by Becky Hefty | Mar 7, 2025 | Letter from the Director, Thrive
MBI is one of hundreds of global campuses in YWAM’s network. Our sole purpose is to provide practical and training support for other locations so they can thrive and fully realize their mission goals.
MBI’s ability to offer extraordinary services to our missionary counterparts relies on our quality staff. Our team consists of experienced long-term missionaries who know the ropes and understand the challenges of serving on the field.
We want to introduce you to the four incredible YWAM missionaries who recently joined us, allowing us to offer even more help than before.
The construction of Mission Lodge—MBI’s all-in-one center for refreshing, retooling, and resending YWAM leaders and missionaries—is well underway. We recently welcomed Benjamin Arnold and his wife, Liz, to help us realize this crucial part of our ministry vision. Benjamin oversees the current construction phase as MBI’s Mission Lodge project manager. He has a civil engineering and construction background in building large infrastructure projects.
Benjamin is originally from Austin, TX, and Liz is from Campbellford, Ontario, Canada. They have served in YWAM for two years. Before moving to Lakeside, they worked in English camps in Thailand, drilled water wells in Mexico, and preached the gospel in Indonesia and New Zealand. They love outdoor activities, from hunting and fishing to hiking, camping, and riding motorcycles.
Sally Jo (SJ) Vander Yacht is from Lynden, WA, and has served 15 years with YWAM. She also has a Master of Arts in the New Testament from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. She says: “Most of my YWAM experience has been serving in the realm of biblical training, including seven years at YWAM Lakeside-Montana with the SBS (School of Biblical Studies) and an additional five years with their Biblical Seminars program.”
Sally Jo loves teaching, training, learning, problem-solving, and helping people understand the hot topics of our current culture and society. She is pioneering and building the Christ-Centered Sexuality (CCS) ministry under MBI’s umbrella. Sally Jo says, “CCS trains and educates Christians in a non-affirming understanding of God’s design and desire for sex, sexuality, gender, and marriage while also helping people learn how to engage in compassion and pastoral care for those who struggle with sexual brokenness.”
Sally Jo also manages MBI’s Instagram account. When she isn’t busy with her MBI and CCS responsibilities, she enjoys boating, traveling, playing Call of Duty, and keeping up with her rambunctious golden retriever, Murphy.
Nate Ballivian works long-distance as part of MBI’s L13 (Leadership 13) team and as MBI’s Volunteer Coordinator. He took his YWAM DTS (Discipleship Training School) in 2006, adding on subsequent YWAM training and leadership schools, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies with Ecclesia College, and life purpose and calling coaching with Coaching Mission International (CMI). He and his family live in Lindale, TX, where they have served with YWAM Tyler since 2009.
Nate loves being exposed to different cultures and foods and enjoys working in facilitation, team building, life coaching, strategic thinking, and leadership development. He says his favorite challenges include “developing something and then passing it on so it’s not dependent on me and helping people and teams get unstuck by bringing clarity.” He also loves being out in nature, reading biographies and historical nonfiction, keeping up with Michigan in college football, and watching Arsenal in the Premier League.
Nate especially enjoys cooking and “eating yummy food” with his wife of 17 years, Lauren, and doing activities with his three kids: Gabe (13), Ephraim (8), and Beatriz (6).
Amy Stevens is a YWAM lifer with 32 years of service and experience. She recently joined MBI to serve as office manager and in L13 resource development.
Originally from Minnesota, Amy lived at and worked on staff with YWAM Lakeside-Montana for 11 years before moving to Taiwan and serving with Taipei Ministries for 21 years. While in Montana, she served as staff for the SBS (School of Biblical Studies) for two years before launching the Titus Project in 1996 and running it for seven years. Amy was the local Titus Project leader and overseer of what became Titus Project Int’l in Taiwan. Additionally, Amy was part of their ministry leadership team, the leadership council, the budget review team, the fiscal team (as an overseer), and the director’s office.
Amy says she gained working knowledge through seminars, experience, and trial and error. She is skilled at teaching, creating resources, systems/SOPs, and information organization. Her favorite challenges include creating spreadsheets, expenditure reports, and systems, especially those related to numbers and accounting.
Amy also says, “I love difficult passages in the Bible, studying and teaching through them. I love to see those without hope and searching for meaning come to believe in Jesus and go on to being discipled, becoming pastors or DTS leaders, etc. And I love the cross-cultural aspect of missions where people from all nations and vastly different cultures come together with the same purpose: to make God known and follow him.”
Amy is married to Michael Stevens from Australia. They have four gifted, mission-oriented adult children: Elise (24), Kenna (21), Anaya (19), and Nathan (18).
The Lord has blessed MBI with a treasure trove of skilled and talented people to help us continue assisting the YWAM missionaries who are making a difference in the world. Thanks for supporting our team with your prayers and encouragement!
by Becky Hefty | Oct 21, 2024 | Thrive, Volunteer Viewpoint
MBI believes YWAM’s frontline missionaries are heroes as they engage the nations with the mercy and gospel of Christ. We aim to provide the practical training and resources they need to thrive in their calling. We also believe that our Mission Builder volunteers are heroes because they sacrifice their time, skills, and sometimes retirement to work alongside YWAM missionaries for kingdom purposes.
Here is the story of an extraordinary family of hero volunteers from Seattle, Washington. After Autumn Duckworth, her husband Ryan, and their three young children, Noa (11), Ashton (9), and Dakota (6), faced down Autumn’s life-threatening disease, the family chose not just to survive but to thrive.
Autumn says: “In April of 2022, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. By May of 2024, after several surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy, my tests showed no evidence of disease. Summer was coming, and we needed a change of pace, a reset, a new rhythm, and a renewed vision as a family. We didn’t just want a vacation; we were looking for a VWAP (Vacation With A Purpose) where we all could serve and receive training as a family.
“The Lord directed me to MBI. I contacted Jeanette Brewster, and we began to let God orchestrate my family’s nine-week summer mission-building adventure. I’d been ‘prayer circling’ for a God idea/opportunity since January 2024. In His perfect sovereignty, He directed my attention to six YWAM campuses where we could serve alongside the local missionaries.
“The first was at YWAM Lakeside, Montana, where we enjoyed serving on the Facilities team. One highlight at the campus was watching the DTS School of Dance perform the beautiful production of The Story of Creation to Resurrection. Seeing so many young people worship Jesus freely through the creative arts was so impactful for my three children. 
“Next was YWAM Cascade, Idaho, for a week-long Family DTS, where we learned how to take our brokenness, unique passions, and giftings and allow God to redeem them into something beautiful. Learning to speak shalom over our family also helped us recalibrate and recenter our family on Jesus.
“At YWAM Emerge in Colorado Springs, we served on the Grounds team. There were so many highlights here! Volunteering and learning more about their genius OASYS aquaponics ministry was incredible. We hope to partner in the future with this ministry, as it’s a brilliant and tangible way to love God and others through building aquaponics systems, enabling other groups to achieve nutritious and sustainable food security in a dignified way.
“We then went south to YWAM Vicente Guerrero in Baja, California, Mexico, where we partnered with Mexico
Mission Adventures from YWAM Chico, California. My kids were astounded to see the impoverished living conditions of these amazing people. It gave them a greater appreciation for what God has provided for us. Seeing my three kids work hard to bless this family with a new home was unforgettable.
“Next, we headed north to YWAM Mendocino, California, where we helped with the library and installed ventilation systems in the cabin bathrooms. This place is truly anointed. Morning prayer at 8 a.m. was such a gift! On the last day, the local missionaries spoke and prayed prophetic words over us. It was a life-giving encouragement to our family.
“Last but not least, we had the pleasure of serving at YWAM Chico in California after the Park Fires struck the
area in July. Initially, everyone was evacuated, but after five days, things began opening back up. We witnessed His miraculous work firsthand as we provided relief care and cleaned, rebuilt, and restored things to order. Additionally, we got to hand out food and clothing to some of the homeless people in the Chico community and pray for people during street evangelism in Redding.
“We hope to return to each of the bases during our summers for 1-2 week long mission builds to serve and bless our new friends! Each base provided a unique ministry we are excited to partner with for life.”
Are you ready to be a hero and make a difference? Visit missionbuilders.org and explore your opportunities!
by Becky Hefty | Mar 17, 2022 | Connections Article
Since 1960, YWAM missionaries have continued reaching out to this broken world spiritually and practically. They bring health and healing through hands-on mercy ministries and interrupt human trafficking via rescue and education. They strategically distribute Bibles to help end Bible poverty. And they’re training yet another generation of believers to share the good news of Jesus Christ. As YWAMers continue to make God known to the least, the last, and the lost, Mission Builders International is there to support them.
For instance, YWAM Cambodia strives to transform Cambodia’s history from one of “killing fields” to “living
fields,” believing God for One Nation in One Generation. As a result, five hundred Cambodians now attend YWAM Cambodia’s ten church plants, and a thousand youth recently joined the soccer league hosted on their campus. MBI is helping YWAM Cambodia in tangible ways to realize its vision by sending volunteers, helping with training and equipping their leaders, debriefing their staff, providing professional architectural services, and more.
MBI remains committed to providing YWAM campuses with the services and practical help they need to stay healthy and fulfill their callings long-term. Now, we’re taking our commitment to a higher level. Planning is underway to build MBI’s Mission Lodge hospitality center to engage YWAM missionaries, volunteers, students, and visitors more fully.
The vision took root when YWAM Lakeside Montana gifted its prime one-acre piece of property to MBI in 2004. In 2019, MBI expanded its ministry by adding new services like Leadership13, LIFT, Partner Architects, Debriefing, and more. Today, the time is right to make the Mission Lodge a reality.
MBI co-director Dawn Masucci says: “Part of our vision for the Mission Lodge is to create a welcoming place where YWAM missionaries can come to be refreshed, retooled, and re-sent, so they may continue to ‘know God and make Him known.’ We’ve envisioned a well-designed building dedicated to the Lord that increases our capacity for hospitality, collaboration, training, communication, and recruiting.
“We also see a place to create more awareness about MBI and YWAM as we engage students and show hospitality to their families and friends. The 1000+ visitors who pass through YWAM Lakeside and visit the Mission Lodge every year will gain a clear understanding of what MBI does and leave inspired to find their unique opportunity to reach the world by helping international YWAM locations.
“Our vision for the Mission Lodge, with its wooded location and beautiful views, also embodies a place of
restoration and replenishment for those experiencing a rough season in ministry. Frontline YWAM missionaries will come to be debriefed by professionally trained debriefing staff. Leaders who may feel tired and bruised will receive encouragement, skilled mentoring, and fellowship, returning to the field with renewed faith that they can, indeed, take on giants.”
MBI’s Ross Lackey of Partner Architects created a master plan for the one-acre site, designing the 16,000 square foot building and preparing for construction. The Lodge’s interior will include twenty guest rooms and a caretaker’s suite, a full kitchen, a large conference room, a commons area, a reception area for hospitality, and an MBI office area with desk spaces and meeting rooms to accommodate thirty staff. The exterior design features a drive-through covered entry and twenty dedicated parking spaces.
Site preparation begins this spring, with foundation completion projected for early 2023. Construction will start soon after. Our faith goal is to have the building “dried in” by the winter of 2023, then debt-free and ready for service by the end of 2024.
Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” The Mission Lodge’s purpose, design, functionality, and beauty increase MBI’s ability to shape lives by helping YWAM missionaries—and the people they serve worldwide—to thrive.
by Becky Hefty | Aug 25, 2021 | Connections Article
Many students of YWAM’s Discipleship Training School graduate with a desire to serve full-time in the mission, and YWAM campuses worldwide need people just like them to achieve their mission goals and thrive. MBI brings these two dynamic groups together through our After DTS program.
DTS graduates can now explore opportunities and locations through volunteer placement, allowing them to experience a variety of service opportunities, places, cultures, and causes. Graduates may learn new skills, encounter new people groups, fall in love with a ministry vision, find their “tribe” of like-minded missionaries, and more! They volunteer at global locations, build lasting relationships, and find their best fit for long-term service. MBI makes easy what used to be laborious and time-consuming.
Dawn Mekunwattana from Thailand did her DTS in the spring of 2011 at YWAM Lakeside and knew she wanted to join their staff someday. She spent time mission building on campus between the secondary schools she attended after her basic training. She says:
“My mission building experience gave me a snapshot into the behind-the-scenes life of missionary members on campus and helped to solidify my desire to serve full-time in Montana. I loved the Mission Builder community!
We had our meetings and times of connection and prayer outside of the regular base meetings, and I loved connecting with all the people who would come through for those short seasons to serve and bless others. Mission building also grew my confidence—I could serve and work in many capacities! It’s been ten years since I did my DTS and six years since I last worked as a mission builder. Now, I’m finally here as a full-time missionary member!”
DTS graduates like Daniel, Fabio, Presley, and others have utilized the After DTS program to explore the exciting ways and places available to them to serve within YWAM as they’ve fulfilled God’s call on their lives.
Are you a DTS graduate with a passion for moving to the next step of service? Apply at www.missionbuilders.org to volunteer with After DTS and discover your next step!
by Becky Hefty | May 17, 2021 | Connections Article
Mission Builders International’s staff team is rich in its collective experience and perfectly suited for helping worldwide YWAM ministries to thrive. Team member Dawn Masucci brings finely-tuned teaching and leadership skills to the table. She acquired her expertise during the four years she worked with YWAM in Hong Kong and the nearly thirty years she and her husband Mark served in leadership at YWAM Lakeside Montana.
Dawn is MBI’s co-executive director and takes oversight for its service ministries and home base staff members. She makes sure that staff members’ needs are met and that each individual remains healthy and fruitful in their ministry roles.
Dawn is a team player and cheerleader by nature. She loves to see people become all God intends them to be. So it comes as no surprise that Dawn’s responsibilities at MBI’s home office closely parallel what she does as point person and team player with MBI’s Leadership 13 ministry.
“I enjoy working in the area of team dynamics and organizational health,” Dawn says. “My sweet spot is creating vulnerable moments that bring people together, providing an atmosphere where people can learn and grow. I try to make way for these learning experiences through teaching, facilitating, and coaching.
“My life verse is 1 Corinthians 12. I love to see people understand who they are, what part of the body they represent, and how they can ‘play nice’ in the context of the larger body. It’s gratifying when you see the lights
come on! Once individuals understand how to integrate their gifts into their ministry’s team dynamic, they are better able to participate in building cohesive, successful relationships.”
Dawn concludes, “We tend to get busy working in the ministry. But sometimes we have to stop and work on the ministry and its team if we want to go forward and be truly healthy and productive.”
Whether Dawn is applying her skills at MBI or other YWAM locations, she helps ministries succeed in their larger visions by keeping their members healthy proportionally. When a ministry knows how to care for its staff, it is sure to thrive.
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