Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry,
We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, with hearts full of both gratitude and hope. As many of you know, the recent Park Fire in Northern California brought significant challenges to our community and to the YWAM Chico base. While we praise God that all of our buildings were spared from direct fire damage, the proximity of the fire caused substantial damage to our property, including our infrastructure and utilities, and destroyed our hydropower plant.
In light of these challenges, we are reaching out to you—our extended YWAM family and friends—to partner with us in restoring and rebuilding what was lost. We have three primary opportunities for you to get involved:
1. Financial Donations for Relief Efforts
The fire not only caused extensive damage to our property and infrastructure but also completely destroyed our hydropower plant, which had been saving us over $120,000 annually in energy costs. This plant was a critical part of our commitment to sustainable, renewable energy, and its loss is deeply felt in our budget. Unfortunately, it was uninsurable, and the total loss amounts to over $365,000.
We invite you to prayerfully consider making a financial donation to help us rebuild. Your contributions will go directly towards repairing the damage on our property, including the utilities that support our ministry, and towards exploring new avenues to replace the renewable energy that was lost. Your generosity will enable us to continue hosting schools and discipleship programs, ensuring that the Gospel continues to be spread from this place.
Click here to donate: https://donate.ywamchico.org/?code=FIRE_RELIEF_FUND
2. Donation of Your Time and Skills
In addition to financial support, we are in need of hands-on help to bring our base back to full operational capacity. Although our buildings were spared from fire damage, the aftermath has left us with significant work to do. We are looking to host individuals and teams who are willing to donate their time and skills to help with a variety of projects around the base.
Here are some practical needs:
- Fire clean up:
Carpet cleaning and vacuuming various buildings.
Cut and remove trees that were damaged by the fire.
Welder, for a pipe from our reservoir that was burned during the fire
Brush inside campus boundaries and additional brushes that were not burned during the fire to prevent future fires.
Fixed goat pen fences that were burned during the fire.
- Kitchen need: Cooking for volunteers and help kitchen clean up
- Maintenance: fixed broken sprinklers and pipes and even install new one to prevent fire. Paint a few houses.
Whether you can commit for a few hours or a few days, we welcome your assistance. Your involvement will play a crucial role in restoring the functionality of our property, allowing us to continue our mission of training and sending out disciples.
3. Staffing need: This is a call for current and former YWAMERS(Alumni)
As we work to rebuild our infrastructure, we continue to host several schools and programs on our base. To ensure that these programs can operate smoothly while we focus on recovery efforts, we are inviting YWAM missionaries from across the nation to join us in this endeavor. We need additional staff who can assist with both the practical needs of the base and the ongoing discipleship training schools. Both short-term and long-term commitments are welcome, and we will provide housing and necessary amenities during your stay.
A Time for Gratitude and Prayer
We are immensely grateful to God for His protection over our buildings and the lives of those who live and work here. We also thank Him for the community of believers who have already offered their support and prayers. As we move forward, we ask for your continued prayers, particularly as we seek to replace the renewable energy source that was so vital to our operations.
The challenges before us are great, but we know that our God is greater. We stand on His promises, knowing that He is our provider and sustainer. As it says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” We trust that He will provide through the generosity and service of His people.
Thank you for considering how you can be a part of the rebuilding process at YWAM Chico. Together, we can restore what was lost and continue to advance the Kingdom of God.
For any information or details, please contact
Rija Andrianjafy, Director of Mission, at +1(530) 714-9563 or
email: rija.andrianjafy@ywamchico.org
For the Gospel,
The Board of Directors
YWAM Chico