This is Acksios. Usually, Elli writes our newsletter, but for the next season of our ministry, I will be sharing updates on what God is doing through us and YWAM Perth.

Elli’s Mental Health Break

Many of you may already know that Elli has been experiencing heart palpitations and mild panic attacks since mid-November. Since the beginning of the year, she has been seeing a psychologist and done physical and psychological tests. The official diagnosis is burnout with mild depression, as well as severe mental and physical fatigue. At this stage, she is starting to cope better with daily life, but the thought of returning to ministry and taking on responsibilities still brings heart palpitations and anxiety. So, she is taking a mental health break until mid-April.

To apply for permanent residency (PR), Elli needed to have a contract with her sponsor, YWAM Perth. As part of this agreement, she is committed to staying on contract for two years from the time her PR visa is granted. Because of this, stepping away from the ministry is not an option for her.

Please pray for Elli’s recovery, that she would experience joy in her daily life, and for wisdom in knowing how to return to ministry.

IT Ministry Cyber Attack

In other news, in the 18th century, we had pirates. They didn’t care what they took from the ships they hijacked—they would take whatever they could and make the most of it. In the 21st century, we have hackers. They don’t care what servers they are exploiting; they just want to get information—any information. Some do it for money, some for fun, like graffiti,or tagging a wall. They scan the internet, looking for vulnerable servers. They knock on the door (firewall), trying to break in so many times that it overwhelms the site and blocks legitimate users.

That’s what YWAMPerth experienced over the past few weeks. Many tried to access our information. We faced repeated attacks designed to overwhelm our server. Along with two other IT staff, I spent hours deeply analysing logs, considering different scenarios, and searching for ways to stay ahead of hackers—preventing attacks they wouldn’t even think of trying. Although we didn’t lose any information, and there wasn’t actual damage, it was a stressful time. As a result, our server is more secure than before. Praise the Lord.

But there’s another angle I’ve been reflecting on. Two weeks ago, one of our base directors travelled to a closed nation. However, the government noticed him, followed him, and attempted to arrest him. They knew he was from YWAM Perth. To them, having a list of YWAM Perth students and staff would be incredibly valuable. I can’t say for sure that they were behind the cyberattacks, but the timing was just too perfect.

Regardless of who was responsible, with help, prayer, and God’s wisdom, we secured our systems. I’m so grateful for the friends who stood by me during that time—God gave me peace, knowledge, and people to help. Things have calmed down over the past few days, but I’d like to ask for prayer in these areas:

Please pray

• As I mentioned earlier, would you pray for Elli? Wisdom and recovery. Finding joy.

• Would you pray for both physical and spiritual protection for YWAM Perth and our information systems?

• One of my staff, Bryn, is building an online application to process student and staff applications. It’s a big job and what is building will be incredibly useful and secure for us. Would you pray for a blessing over Bryn and his family?

• Between discipling young missionaries, IT projects, husband and father, most days are good—but at times, I feel overwhelmed. Would you pray that I recognise God’s grace and strength in those moments?

I thank God for the abundant life He has given me. I have an amazing wife and three beautiful daughters. Right now, I have the privilege of mentoring young missionaries from eight different nations. I also get to help build and implement better systems for YWAM Perth

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We are so grateful—so incredibly grateful. Please let us know how we can continue to pray for you also! 

Lots of love,

Elli & Acksios with Julina, Amelie and Liana