On the 5th April the YWAM London team opened its arms once again to 5 bright young DTS students - all ready to jump in and see what God has in store for them this DTS.

Megan, originally from South Carolina, gives us some feedback about how its going so far.

Here in London we’re in the middle of week seven of the Discipleship Training School and as one of the five students, let me tell you it has been an adventure! I arrived on the first of April and I don’t think my brain has stopped working since I arrived. I arrived with another student and the rest of the girls trickled in over the course of the next week until we were finally all together by the weekend. Yes, you’re assuming correctly, this DTS was an all girls school. Where are the guys, you may wonder? We wondered the same thing but it has been nice with just the five of us girls. We’re like a room full of sisters.

Our first adventure and mission as a DTS team, however, was to figure out how to fit everyone in our room. We all crammed into a room full of bunk-beds and cupboards and tried to shimmy and shake everything into a proper place and now we finally have a system that works (and I say ‘system’ very loosely).

When the actual school began a week after our arrival, I felt like I was riding a roller-coaster to the top of the first major hill and I drew in a deep breath just before we took the plunge into our full time schedule. Our week begins Monday afternoon with small group and our first class of the week is Tuesday morning followed by Salsa class in the evening. Salsa is REALLY interesting, let me tell you. I don’t think it is physically possible for my hips to move like that, but we’ll see how it goes by the end of the DTS. Wednesday we go as a team to a church about twenty-five minutes (by twenty-five minutes I mean it is really forty-five minutes when you consider London traffic) away from where we live to help at a soup kitchen for the homeless. We are there most of the day after class lets out at lunch time and it has really blessed me to go and serve. I really enjoy Mercy Ministries and this one is beautiful because of the hearts of the workers there and their goal to share the love of Christ with the men and women who come. Thursdays are pretty quiet, sometimes we have class at home in the base and then Fridays we go to our church across town in Notting Hill and spend the day there to help out and end the day with art class and evangelism.

All in all, the thing I’ve come away with most so far is the unconditional love that our leaders exemplify. Their patience and care for us has touched me deeply. This base and these missionaries who have welcomed us into their family and home with such open hearts and minds have blessed me beyond words and expression and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to begin to return their blessings. Their mentorship and discipleship will be with me long after September when this school ends. Every day teaches something new and their love and support make sure to not only stamp the lessons we learn but help us to place a seal over our hearts to better serve God. They lead by example and love and just watching that is a DTS in and of itself.

Keep coming back for updates on how the school is doing and let us know if you are interested in doing one.  God bless!

March 4th heralded the victory home run to the September 2008 DTS.  Five blooming, rosy cheeks individuals made it to the finishing line and all succesfully completed and graduated from their DTS.

The past 5 months have broughts ups and down, struggles and victories, changes, transformation and, peace.  The kind of peace you get when you achieve and found what you were looking for.  There is too much to recount over the past school but below are some glances back at the memories that comes to my mind and that showed a marked difference in our lives.

Victory in Torino
People fully seated and waiting in anticipation.  We were prepared to present a drama and a couple of the team were also chosen to give a testimony.  Throughout that whole morning Kim, one of our team had been struggling with sickness, tiredness and feeling extremely weak - she not only was in the drama but she was also due to give her testimony.  Visibly struggling she could have easily asked to back down and take some time to recover, instead she chose participate in the drama and with all the strength she had left, give glory to God by speaking out her testimony.  At that moment I saw someone who had stood her ground, grabbed hold of God and snatched victory.  Though it may seem like a small thing the decision that she made that day had a transforming effect not only on that day and Kim but also on the rest of the time in Italy.

Rehabilitation - binding the broken
On the second week of our outreach we went to stay and work with the REMAR centre in Milan.  During this time we had the opportunity to minister worship, testimony and drama each evening in different REMAR centres around Milan.  At several of these meetings Joanna was given the opportunity to share her experience.

Joanna stood in front of a gathering of people who were in almost the very same position she had also found herself one year ago, to the date of her talk. Coming from a difficult and dark past, Joanna retells of her time in a maximum security room, recovering from her latest suicide attempt, surrounded by mentally disturbed, suffering people. Sentenced for her own protection to a minimum of 3 days in the crisis centre, Joanna finally cried out to God and God heard her.

Joanna’s testimony really rang true with so many people there.  Many were able to relate to her experience and the desperation and helplessness she had felt at the same time.  But so evident was the miraculous power of transformation that God had done in her that no one could deny it.  I don’t know who was more impacted that day - the testimony was so powerful that it made all of us pay attention and just be in awe of who our God is and the endless possibilities in Him.

Evangelism in Milano Central Station
I think this memory very much relects the personality of one of our team - Ezequiel.  We had set off one Friday evening to the main train station in Milan and were joining up with another church to do some evangelism that evening.  As part of a small and faithful group we set off in pairs to strike up a conversation with some of the commuters.  Walking, praying and watching I see Ezequiel with determined steps approaching several people and engaging them in conversation - animated, enthusiastic and determined he continues unhindered by the fact that we can’t actually speak Italian or any doubts that sometimes get in the way.  Instead, he finishes one conversation, proudly announces that the gentleman he had been talking to accepted Jesus, he takes a different partner with him and goes for someone else!

There are many more memories and moments, too many to count but I am sure those stories will be told well and long into the future because you cannot just forget it when God does something really special.

As a team working on DTSs we often say this - there is only one ingredient that God needs to completely revolutionalize you, and that is willingness.

Are you willing?

Details of the DTS including future dates can be found on the DTS page.  Check it out, it may just be your time.

Completing their six weeks of the lecture phase our six students get their teeth into some more meaty lectures and times of ministry as we delve into deeper topics challenging and encouraging them to review teachings, way of thinking, lifestyles and generally life as a whole through the eyes of the Word of God and His Kingdom.

Being present  during this time I can say that on the whole the school is going well and we can see God ministering and teaching the students from those small noticeable changes that begin to grow and bloom before our very eyes.  Yes, there are many more victories to be taken but our hope and our trust is in God, that He will be faithful to fulfil His promises.

A very key week for us was the Plumbline week (also known as inner healing week) where we had our own Counselling Team from Earls Court come and teach and minister to us.  Though I personally was not able to be present during the teaching days I was with the students during the day of ministry which was very intense but so powerful at the same time.  On that day you could almost tangibly see, hear and sense chains breaking and walls crumbling as many situations in each person’s life was given over to God and He allowed to come with His healing and love.  I would say that day was a day of miracles.

Cristian or Ezequiel as he is better known to us writes about his first few days on DTS…

“It was like a quick and brisk change. It felt just like I was standing in the centre of God’s will; leaving everything to search for Him and know Him. I felt that my tongue was all in knots and at moments I wondered if things were really from God. I asked myself this question and God answered - He will not take me where His grace will not sustain me. In my mind thoughts pass by of only a few days previously, my last days in Spain.

The DTS group are nice and quite expressive and this helps me a lot. We talk about cultures, countries, churches and ministries and I found that I could open myself a little bit more. I felt my shyness and the things that hold me back, breaking a little.

On the Saturday the DTS officially started. There was a great programme and presentation and also a good preach about Jonah and his attitude when God decided not to destroy Nineveh. We had pictures taken of us at the end of the opening and we were asked to remember those faces on that day, because we will see a transformation in them.

So far we have been to Notting Hill Gate on the double decker bus to celebrate (where I was assured I would receive help with my English!!), we also went to Hillsongs Church where the Word was about making a difference something I believe I can do. And I was also given a word about my role here in England.

Day by day the group is opening up a little more and expanding. The challenge has begun or better put the challenge began with my decision.”

Just in the last two weeks the students have been to the YWAM DNA conference at the Kings Lodge.  This was a week jam packed full of sessions and worship and all great things by some of the most noteable speakers of YWAM including the founders themselves, Loren & Darleen Cunningham.  The team came back very tired and a little sore but I would say encouraged.

As well as celebrating a couple of birthdays we also had our first love feast celebration just this week where we have a time to just enjoy each others company, eat good food, play games and dance.  It also symbolises a kind of milestone, of hitting the half way mark.  We look forward to more celebrations and milestones as the weeks come up and also to turning our heads to outreach, shortly following the Christmas holidays!

Come back for more news on how the team is doing and keep us all in your prayers!!

 September 27th of this year heralded the opening and official welcome of our new DTS students.  A team of six fresh faced individuals join us in London to start on their journey.

     

Worshippers

The evening itself was a good time of worship and family where we had the privelege to have Marc James leading worship and our London wide Director, Bertin Hermo, share a word and officially start the school followed by prayer over the students by the YWAM London family.

The timetable kicks in

We are now into week three of the DTS and so the school routine has kicked in and the students are settling into their student life.  This week they will start on their weekly outreach where they will volunteer with the Earls Court team at the cafe outreach.  No doubt they will return with many stories!

These last three weeks have already brought so much blessing and we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg.  We continue to push forward expectantly waiting the promises God has spoken over their lives and this time.

DTS team and YWAM London leaders

The Notting Hill carnival can be looked at from different perspectives depending on your age or background. I had many mixed feelings during the carnival. On one hand it is a really exciting experience the streets are teaming with people from all over the world there are smells and colours everywhere you look. I really like the idea of a street party but what I find difficult is the reasons people are there for, basically to get as drunk as possible and have a good old fest!

I can imagine how God must see us if this situation was redeemed, as people are from all tribes and tongues and it has the possibility if it was done for the glory of Glory of God it could look like heaven but unfortunately the carnival follows its name of ‘carne’ or of the flesh and with the rubbish dump with is usually the streets of Notting Hill and the behaviour that accompanies the carnival is more like what I would describe hell to be totally are utterly fleshly.

However there was glimpses of God’s Kingdom in the carnival like the GOD CORNER run by Urban Missions from Calvary Chapel presenting at Westbourne Park Baptist, proclamations of Jesus and salvation booming out across the area and with various people being chatted to about the gospel.

A little later on in the evening we had a coffee stall on the corner of Kensington Park Road which was quiet but it was like us bringing some of God’s sanity to the streets of chaos. We did the same on Monday but this time with miraculous effects. We placed a table outside NHCC with Coffee and tracts and painted our faces to stand out and we did. Then we had one of us standing with a board in the street which read ‘What about your future?’ and the people would say what about my future can you tell me. It just shows that people are really open to the spiritual, when you probe people they are willing to talk about it which is really exciting.

The best part of this was that we had some fantastic conversations some of which resulted in those people choosing to change directions in their lives and giving the control of their lives over to the Lord.

Our time in Notting Hill really encouraged me that evangelism is not necessarily difficult and that people really are open the fields really are white for the harvest

Greetings from the team!  Hoping you have enjoyed the summer months and all that they bring with them.  Before we swing back into the regularity of base and school timetable, we thought we would share some highlights of our summer in London.

Throughout July and August we have managed to take a slower pace to daily life but we didn’t just take the time off and as a result we enjoyed some pretty amazing times.

One of the first highlights of the summer was taking part in baptizing some young people from one of the local churches we work with.  Rosana and Marta have been working with the junior youth group teaching on baptism and mid July we saw the fruits of this and the hard work of dedicated Sunday School teachers when 3 young people committed themselves including our very own Yasmin Galarza!

The Wildfire Team had a fantastic two week camp based at the Kings Lodge in Nuneaton.  The London team joined with other young people from Egypt, Korea, North Dacota (US), Poland and the UK for a loud, arty, creative and very fun time.  Our own children came back full of life recounting many stories from the camp and with a huge list of new friends.  An excellent time for all.

Having a heart for worship and a desire to have more of the presence of God, Jose Maria invited Marc James for a Worship Evening at one of our local churches.  Marc is a good friend of the family and is also front man for the band ‘Verra Cruz’ and the writer of worship song ‘I Surrender’.  This worship evening was a fantastic time where we just bathed in God’s presence and had a chance to practice worshiping freely as musicians and singers.  We are hoping to schedule more of these worship evenings and invite other worship leaders and team members from the area.

Almost at the end of August we hosted the Heartbridge Arts team - a 50 strong YWAM group from the Hawaii base - most DTS students with some second level school students and of course their leaders.  Staying for just under one week the team spent their last week of outreach in the heart of Notting Hill.  Having been on tour for 8 weeks throughout Europe & Morocco, they had some fantastic stories to tell and an excellent production to present.  Their days were spent going on the streets doing short dances and drumming and inviting people to the performances and in the afternoons they opened the doors for free dance, theatre and music workshops ending their week with three performances through Friday and Saturday.

Considering it was a very quiet week due to the holidays the team did a fantastic job of engaging people.  We had around 30-40 people in the church who were not part of our group or connected to the church and all these people got treated to amazing dance, music and theatre and also heard about God’s father heart for them.  From being present at the performances I could see that the production had a very powerful effect.  People did not want to leave afterwards but instead stayed to talk with the performers and the rest of us, some asking for prayer but mostly just savouring the love and God’s presence that was so evident in the place.

One gentleman said this “…before I came here there was a brick wall between me and God.  After the performance I felt some of those bricks come down.”

This team’s passionate heart for worship and the arts really permeated the area and we could sense a significant difference in the atmosphere at the end of the week…just in time for the Notting Hill Carnival!

You can check out some of their performances and get more information on the team at www.goheartbridge.com.

So fresh from the performing arts team we headed straight on into the two day fiesta that is known as Notting Hill Carnival.  Hosted August bank holiday every year it is billed as Europe’s biggest carnival and there are certainly a lot of people there to lend weight to that statement!  The team volunteer with two other churches who host a music corner at the carnival for both days and also did some outreach outside Notting Hill Community Church.

I would say that this year was certainly the year that we realised just how much we could really do during this time.  With all the pressure of licences and process and commitees to go through to be part of the carnival itself we forget about keeping it simple.  Hugo and Gaby, two of our team had simple and effective evangelism ideas that we tested out.  After volunteering with the other church on the Sunday we gathered together at midnight and took a small table outside to offer tea and coffee to the masses still clinging to the streets.  We also took out a brooms to help clear away the piles and piles of rubbish that had accumulated during just that day.  These simple things brought us attention as people watched us clear away and approached some of the team to talk.

The second day I would say was the most fruitful of the two.  This time we set up the tea, coffee and water table just outside the Church.  A couple of days before we had prepared some handmade roses to give to people in ‘exchange’ for a prayer request.  We painted our faces and made ourselves visible and available for people to come and take free refreshments, prayers and engaging conversation.  Some of the team also went into the crowd to tackle the question ‘what is your future’.  At the end of our few hours on the streets we talked to many people, prayed for more and even had 5 commitments made to Christ.  Such a victory with such a small activity made us dream of a much bigger team and more activities for the next year which will hopefully result in a bigger harvest.

This was a very exciting time and completely worthwhile.  Though the carnival itself is a challenging place to be in we would love to invite people to come and evangelise and serve with the team and other local churches to help, particular art groups and others with creative ideas that could capture people’s attention and bring light into the prominent darkness there.  If you are interested in getting involved please email jose@ywamlondon.com and let him know how you can and are willing to serve at next year’s carnival.

There is a harvest to be taken…come and be part of it!

So the end of the summer months ended with a bang but there were also birthdays celebrated, holidays taken and even a wedding during this time so we have re-charged our energy and are now preparing to launch into the DTS starting at the end of September.  God is good!

It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day and priveledge for us to be part of an initiative that really seeks to bring about the unity that Jesus so desired for us. Several of the base team members were able to make it and we take part in this important event.

Please take a look at the Global Day of Prayer website www.gdoplondon.com that will have more information about this initiative, how the day went and also how you can be involved and ready for the next global day of prayer next year.

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

Recently the government has had some bills to consider and vote on and we have been following the progress of these closely and prayerfully. The two major issues deal with animal-human embryonic stem cells and saviour siblings, and the second issue is the vote to keep the abortion upper limit and the needs for consideration of a father in IVF treatment. Both of these speak right to our very foundations - to life itself and who we are. Increasingly we take our focus off our creator God and give in to rationalism, logical reasoning and humanistic values that allow for so many unjustices and unfortunately we are seeing this reflected more and more in our everyday and the consequences that this way of life brings not only for us, but for future generations.

Though this time saddened the heart we continue to look to stand and pray trusting and declaring that God has good plans for this government, this nation and His people.

]]> http://ywamlondon.com/2008/05/23/government-a-voice-for-the-voiceless/feed/ http://ywamlondon.com/2008/05/22/dts-first-month-complete/ http://ywamlondon.com/2008/05/22/dts-first-month-complete/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 20:31:07 +0000 obsta21 http://prov17.com/ywamlondon/?p=55 The first month of the lecture phase is now complete and we look back at some of the things that have been happening in the life of the DTS.  Firstly we had the pleasure of celebrating Luke’s birthday shortly after his arrival where he was treated to an unusual and interesting savoury breakfast and of course cake!  The evening before the ladies of the house were busy blowing up balloons and practising their singing as well as attempting to make his special breakfast without rousing any suspicion…he certainly looked surprised when he got it so it must have worked!

One of the first official events that the DTS helped with was the Beijing 2 London conference at the Emmanuel Church.  This started on the Friday evening with a leaders meeting and followed with a full day on the Saturday.  Being incredibly skilled the students put their photography and sound technician skills to good use while the other two students helped their team, encouraged one another and made good conversations and friends with the rest of the team.  Over all, the event though not large in numbers brought together people with a heart and passion for people and mission and with a desire to be part of the journey to link London to China via the old trading route - the Silk Road.  There will be more events coming up so if you would like to know more about this vision and maybe be a part of it email the team on ilovesilk@oval.com.

For their first mini-outreach the students and team went up to the YWAM base at the Kings Lodge to help out with the Wildfire (Kings Kids) activity.  This consisted of a 2 hour mini bus journey with some interesting choice of songs eventually dying out into gentle snoring.  During the weekend we joined with the Wildfire Nuneaton team and got stuck in to interacting with the children and young people as well as putting on different activities around the town to bless people.  We had a car wash, prayer table, football game and drama going out over the town as well as a group of intercessors going round and covering the whole day.  It was an enjoyable time and the students were certainly a hit with the young people! 

Also this month we joined the Week of Prayer for Parliament supporting two team members who regularly pray and interceed for this key area.  This is such a strategic and key location where God needs to be sovereign and it is part of our hearts to pray for our leaders and those in authority so that they can honour God by their decision making.  See the parliament page for photos and updates on what is happening there.

And finally, at the end of the month and on the ‘anniversary’ of their arrival we had bad news.  One of our students, who also happens to be an amazing drummer, broke his arm.  And not just a normal break but a really awkward break that required him to go back to USA and seek medical help.  It was a really difficult time for all of us because all though they may not have been here too long, they are our family and we love them, so the things that affect them also affect us.  Both brothers had to go home but we have since received one of them back again after a week’s absence and hear that the arm is healing well and that Jesse himself is doing well.  So four are now three and though it is a painful loss, we continue to seek God and trust in Him, knowing full well that He is in control.

Welcoming these guys on the first day we could already see they had a presence about them and such potential to be radical men of God and throughout these two weeks, we have been seeing a little more of that. Already God is teasing out things He wants to deal with in their lives as well as awakening a passion and fire for Him and grounding them in His firm foundation. It is great to see them asking questions and really seeking and hungering for Him.

As week three starts we are starting to get a little bit deeper into what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Though it’s early days we give thanks to God for what He is already doing and the greater freedom to come.