WHAT DO I DO??? The Weekly Schedule

Hey all

I know some of you have been wanting to skype with me whilst I've been here and it's been confusing for you on when I am free to chat - my Mum is one of them... but I've finally gotten around to typing up a schedule so that you can see what my average week looks like in advance.

The yellow is usually a good time to skype me (my username is: peace-truth-love), as it's when I am supposed to be free, unless something comes up or I have weekend kitchen duties or one-on-one with my Small Group leader, so feel free to send me an email and schedule a time. :-)

And for those that are just curious at what I do each day, I'll give you a break down below the schedule of what each thing means and what it involves, etc.

I AM 17 HOURS BEHIND AUSTRALIA'S QUEENSLAND TIME AND 18 HOURS BEHIND NEW SOUTH WALES. SO PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN SCHEDULING A TIME.

*The Schedule Explained...*

Breakfast and pack lunch - This means we have to pack our lunch (usually sandwiches and chips), whilst breakfast is being served, otherwise unless going to the shops, which are an hour away, you will starve.

Free time - This time is set aside for us to do assessment, correspond with people back home, study for exams, have an hour with our small group leader (also known as one-on-one or discipleship time), go for a hike, watch movies with other people (or by yourself), go with a van load of people to the mall (or other locations), do extra ministry time with a van-load of people, sleep, etc.

Church - We have the option of catching a van to one of two churches: Bridgeway (http://www.bridgeway.us) which is based in Denver (over an hour's drive away) or The (Mile High) Vineyard (http://www.milehighvineyard.org/) which is down near Arvada (just over half an hour's drive away).

Monday Worship down at the YWAM base in Arvada - Every Monday we drive down to Arvada (from our base - Eagle Rock, which is located near Black Hawk) and join the other half of the YWAM Denver campus in worship.  There's usually 300 of us (staff and students) that are gathering (for this quarter) at the Ward St Faith Bible Chapel across the road from the YWAM Denver campus.

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Small Group - A DTS (Discipleship Training School) usually has 'small groups' as part of its curriculum.  This is a time where you, along with a few other people (of the same gender), gather with a staff member (of the same gender).  It's a time where you can ask questions, have discussions on specific topics, do fun activities and just get to know a group of people more familiarly than the rest of the school.  

This is my small group here:

From left to right: Amy (Small Group Leader - Colorado/Pennsylvania), Amber (Pennsylvania, USA), Me (Toowoomba, Australia), Maria (Texas, USA) & Lynelle (California, USA).

Laundry - Each Monday we get the opportunity to bring our laundry down and wash it at a local laundromat.  This can be a fun and also a mad experience where mishaps, adventures and a lot of laughs can happen.

Community Ministry - For a couple hours of each Monday we do ministry in the community.  This is usually anything from prayer walks (and van rides) to child minding at another organisation, to being a leader at scouts, to helping clean and do odd jobs at different missions around the Denver area.  It's a great time to focus outwards and see a lot more than the society you usually see.

Group Devotion - As we have a late night on Tuesdays, we are allowed to sleep in an extra thirty minutes (if we so desire) and instead of having a scheduled quiet time to do individual devotions (although you can still do them) we gather as a group and one of the staff members will do a devotional message before we start our week with the first lecture.

Outreach Meeting - The funnest meeting of the week. Once a week we gather in our outreach teams (Colombia, Costa Rica, Uganda/Tanzania/Rwanda) and unify more solidly, discussing outreach concerns, practicing Spanish, and just working through the logistics that get each team individually prepared for outreach.

This is the team that I am heading to and spending 2 months in Colombia and Peru with.
Back Left to Right: Jeremy (Japan), Brady (Kansas, USA), Taylor (Iowa, USA), Caleb (Delaware, USA).
Middle Left to Right: Emery (Oklahoma, USA), Alex (Oregon, USA), Jenna (LEADER - Pennsylvania, USA), Kelci (Greece), Paul (Colorado, USA), Micah (Pennsylvania, USA).
Front Left to Right: Hanna (Texas, USA), Maria (Texas, USA), Joel (ASSISTANT LEADER - California, USA), Kara (Toowoomba, Australia).

Work Duties - This is another part of YWAM's curriculum to help keep costs low, in which we have a quota of work hours that are to be met to pass the University of the Nations curriculum standards.  This time is usually spent doing the same genre styled jobs.  For example, I am in maintenance for the whole quarter that I am here.  The other styles of work duties up at Eagle Rock (for this quarter) are child care, receptionist, breakfast preparation, dinner preparation, house keeping, and clean up.

Quiet Time / Lights Out - This is a self-enforced guideline curfew of when you are to be in your room (quiet time) and then when the lights and everything electronic or battery operated is to be switched off (lights out).  On weekdays it is earlier, with the Internet also being cut off after 11pm, but it does ensure that there's no distractions for yourself or your room mates, during a time which should be fore your body to rest.  You can go to bed earlier, it's just a guideline to ensure everyone has a chance to get a decent night's sleep.

Outreach Prep - This is another class, but it is solely focused on preparing each person for outreach.  It covers topics like skits/dramas, presenting sermons, writing a testimony, learning languages, creating games for different age groups, etc.  This class I find extremely challenging, but I am also starting to enjoy it a lot too.

This can all sound like a lot of rules and a very busy schedule, but being in the mountains you don't usually realise that and just feel immensely blessed with all that God has done and is doing through you, your YWAM family, and the creation around you.