YWAM Ships Kona
Imagine living on a remote island, rarely visited by outsiders, when suddenly a boat arrives with news of a man named Jesus who cares deeply about your community. For the next few weeks, missionaries provide medical care, spend time with your family, and most importantly, share the gospel in your native language. This is the heartbeat of YWAM Ships — fulfilling the call to “go into all the world” by reaching people in some of the most physically isolated places on earth.
Based on the big island of Hawaii, YWAM Kona Ships is part of the international Youth With A Mission (YWAM) movement, whose heartbeat is to know God and make Him known. Like many YWAM bases, we run Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) where students grow in their relationship with God and receive practical and spiritual training before heading out on mission. What makes our base unique is our focus on reaching remote islands and coastal communities through maritime missions. With over 730 million people living on islands — more than 11% of the world’s population — ships provide a critical way to deliver both physical aid and spiritual hope.
YWAM Ships Kona is just one of many YWAM Ships locations around the world working together to serve isolated populations. We operate a vessel, The Liberty, which currently serves in Papua New Guinea — a nation with nearly 1,000 dialects and countless communities accessible only by water. Onboard, volunteer teams provide essential healthcare services such as dentistry, maternal care, and general medical treatment. Alongside this, Bible translators and outreach teams work to bring God’s Word to people in their own language, often for the very first time. Though we may be one base with one ship, we are part of a much larger mission to share the love and truth of Jesus with those who have never heard.
