Yohanan and Rachel Rempt are the new Strategic Partnership Coordinators for YWAM Central Europe’s 5 Cities Initiative. They are from Seattle, Washington and love hiking, traveling, and having people in their home for good food and great fellowship.

Yohanan has been with YWAM since 1998, serving in Lausanne, Switzerland; Budapest, Hungary with the International DTS Center; Sarajevo, Bosnia; and most recently Holmsted Manor, England. He has worked for many years with DTS and loves living and working with YWAM in Europe. Since serving in Budapest and Sarajevo a decade ago, Yohanan’s heart has been in Central Europe and he is thrilled to be again living and working in the region.

After meeting Rachel in 2008 and completing their masters degrees in Intercultural Studies at Wheaton College in the USA, they married and moved back to Europe to work with YWAM. They relocated to Budapest in April to coordinate the 5 Cities Initiative and work in the Central European Office with Carmelita Clarke. They love to encourage people to pursue their passions and help equip them for leadership and living missionally. They are settling into their new role and life in Budapest and are enjoying getting to know the people and places in Central Europe.

The 5 Cities Initiative is a project that seeks to see long term, sustainable, transformational YWAM ministry locations in 5 key Central European cities within 2 years. The Initiative focuses on Krakow, Poland; Prague, Czech Republic; Pristina, Kosovo; Sarajevo, Bosnia; and Athens, Greece. The goal is to support and strengthen existing teams in these locations, establish new ministries in locations with no team currently, and help transform these cities for the Kingdom of God.

The 5 Cities Initiative was birthed from prayer and strategic planning by YWAM Central European leadership. Its goal is to respond to the need in Central Europe to see missions increase and to strategically plan concrete ways of describing and responding to that need.

Like so many places in this region, each of these cities is a key cultural and historical location where YWAM has either had significant ministry in the past or currently sees the opportunity for significant new ministry. The 5 Cities Initiative is also a wonderful opportunity for YWAM Western Europe and other parts of YWAM to partner with Central Europe in seeing YWAM strengthened and/or established in our region.

As we have been praying about the 5 Cities Initiative, God gave us a picture of a giant funnel over Central Europe. The sense we got was that God had many people and resources to pour into Central Europe from other places around the world. But there was a second part to this funnel picture too. From the ground the funnel looks like a trumpet. We believe that God is saying that He wants Central Europe to not just receive resources and people from other places but to also give to the world the gifts and callings He has placed in Central Europe. The funnel goes both ways, into Central Europe and then out to the world. This is the vision we believe God has for Central Europe, and the 5 Cities Initiative is one way to help bring about this vision for our region.

For more information about the 5 Cities Initiative and about specific ways to partner through sending teams, prayer, finances, or other opportunities, please contact the 5 Cities Coordinators, Yohanan and Rachel Rempt at The.5.Cities@gmail.com or check out the 5 cities website.