When John Yany spent the summer with OneWay Studios in 2012, what he got was much more than an internship. And what he gave was much more than his skills as a musician.
Because of the spiritual and professional training Yany received, thousands of prayers have been lifted up for the unreached by Christians all over the world.
During Yany’ss summer internship, OneWay founder Michael Thompson encouraged him to record a song for Prayercast. The result was “Ishmael,” a music video meant to lead Christians in prayer for Muslims. Since its release, “Ishmael” has helped guide more than 10,000 prayers.
“I often think about how your first experience doing something can really shape you,” Yany explains. This was the first professional song he had ever worked on, and OneWay staff and interns quickly affirmed his gifting in music.
Being mentored by Thompson, who is not only OneWay’s president but also an accomplished musician, was tremendously impactful for Yany, teaching him the importance of discipleship and encouragement. It affirmed his passion for mentoring young people in the same way.
“Working on ‘Ishmael’ was such a personal encouragement for me that has fueled a lot of the writing I do till now,” Yany says. “I learned a lot about connecting with people, recording, producing and just got a love for writing music that inspires people to pray for the unreached. My time at OneWay definitely set me up for more opportunities to love and bless the nations through music.”
After his internship, he lent his skills as a singer, instrumentalist and songwriter to “Hidden in My Heart,” a OneWay album meant to help people internalize scripture through song. More recently he recorded several songs for Prayercast’s Unreached People Group Initiative, creating the album, “Come See the Healing of Nations.”
His own music, a full album called “The Sands of Time are Sinking,” in addition to several singles, is focused on influencing people for Christ, and his albums are available on music streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
Today, he continues to use the skills he learned at OneWay to glorify God through song.
OneWay’s goal is to expand our internship program to teach more young adults how to use their gifts in ministry. Would you consider helping us activate even more young adults to help reach people?
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