Our beneficiary, YouthHOPE, from our 2023 Lake Tahoe Bike Ride and 2025 Montana Bike Ride, exists to transform the lives of global youth by equipping the church to meet their holistic needs. They believe youth are the greatest untapped resource for the church and the world.

The School of Youth Ministry Trainers (SYMT) is a year-long certification program designed to strengthen and multiply youth ministry efforts in a region. Graduates of this program are trained and empowered to equip local leaders and churches to more effectively invest in the youth of their communities.

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“Over the past several years, Ends of the Earth Cycling has played a vital role in supporting YouthHOPE’s School of Youth Ministry Trainers. With every ride, cyclists have prayed, pedaled, and raised the vital funds needed to launch and sustain this global movement.”
– YouthHOPE

The morning sun filtered through the windows of a modest church hall in South Metro Manila [the Philippines], casting soft golden hues over rows of plastic chairs slowly filling with church leaders and volunteers – some curious, some a bit skeptical.

For the first time, 35 young leaders from four Baptist churches came together for a two-day Youth Ministry Leadership Training (YMLT). What made this event truly historic was the partnership: a Baptist group working with non-Baptist trainers to facilitate the session. Something never done before.

The impact was immediate and profound. The youth leaders, along with their pastors, shared enthusiastic feedback. Many expressed plans to recommend YMLT to other churches throughout the southern suburbs. What surprised them the most was the approach: interactive, fun, and deeply heartfelt. It was far from the back-to-back preaching they were used to at conferences.

Albert, a graduate of YouthHOPE‘s first School of Youth Ministry Trainers in Southeast Asia and now a pastor in the Philippines, reflected, “The momentum continues. We have lined up more YMLT sessions for the year, expanding to churches and denominations across the southern Philippines. Just last night, I had a Zoom meeting with a respected youth pastor from the Visayas. He is now helping us organize a two-day YMLT training on the island of Boracay for later this year.“

He added, “It is encouraging to witness churches from different backgrounds uniting to equip the next generation of leaders. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of their work, and excited for where it is headed next.“

Thousands of miles away in the Kaliro district of Uganda, a similar story was unfolding.

It was a beautiful day as 36 leaders from four districts – Kaliro, Mayuge, Namutumba and Mukono – gathered, eager to grow in their youth ministry skills. They were there to learn from Alex, a graduate of the School of Youth Ministry Trainers in Africa. Some were seasoned youth workers already walking with and discipling young people in their communities. Others were church leaders stepping into youth ministry for the first time.

Over the course of several days, these groups learned together, exchanging strategies and casting a fresh vision for how to reach the youth in their communities with the good news of Jesus. As the training drew to a close, a leader named Saleh stood with visible emotion and shared, “I always believed I was doing youth ministry the right way. But through this training, I realized I had much to improve.” Inspired and equipped, he returned home with renewed purpose to serve his church’s youth.

Then there was Moureen. It was her very first youth ministry training. Quiet throughout most of the sessions, she ultimately spoke up during the final take away circle: “I see now that I have a role to play in God’s kingdom.” Her words were simple but deeply moving – a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

Stories like Saleh’s and Moureen’s have become possible through a powerful partnership. Over the past several years, Ends of the Earth Cycling has played a vital role in supporting YouthHOPE‘s School of Youth Ministry Trainers. With every ride, cyclists have prayed, pedaled, and raised the vital funds needed to launch and sustain this global movement.

It all began in Asia in 2016. Twelve leaders from four Southeast Asian countries were trained to become indigenous youth ministry trainers. One of these graduates was Albert. Since completing the training, he has led 13 sessions across nine regions, equipping around 900 youth leaders-who together are now impacting more than 3,000 young people. And the vision continues: in 2025, Albert and his team aim to train over 1,000 more youth workers.

But that was only the beginning.

In 2018, YouthHOPE launched the second School of Youth Ministry Trainiers – this time in Africa. During the 2019 Key West Bike Ride, another group of passionate cyclists rode and raised support to equip 16 leaders from seven African nations. Among them was Alex from Uganda, who has since trained over 950 youth leaders from 43 communities throughout his country-multiplying impact in ways few could have imagined.

And now, the story is expanding again.

Thanks to the efforts of riders from the 2023 Lake Tahoe Bike Ride and 2024 Montana Bike Ride, the third School of Youth Ministry Trainers launched in Latin America in March 2025. After facing many delays and spiritual battles, fifteen leaders from four Latin American nations have now been trained to reach young people in Jesus’ Name – from the Amazon jungle to urban centers, from indigenous mountain villages to bustling coastal towns. They completed the program in May of 2026, and we expect to see more stories like Albert’s and Alex’s emerge from this new region.

“Our goal is to have at least 15 people join us at this training school in Latin America. Now, if these 15 people train 50 youth workers each year for three years, (which is a conservative estimate based on past training schools), we will have 2,250 trained youth workers. If each of those trained youth workers impacts (just) 20 youth for the next five years, that means that SYMT will have impacted the lives of over 225,000 youth.“

– Rebekah Saum (co-author) – quote from our 2013 Lake Tahoe Bike Ride

But here is the truth: none of this would be possible without the partnership with Ends of the Earth Cycling. YouthHOPE has the vision, the curriculum, and the passion to train global youth leaders. But the cost, the logistics, and the sustainability of running these schools are significant. Without these cyclists who ride, pray and give, these life-changing training programs would not exist at this scale.

It is your pedaling that fuels this movement, your prayers that break through spiritual barriers, and your generosity that sends trainers to places we could never reach alone. Together we are raising up a generation of indigenous youth ministry trainers who will help young people across the world think and live like Jesus.

To God be the glory.

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