Our Staff

Clark (1957) and Beth (1959) Barnard 

Met in 1977 while studying at  Houghton College.  They married in 1980, and have been in missions since 1982, serving with Youth With A Mission and Equippers International  in Mexico until 2003, when they moved to serve for two years in Leticia,  Colombia. 

In August 2005 they inaugurated the first permanent work  of YWAM in the country of Peru, where they are the base directors in the city of Iquitos, right on the Amazon River. 

In addition to his undergraduate studies Clark has completed a master’s degree in Biblical Studies.  They have three children: their oldest, Corin (1980) lives in Longview, Texas; Sylvia (see Sylvia's staff biography); and Keith (see Keith's staff biography).    

                                       
Clark and Beth's ministry focus is three-fold:  Biblical training of pastors, especially in the indigenous river villages; discipleship and performing arts training of Peruvian youth; and river ministry, which includes evangelism, building construction for churches, medical brigades, children's ministry, discipleship teaching, and even church planting where a river community has no church. 

Beth also leads the music worship team.

 

Clark and Beth’s Vision

Iis to raise up a generation of Peruvian  youth with integrity, living true to the Word of God in every area of their lives, not just in church; and to see world missions become a reality and passion in the hearts of the Peruvian Church. 

To sum up their walk: “God is always faithful ‘more than we ask or think.’ His plans and purposes are perfect and He is eager to use even our imperfections for His glory, transforming us along the way.”

Sylvia Barnard (1982)

Grew up in missions, moving to Mexico with her parents at age six. She accepted Christ when she was four years old, but made a strong commitment to the Lord at the age of 15.

She knew all her life that she had a calling for missions, but did not answer the call until later in her life. 

She finished her degree in Classical Dance in Monterrey, Mexico, and danced professionally with Ballet Magnificat! (the world’s premier Christian ballet company) for 3 years. 

During those years God showed her His heart for dance and how He wanted to redeem it for His glory. 

Through a series of events in her life, God pulled her out of her ballet career, led her to Tampa, Florida for 3 years to work with a church, and then called her back into the heart of missions. 

She did her DTS in 2008 in Cartagena, Colombia. She is now full-time staff with YWAM Iquitos.  In 2009 she did her Principles in Children’s & Youth Ministry (PCYM) in Bucaramanga, Colombia, training in children’s ministries using the arts.

She has worked with DTS 2009 – 2011 and is helping lead the one in 2012. She is also spearheading the initiation of the Christian Academy of Performing Arts of Iquitos (CAPAI). 

She sings on the worship team and is slowly working on her piano skills. She wants to see Peruvian churches come together in unity to extend the love of God to the whole world.

 Sylvia’s Vision 

Is to redeem the arts, principally dance, back to its original purpose - to worship God. She wants to inspire and train young people to use their gifts for the King.  She strongly believes in excellence - that we need to offer God our highest and best.  Many Christians have fallen into being satisfied with mediocrity.  As God’s people, we need to strive for excellence in every area, and be the example for the world, rather than visa versa.

Becky Johnson (1985)

 

Grew up in a Christian home in the US and as a young child made the decision to follow Christ. 

At 13 her family went through a difficult time which resulted in the divorce of her parents. 

During the time that followed Becky came to embrace God who helped her to surrender the bitterness, hurt, and anger that could have destroyed her. 

Desiring to know God more, in 2007, she completed the Discipleship Training School and the School of Evangelism at YWAM Minneapolis and then worked as staff there for 2 years.  

In November of 2009, Becky came on staff at YWAM Iquitos in order to work in the newly founded ministry for women called Hepzibah which means “She is all my delight”. 

Becky’s vision

 is to bring girls into personal relationship with their Perfect Father.  And out of that relationship help them to come to the place that they can walk confidently knowing that they are the delight of the God who created them.

David (1979, Colombia) y Cecy Wong (1978, Peru) Moreno

David worked with YWAM Leticia, Colombia as director of the river ministry there between 2000-2002.

 In 2001 he traveled to the city of Iquitos, where he met Cecy, a Sunday school teacher who did local mission trips with her church while she was studying accounting.

In 2007 they decided to unite their lives and dedicate themselves to full-time missions, working with at-risk street children and teens.

This work with children began in 2003, when Cecy did her DTS in YWAM Cartegena, and some years later God confirmed this vision not only to her, but to David and Cecy as a couple.

David and Cecy’s ministry focus is not only for the city of Iquitos, but for all the areas of Peru where there is no ministry focused on at-risk children. 

In the future they would like to cross borders and equip other nationalities to develop a vision for children in their own cities.  Someday they would like to do a mission trip to China.

Also, because David is a registered nurse, they want to help needy people in the area of healthcare.

David and Cecy’s Vision: 

To raise up a generation of children and teens that are transformed by the gospel of God to make a marked difference in society, giving them opportunities to overcome, so that they themselves can be multipliers of God’s love. 

Also to create children’s clubs where the kids themselves preach, sing, and teach what they have learned.

Julio Sinarahua (1964)

At the age of 14, Julio left Peru to live in Colombia, where he eventually married his wife Yola, and had three daughters. 

In 1998, as a result of the prayers of Yola and others in his church, he dedicated his life to God. 

Julio did his DTS in 2005 in Leticia, Colombia, and now forms a part of the leadership council of the YWAM base in Iquitos. 

“I now have a very different concept of God.  Christianity is not a religion but a relationship, and being in the holy place with God,” he says. 

To be more and more hungry for the Lord every day is his desire. 

He also enjoys preaching the Word whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Julio’s Vision: 

To take the gospel to the unreached villages and serve them through projects such as well drilling, making water filters, medical outreaches and the construction of church buildings. 

He is currently very happy working with YWAM Iquitos, discipling new believers and taking needed supplies to help those that live in the river villages. 

Julio administrates the YWAM Iquitos River Ministry department.

Yola Ramirez de Sinarahua (1965):

Yola met the Lord when she was invited by a relative to church when she was 19.

 She married Julio at age 20, and continued faithfully serving the Lord in the church, then took her DTS in 2007 in Iquitos. 

She is the mother of three girls: Maira (see her staff bio), Margareth, and Mallerlin.

Yola’s Vision:

To serve the Lord in missions together with her husband, ministering to the women of the river villages. 

They had prayed for many years that this calling would become a reality, and they give thanks to God for giving them the opportunity to work with YWAM Iquitos.

Marcos (Brazil, 1975) and Ruth Knaus (Argentina, 1977) Costa

Married in December of 2004. Ruth has served the Lord since her adolescence with the First Baptist Church of San Justo (Argentina). Marcos began his service to God in 1995 with Youth With a Mission in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.  At the end of 1996 Marcos went to work as a missionary in Argentina and served there for 10 years with YWAM, Baptist churches, and some Pentecostal denominations. 

In 2005 Ruth entered mission service with YWAM in Corrientes, Argentina. In March of 2007 they began to work with YWAM Iquitos, Peru. Together they direct AMSBATH, (Amazon School of Basic Theology), which offers free Biblical training to pastors and church leaders in the river villages. 

Maira Fiorela Sinaragua Ramirez (1986):

Since I was 17 God put a very strong call on my life to work in missions. 

I did my Discipleship Training School (DTS) in 2004; since then I have worked full-time in God’s work, developing as a leader in the ministry training school, in youth camps, mobile teams, and in the Amazon villages as well as in other countries.  It is my desire to teach the youth in city churches new strategies so that they can show the love of God through theater and dance.

I am ready to leave everything behind to go wherever God wants to send me, because my desire is to always do His will.

Maira’s Vision:

To teach and help youth through counseling so that they can make come true the dreams that God has for each one of their lives.

Rob Schenk: (1964)

Six years ago God put in my heart a love and a call to take the gospel to the Peruvian people, especially the indigenous. 

To accept this call, I left my home in the United States along with my comforts, willing to fulfill God’s purpose in and through my life.

 Since then I have been serving the Lord in different areas like: Discipleship Training Schools (DTS), youth camps, medical outreaches, the construction of church buildings in the river villages, and also on mobile ministry teams in various countries of South America. 

I have peace and joy in my heart, knowing that I am helping to bring broken people to the feet of God. 

Rob’s Vision: 

To raise up and train people from the Amazon region and all of Peru to take the gospel of salvation to other parts of the world.

Waldir Shahuano Flores: (1979) 

In 2000, before Waldir knew Christ, God called him to the ministry in a dream. He gave his life to Christ a year later, and since then has been serving the Lord. In 2003-2005 he co-pastored a mission church (Misión Panamericana del Perú). Then, through a revelation given by God, Waldir went to Remnant of God Church in Iquitos, where he served as youth leader and in the worship ministry. In 2007 God opened the door for Waldir to take his DTS with YWAM. At the beginning of 2009 he became part of the staff of YWAM Iquitos.  
Waldir serves with YWAM by directing the youth ministry department, co-leading the Faith Comes By Hearing recording projects, and also helping out with the river ministry department.

Waldir’s Vision:

To develop his ministry to youth, forming in them high moral values, with a firm conviction of their calling (to be light and salt to the world) – a generation of worshippers that reflect the glory of God in their lives, families, cities, nations, and to the world, for the glory and honor of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Anny Oganda (1977)

Is from Dominican Republic. She started in YWAM at the age of 13 with the King’s Kids ministry.

She went to a KK’s summer camp where God confirmed her calling to go to places that almost no one wants to go & two years later she did her DTS in Jarabacoa, D.R. in 1996.

She stayed involved in missions serving by coordinating and translating for short-term teams. She also discipled children and youth through the King’s Kids ministry and in her local church.

In 2004 she visited Iquitos for the first time to visit the Urarina tribe & she came back June of that same year to help in the translation project of the JESUS film in the Urarina dialect. She left with the desire and prayer to one day come back to serve with the Urarinas. Since March 2011, God has answered that prayer.

She graduated from Universidad Autónoma of Santo Domingo with the title of Primary Education & obtained her masters in Christian Education & Curriculum from Colombia International University, SC USA.

She worked with Christian schools, training & supervising teachers and directors of Christian educational institutes in Dominican Republic.

Anny’s Vision:

Reach and disciple the Amazonian tribes of Peru through the preaching of the gospel, public development, medical attention, eradication of common diseases & the translation & teaching of the Bible in their native languages.

So that each tribe can experience life abundantly, the life that Christ came to give them, their families and nation.

Sandi Morse (1981)

Felt a calling to missions in 2001 when she attended a short-term missions trip to the Philippines but didn’t act on that calling right away.

In 2003 she finished college with a degree in Elementary School Teaching and then went on to work as the Children’s Director and Secretary at her church before heading into the California public school system to teach elementary school. 

In 2009 she felt like God was wanting her to make a drastic career change so she left teaching and ventured to South America to see if He still had a calling on her life for missions. She did her DTS in 2010 in Iquitos, Peru. 

During this school she fell in love with the Peruvian jungle and got confirmation that missions truly is her calling.  She is very inspired by the words of missionary Jim Elliot:

“He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.  At the beginning of 2011 she moved to Iquitos where she worked as staff for the 2011 DTS and now currently works with the river ministry, where she has a deep passion for the river communities. 

Sandi’s vision:

To minister to and serve the people of the river communities through hands-on projects, outreach, and discipling.