It's currently my fifth day here, and I don't even know where to begin in explaining all that has happened so far. So many things have already happened, and we have been pretty busy. But God has really been blessing me here. My heart is overflowing with the happiness that comes from being in Christian fellowship and community. If I could summarize my four days here so far with one word it would be RELATIONSHIP. There are about 60 students doing DTS here, plus about 70 staff (and many of them are families with little kidlets running around). So there are a lot of people. We have mostly just been meeting people and getting to know them. The most surprising thing of all is that I am really enjoying it and I have been outgoing and initiating conversations and haven't had to give myself a pep talk to do so!
I have met so many wonderful people, and I especially love my six other roommates, whom I've spent the most time with. They are all crazy and awesome and hilarious. We are the "rowdy and loud" room. We have a lot of fun, but we also get deep. I feel so blessed by the immediate connection and bonding we have all had with each other. I am seeing how much relationship and people are the basis of ministry. God has really given me a new desire to meet and connect with new people.
Most of what has been going on this week has been centered around preparing us for our specific DTS. There are a few different schools going on right now at the Denver base. I had applied for the Around the World DTS originally, but after arriving, I did not have all of my support in, and was transferred into the Compassion DTS. The Compassion DTS has two separate outreaches that the students are able to choose from. On Wednesday the leaders of each DTS shared about where the outreach was located and what types of ministry they would be involved with. The Compassion DTS had two choices for outreach: the Philippines or Africa (South Africa and Mozambique). While watching the video for the African outreach, I felt God telling me that now was my time to go to Africa, despite what I had thought coming into DTS.
The Africa outreach includes ministry at an orphanage during our time in South Africa, and in Mozambique we will be partnered with Heidi Baker's healing ministry. I cannot explain how excited I am about this. Orphans are definitely an area of compassion in my heart--even just kids in general. And I know that Heidi Baker's healing ministry is amazing and powerful. I am looking forward to all that God has in store for outreach. The only glitch right now is that I am still a little short on my support for outreach. As of right now I still need $724, so if you could be committing that to prayer, that would be awesome. Or if you feel led to give, that would be great too! Just contact me.
Although I am really excited for outreach and to finally go to Africa, I'm also content to just experience this lecture phase for the next couple months. Next week we start classes, and I can't wait to learn, learn, learn! I am so ready to be a student of God's Word and to just learn more about him and how he works and moves. In the five short days I've been here, I've taken in so much good stuff-- lessons, stories, testimonies, breakthroughs, quiet moments, prayers, relationships, connecting, praising, learning, sharing. I already know that I'm not the same person I was when I came. God is already moving and working in my heart and life. If five days looks like this, I CANNOT wait to see what the next six months will bring!
Prayer Requests:
- for my heart to be open to what God wants to speak to me or how he wants to change me
- that God would have ALL of my attention and focus during this time with YWAM and run hard after him
- for healing of the hurt and brokenness in my heart
- that I would soak in everything coming at me and also be able to process it and apply it to my life
South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa, and Mozambique is directly to the Northeast of South Africa.
Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to keep hearing all about your trip! We are praying for you!
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