Week 1 is over

So much has happened the past few days, that it seems unreal that I've only been here a week. They have crammed SO much into our time here! :) It is really nice, though.

I'm sitting in the lounge/living room at our dorm, Harvest, right now. We are all working on our "IT" (Insights & Teaching) which is a folder that is due every Monday. We have to answer questions about the lecture we heard the previous week, what God has been teaching us, etc. We also have to read a book every week (or 2 weeks) and answer questions about that. This week our book was Is That Really You, God? by Loren Cunningham, which is all about the foundations of how YWAM began and also understanding God's voice and the different ways He speaks to us. Our lecture this week was "Hearing God's Voice" by Al Akimoff, who was one of the "founding fathers" of YWAM. It was really interesting to hear Al speak about stories we have been reading about in the book.

Our DTS class has 3 leaders: Dave, Amy, and Vlady. Dave is in his late 20's, he's very passionate and a little ADD. He has a heart for Sudan and also for leading DTS. Amy is in her mid 30's, and is very sweet natured. She has been to over 32 countries! And Vlady is from Mexico; I'm actually not sure how old she is. She is probably the most joyous person I have ever met! That should give you a glimpse into my DTS staff-- they are all awesome.

Once a week we split into small groups, so all the girls go with Amy and Vlady, and all the guys go with Dave. It's just a time to process what we're learning and experiencing, and share things in a more intimate way. We also have all been assigned a one-on-one person, where we have someone to help us process everything, pray for us, hold us accountable, etc. My one-on-one person is Amy, which I knew would happen! I think her and I are going to be great friends. I think part of the reason why I came here was so that I could meet her.

We're also all assigned 2 hours of work duty or acts of service every day. We were able to choose, and I ended up with dinner prep which so far is really fun! Rachel and I work together with Mel, who is in the intern program known as The Galilee Project.

We have been able to get to know the Galileans pretty well this past week. I especially have been spending a lot of time with Brad, Ruthie, Minju, and Mel.

Every day is a little different, but I want to give you an idea of a "typical day" here at DTS.

5:30 AM- Wake up, shower, etc
6:00 AM- Quiet time
7:00 AM- Breakfast
7:30 AM- Bible Meditation
8:30 AM- Worship or Intercession/Prayer
9:30 AM- Class Time/lecture (one 15 min break)
12:15 PM- Lunch
1:30 PM- One-on-one/study time (Mon), ministry development/study time (Tue), intercession (Wed), small group (Thur), or community outreach (Fri)
3:00 PM- Acts of Service
5:15 PM- Dinner
6:30 PM- Either class time, free time, Q&A with speaker, study time, etc etc.

Our night free time has been wonderful and has included things like spontaneous games of volleyball, worshiping in the lounge, watching a really bad Thai martial arts movie, hanging out and talking, worshiping at a bonfire, etc. I feel so blessed to have this time with such awesome people!

I am so excited for the weeks to come, and I will try to keep you all updated when I can. I have felt so overwhelmed this week, but in such a great way! God has been teaching me a lot about how to draw near to Him even more, and how to wait and listen to Him and what's on His heart. I feel so blessed to be here, thank you again for all of your love and support!

Now here are some pictures to introduce you to all the DTS people:


Younsoo, Darcey, and me


Vlady


Rachel


Ian


Mike and Ally


Amy


Dave

I'm here!

Hello from Salem, Oregon! I arrived yesterday afternoon and it has been an incredible experience so far. I had a wonderful flight into Oregon-- and oh my goodness were there a ton of mountains! :) Mount Rainier and Mount Adams were especially breathtaking.

Salem itself actually reminds me a lot of Wisconsin! The YWAM base is in a very wooded area. There are a few pockets that I come across where I can see the gorgeous mountain rage, but for the most part the atmosphere feels very familiar. It's kind of comforting in a way, to be in a completely different place, but still have a few reminders of home.

There are 7 students (including me) in DTS: Darcey, Ally, Rachel, Mike, Ian, Younsoo (pronounced YUN-sue), and me. All of the girls are from Oregon, one guy is from South Korea, and the other guys come from unknown places...unknown to me, at least. :) This is a pretty small group; normally there are around 20 students. However, there are 14 people that are doing an internship and they will be a part of our classes in DTS. We're not really sure why our DTS size is so small, but there must be some reason!

I found out some exciting news! We are going to Thailand for our outreach! I really feel called to work in Asia, so this is very exciting to me! I know that some people are concerned because of the coup going on, but so far everything seems like a "go". If the situation gets violent and/or dangerous, our leaders will pray about what we should do.

I also found out that in October we'll be going to the Go Conference in Estes Park, Colorado which is very exciting! Colorado has a very special place in my heart, so I'm looking forward to going there again. Plus the conference itself looks amazing!

Today and yesterday has just consisted of settling in and meeting people! As soon as I can, I'll post pictures of my room. I'm dorming with all 3 girls, and our dorm is actually really, really nice. I was the first one here, so I have a bottom bunk. It reminds me a lot of Bible camp!

There is just a really friendly spirit in every person I've met here. I am so excited for DTS to really "begin" tomorrow and see exactly what God has for me. I've already looked over the manual and there are some very challenging things ahead... challenging for me at least! It is so abundantly clear that God wants me here, so I'm ready to forge ahead!

Until later...

Quick update

I wish I had had time to post this sooner, but all the finances are in! In a little over 2 months, God provided $6000! How awesome is HE?! It was quite an exciting day when I found out the last "chunk" of money came in as an offering at my church. He just continues to amaze me...

Thank you so much for your prayers! I am so touched by the kindness and generosity of all of you. I would not be going if it wasn't for you. If you read this in time, please pray for safe travels on Saturday. My mom and I are taking a bus shuttle from Madison to Chicago at 2 AM, and then I board a plane at 10 AM to Portland. I can't believe this is actually happening! Someone pinch me...

But now I need to get back to packing. How did I ever accumulate so much stuff?!

September deadline is met!

Total finances due: $3200
Total received: $1314
Total pledged: $250
Remaining total: $1636
Total prayer support: 49 people

Believe it or not, I have half of what's due by the end of November already! I am so amazed that God has been meeting all of these deadlines-- and in advance, too! $1500 from the outreach costs are due upon arrival, and I reached that number this week (if my pledge comes through)! I've said it before, but He is truly displaying His glory in this! I am absolutely amazed by Him.

And He's providing even in smaller ways, too. There are several different supplies that I have been buying for this adventure, and I was in "need" of a couple dressy shirts and shoes. This is always quite a task for me because I'm picky, frugal, pretty conservative/modest (I don't like low back's, neck's, short sleeves, etc), and it's also hard to find shoes that fit my odd shoe size. Between a combination of thrift stores and coupons, I've found some amazing steals! I know, I know, it seems a little silly to post about clothes shopping, but I really believe He's the one behind it. :)

My last day at work is Wednesday! I can't believe this is really happening. It feels like my dreams are coming true... and they're just as much His. I love delighting in His shade (Song of Songs 2:3) and the transformation of my heart's desires and dreams into what He wants for me (Psalm 37:4). Oh, the plans He has for me and you (Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Corinth 2:9) ... if only we yield to Him.