Leadership Team
Abraham LINCOLN 
Hyderguda, India
P.Abraham Lincoln,an Indian from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state and has served in Youth With A mission for the past 15 yrs. He is a science graduate and worked as a dental hygienist in a Dental college and hospital in Karnataka state in India. Abraham accepted the Lord at a very young age and understood that God was calling him to serve Him and joined Youth With A Mission in 1992. He married Suneetha in 1993 who has also served in Ywam for the past 17yrs. They have 2 sons, Johanan and Jesiel.
They have both done the “School of Frontier Missions” and “Leadership Training School” and have been involved in training, discipling young people, raising leaders and releasing them into what God has called them to do. God has given them the heart to work with young people which they enjoy very much. Together they pioneered the Hyderguda base, R R District, in Hyderabad and are serving as Directors of this centre. Abraham is also the Discipleship Training schools Coordinator for South of India.
Gilberto & Jussara de MELLO
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Gilberto and Jussara de Mello joined YWAM in 1979 and helped to pioneer the Mission in Brazil. They had different roles working with Outreach teams, Evangelistic Ministries and as DTS leaders for many years.
In 1999 Gilbertobecame the National & Regional Director for Brazil as well as member of the GLT until 2004 when the structure of the leadership in Brazil was changed for a Team Three. Right now Gilberto is part of this team as Operational
Director. Jussara has been part of the National Leadership as well as part of the Contagem base leadership. They joined the IDTSC as Regional Coordinators in 2006.
They have four children: Rubens, the oldest, is married and lives in
Minneapolis with his wife and child. Livia, the second daughter is full
time with YWAM and lives in Sao Paulo. The youngest children, Esdras and
Daiane, live with them in Contagem, Brazil.
Fiona GIFFORD
Cape Town, South Africa
Fiona can be described as creative, engaging and intense! With a profession
in teaching, and a background in music and the Arts, she is a fourth
generation pioneer from a widely travelled family. She began her YWAM
journey in Canada in 1985, and continued working with DTSs and SOEs for 5
years in Australia. In 1993, she joined the College of Communication in
Kona, Hawaii, and then moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, establishing the
College in Europe and Africa. Her appointment as International Associate
Dean (until her resignation in 2004) led her to Burtigny, Switzerland, and
a greater emphasis on training in the Francophone world.
In 2002, shepioneered the Connexity conference in Malaysia with a talented
international team, and is planning the next event in China for 2008. She is committed to the individual, their growth in God and a radical discipleship that
produces transformation hence her involvement in DTSs worldwide.
Fiona brings a prophetic voice to her teaching, which leads students and staff to do
business with God ! This year, she moves to South Africa, and hopes to connect her involvement with both the UofN Provost Office and the DTS centre in unique ways!
Barbara comes from a small village in the German part of Switzerland. She is the youngest of a family of 5 children and grew up involved in the life of her local church. She has been actively involved in youth ministries operating throughout Switzerland, both leading and training leaders.
Barbara is a trained school teacher and has been teaching for 11 years. In 1993 Barbara completed her DTS in Amsterdam and joined YWAM Lausanne and the International DTS Centre in 1997 till 2002, leading several DTS’s and outreach teams to Kosovo and India. Barbara has also worked in Eastern Europe, with a focus on DTS staff training.
Barbara’s return to YWAM in 2007 making a transition to India, where she is a member of the IDTSC’s Resource team for DTS’s operating throughout that nation. Her desire is to see people effectively equipped and trained for ministry and to see them grounded in the Word of God.
Jeff & Kristy WILKE
Montana, USA
Jeff and Kristy Wilke met and married in their home church in Anaheim, California. They joined YWAM in 1992. After ministering aboard the Anastasis, they moved to the YWAM base in Lakeside, Montana in 1994 to serve as DTS staff and have been working with DTS's ever since.
Prior to their YWAM experience,
Jeff was a high school English teacher, and Kristy was a bi-lingual aide in the
public schools. Jeff has an English degree and teaching credential from Cal State Fullerton, and Kristy has a Bible and Christian Education degree from Hope International University where she is currently completing her MA in Christian Leadership.
Jeff and Kristy have four children, Jenna, Kendra, Jake and KT.