This week we were able to do our first of several exhibits celebrating Youth With A Mission’s 50 year celebration of global missions.  Our focus for this exhibit began with Polynesia, displaying the diversity and beauty of the cultures.  It will be part of rotating exhibits in our central community gathering place and will also be a part of the YWAM 50th celebration in November.  Our founders Loren and Darlene Cunningham are currently in Africa.  They are traveling throughout the year to different YWAM locations around the  world to encourage missionaries and to celebrate Gods faithfulness to the mission.

Ashley is part of the Performing Arts track which plans to do an Outreach in July for several months.  They will take the message of the Prodigal Son to multiple nations including Israel.  We appreciate your prayers and support.  Please pray for financial provision for Ashley to be able to be a part of this milestone opportunity.  May you be blessed with the joy of the Lord as you walk daily with Him.  Thank you so much  for your prayers and support.    Karen

School of Illustration Art Exhibit

Our first illustrated children's book printed

We ended the month of March with our School of Illustration exhibit which combined for the first time with the School of Photography.  We were able to exhibit in the largest venue on our campus known as the Ohana Court.

While this is a year of Celebration and YWAM’s 50th year of International Missions, many other factors are being considered in my mind.  I thought about not only the joy of a milestone year, but all the sacrifice, spiritual, physical, and financial battles that have been faced, and the lives that have been laid down for the cause of Christ.  Challenges continue to be a very real part of all of our lives, but also make us even more grateful to celebrate the reason for it all, that Jesus may be lifted up and God’s name glorified in the nations.  After 15 years in missions I can say yes it’s worth it for those who persevere no matter what the cost.  Most of us will speak more of the privilege and joy of being part of something significant for the kingdom than of the sacrifices we make.

I have a very dear staff member who serves beside me who left 8 grown children, 20+ grandkids, and 25+ great grandkids to be here.  She shared her delight with me this week that we could sit at a table with other missionaries from 5 other nations to work on a project together.  It’s something we do every day, how blessed we are to be working with and for the nations.  It blesses my heart to see one of my much loved staff Bev who is 75 years old serve alongside me. The joy I see her find in the amazing opportunities God provides goes beyond words.  Along with our current School of Illustration interns we will be illustrating an innovative linguistic book that is on the cutting edge of reaching Mandarin speaking people.  My staff Jennifer who served alongside me for many years recently got married at the end of our school and has moved to Delaware, she will be sorely missed by students and especially me.  Thank goodness for Skype.  One of the students from this year has agreed to come on Staff for the next school and she will be a great blessing.

Ashley is thriving in the Performing Arts Track which combines the core School of Biblical Studies curriculum with performing arts.  She and her classmates performed a Social Issues dance piece recently at our corporate gathering which had an audience of more than 500 people.  Some of our School of Illustration students used artwork in this performance as well.

We are so grateful for all of our family and friends.  We certainly do need your prayers through this year.

We are trusting God for more support this year.  Ashley will be doing an outreach to several countries this summer.  Please also pray for our  School of Illustration Interns working with me now working on several projects, including the one I mentioned above.  Prayer for financial needs to cover dental bills, vehicle repairs and housing costs are much needed.  We look to Him for protection and guidance as we continue to serve.  What an incredible privilege to serve our Lord and Savior!

All our blessings to you!

Karen and Ashley

Our School of Illustration this year is made up of students from Korea, China, South Africa, Germany, India, and the U.S.  This class was able to do illustrations  for a Children’s Book that they did as a team effort.  Each illustrator did two illustrations in their individual style.  We hope to publish this book that simply shares God’s love for children and God’s calling to families in Missions.  This is the first time we have done a collaborative project that we are looking to publish.  It was quite an accomplishment especially considering that it was their project in just one week of teaching on that topic.

An illustration from our Children's Book

Illustration showing Jerusalem and Pacific

Each student has a different style and showed

two different countries along with contrasting

words like land and sea, cold and hot, etc.  The beginning of our book starts with the text:

God gave me a dream that the world’s kids would know about His love, so ready, set go!

They have also created cards of various people groups and are currently working on a Gospel Tract that will tell some of their personal story.  The guest speaker this week has published 70 tracts of his own that have sold over 50 million copies as well as books for children, vacation bible study illustrations and has a prolific free-land illustration business of his own.

Next week we will tackle illustrating some of the Social Issues in countries around the world and also illustrate the beauty of those nations in contrast.

We have another exciting opportunity to work on storyboards for some film projects being directed by the founder’s son and appreciate your prayers for those projects.

Ashley is taking a Biblical Foundations for the Arts course that includes in depth Biblical Studies and performing arts skill training.  This is part of a two year track of courses that will include overseas outreaches.

Personally, we can use your prayers for finances for car and dental bills as well as tuition for Ashley’s course that she is taking.  May God bless you abundantly as you delight in Him.

Karen and Ashley Chamalian

Ashley and I in Townsville, Australia

A wonderful opportunity has come again to teach in the Art and Evangelism school in Perth, Australia.  This has also made it possible to visit my daughter Ashley who is doing her DTS in Australia on my way to Perth.  She is getting ready to do her 6 week outreach in New Zealand, and we both leave on Saturday.  Please continue to pray for her opportunities to share the love of Christ as she travels around New Zealand.  It is such a rewarding experience to see my daughter launched into her own as a young woman on the mission field.  She is a blessing wherever she goes and I am so proud of her.

God has been giving me greater revelation about the Cross which I will share in my teaching.  The place of the greatest tragedy and greatest victory at the same time.  The place where humanity and heaven meet, where life overcomes death, supernatural meets the natural, and light overcomes the darkness.  Jesus died as a victor and had finished what he came to do “gave up his spirit”.  An unusual way of describing death, describing an act of will.  

Jeremy Riddle’s  song Sweetly Broken automatically played in my mind when I began to contemplate the Cross:

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled 

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

Thank you so much for your prayers and support, may God bless you abundantly!

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ  Jesus.  Timothy 1:14

If you are frustrated and tired of waiting, understand that Gods timing is often a mystery.  He doesn’t do things on our timetable.  Yet His Word promises that He will not be late, not one single day.  Habakkuk 2:3  God causes things to happen at exactly the right time.  Your job isn’t to figure out when but to make up your mind that you wont give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God.  The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life youll have.  Trusting God brings live, believing brings rest.  Let God be God in your life.

Welcome to Visual Mission.  You’ll find updated information about our School of Illustration and ministry as well as links and photos.    With an ever increasing eye on the world, we understand what a powerful tool Illustration can be to reach the nations.  We are passionate about bringing awareness of the challenges and needs of people in developing nations.  We have a heart for social issues and people suffering from injustice.  This has been compelling us to be a visual mission for the voiceless.

We developed an Art Exhibit about Social Issues in Asia.  We have done numerous exhibits of this show and are now looking into creating a book of the exhibit bring awareness to a broader audience.  Another part of our ministry is to reflect the God-given beauty and diversity of the cultures.  God has made each culture so unique, and has woven His story into so many of the cultures folklore.