Staff Profiles

Phil Leage

SBS e-learning Director

My name is Philip Leage, but I go by Phil most of the time. I am British, but having lived in a few different countries and on a ywam base for a long time I have a rather mixed accent. I left school to train as a motor mechanic, doing this for 13 years in all, but convinced that this was not what God had called me to long term. What that was I did not know, so I continued in the garage, and was very involved in my local church.

It was not until 1982 that I felt God release me from fixing cars to join YWAM, which I did by doing a SOE in Lausanne Switzerland January 1983 (I still have to do a DTS but lets keep that quiet!). When I arrived and looked at the weekly curriculum, I noticed to my dismay that the third to last week was titled ‘Bible Study’. ‘Oh no’ I though, not a whole week on Bible study, we all know how boring this is going to be! Well, it was that week that actually set the course of my life. We had the privilege of having Dr Earl Morey teach. He spoke on Philemon and Ephesians, and it took just the first hour of lecture for me to realize that he was talking about a kind of Bible study that I did not know existed.

Knowing that I was called to teach the Bible, and hearing about the School of Biblical Studies, I had a strong desire to do this school. But the only place that the school was offered was Hawaii. The same time I was doing my SOE, the second ever SBS was in its second term. To cut a long and wonderful story short, that September, I found myself in Hawaii under the leadership of Ron and Judy Smith as a student of their third school.

During that year, I came to understand that this school was something God was calling me to long term. I did not know then how long term it was going to be, that twenty five years later I would still be involved with the school! As I was studying in Hawaii, the leaders of YWAM England were purchasing the YWAM base The King’s Lodge to enable them to offer further training in the nation, and I was invited to pioneer the SBS there. So with much enthusiasm and just as much ignorance I began leading my first SBS in 1985, with 2 staff and one part time, and 24 students. No one told me that this really could not be done, and I was too ignorant to know is should not be done, so we just got on and did it.

I have led many SBS schools, trained staff and leaders for the SBS and BCC, and pioneered the Biblical Teaching and Preaching School as well as working with Jennifer Cuthbertson to launch the SBS Distance Learning Course. Now we begin what is one of my most exciting ventures, taking the SBS into the virtual world.

I am married to Linda, an American who has graciously adopted the British culture and ways, well mostly, and two (most of the time) lovely children! Elisa is 14 and Jonathan 12. What great ages!!

Paula Tamaki

e-SBS School Leader

My name is Paula Tamaki (formerly Spencer) and I was born in Yorkshire, England, although I have lived in many different places while in ministry with Youth With A Mission. Those other places include Japan (for most of the past 22 years), Singapore (SBS Student then staff in 1991-93), Scotland (staff 1995-1999), and short term in London and Perth(Australia).

I did the DTS in 1988 in Japan and never looked back. Stayed on there to work with pioneering a church planting team for nearly three years before heading out to Singapore to do the SBS and then stayed on to be staff on the following school. Back to Japan for almost another year with the church planting team, then headed out to the UK. A few years down the line I was heading out to Japan yet again and while running the SBS Core Course there, met my husband Mitsuru, who is Japanese descent Peruvian. We continued in Japan in YWAM until 2007 and we have two gorgeous boys, Jeremias and Mackenzie.

Joy Axelsson

fbSBS School Leader

I’m Joy Axelsson, originally from North Carolina, USA, but now livingin Stockholm, Sweden.  I joined YWAM in 1998 when I did my DTS in Kona.  Then I worked YWAM Hong Kong for a few years on evangelism teams.

After going to university and working for several years, I did my SBS in Montana, USA in 1998-99.  During this time, I felt that God was calling me to teach His word.  I did Titus Project (SBS outreach) in Montana the next fall and went on outreach to Southeast Asia.  Part of our outreach was in Malaysia, and I returned there in the fall of 2000 to staff the SBS.   I really enjoyed it and was very challenged in many ways since we were only 2 staff and 7 students.   I joined Titus Project again in 2001 and went to Mongolia and Southeast Asia.   After this, I staffed the SBS in Montana.  I loved being involved in both the SBS and with the Titus Project.

I wanted to learn more about teaching so I did the BTPS (Biblical Teaching and Preaching School) in Malaysia in 2002 and then helped staff the first BTPS in Montana.  (The BTPS one of the best schools I’ve ever done.)  While on the BTPS outreach in Sweden and Russia, God called me to Sweden.  I was scared to move to Stockholm, Sweden because I would need to learn the language (I’m not gifted in learning languages) and be in a new YWAM situation (YWAM Stockholm does not have a base), but God confirmed over and over that I was to go so I did.

I moved to Stockholm in the winter of 2004.  It was not necessarily the best time of the year to move to dark, snowy Sweden.   My purpose was to teach the Inductive Method in churches in Stockholm.  I’ve been in Sweden ever since.

I meet my Swedish husband, Rickard, while living in Stockholm, and we were married in 2005.  We have two cute little kids, Esther, who was born in Jan 2007, and Samuel, who was born in Nov 2009.

Deb Possin

fbSBS staff

Welcome friends, I’m Deb Possin, and I am so excited to be joining you on this great adventure. A little bit about me: I’ve been married to a wonderful man, Tom, for 28 years. We are the very proud parents of 4 handsome young men, and the ridiculously proud grandparents of a 4 year old grandson and a 2 year old granddaughter. We have been on staff with Ywam Montana, Lakeside for the past 17 years and both Tom and I are on staff with the SBS here in Lakeside. I graduated from the Distance Learning SBS in August of 2003 and I am such a fan for making sure that the SBS is available to all the saints that want to study the Bible Inductively. If you ever want to Skype me, my Skype address is debpossin . Let’s have fun on the great adventure of studying the Bible.

Scott Pitts

fbSBS staff

My name is Scott Pitts . My parents were in YWAM in the 80’s and 90’s. I sort of grew up in YWAM. In 1994 I did my DTS in Montana and then right after that I did my SBS there also. I never thought that I would ever do an SBS but after talking with people who were taking the course and those who had taken it I was convinced about it. Since I did not like to read and rarely ever read the Bible I realized how stunted my spiritual growth was with the Lord. My faith was riding on others, not so good. After SBS I was so amazed about who God was and my relationship with him that I wanted to show others how they could grow in many ways with the word of God. I staffed the SBS in Montana from 1995-1998 and then for one year in the King’s Lodge in England in 1998-1999. It was during that last year in Montana that I met and married my wife Carla. She did her SBS in England that next year while I was staffing the school.

After that year we left YWAM and I was an assistant pastor in North Carolina, USA for about 5 years. A very good experience in many respects. Then a friend and I started a remodeling business which we ran for about 4 years. At the end of that time Carla and I felt led by the Lord to get back into the SBS world. We moved to Mill Spring, NC., USA (just about an hour from where we were living) and joined an SBS here in Lake Lure. This is the first SBS that is not with YWAM but is run at a Christian summer camp called Camp Lurecrest. We are very thrilled to be back doing SBS and very honoured when Phil Leage asked me to help out with the FBSBS.

We currently have 4 children. Grace is 8, Luke is almost 5, Isaac is 2 and James was just born on Sept. 20, 2009.

I am really looking forward to seeing what God has in store for everyone involved in this program in many ways.