Youth With A Mission(YWAM) is an international and interdenominational missions organization. YWAM's vision statement is "to Know God and make Him Known. YWAM was founded in 1960 by Loren Cunningham and has grown into one of the world’s largest mission organizations, with almost 20,000 long-term staff. Many short-term volunteers join together with the long-term staff to minister in over 1,200 locations in 173 nations around the world.YWAM's work is focused in three areas: training, evangelism and mercy ministries.

More information about YWAM’s ministry is available at www.ywam.org

It all started when a 20-year-old American college student, who was in the Bahamas on a worship tour, spent some time in prayer. As he leaned back in his bed and looked up, he saw what he called a "mental movie." He saw waves on a map. The waves turned into young people, going to every continent, sharing the good news about Jesus. "Was that really you, Lord?" he asked. This radical idea, that young people could be missionaries, stayed with this young man, Loren Cunningham. Four years later, in 1960, he started an organization with that idea expressed even in its name: Youth With A Mission.

Today, Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has grown into one of the world's largest Christian mission organizations. The story of how YWAM began and how it grew is a story of God's direction and God's grace in using ordinary people from countries all over the world. In 1960, 24-year-old Loren Cunningham decided to do something to help young people get involved in mission work. He decided to begin a new organization, called it Youth With A Mission, and opened his first office, in a bedroom at his parent's house in California .

Today, Loren is one of the only people to have ministered in every country on earth. He and his wife Darlene still serve with YWAM from their home in Hawaii . As members of YWAM's Global Leadership Team, they help oversee one of the largest Christian charitable organizations in the world .