By Michael Veith
While most of his fellow TIS graduates went on the expedition that we call university, Daniel Vendramini (Class of 2010) went on a different kind of journey. After graduating from TIS, he decided to join Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an international short-term missionary organization.
Starting out in Hawaii, Daniel, along with other young people, spent time in Disciple Training School (DTS), where they developed the skills they needed for YWAM. Going through DTS was a life changing experience for Daniel. “It was there, where I was educated the most. It was then and there, when I decided to stop drinking, to follow God, and see what he wanted for me.” Daniel travelled to India with a YWAM team. They spent time bringing the Christian gospel to both rural villages and the urban slums of Mumbai. In the city slums, they talked to kids there and visited people’s individual houses to share and pray for them. Daniel thought of quitting several times, experiencing culture shock. “The conditions that I lived in were so different than that of Macau, living with 12 people all the time was challenging, especially with other cultures.”
However, Daniel persevered and stayed in India for 3 months. He later spent a year in Taiwan learning the bible, teaching English at a coffee shop, and working with the homeless. He gave them food, talked to them, and encouraged them to go to the hospital. “At the end of the day, we basically were trying to show those people love.” Following Taiwan, Daniel joined a team in Hong Kong, which made bi-weekly visits to a Yuen Long drug rehabilitation clinic. “We would give out food to them [drug addicts], share about Jesus, encourage them and play some songs.”
In retrospect, Daniel describes how YWAM pushed him to his limits. “The program showed me that I could do more then I thought capable and the teachers helped forge my character, believing that I was more then capable to help those in need.”
Daniel is back in Macau in his first year at the University of Saint Joseph pursuing Business Administration. “I would have never been able to go to university if it weren’t for the training and life transformation that I received in missions. Before YWAM, I didn’t value education, nor did I know how to study, but after I went to the bible-studying program I was pushed and encouraged in my ability to study and read. I haven’t stopped reading since.”
We love sharing stories about our alumni. If you’re a TIS grad, let us know what you’ve been up to! Email jacqueline.varga@tis.edu.mo.