God’s prophet, Moses, in Exodus believed that God (Jehovah Raffa) would provide for every need for over 603,500 men (Numbers 1:45,46). Scholars believed adding their wives and children pushed that number to near 2 million. That knowledge guided our group as over 300 missionaries, young and old, from nations all across Europe, Africa and the Americas invaded a solitary Italian camping site named Camping Jolly in Mestre, a suburb of Venice.

Shortly after arrival, we would purchase a ship and sail it to Argentina to the 1978 FIFA World Cup Soccer Games. We had one purpose, a desire to witness to the love of God through Jesus Christ to the thousands gathered in microcosm.

Following the games, we planned on launching the ship into a full-time missionary training base and humanitarian medical ship sailing to the ports of Africa. The hopes, plans and dreams of the previous 2 years, plus the prayers and finances of nearly 300 faithful believers hung in the balance. Each person had trusted God for the $1,000 tuition required for this outreach and paid for their next 3 months.

As the bookkeeper, I kept daily records of the finances and the fluctuations of ten European currencies in the cash box. We’d collected approximately $300,000. Two weeks later, Don Stevens (European/African YWAM leader and Director of YWAM, Lausanne, Switzerland) asked for a 10% down payment check to purchase the M/V Victoria from the Adriatica Navigazione Maritime Company.

Mark Spangler, our accountant and Don’s personal business FOO, wrote a $100,000 (850,000 Italian Lira) check, plus a $10,000 check to Lloyd’s of London for a survey. In a moment 1/3 of our operations account secured the ship. The ship was ours! Would this venture of faith turn into a colossal fiasco of well-meaning but misguided youth? Could a collective group of believing people of differing races and ethnic backgrounds, almost strangers to each other, believe God for such an unbelievable goal?

Most of the YWAM leaders and their families from YWAM bases in Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, England, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa and Brazil lived in tents with the rest of us. We had formed an army of like-minded individuals such as I have never seen. Loren Cunningham and Don had mobilized the faithful before with groups numbering over 500 responding to the vision of sharing Christ at the Munich Olympics back in 1972. That outreach resulted in establishing Hurlach Castle as YWAM’s future German Headquarters. That’s where I first came into contact with YWAM at the Munich Olympics (six years before). Don’s vision for reaching thousands for Christ secured more results than ever imagined. Would this vision play out as beautifully as the Munich outreach did?

Our six-week preparation stage in Camping Jolly stretched out unexpectedly when the Italian Truckers Union blocked every traffic roundabout entering and leaving each city with strikes across Italy crippling the country as well as our preparations and supply repairs. We also needed 200 able-bodied seamen to operate the enormous vessel; only a few had shown up to sail the ship during the second month. My brother, Bruce, became the first Electrician’s Mate. He and his wife, Emma, joined us from the Philippines to become the first in the ranks of the ship’s crew. If this faith venture matured into a fully operational global humanitarian mission, many thousands of volunteers would be needed in the future.

Our outreaches of small and large groups on the streets began with singing and dramas in multiple languages with young women dancing wearing multicolored cultural dresses. Rick Wallenda, grandson of famed Karl Wallenda (renown tight-rope walker) opened a number of our outreaches gathering crowds with his circus acrobatic skills. Jesus reached out to the masses but sometimes he left the ninety-nine and went to one. The events focused toward the main speaker’s message.

The crowd of over 200 Internationals gathered in front of the Venice train station to absorb the words shared by the bearded long-haired tall-framed Californian, Floyd McClung (Director of Heidebeek, YWAM). Standing above the crowd, Floyd’s compassionate invitation went out to all to turn their lives over to Jesus. His words sunk into their hearts in English, in French and Italian. I approached a couple in back of the crowd. Per (which is Peter in Norwegian) had a guitar strapped across his back and his girlfriend carried their backpack. They listened intently. I introduced myself and asked them what they thought about Floyd's message. They seemed interested to know more so I invited them to stay at Camping Jolly where we could discuss the claims of Jesus more fully.

A week later, Per said he wanted to live for Jesus. Per stayed with us a month longer and joined the group from Heidebeek, Holland. He returned to Holland and spent a year with them attending the Discipleship Training School.

The following year, Per surprised me by walking into Hurlach Castle and greeted me. He was traveling back to Italy leading a group from Holland to share Christ on the streets of Venice. He said: “Thank you, Dixey, for sharing Christ with me in front of the train station last year. Now, I want to help others find Jesus just like you and Floyd helped me.”

Dixey Behnken

“Marked by Miracles” by Chaplain (LTC-Ret.) Dixey Behnken, U.S. Army, Chapter 17