Lisa-Marie Curry interviewed by Sandie Keetch

Despairing Teenager to YWAM Pioneer

Eighteen year-old Lisa-Marie Curry has undergone a rapid transformation. The once despairing teenager is now buoyed up with God and taking the gospel message across the Atlantic. 

Amid a poor, dishevelled community she has told out her faith with drama and mime on the streets of Mexico City. And she has performed for 1000 strong church congregations. 

A difficult, challenging environment has seen her flourish. “I became more open to God and undertook things I did not know I could do,” she explains. 

She says: “Don’t think you are not worthy of doing things just because you are young. Look at Timothy in the New Testament. Having godly wisdom is not dependent on the number of years you have under your belt. 

“In South Korea youngsters of 14 years-old lead churches of 200. People follow them because of maturity in Christ and passion for God,” says Lisa-Marie. 

Hearkening to the mission call again, she is preparing to fly across the Atlantic for her second Youth with a Mission (YWAM). Her focussed attention has seen her undertake three different cleaning jobs and receive sponsorship in excess of £5,000 to finance the trip. 

Yet two years ago she was gripped by fear and isolation. She had thrown in her au pair job in Norway just three weeks after completing the long-haul ferry journey from Newcastle to Bergen.

“I felt out of my depth,” reflects Lisa-Marie.  

Returning to the UK, life continued to plummet having applied for numerous office and shop jobs. “I wanted to keep my mind occupied but each time I knocked on the door of opportunity it would not open”.

Her parents were made redundant and moved from Hertfordshire to Sheffield. She joined them, leaving her friends and home for unfamiliar territory. 

She wrestled with the nostalgic memories of her school days. “I wanted to move on from King’s School,” said Lisa-Marie who kept looking back at the comfortable Christian establishment. “It was like being spoon fed by one large family,” she recalls.

“I was torn between moving on to new things and afraid of challenges,” said Lisa-Marie.  

Suddenly the touch paper of faith was lit again when, as a last resort, she looked at the YWAM website. It birthed new fervour and purpose. 

Her heart pulsed with excitement as she keyed into the Disciple Training School in New York. Just months later, Lisa-Marie took the eight-hour trip to another culture that would sharpen her desire for evangelism in America and Mexico. 

The tears flowed as she disembarked from the transatlantic flight. She felt alone and vulnerable. Recalling the journey from the airport to the YWAM base, she says: “We drove past New York City and reached a small one road town ten minutes from the sea. The houses were just like you see on the movies with white picket fences and the US flag outside.”  

Her visa was late in arriving so she joined the course a week late. But the young British girl was soon enmeshed in new friendships from across the world that still thrive thanks to regular e-mails. 

“I have been strengthened by my parents’ faith and seeing God’s provision. For the past year they have lived on faith and faith alone. It has been scary but there has been a deep peace.   

“The course has improved my confidence. Before I went I was shy and introvert among strangers. In outreach you have to step out otherwise you would not be evangelising,” says Lisa Marie who has helped at a café for the homeless.   

Outreach has unzipped a host of personas through new and engaging levels of animated mime.  

She draws on ingenuity, honed and exercised since she was a small girl, to present simple Biblical truths within a modern setting.  

“I am not scared of performing to large crowds, in fact I revel in it,” explains Lisa-Marie. 

“We also had prayer stations where the team asked people on the street, if they would like prayer.  It was after September 11 and everyone said yes,” she adds.   

Lisa-Maria and her team were intent on cutting through the traditional Catholic culture they encountered in Mexico City without bringing offence. 

“It is best to know something about the culture you are going into so you can base what you are going to do or say on it,” says Lisa-Marie. 

“There was a big difference between rich and poor, with no middle class. For two days we stayed with a family in a tiny flat and then we were accommodated in a huge five-bedroom marble floor house.  

“In the shanty towns, the houses resembled concrete shoeboxes and the residents’ health deteriorates without the money to pay for health care. “Christians would spend five hours worshipping and praying in church on Sundays.

There would be 1,000 people in one particular church who had a love for God I had not seen in many places.  Where there is government corruption, people are desperate to have something reliable and steadfast unlike a car, money or a house  

“They would be joyous and happy; jumping all over the place, praising God with everything they had. There was a lot of physical and emotional healing. People would go up to the front for prayer and they would go over like dominoes,” she says. 

“The DTS enabled me to learn about evangelism, Christianity and spiritual warfare. It provided a lot of healing in relationships as I got to know God and soaked in His presence and know what he wants,” says Lisa- Marie.  

Right now she’s heading for New York State again. It is a mission that underscores the heart with provision from her maker.