Lecture Phase Reflections

It’s been a busy couple months here in DTS. We just finished week 9 (CRAZY!!) and have had quite the adventure so far with both God and with each other. We’ve been spending time in the classroom, outdoors in practical lessons, in ministry in the community, and in team activities. I’ve been pushed and challenged, encouraged and filled up, and stepping into new and intimidating things like leading worship and giving sermons. God has really been doing a work in me, through me, and throughout my team also. Here’s some highlights over the last few weeks…

During week 5, our focus was on the “Divine Plumb Line” (referencing the book of Amos and God calling Israel back into alignment with truth in His perfect will). This week was led by guest speakers who have a focus on Biblical counseling and inner healing through Jesus. We addressed a lot of areas in our character that need maturing, lies we each believed about God and ourselves, wounds we’ve incurred in life, and found a lot of deep healing and freedom from the Lord in one-on-one sessions with them. For most of us (staff and students alike), this was a significantly impactful week fueling massive growth in our journeys with God. He did some pretty great things! Having walked through some forgiveness and addressing some lies I’d been believing about myself, I walked away feeling more settled than I realized possible. I’ve noticed a shift in myself as I’ve been carrying more confidence and security in who I am in Christ. More than ever being able to praise God for the good things He’s put in me.

Week 6 was called “Adventurous Faith”. We talked about stepping out in faith and taking calculated risks, both in life and in our walks with God. So for a more practical lesson of this we packed our bags, loaded up the truck with a few days worth of supplies, and took it as far as it could go. Then we hiked the rest of the way to Mount Mumpu, climbing through a bat cave to summit about 6,000ft. Climbing mountains and trekking through the bush actually has felt quite natural, there’s a sense of being “at home” with all of this. And I’m grateful that the Lord has sent me here because I’ve found deep rest in my soul during moments like these especially.

Missions week was week 7, and week 8 we learned about simple Church and cross-cultural evangelism. Hearing the words “everyone has a right to hear the gospel. It’s a basic human right to know the truth” really stirred in my heart. Lately I’ve been finding myself longing for the comforts of home. But remembering the “why” in leaving it all behind to come here and looking at why we go and tell people about Jesus was convicting and challenging! The fire inside for sharing truth and teaching people all Jesus commanded started burning a little hotter.

Last weekend we did “Carry Your Cross Survival Camp”. Our leaders briefly mentioned it before but the intention was to keep most things a surprise for us. So that Friday morning our leaders introduced the lesson looking at where Jesus says to “pick up your cross and follow me” and what it means to carry our cross. Then they gave us a short packing list: backpack, sleeping bag, warm layers for overnight, water, flashlight, and a knife, and said “we leave in 30 minutes, go pack!” In a scramble we packed our bags, picked up the large (and heavy) wooden cross, and headed for our first challenge. For the next 24 hours we did team building challenges, solved riddles, and pushed ourselves to our limits to earn food and “survive” a night in the bush on our own, taking turns carrying the cross on our backs along the way. We learned practically what it means to leave comforts behind, die to ourselves and sacrifice for each other by taking care of each other’s needs before our own. It was so fun, so challenging, and absolutely what our team needed to overcome some of our tensions and struggles and start to truly be vulnerable with each other.

Thank you again to everyone who’s joining hands with me on this journey through prayer, sharing financial resources as the Lord leads, and sending words of encouragement. I’m greatly blessed by this community of believers surrounding me and supporting me!!