ABOUT ME
WHO AM I?
My name is Markus Christiansen. I am 25 years old and from Denmark. I was a missionary kid in Taiwan from 2000 to 2008 and have lived in Denmark since then. However, the last two years have been extraordinary, with a lot of traveling and participation in both YWAM DTS and SBS.
I have an amazing family who all love Christ. My family consists of a Swedish mom and a Danish dad. I am the second oldest, with a 27-year-old sister who is married and expecting a baby! Then, I have two younger sisters, aged 21 and 18.
It excites me that you are taking the time to look into this website and join in to see what God will do in my life and the lives of others over the next couple of years. God bless!
UPCOMING SEASON AND WHY COLORADO?
I have been accepted as a staff member at YWAM Colorado Springs. I am so excited to see what God will lead me to do there and to witness the fire and passion that young adults have for Christ. Their outreach phase focuses on the 10/40 window, where the fewest people have heard about Christ. The 10/40 window is a rectangular area in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. This area is often called “The Resistant Belt” and includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists.
When I was in SBS on the Sunshine Coast of Australia, I had a recurring dream about a wonderful and colorful place with mountains and curvy roads. I thought it was weird, but the dream kept recurring. It wasn’t until one of my friends told me it sounded like Colorado that I decided to look into it a little more, though I was unsure what it meant. When I came home from SBS, I felt lost about what my next step should be. After some time praying and reflecting on my time with YWAM, I felt in my heart that God wanted me to stay in YWAM and become staff. I started searching for a base in Colorado, since I had dreamt about it, and behold, Colorado Springs showed up. A few months later, I was accepted to join as staff for DTS.
SO WHAT IS YWAM?
YWAM stands for Youth With A Mission, started by Loren Cunningham and his wife, Darlene Cunningham. YWAM is a global movement of Christians from many cultures, age groups, and Christian traditions, dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. Their motto is “To know God and make Him known.”
I did my DTS in Tijuana at the San Diego/Baja base. DTS stands for Discipleship Training School. Here, you spend 3 months getting to know God and 2 months making Him known out in the world. This is an amazing way of equipping young adults for missions, helping them learn more about their Savior, and spreading the good news.
After this, I attended SBS, the School of Biblical Studies. This 9-month school takes you through the Bible with intense reading and learning. You read the Bible up to 5 times, create your own commentary on the Bible, get an overview of each book, and conduct historical background research and theological studies. I would recommend this school to everyone!