別的呢？」青年使命團臺灣負責人黃志強和劉芳萍就會回答：「在這裡，你可以自由地追求神對你的呼召。青年使命團的核心信念就是傾聽神的聲音，順服神，然後堅持不放棄。」黃志強和劉芳萍在成為第一位臺灣青年使命團臺籍的負責人之前，自己也順服神的呼召，在俄羅斯服事了一段時間。隨著時間，青年使命團也有一些改變。即使如此，對他們來說，宣教的本質仍然不變：宣教最重要的就是學會單純地順服神，不論你身處任何的環境。

When asked, “Why is Youth With A Mission (YWAM) so special?” Zalau and Brenda, the national directors of YWAM Taiwan, immediately answered, “YWAM has an anointing of freedom for people to pursue what God has called them to do. YWAM is all about ‘hearing God’s voice, obeying, and not giving up.’” Before becoming the first Taiwanese national directors, they, too, persevered in obeying the call of God on their lives to be missionaries in Russia. Through the many changes that YWAM has undergone, its mantra on missions remains the same: Missions is first and foremost about simple obedience, no matter the circumstance. 

黃志強來自於阿美族的部落。和許多其他的原住民一樣，酒精成癮是他成長中很大的掙扎。當他在教會裡教兒童主日學時，學生會叫他「古龍水老師」，因為他會噴上濃濃的古龍水來掩拭身上前一晚留下的酒精味。有一次，一位青年使命團的同工來拜訪他的教會，他看見神在黃志強生命中的呼召。即使他仍有許多待解決的問題，在他多次的邀請下，黃志強終於同意參加青年使命團門徒訓練課程。在課程中，他不僅真實地經歷神的愛，他的生命也有了奇蹟般的轉變。也在那時，黃志強也領受了對俄羅斯宣教的呼召。

Zalau came from an indigenous people group called the A Mei people group. Like many indigenous people, he struggled with alcohol abuse growing up. When he was old enough to teach Sunday School, the children at church called him the cologne teacher because he came to church wearing heavy cologne to cover the smell of alcohol left on his clothes from the night before. One day, a YWAM leader came to visit Zalau’s church and noticed something special about him. She saw the call of God on his life beyond the major character flaws. After multiple invitations to join YWAM, Zalau finally agreed. And during his Discipleship Training School (DTS), God miraculously transformed Zalau’s life and called him to be a missionary to Russia. 

劉芳萍是黃志強在上門徒訓練課程時的負責人。他在一次青年使命團去沖繩的短宣中決志。短宣隊出發前，領隊在禱告中感受到神想要邀請劉芳萍和另外3位慕道友來參加這次的短宣。而在短宣中，劉芳萍親眼見證了神的大能，以致於他無法再否認神的存在。在短宣的最後，他決定把他的生命全然地獻給耶穌，這個決定開始了神在他生命中的工作。神不離不棄的愛使得劉芳萍決定要放下一切，全時間事奉神，他說：「我希望可以帶著萬民一起進到天國。」在門徒訓練課程中，神清楚地呼召他事奉俄羅斯的韃靼人。因著共同的俄羅斯呼召，劉芳萍和黃志強決定委身彼此，步入婚姻。經過了兩年多在臺灣青年使命團共同的服事後，他們決定出發前往俄羅斯，報名了在那裡拓荒宣教課程(SOFM)。

Brenda was Zalau’s DTS school leader at the time. She became a believer on a YWAM mission trip to Okinawa. The leaders of this outreach team had prayed and felt that God wanted Brenda and three other non-believers to go on this outreach. It was on this trip that Brenda witnessed the miraculous power of God in such a way that she was no longer able to deny His existence. By the end of the outreach, Brenda had decided to give her life to Jesus, and so began her journey as a believer. Over time, Brenda’s heart for missions only grew bigger: “I want to bring all the people groups of the world with me to heaven,” Brenda said. During her DTS, God gave her a clear call to serve the Tartar people group in Russia. With a common calling for Russia and love for one another, Brenda and Zalau decided to get married. After serving together as staff with YWAM Taiwan for two more years, they signed up to go to Russia to attend the School of Frontier Missions (SOFM). 

隨著拓荒宣教課程的開課日期越來越近，黃志強和劉芳萍卻面臨財務短缺的困難，他們沒有足夠的金錢買機票。距離飛機起飛的前一天，他們的身上只有$123美金。面對零下30度的俄羅斯寒冬，他們沒有任何能應付的衣服及裝備。此時，他們必須決定是否要繼續去俄羅斯。他們沒有大衣、沒有機票，但是他們有的，是對於神呼召他們到俄羅斯的確信和神的話。於是，他們決定憑著信心相信神，踏上這趟俄羅斯之旅。就在他們決定順服的之後，沒幾分鐘後，他們接到電話，有人願意奉獻給他們購買冬季大衣及其他一切裝備的費用。神也賜下其他供應，使他們能夠買到俄羅斯的機票。從他們決定的那晚，直到隔天出發前往機場之前，神賜下他們物質上及金錢上所需要的一切，這也開啟了他們在俄羅斯的事工。

When the day came for Zalau and Brenda to leave for SOFM, they were still short of funds. They didn’t even have enough money to buy their plane tickets. In fact, the day before their flight, they only had $123 (USD) in their pockets and no winter clothes or gear (Russia was at -30°C). This left them to make a difficult decision of whether they would go to Russia or not. They had no money or winter gear, but they knew it was the word of the Lord for them to go. In faith, they decided to obey God’s call and go. Within minutes of their decision, someone called and offered to buy them all of their winter clothing and equipment. After this, enough donations to purchase their tickets came in. Between that night when they made their decision to go until the time of their flight the next day, they received everything they needed, physically and financially. Thus, Zalau and Brenda’s ministry in Russia began - with faith, a supportive community, and God’s faithful provision.  

在兩年的服事後，由於簽證的問題，他們被迫回到了臺灣。他們接著到烏茲別克服事，但是也在兩年後再次因為簽證的緣故被迫離開宣教工場。那次之後，他們決定委身在臺灣，並在2013接下臺灣區域負責人的職位。

After 2 years of being in Russia, however, they were forced to return to Taiwan because of visa complications. They later went to Uzbekistan but got kicked out 2 years later as well. This time, they settled back in Taiwan, and in 2013, Zalau took on the role of the national director of YWAM Taiwan. 

黃志強和劉芳萍因著神的呼召去到俄羅斯，在過程中，他們經歷了神的信實。直到今日黃志強和劉芳萍仍然持續地為神牧養臺灣青年使命團，使其成長茁壯，建立穩固的根基，也訓練並差派神的僕人進入長期宣教的工場。不論將來臺灣青年使命團的發展如何，我們從黃志強和劉芳萍的故事中所看見青年使命團的核心信念並不會改變 - 單純地順服是回應神唯一的必要條件。

Zalau and Brenda went to Russia because of a word of the Lord and in that process experienced the faithfulness of God. Today, Zalau and Brenda continue to foster YWAM Taiwan’s growth in maturity and help establish structure, training, and support for those who desire to go into long-term missions. No matter how developed the organization has become, it is clear from Zalau and Brenda’s story that the spirit of YWAM has remained unchanged: Missions is about simple obedience.