Making A Start

Hettie is 20 years old and currently leads a Pais schools team in Burnley, North West of England. Her influence didn’t start when she joined Pais though, it started over 3 years ago whilst still at school. At the age of 17 Hettie became someone who lived a different story in her school; a story of generosity and hope and love. Hettie decided she wanted to make a real difference to her friends in school so she started a number of projects to do this. She initiated kindness projects, she lead assemblies and she bought bibles for the entire sixth form!

Passing It On

 
For Hettie the story doesn’t end with her. Her goal is to train, inspire and motivate others to step up and make a difference in their school and in their world.
So far, just because of this one lady, there is a group of pupils at a school in Accrington, a young man in Rossendale, and 6th form students in Burnley who have all been inspired, trained and mentored to really make a difference in their world. Hattie has a passion to pass on what she has learnt to others so they too can be all that God wants them to be.

Making A Difference

In Hettie’s words; “When I was in School, no one told me that I could change my School for God or that I could make a difference in my world. I discovered though that anyone can make a difference, I learnt this at Sixth Form. Young people need to know that they can change their School. This is why I make missionaries.”

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Relationships

During his first semester on the Pais Project, Josh Lagesse met a local Pastor whose church had recently moved into a new building across from the local high school. They had started a new outreach called the ‘Feeding Frenzy’ which was aimed at building relationships between the school and the church, feeding the students once a month. Josh and the Pais team joined with the church in their scheme and started relationships with the students.

Invitation

As the months went by and the faithfulness of the team became clear their reputation increased amongst the local students, staff and community leaders. Josh impressed everybody to such an extent that he was invited to become a part of the Chaplaincy team for the ‘Junior Varsity and Freshman Football Team’ of the school. As you can imagine this was a great honor for Josh and it opened up some incredible opportunities.

Opportunities

As a chaplain for the club, Josh and his fellow team member Luke share God’s word weekly before a match starts. Also, after meeting with the school’s Principal and Vice Principal the Pais Project has been given open access throughout the school. They now have permission to approach any teacher and offer their services to them. This is resulting in Pais being invited to teach in classes on a regular basis throughout the school.

Faithfulness

Josh’s work ethic and faithfulness have shown the school what he and Pais are capable of. Their ongoing diligence and service continues to pay dividends. Closed doors are now open and a strong healthy relationship exists between Pais, the local Churches and the High School. The high standards set by Pais for its members and the training that it provides, allows us to authentically provide a positive experience of the kingdom that many can participate in.

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Train A Child

As a junior student Ryan attended the lunch club we run every week in his local high school. The scripture union at his school is divided into two groups, Juniors and Seniors. The Seniors are given the responsibility of running their own clubs program whilst we take the responsibility for the Juniors. Primarily we focus on inspiring and empowering the Juniors for Kingdom living, not simply for the future, but here and now in the present.

In the Way He Should Go

During his initial time with us, Ryan would have received all manner of teaching from Pais and was inspired to make missionaries himself. Moving up into the senior club Ryan really grasped a sense of empowerment and is currently becoming fully involved in the Junior’s club, taking more of a lead and greater responsibility, eager to inspire and influence the younger years of his school as he was by the Pais Team.

And When He Is Old, He’ll Not Depart From It

Ryan has a number of years left at school and the team on the north coast will continue to support him as he discovers his God given potential, in and beyond his school. We passionately believe young men like Ryan have the potential and capacity to transform and inspire their communities, their town or cities and their nation.

Ryan is a living example of our motto “missionaries making missionaries“.

A View From A Parent

Having children is probably the most precious gift a parent would say the Lord has ever given. The hopes and dreams we have for them start from the moment they are born and never end. As we see them grow and discover what their gifts are we look to the future and what we think it may hold for them. For those parents who know God, it is sometimes a struggle to balance wanting what we think is the best for our child and trusting that God knows best.

The story of Kimberly and her 18 year old daughter is one which shares this struggle but also shows how the blessing of God can be so great when we do give over our children to be in the hand of God. Taylor started in September of this year on the Pais Project in Ghana and here are the words of her mother Kimberly as she explains the journey they have both been on…

What My Plan Was

“I must honestly admit that I wasn’t very excited when my daughter told me she wanted to join the Pais Project in Ghana. I had expected that after school she would naturally go to the local college and the thought of her moving so far away from me (we live in California) was not a comfortable one. She may be 18 but she will always be my precious child.

I started to pray about it. I had nowhere else to turn other than the Lord and I realized that it was my own selfish desires for wanting Taylor to be near me that I was struggling with the most. It was clear that she should go but I was trying to force my plans on her and not looking to her heart’s desire and most certainly not allowing God’s will in her life. So I decided to give her over to God’s direction.

What Has Touched Me Most

Over the past months I have been so moved by the passion of all those I have got to know working on the Pais Project. I can see clearly that God has hand picked each of them to lead people into His kingdom. The quality of the Pais training skilfully gives them the tools to do this with compassion, integrity and confidence. The more I have come to know Pais and how it works the more I am convinced there needs to be a Pais team in every school in every nation!

What I Am Learning

The journey that Taylor is on has been such a beautiful gift for me. To watch my daughter grow into a strong and confident woman of faith and boldly declare her faith makes my heart smile. I can see how the experience is molding her and using her to expand His kingdom as he fills her heart with His love and her head with His knowledge. I am so proud to know she is doing something that will change lives and have eternal footprints. Through all this she is teaching me how to surrender fully to God and abide in the blessings that God promises on a daily basis.”

Taylor’s journey of faith in her adult life has only just begun and who knows where it will lead. She is looking to stay for another year in Ghana but where she will be in 5, 10 or 20 years time only God knows!

Presence

In 2008, a mega church in San Antonio took a bold step in a new direction, to begin the journey of seeing the presence of Christ in every community in San Antonio. The vision would mean that the 10,000 plus people attending services each week would not be viewed as the bench mark for ‘success’. Nor would the church settle only for increased attendance or a larger facility as a ministry goal, but the church would begin to measure the success by mission based activity being displayed amongst the members of the congregation in their own home, neighborhood and wider community.

Process

In an effort to equip students for the mission at hand, the Senior minister and Director of Student Ministries invited the Pais Project to establish their first pilot team just outside of San Antonio to begin the road of discovering how students could be even better equipped to share their faith in their own spheres of influence, and to become servants in their schools and communities.

12 months of collaboration between the student ministry staff and the Pais leadership, resulted in a new and defined strategy for motivating students to become the presence of Christ to others. Through discussion between the director of student ministry, senior minister and Pais hub director, program events were cut and new ones were added, efforts to give opportunity for outreach and mission were increased, and a new kind of training was established.

Progress

In the three years to follow, the church adopted twenty five Pais apprentices serving in local High Schools, resulting in thousands of connections with students. Life lessons have been taught and God’s love has been shared.

Some students have been baptized and others motivated to live a life of mission in San Antonio and beyond, with one student even making intentional plans to move into one of the poorest countries in the world to be a missionary to orphaned kids.

Partnership

The fruitful season that is being experienced in San Antonio, in light of the power and grace of God, has been much to do with the intentional relationships and like-mindedness between both Pais apprentices and the church staff. Pais does not work as a ‘lone ranger’, but as a ‘slice of the pie’. The church has been and continues to be an intentional place to connect students to belong to and to grow, and our Pais teams have contributed accountability and support as we equip students to serve through mentoring and bible study.

The growth in and through the high school students can only fully be contributed to the combined faithfulness of the church and Pais apprentices, with a unified vision to see missionaries made in San Antonio and beyond.

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It started with a Young Woman from Accra

The true beginning of Pais in Africa was when a young woman from Ghana named Mawunyo journeyed thousands of miles to the UK in order to train with Pais. After second year training in a Pais Hub in the USA, she returned to plant the movement in her home nation. Since its birth in 2008 there has been considerable growth and God is working in wonderful and miraculous ways. With this rapid growth has come a rise in missionaries from various nations.

It led to Many Nations Uniting for Africa

There are now Pais Apprentices in schools throughout Ghana from a whole host of nations… US, Germany, UK, Mexico, Togo. Malawi and of course Ghana itself.

A number of schools have opened up more to the Pais teams as trust is built through relationships. One of our German Pais workers, Rapha, says; “Originally we were only allowed to go into the schools for morning worship and then we had to leave. However we have built up great relationships with some of the teachers and are now allowed to stay all day! We have had invitations to lead worship and to be a part of the Basketball and Football Clubs, we have even received an invitation to join a mission trip with the students…”
One Pais team in Ghana saw a great opportunity which they fervently grasped. They realised that the church they are based in is directly en route for the students going to school so they started morning devotions and invited the students to come along. Only three students attended the first week but after only three weeks they had over 25 students in their morning devotions and it has continued to grow ever since.

More Missionaries = More Young People

Pais Ghana is really starting to see multiplication. As the number of Pais teams in the nation grow, more schools can be reached and ultimately many more young people. Team leader, Jessica from the US is very excited by what is happening; “We have been into over 30 plus schools, this means ministering to over 900 plus students in Scripture Unions, lessons and also assemblies.” She goes on to add “We have seen youth groups that are now 70 plus which have started from zero!”

More Missionaries = More of God’s Protection

It is also great to know that God is looking after the team members and their families. Evelyn, from Ghana recently had news that her father had suffered a stroke. She took the news to the team and together they prayed and brought this dear man before the Lord. That very same evening Evelyn contacted home and was delighted and grateful to hear that her father had been completely healed! We know our heavenly Father isn’t interested in people as numbers but He cares for all our needs as individuals.

Mawunyo’s original journey launched that of many others. Her faith and determination means that she now leads a thriving Pais nation. Faith activates God and Mawunyo’s trust in him has speed to many of her leaders and apprentices. For instance, as our US team member Jessica says; “I am just in awe because this is the God we serve and these are the things he does when we pray. He answers prayer and we are so blessed here in Africa.”

My Story

I was a Senior High School graduate waiting for my results when I heard about Pais Project. After researching the organization I was intrigued and excited to find the various opportunities the apprenticeship provides. From going into schools and sharing the Christian faith to the possibility of sharpening my existing skills.
So as a dancer, I decided to use my gifting to reach the students of my nation. I joined Pais Project still young in my understanding of how He discipled people but who with a heart and a willingness to learn.

My Development

Eventually I grew through Pais and gained many new skills. I was asked to lead a team and put on Pais’ excellent THR33 leadership track. Not wanting to fail, I made sure that my team’s spiritual life was a high priority and we threw ourselves into Pais HD everyday. Pais HD is a unique approach to Bible Study and helps me in my life and leadership. The THR33 videos and the Pais books also helped me develop my gifts. The key to the success I have experienced has been to embrace all the input I get with seriousness and commitment. I am finding that God is now giving me a great opportunity to really effect the lives around me, in the schools, and in my church

My Surprise

It has surprised me to see just what God can do in and through me. I was not a Bible Scholar or a famous communicator and yet as I take every step in doing the work passionately, it has motivated others to do something for God. It is amazing to see how God can use me to bring a lot of souls into an understanding and experience of the Kingdom of God. Coming onto Pais is one of the greatest things that have happened in my life. Pais has transformed my thinking, shaped me, and developed me greatly. I’m proud to be part of Pais Project.