Ask any one of us and we’ll tell you the best thing in our lives is each other. (Well, some of us would also add in Lego or camping or coffee or… our beloved dog, Frankie.) We are fiercely in love with one another and deeply committed to learning (present tense and ongoing!) how to live our lives in such a way as to demonstrate the goodness of God to our neighbours.
We moved to Sydney a few years ago to cultivate community in the best way we know how, and we count it a privilege to serve a generation of young people and help them know God, discover who they are in light of him, and begin to connect their gifts and passion with the needs of the world. In fact, we believe in these ideas so much that we’ve given our whole lives to this pursuit. But make no mistake, there’s nothing fancy or heroic about us. We’re simply living our ordinary lives hand in hand with our extraordinary friend Jesus.
Twenty Years of Missions Work
Ryan and Adriel have been serving with YWAM for twenty+ years. (Ryan—1998; Adriel—2000.) We’ve led dozens of training programs—YWAM DTS’s (Discipleship Training Schools) and Leadership Schools—and have served and mentored hundreds of young people as they find their way in life and missions. They have pioneered and led youth ministries (Youth Street, Mission Adventures, Impact Summer camps), helped launch a medial ship serving thousands in rural areas of Papua New Guinea, developed training programs for emerging leaders, run city-wide youth outreaches, supported 20,000 women (and birth attendants) for safer birth in developing nations, facilitated more than a hundred short term missions teams, mobilised dozens of local churches for city-wide collaborative projects in Perth, Townsville, and Cairo (Egypt), and remain sought after as itinerate teachers in YWAM training schools all over Australia and Asia.
We’ve also done our fair share of administrative and creative roles in YWAM through the years: accounting, communications, design, event management, hospitality, etc. We call these our “backbone” ministries because they support every other expression of ministry we do in our community and in the nations.
Adriel is also an author and leads an online ministry to support bereaved families.
YWAM Sydney Newtown
In 2015 the Bookers moved to inner city Sydney to plant a new YWAM ministry where they are currently focused on discipling young people, youth outreach, mobilising local folks for community care, teaching the Bible, and serving the Chinese student population through welcome, hospitality, and English support. (Sydney University is a ten minute walk from our house and has 26,000 international students enrolled in addition to their Australian student population. The need and opportunity is enormous.) We lead a team of 14 staff and volunteers—the heartbeat of what we do. (We’re so proud of them!)
Discover More
Thank you for visiting our website to learn more about our family and our missions work. Here are a few links to help you discover more:
- Find out more about our family.
- Read about our vision and why we’ve chosen Sydney.
- Check out the ministry we lead, YWAM Sydney Newtown, or our Discipleship Training Schools or Gap Year Program.
- Discover Adriel’s writing, our ministry to bereaved families, or Adriel’s book, Grace Like Scarlett.
Support Our Missions Work
Discover the various ways you can support us in our missions work through prayer, encouragement, and giving.
Connect With Us
- Contact details—email or snail mail
- Join our family newsletter (sent 3-4 times a year)
- Adriel Instagram and Ryan Instagram
- Ministry Support Network (Facebook group)
- YWAM Sydney Newtown Instagram
- YWAM Sydney Newtown Facebook page
Love,
Adriel, Ryan, Levi, Judah, and Micah
G'day, and welcome 