The Power of Showing Up: A YWAM San Francisco Story
In late February 2026, a team of skilled volunteers from YWAM Lakeside in Montana and the MBI main office traveled to San Francisco to help complete a much-needed project at a YWAM ministry serving in the heart of the city.
Nearly 20 years ago, YWAM San Francisco purchased a 100-year-old building in the Tenderloin district. Recently, the ministry celebrated paying off the mortgage—making it possible, at last, to begin reinvesting in the building itself.
Meanwhile, the needs in the neighborhood have only grown. Drug use, poverty, and homelessness have steadily increased across San Francisco. During the COVID pandemic, many individuals experiencing homelessness were relocated to the Tenderloin, placing YWAM San Francisco right at the center of a growing crisis.
Today, ministry happens right outside their front door.
Each Thursday, their main meeting room transforms into a bustling food distribution center. Heavy pallets of food and supplies are moved in and out as hundreds of people come through the doors—seeking shelter from the weather, a meal, a shower, and a human connection. It’s in this same space that relationships are built, and the gospel is shared week after week.
As volunteer Andrew Hobby observed, “They are a caring group of staff who are selflessly serving this community.”
But that vital space was in rough shape.
The main floor—covering about 4,000 square feet—had not been renovated since the building was purchased. Years of heavy use had taken their toll, and the floor was in urgent need of repair. While the staff could handle small maintenance issues, a project of this scale was beyond their capacity. Professional estimates to re-epoxy the floor exceeded $100,000.
That’s where the volunteer team came in.
After hearing about the need, John Briggs, a board member for YWAM San Francisco, connected with Ben Walther of YWAM Lakeside. Ben quickly organized a team of eight volunteers from YWAM Lakeside and MBI, ready to donate their time and skills.
From the moment they arrived, the team got to work.
They began by cutting out and replacing damaged sections of the floor, then securing the entire surface to the floor joists. After sanding everything down, they applied a base coat of epoxy, added decorative paint chips, and finished with two additional coats for durability. Along the way, they also replaced broken ceiling tiles and spray-painted the ceiling black, giving the space a complete refresh.
During the renovation, ministry activities had to pause—something the surrounding community noticed immediately.
People knocked on the doors, hoping to come inside, unaware of the work underway.
Volunteer Luke Bosma recalled, “When people found out what we were doing, they became very excited. You could see how invested they were in this space and how grateful they were for what it provides.”
That response left an impression on the entire team.
Volunteer Benjamin Arnold was especially impacted—not just by the work, but by the perseverance of the ministry staff serving those struggling with homelessness and addiction. He reflected on how difficult it can feel to share the gospel with people who seem unreachable.
Then he heard a story that changed his perspective.
Benjamin shared:
“When it comes to homeless ministry, I often feel like Jeremiah, talking about broken cisterns that cannot hold water. It can feel like a waste of time to share the gospel with someone who is out of their mind on drugs. But this is what YWAM San Francisco does week after week, year after year.
“I asked one of the missionaries, Kent, if he had ever seen any fruit from their efforts. He told me about a man named Rex who used to come to their street services while high on drugs—hunched over and completely unresponsive. Kent often felt like talking to him was a waste of time.
“Eventually, Rex stopped coming. People assumed he had died from an overdose, and the community even held a memorial service for him.
“But a year later, Kent saw Rex again—alive.
“Rex explained that he had overdosed and nearly died in the hospital. While there, he encountered Jesus. The only thing he remembered was the gospel message he had heard at those street services. In that moment, he gave his life to the Lord.
“Today, more than 13 years later, Rex is sober, walking with Jesus, and serving the homeless on the streets of San Francisco.”
For Benjamin, that story was a turning point.
In a place that often feels defined by hopelessness, it was a reminder that God is still at work—still drawing people to Himself, even when no one can see it.
By the end of the week, the physical transformation of the space was complete—but the impact went beyond the floor itself.
Andrew Hobby reflected, “This was a big project to complete in a short amount of time. There’s nothing worse than leaving a job unfinished, but God was faithful and helped us complete it—even though everyone on the team got sick at some point. What we accomplished in one week was such a blessing to the staff. It gave them a real boost of energy just having us there.”
Now, the ministry has a renewed space ready to serve the community for years to come.
Luke Bosma summed it up this way: “This experience showed the power of volunteering. This was a necessary project that likely wouldn’t have happened this soon otherwise. We were able to use practical skills to support something that will impact lives for years. It was a privilege to be part of what God is doing in the Tenderloin.”
Equipping leaders: Dawn Masucci, Ron Brewster, Nate Ballivian, and Amy Stevens traveled to Tyler, TX, to coach the leaders of Living Alternatives in vision and strategy. Living Alternatives has focused on the wholeness and well-being of pregnant, single, and underprivileged moms for nearly fifty years, protecting the unborn, educating parents, and providing resources for women and families while promoting a culture of life. The ministry provides living spaces, support, counselling, and testing and ultrasounds through their clinic on wheels.
Building the mission: Dawn connected with leaders at YWAM Durres during a recent trip to Albania. Discipleship, training, reconciliation, and pioneering within the young generations are at the heart of the YWAM Durres mission. Since 2015, YWAM Durres has expanded to include three other campuses and multiple staff and personnel. Rapid growth means they require extra help. Dawn says, “They’d heard about MBI but didn’t know how to connect. When I contacted them, they shared their story with me. We had a great discussion about how MBI could support them. MBI will be moving toward partnering with them to send the additional help they need.”
Engaging the nations: YWAM North Cascades in Bellingham, WA, consists of three interrelated training and ministry locations. The newest is a farm that grows food to distribute among the poor in the Bellingham community and provides a place to train/disciple young people in farming. Dawn, Ron, and Jared Peifer offered staff training and leadership instruction, helping YWAM North Cascades navigate the dynamics and logistics of running three locations while maintaining community. L13’s input enables them to fulfill their mission to train and send young people “from the Pacific Northwest to the ends of the Earth” to reach the lost.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
reasons for this. Housing, high rents, unemployment, mental health, drugs, and so on. We find the number one problem facing most of the unhoused is loneliness. A lack of family connection. The isolation and loss of dignity people find on the streets can make them want to give up and live on the street because it’s easier than solving the complicated problem of finding a job or a place to live.”
“We’ve heard the horror stories of ministries held back by their current facilities due to lack of resources—unsafe, unfit buildings that neither serve the vision nor communicate the gospel to the community in a way that helps them to flourish. As missionaries ourselves, we share and understand the values and challenges of our missionary clients. We have a unique capacity to speak the same language and help them fulfill the mission and vision God has called them to.” (Photo: Garrett Morrison, center)
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