FYM Final Program Evaluation
Radical discipleship for college students wanting to follow Jesus' model

1. How has this program impacted your relationship with God?

• He has made me more confident that I hear His voice. He has taught me more about His Holy Spirit and how to pray using His direction.

• Let’s just put it this way…I hear the Lord now! I never knew that it was possible to know Him as well as I do now, and it blows my mind to think of how much more He has to show me and teach me about Himself. I have learned so much! I guess I just have to become more His….more devoted to Him, quicker to listen and obey, and eager to see Him glorified. My eyes are so much less focused on me and so much more fixed on Him. I have changed a lot.

• This year has been great. I have grown in intimacy with the Father and I am hungrier than ever before. I always heard that ignorance is bliss. That’s not true! I have realized my need to be in the presence of the Lord 24/7. There were things in my walk with the Lord I didn’t even realize were wrong. Now that light has been shed, I can walk closer to my Lord. I have learned a lot about listening prayer. I did listen to God, but it has become a daily part of life and it comes so naturally. I almost can’t imagine a day what a day would be like without ATL’s. The Lord’s revealed a lot to me about being the Bride of Christ. Who I am in Christ! I feel more confident than ever that the Lord’s plans will prosper me. I’ve grown in the knowledge of the Old Testament through personal study and I never realized how particular and perfect the Bible is.

• I came here with nothing. I knew Jesus and knew He had changed me, but I had nothing more to go on. This year has laid a foundation for my life. I am called to a fulltime ministry and because of this year, I was able to identify this calling and get the base I need to fulfill it. Through discipleship and experience, I learned more than I ever would have imagined.

• He has taught me a ton, especially through the books we did in discipleship. Communion with God was great.

2. What would you tell prospective FYM participants about the program?

• Try hard and you will grow more than you can imagine.

• This is an exceptional program that God will use to refine many young people, as long as it continues to seek His guidance for the future, while keeping the core of its foundation intact. If a young person is looking for a year to be in service, then this is what they need.

• I would tell them that this has been the greatest year of my life and if any part of you feels like the First Year Missionary program is what the Lord is calling them to, then they should jump in without hesitation.

• I would say that this program has completely changed my life. There has been no other thing I’ve done that has brought me closer to God. Be prepared for hard times, but those times are when God is growing you the most. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it. Not only is my spiritual life amazingly better, my actual life is better for having come here. I can remember many times when I questioned whether I was supposed to be in Philly or not, but that was just doubt. I can think of very few people that would not benefit immensely from being an FYM. In summary, I give it two thumbs up.

• Get ready to be broken and put back together again. This program will change your life…..every part of it. You will be stretched more than you ever thought you would be and loved more than you ever thought you would be. It’s a challenging year that teaches you to count the cost and to step out of that mold the world thinks we should fit into.

• Be open. There is so much God wants to grow in you and teach you. BE OPEN! Not only to new teaching, but to everything! Don’t come here with plans. Be open to the Holy Spirit in your life.

3. How would you evaluate the group discipleship time?

• The discipleship was probably my favorite part of the year. I experienced a ton of personal growth, mostly from Communion with God. I think it was great to have two discipleship leaders; it gave us a real rounded view of the Bible, not just one person’s theology.

• The family atmosphere was so important! Vulnerability is what helped us grow, and being with people we were truly comfortable with along with being in our own homes was very good. I enjoyed the guest speakers when we had them and would even suggest a few more, but I think it’s so important to keep the family atmosphere.

• I enjoyed how it wasn’t all Bible study; it was also worship, talking about our problems, the leaders encouraging us. The leaders were very strong and led by example. Their own passion for the word of God spilled over into our lives and we caught the fire. They were both well versed in Scripture and also willing to admit when they were wrong.

4. What do you think of your internship?

• The ministry here is just plain incredible. I feel like I’ve been able to see the most difficult parts of ministry to the most joyful parts of ministry. The ministry here is ripe in some ways and bone dry in others. I loved it.

• My internship RULED. I loved that they were open to whatever the Lord led us to ad we were not confined at all. All of us were amazingly blessed by that.
There were tons of amazing ministry opportunities, almost too many, ha-ha. There was so much room for the Holy Spirit to work, it was awesome!

• I think working consistently with one ministry in several different facets helped me learn what a real Great Commission Christian is.

• I loved having the freedom of choice at the beginning of the year. There are so many choices, and although some churches we are close to would love more of our help, I believe we should still leave full freedom up to participants.

• My internship was great. I thought it went so well. As far as scheduling goes, I would warn the new folks not to go crazy and seek to fill up their schedule as quick as they can. I filled mine up right away and found myself just having to turn down a lot of stuff because I had committed to things too soon in the rush to feel settled. The ministry opportunities are wonderful and there are just tons of them. I really enjoyed the fact that I was out on my own a lot. I guess I just learned a lot about responsibility and just about life in general.

5. Any other general comments?

• This will be a year that I will think about forever and continually thank God for the growth that has been a direct result of this program.

• This has been probably the best year of my life. I have learned the most, grown the most, ministered the most, and met some of the best people ever. I’m pretty sure that this year has pushed me into a life of missions.

• Praise God that I got the chance to be here. I don’t know how to explain how much I have changed, but I know that I’m different now and that I’m closer to the Lord than ever. Thank you so much for everything and for giving the nine of us a chance to be stretched. I’ll never forget this year and I really feel like it’s just the beginning for all of us. Thank you.

• This year rocked! The leaders rocked and if I had to hand pick ‘em, I’d choose the same ones!!! I don’t want to leave y’all!

•The FYM program changed me. It opened me up to the realities of God and I am more in love with Jesus than I have ever been before. The leadership laid the foundation and the example, and that is why it is SO important that they remain unified on all fronts at all times. The FYMers were totally different young adults who had one thing in common: a love for the Savior. I did not know a lot about what I believed and the relationships, experiences and teachings from this year were the water that grew me into the beginnings of a spiritual warrior. I’m gonna serve Him as long as I live now.