YWAM STX History
In 1985, YWAM Tacoma sent a team to pioneer a new work in the Caribbean. The original team worked in the Bahamas, but due to difficulties at that time with local government regulations, the Lord led the team instead to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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The YWAM St. Croix base began in September 1986 with a focus on coffee house ministry, and towards facilitating short term teams to the island. In early 1989, YWAM purchased it’s present home; the historically beautiful Diamond Ruby plantation with it’s sugar mill and 300 year old Danish great house. Later that year disaster struck when Hurricane Hugo ripped through St. Croix. The disaster was a pivotal point in YWAM St. Croix’s history, opening doors of local ministry opportunities which had previously been closed. Over the 11 month rebuilding period nearly 500 people came to help YWAM in relief work, children’s ministry, evangelism, and in rebuilding the ministry center.
The significance of God choosing the plantation is no small matter. As a mission, YWAM believes God has called them to bring restoration and healing to the Caribbean people.
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The YWAM base is now on one of the very places that had been historically associated with the pain, suffering, and injustice of slavery. The ministry desires to be a catalyst in bringing evangelism, training and mercy ministries to the West Indies.
The churches in the region have had the mind set of being a “mission field” rather than the powerful world changing force they could be. YWAM believes that God has called them to come alongside the body of Christ, in helping to mobilize, train, and send West Indian missionaries for the task of world evangelism.