~ Greetings from California ~

Greetings from California,

I know I just wrote an update a few days ago, but I wanted to write again to share something cool that the Lord has been doing, to give you a little medical update on the skin cancer I had, and also to let you know of a need that I have.

One afternoon awhile back, myself and a few others were praying and asking the Lord to open a door for us to get involved in the community more, whether that was with the local government or helping someone with handyman work. Well, the next day, a lady named Ernestine called the office, asking if we had anyone that would be willing to help her do yard work and a little maintenance because she can no longer do it on her own. How cool is that? Since then, the city council has also been calling me about once a week to see if I can round up people to help them out with different projects around the city. Praise the Lord for the favor He’s giving us and for opening doors to share the gospel. Through this, the Lord has really been teaching me how to serve and bless others.

You may be wondering how my skin cancer is doing that I had on my finger. Well, it’s completely gone! The doctors gave me these drops that I put on twice a day for 6 weeks and it slowly killed the cancerous cells. My finger is back to normal. Praise God! Thank you for your continued prayers for this. It means a lot to me. Everything else has been going really well for me and the Lord is continuing to teach me so much in this season. It’s been really exciting for me.

In regards to my need, my car (1996 Honda Civic) is completely falling apart. The suspension is shot, it need new breaks, the AC is gone, it needs new tires, the window motors are broke so they won’t roll down, my clutch is going out, and the list keeps going on and on.

Honestly, I cannot afford to fix any of these problems right now and I’ve come to realize that fixing these problems will cost more than the vehicle is even worth.

Now, I know that this is a lot to ask for, but I would like to make it known that I need a newer and more reliable vehicle. Since YWAM is a non-profit organization, you can donate a vehicle and receive a tax deductible receipt for the value of the vehicle.

My need for a vehicle with the work I do is vitally important. I use it daily for many different things, such as going to meetings, airport pick-ups and drop offs to Los Angeles/San Francisco, driving students around, going to different work sites and much more. If my car happens to break down in the near future, I cannot afford to either pay for the fix or purchase a new vehicle.

Again, I know this is a lot to ask for, but I thought I should just ask to make my needs known to you. Feel free to spread the word to other people that would possibly like to donate a vehicle as well. If you have any questions at all about this, please don’t hesitate to email or call me. I would appreciate your prayers that the Lord provides a vehicle for me. Thank you for all the prayer support you already give me. It’s such a huge blessing.

In Christ,

Tyler Dean

Mexico Outreach & Conference Update and What God Is Teaching Me

Dear Friends & Family,

    As you know, I was recently in Ensenada and Tijuana, Mexico for about two weeks. The first week we were there, we stayed at YWAM Ensenada, catching up with old friends, meeting new friends and sharing the love of Christ to the locals. The last couple days we were there, we were at YWAM Tijuana for YWAM’s 50^th Year Celebration. The founders of YWAM, Loren & Darlene Cunningham, spoke throughout the four day event about how God started this mission, how He’s been so faithful to us as a mission the past 50 years and also asking God how He wants to use this mission in the next 50 years. It was a marvelous time!

    I need to be honest though. Before we left to Mexico, I had a really bad attitude and did not want to go - at all. One of the reasons I didn’t want to go was because I didn’t have money to pay for it. Well, God took care of that quite easily. The day before we left, I still didn’t have my money, but that afternoon, the exact amount showed up anonymously for my trip. That started everything. I knew even though I didn’t want to go, I was supposed to.

    While in Mexico, God addressed my bad attitude and I realized that it was more than about this trip. I had a bad attitude towards a lot of things going on and I wasn’t even admitting it to myself. Some of them were relating to my pride, dying to myself, and serving others even if I didn’t feel like it.

    I hated the attitude I was having, thinking that my ideas were the right ones and the other ideas were wrong or that I didn’t need to help this person because I just didn’t want to. It was so silly. I wanted so badly to get over it. What I felt like wasn’t the real Tyler.

    Finally, a light bulb went off in my head. I asked God to change my heart. I prayed – a lot! I prayed that He would soften my heart, to work in my heart and to take away my negative attitude and replace it with a willing heart, a loving heart, a servant’s heart. He has and is continuing to!

    Since giving this up to the Lord, things have been amazing these past few weeks. It’s amazing what God can do when we see our faults, are willing to admit our faults and ask God to change our hearts. It’s hard to be humbled, to admit that we’re wrong, but I believe that is when you see the most growth. I pray that I continue to let God mold my heart how He wants it to be, that I would be vulnerable and that He would continue to humble me. Would you pray for me in this area as well?

Thank You & God Bless,

-Tyler Dean

A Quick Update -- Mexico Outreach

Hello!

I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be heading down to Mexico on Saturday for a 7 day outreach to Ensenada, Mexico, then going up north to Tijuana, Mexico for a conference with YWAM. This year, YWAM is celebrating it's 50th year of being a Christian missionary organization, so the southwest district of North America is meeting in Tijuana for a little conference. I want to invite you to be praying for our outreach, that we could be the hands and feet of Christ and share His great love to these people in need

With that being said, I'm excited to share what the Lord does while I'm in Mexico. Thank you in advanced for your prayer support. It's always such a blessings, so thank you!

In Christ,

-Tyler E. Dean

- An Encouragement & Thank You -

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to encourage you and say thank you today.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to love and care for one another. So, how does this look. Here are a few ways.

*LOVE ONE ANOTHER
"Dear friends. since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  -1 John 4:11

*ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER
"Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."  -Hebrews 10:25

*SERVE ONE ANOTHER
"Serve one another in love."  -Galatians 5:13

*PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other."  -James 5:16

"You should be like one big family, full of sympathy towards each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds." -1 Peter 3:8 (LB)

When you feel down or discouraged, remember that you're not alone. God has a family to support you and encourage you. Reach out to your brothers and sisters in Christ for support.

Thank you for your encouragement and support to me. Thank you for being amazing brothers and sisters in Christ.

Be blessed today!



-Tyler Dean

My Medical Update and More

I have no idea where to start this update. A lot has happened. Good stuff. Not such good stuff. If I’m being completely honest with you, I’ve been having a difficult time lately. I’ve been trying to write this update for about a month and a half now but every time I finish it, I delete it because I don’t like it. I wrote about awesome things that the Lord did while I was in Haiti and other cool stories the Lord is doing in my life and the lives around me.

A lot of times as a full-time missionary, there is a big pressure to always act like everything is ok – like we have everything together. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. We don’t. We are normal people and we aren’t always perfect.
A lot has happened lately. I led a team back to Haiti to partner with YWAM St. Marc in their earthquake relief efforts. I visited my family & friends in Minnesota and I also found out I had skin cancer. Most recently, I broke up with my girlfriend, Jacque. It’s definitely been an interesting ride lately.

So, what do I talk about from here…?

Food Distribution in the Refugee Tent Cities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haiti was good. It was a difficult outreach but an amazing one at the same time. We did various different things, including: food distribution, tent city/refugee camp ministry, English lessons with refugees, a house build and more. Most importantly though, we saw the Lord transform lives around us. One of the students that went with us is now planning to go into full-time missions to Haiti. It’s so cool to see the Lord grab someone’s heart and also so encouraging when that person is willing to go and follow the Lord!

I also recently had the opportunity to go back to my hometown. It’s always fun to go back to Grand Marais to spend time with my amazing family and friends. While I was in Grand Marais, I had a doctor appointment to check out a dark spot on my finger that I’ve had for about a year. The doctor did a biopsy of it and the pathology report came back saying that it is a piece of skin cancer (don’t worry, it isn’t serious). The hardest part about this isn’t having the skin cancer. That can easily be treated. I could care less about that. The difficult part is that I want health insurance but am not able to get it. Even though it’s been a burden, the Lord has connected me to a few doctors willing to help so it will be taken care of sooner than later. Praise the Lord!

A few days ago, I broke up with my girlfriend, Jacque. It has been a very rough time since then but the Lord is teaching me a lot. I’m not going to go into a two page detailed reason of why we broke up but I will briefly explain it. Basically, I felt the Lord was saying to me that I was going to her for comfort, healing, acceptance, etc. It was almost like I was replacing God with Jacque. God was telling me that I needed to come to Him for healing and for comfort, etc. He wanted me to fully surrender to Him. I fought with this for a few days and tried to do this on my own and make our relationship work even better under my own strength. After the Lord convicted me again of it, I had to talk to her about it. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do in my life, but I wanted to be obedient to the Lord. We’ll see what happens in the future. Even though it has been extremely difficult and I didn’t want to do it, the Lord has been teaching me a lot. One of the things He is teaching me is to simply cling to Him and rely on Him for everything. He has been giving me such a desire and hunger to search after Him at every chance I can get, whether I have 15 minutes before a meeting to dig into the Word or waking up earlier than I would like to, to spend time with Him in the morning. I’m not saying that this is always easy though. He is teaching me a lot about discipline, which has been challenging but awesome at the same time.

Isn’t it interesting that when we are at a low point in our lives, also known as “in the valley”, we get to know the Lord more than when we’re “on the top of the mountain”? It’s in those hard times when we encounter Him the most. I think that is because we need comfort and the only place we can turn is to God.

I would really appreciate if you continued to pray for me through this season, that the Lord would continue to reveal Himself in such a strong way. Thank you for your continual prayers and financial support. Without people like you, I could not do what I am able to do. You are such an encouragement to me so, thank you!

God Bless,



Tyler E. Dean
tyleredean@yahoo.com

Medical Need

Hello!

While I was in Minnesota visiting family and friends recently, I had a biopsy on this weird thing that's been on my finger for about a year and it's been getting bigger. The doctor called me a few days ago to tell me the test results and they found some cancer. DON'T WORRY! It won't kill me and cannot spread throughout my whole body. It can just spread more on my finger if I don't take care of it. Anyways, I just wanted to share that with you and I also want to share my next predicament.

I don't have health insurance but I NEED to get the skin removed somewhat soon so it doesn't get worse. This will require a minor surgery with a dermatologist specialist. Insurance companies will not accept me since now my records says that I had a biopsy and they found the cancer.

So basically, I need to find a dermatologist surgeon that could bless me and do it for free (or very cheap). I am going to call and ask around to various different places and just ask...it's worth a try! That's my biggest prayer request right now that all of the logistics get worked out with finding a way to get it removed.

So...I am looking for a dermatologist that can do surgeries pro bono or for a very cheap rate. I would be willing to fly to a different state (than California) because it would be cheaper than paying the full rate for the surgery. So if you know anyone who would be willing to do this, please let me know.

I will keep you up to date as things unfold. Thank you in advance for your prayer support. I appreciate it.

Blessings,

Tyler Dean
(218).370.2078
tyleredean@yahoo.com

Disaster Relief Training School

Hi!
I just wanted to write a quick update and let you all in on my latest news! I have recently been accepted into a disaster relief training school called RescueNet.

What is RescueNet?
RescueNet works within the Youth With A Mission network as a disaster response team. It is an international organization recognized by the United Nations as a disaster relief agency. They specialize in treating the victims of natural and man-made disasters in the critical early days following these incidents.

When is the school and where is it?
The dates of the training school are from October 9 - October 23, 2010 and it will be held at YWAM San Francisco.

How much does the school cost?
The RescueNet school will cost roughly $1,000 for everything (training, material, food, lodging, transportation, etc.)

My Heart
I am very excited to participate in this school and get further training. I have always had a heart to do outreaches geared towards disaster relief. It is such a special thing to share Christ and to help people when they've literally lost everything. When I went to Haiti in January right after the earthquake, it opened my eyes even more. Shortly after I returned home, I heard about this school so I immediately applied.

What is my next step?
I will need to raise $1,000 to do this school. If you are interested in partnering with me financially to help me do this school, look under "How To Donate" on the right side of my website. You can also email or call me. I am also looking for people to partner with me in prayer for this school. I am excited to see what God has in store for this school.

God Bless,

Tyler Dean

---------------A blurb from RescueNet's website!---------------

"Every year there are over 350 disasters around the world. 80% of the victims are left without first aid, medicine, child care, shelter and help finding loved ones. They need you like they never thought they could. Learn how to meet a crisis with the Love of Christ."

UPDATE: Fruits of the Spirit

Hey!

How are you? I just wanted to get you up to date on what I’m learning, what I’m doing and where I’m going and all of that good stuff.
God has been smacking me in the face lately, teaching me a lot of different things. It’s great!

One of the fruits of the spirit is self control. We always focus on the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and faithfulness, but in this day in age, we often overlook self control. In a culture where self control is almost looked down upon, it’s hard to go against the grain to have self control. God has been teaching me a lot about this lately. I have been working hard at being a good steward of what He has given me and entrusted me with. This has been hard to learn. Basically, it’s easier to buy a latte at Starbucks than to save money. It’s easier to buy a sandwich at Subway than it is to make your own peanut butter and jelly. I don’t want to be taking the easy way out. If I’m being completely honest with myself right now, I haven’t been giving money away or tithing. I feel like the Lord is saying to me that even if I don’t have the money to give, I should still give. Through this, the Lord is teaching me to trust in Him, that He will continue to provide. I want to ask you to partner with me in prayer as the Lord continues to teach me about this. Also, feel free to ask me how I’m doing with this.

I’ve been super busy recently, planning a handful of Project Sixty-One (the ministry I work with here at YWAM Pismo Beach) outreaches for the summer and fall of 2010. As you may already know, I am going back to Haiti in just over a week from May 16 – June 3. We will be working with YWAM Port-au-Prince and YWAM St. Marc (located 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince). During our time in Haiti, we will be ministering in the refugee camps along with helping on a sanitation project in the camps. We will also be working at YWAM’s orphanage and possibly doing a construction project. I’m really excited to go back to Haiti to share Christ’s love and to see my friends that I made while I was down there in January.

We are currently planning two more trips to Haiti in September and November. On those outreaches, we will be doing most of the same ministry and will be doing building projects. If you’re interested in going with me in September, let me know and I can get you more information on the outreach.

I hope to be writing updates while I am in Haiti but I’m unsure of the internet connection in the country.

I also want to say thank you for your encouragement, continued prayer support and financial help. I literally could not do what I do without people like you.

Take Care & God Bless,

Tyler Dean
http://www.tylerdeanmissions.com

Become A Fan of Project Sixty-One on Facebook!

Project Sixty-One on Facebook

CRAZY TESTIMONY OF HEALING IN HAITI ALONG WITH VIDEO FOOTAGE!

Hey!

I just wanted to share this video with you of what God is doing in Haiti currently. Click on the link below:

http://video.christianpost.com/20100302/revival-in-haiti-a-call-to-fasting-and-prayer

Also-I wanted to share this testimony of a miracle that took place at YWAM Haiti recently! The following is a story from Keturah Snow, a full-time missionary with YWAM Haiti.

"There is a little girl here at our refugee camp here who has a broken back and has been paralyzed and staying at our clinic here at the YWAM base in Saint Marc, Haiti." said Keturah Snow, a missionary with YWAM HAITI. "Our staff have been caring and praying for her. We got the news today that she cannot have surgery and if somehow she can, it won't be for awhile. Those that were with her when she got the news began to pray for her, and I would just like to share with you how big my God is...She moved her foot, and then stood up, and then walked!!!! Who needs medical school when you have Jesus!!"

What a cool testimony! I thought this was awesome! I am extremely excited to go back to Haiti in May with Project Sixty-One, the ministry I work with here at our YWAM base in Pismo Beach.

Talk to you soon! God Bless,

Tyler Dean
YWAM PISMO BEACH & CENTRAL COAST
http://www.ywampismobeach.org/project61/

The Energizer Bunny....

Hello friends,

Well...this update is LONG overdue. My apologies. I feel like I have been going like the energizer bunny as of late!

Last night, I got home from Colorado. This past week, myself and another YWAM Pismo Beach staff, Jacque Gowing, had the opportunity to go to speak about our time in Haiti, helping in the earthquake relief efforts with YWAM Haiti, located in Saint Marc, which is about 60 miles north of the capitol city of Port-au-Prince. We also spoke about Project Sixty-One, the ministry we both work with here at YWAM Pismo Beach. Over the week, we spoke eight times at various different churches. It was so fun to see God opening so many doors! He blew me away last week-wow!! I will be leading two different teams to Haiti with Project Sixty-One. We are focusing on bringing medical and construction workers (Fore more information on these outreaches, go to: http://ywampismobeach.org/project%2061/#/outreaches ).

I feel like the Lord is really working in me with speaking in front of people. Two years ago, I would have never even thought about speaking in front of 700 people, but it happened last Wednesday evening! I've become way more comfortable and that is encouraging to me! I even noticed a difference throughout the week-Thank You, Jesus!!

Something else exciting is happening! For the past year and a half, I have been asking God to provide me with a little vacation. That has happened! I am going to Hawaii on Thursday (February 25) for ten days! The best part is, I had enough frequent flier miles so I only had to pay $10 for my flight!! I will be staying with my friend (who I met in Haiti) and his wife and kids. Its close to YWAM's main campus in Kona, Hawaii. I am very excited to get away and have some time alone with Jesus and to just relax. I feel like I've been running and running and running. I think the Lord knew it was time for me to stop for a bit. I think this will be very important for me to do.

I just want to say thank you once again for your continual prayer and financial support. God has done SO much in the past few months and its very exciting to be in the middle of it.

God Bless,

Tyler Dean

Interested in going to Haiti?

Hello folks,

Are you interested in going on an outreach to Haiti with YWAM Pismo Beach & Project Sixty-One (The ministry I work with here at YWAM Pismo Beach)? Here are the two times we will be going in 2010:
May 16, 2010 - June 3, 2010
&
September 9, 2010 - September 19, 2010

If you are interested in going, please email us at:
project61@ywampismobeach.org

-ALSO-

You can now "Become A Fan" of Project Sixty-One on Facebook by clicking on the link below (You must have a Facebook account).

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Pismo-Beach-CA/Project-Sixty-One/277773544326?ref=ts



Blessings,

Tyler Dean

Radio Interview

I was recently interviewed on WTIP Radio in Grand Marais, Minnesota, about my time in Haiti. If you would like to listen to the interview, you can click on the link below to hear a few stories and more of what I did during my time in Haiti.

http://www.wtip.org/drupal/content/local-2007-high-school-grad-contributes-relief-effort-haiti

There is also an article in the Cook County News Herald about my time in Haiti. Enjoy....

http://www.cookcountynews-herald.com/news/2010-01-23/Front_Page/Tyler_Dean_working_with_earthquake_survivors_in_Ha.html



Thank you all once again for all of your support and prayers.
God Bless,

Tyler Dean
tylerEdean@yahoo.com

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

The following photos are from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.
**Please click photos to enlarge**

YWAM's Refugee Camp: Saint Marc, Haiti

Here are a few photos of the make-shift refugee camp at the YWAM base in Saint Marc. There were 56 people there. The YWAM base is preparing for up to 8,000 refugees.
**Please click photo to enlarge**

Saint Marc, Haiti

I went for a walk down the road the last day we were in Haiti and the kids wanted to take pictures...a lot of them!
**Please click photos to enlarge**

BENNIFIT CONCERT & RADIO INTERVIEW

Hello Friends!

I will be speaking at Sally Loo's Cafe (http://sallyloos.com/) in San Luis Obispo, California, on Friday, January 29th from 4:00 PM-10:00 PM. There will be various different bands playing, such as, Adam Pasion, Amy Williams, Crooked Wheel, Sierra Chavez, Matt Cross and many more throughout the evening! There is a $5 suggested donation. Kids under 12 are FREE!

-ALSO-

Sometime soon (I'm not entirely sure when), I am being interviewed by WTIP Radio in Grand Marais, Minnesota. I will be talking about my outreach to Haiti to help in the earthquake relief efforts. You can tune in and listen online at: www.wtip.org
I will email you and let you know the date and time of when it will be aired, so be checking frequently for updates!

Thank you,

Tyler Dean
http://tylerdean.blogspot.com
tyleredean@yahoo.com
(218).370.2078

HAITI UPDATE:

Hello from Haiti,

It was rather nice to not wake up to an earthquake this morning...unlike yesterday morning. Today wasn't exactly a very physical day until the very end but was crutial to helping the Haitians in need. I was making ID Cards and registering hundreds of refugees that are evacuating Port Au Prince. I did that from 7:30-3:30. During the few slow periods of time, we went over and played games with the kids (orphans) who were in our refugee camp at the YWAM Base and just loved on them. I really love Haitians! They're beautiful people.

After we finished making ID Cards, we walked a mile down the road to the abandoned hospital to see how it was looking. It is now completely gutted out, sanatized, painted and almost done with putting electric into it. When we arrived, there was a slight riot going on. There was one man who was telling Terry (YWAM's National Director of Haiti) that he owned the building but he obviously didn't. In the large circle of chaos, the locals were getting very frusterated with this man and he eventually ran off. Terry talked to the Haitian's and they all started cheering and clapping because they know that what we are doing is going to help the community greatly. Praise the Lord! After we walked the mile back to the YWAM Base, we arrived and there was a small semi filled with beans and rice to feed all of the refugees so we carried bag after bag after bag of rice and beans into the storage space. It got quite heavy after a while of carrying.

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving to the Dominican Republic at 5:00 AM to catch our Saturday flight back to California. Please be praying for safe travels, sleep and ease crossing back over the border into the DR.

When I return home to California, be checking my blog (www.tylerdean.blogspot.com) for pictures and many stories of the outreach.

Thank you all for your continual prayers, support and encouragement. It is so great, so thank you!!!!!

Blessings,
Tyler Dean
tyleredean@yahoo.com

HAITI UPDATE: A Rude Awakening!

Good Evening,

I have absolutely no idea where to start...there are so many stories....

This morning at 6:03 AM, we had a wake-up call...it wasn't from my alarm clock. I found myself jumping out of bed, sprinting down the cement stairwell with 30+ other people trying to get outside while the building was swaying. There was an earthquake...aftershock...call it what you want. It was intense.

It was horrible to hear the poeple in the refugee camp screaming at the top of their lungs during and after the earthquake. Some of the injured people that should NOT even be standing up, were trying to run. They were absolutely terrified of another quake. Please be praying for them.

After everything settled down, we had a great time of worship and prayer for each other then started our work day. We continued to clean the hospital down the road. Its becoming very nice. They have bumped the number of refugees (injured) up to 8,000 to come up here to St. Marc. The UN, Haitian Police and possibly US Military will be providing us security for everything.

We also worked at moving the refugees from the YWAM Base's arena to a different location to preparing the arena for doctors, YWAM teams, etc. To make a very, very long story short, the place we were supposed to take the refugees fell through and so we are still housing and caring for them. They are happy to still be here because they know they are safe here and well cared for.

Tomorrow, please be praying for us as we start receiving bus loads of refugees, teams, doctors, etc. I am signing off for tonight due to tiredness. Thank you all so much!

Blessings,

Tyler Dean
tyleredean@yahoo.com

HAITI UPDATE: January 19, 2010

Hello folks,

Just to warn you, this is going to be a quick update because I am exhausted and I've tried to type this 4 times but the power keeps going out...anyways....

This morning, we woke up at 6:00 AM to start our day. I spent the morning a mile down the road at the abandoned hospital washing it out and sanitzing it to get it ready for the refugee camp. We are preparing for 2,000-3,000 people who are wounded, to be arriving in St. Marc at the hospital we are cleaning and two local schools. Relief aid personel will be staying at the YWAM Base here in St. Marc, too.

After lunch, I worked at the refugee camp that is here at the YWAM Base, doing medical work. I've never done anything quite like that. It was intense. We worked with quite severe abrasions, burns, head trama, broken bones, etc.

Here is a quick story from a kid who is at the refugee camp here at the YWAM Base. He was found dead underneath a fallen building. They put him in a coffin and took him to the morgue. While the doctor was going through the morgue, he heard pounding and opened the door and the child was alive! He has severe head injuries (and more).

That's all for today. Time for bed. Thank you for your continual prayers!

In Christ,

Tyler Dean
tyleredean@yahoo.com