Friday, August 12, 2011
Are you wanting to make a difference?!?!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Compassion DTS Leaders
School Leader:
Hello!
My name is Tessa Dawn Meakins. I am 28 years old and am originally from Alberta, Canada.
I have been on staff with YWAM Newcastle for just over 5 years. I have worked in a number of different ministries including: Cafe' Manager, Youth Leader, DTS Leader, etc. I am also part of the Leadership Team here at YWAM Newie.
I grew up in a Christian home with a single mom, an older sister, and a younger brother; but it wasn't until I did my DTS that I really fell head over heals in love with Jesus. During the 3rd week of my DTS God told me to come join YWAM and leave everything I knew and relied on behind me. What a scary word to get so early on in a school- but I was committed to being obedient and walking in the things God had for me. So I stayed after DTS was finished and have loved every moment of it!
I recently got married to an amazingly attractive man called Sanerive Fuiava.
Some random facts about me:
- I get excited about DTS because I love seeing people have revelations about God and who he is.
- I have just recently found a love for coffee and coffee shops
- I love turning old cheap furniture into cute trendy pieces
- I really enjoy camping and the great outdoors, but am also really into make up and fashion
- Flying on planes terrifies me, I would much rather go on a road trip
- This October 2011 DTS will be the 5th DTS that I have been a part of
- I collect vases and Starbucks mugs
Me with my brother's dog "Flash"
My boyfriend Sanerive' and I at a wedding in Seattle
School Co Leader:
Hi my name is Jeremy Randall!
Like a strange super hero I got my fathers penchant for talking a lot and making people feel good about themselves and my mothers skills of being hilariously weird and funny and then suddenly pulling amazingly well baked goods out of an oven you didnt know was situated right there. I was once described as ronald macdonald..... weird.
I'm child 3 of 4. Pastors kid. All of us live in different cities in Australia. I have had every beard and hair style you can think of. I've played in bands since i was 14. I grew up in Canberra, moved out of home at 19, worked in a gas station, printed photos and shot weddings. I have road tripped the east coast quite a lot but i never bore of a good 4 person 2 day no shower road trip. Meeting amazing people on the way.
Some random facts about me:
- I love people
- I love the trinitarian model of loving and dream of one day being like that
- I love growing beards because i am no good at shaving
- I love when God gets randoms to hand me perfect books to read for that moment
- I love creating and conversing into the night times.
- I love seeing other cultures and having them disagree with my own
- I like seeing amazing good in people and telling them about it and seeing their eyes open to the ridiculously huge potential God has created in us to partner with him in rescuing a fallen existence
- I want to meet you and push you into that potential.
- I love adventuring with fellow puzzle pieces in Gods body,house, temple priesthood.
SO come along and join me!
Always ready for an adventure!
Hello!
LOVE to worship :D
School Staff
Hi! My name is Dieuwke, Im 29 years old and Im from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Im on Staff with Ywam Newcastle Australia since this August, I did my DTS (Summer Classic) over here, starting January 2011. DTS has been the best half year, no kidding, it has changed my life!
Some random facts about me:
- Im super excited about this DTS and meeting all of you guys!
- I have an Engineering degree, don't ask me why...
- Roses are my favourite!
- Im addicted to Chai Tea.
- My heart breaks for the poor and needy in this world.
- I fell off my bike when I was 4 and still have a bumb on my forehead because of it.
- I have been in 28 different countries, no not just Airports...
- I absolutely love Dutch black licorice.
- His heartbeat, that's where I want to direct people to.
- No one knows how to pronounce my name properly, not even people from my own country (excl. myself).
- I love roadtrips and sleeping out in the open, preferably on the beach.
- I love water; I grew up with a lot of sailing, canoeing, kayaking and boattrips. 3 years ago I got more into surfing.
- I have a strong sense of justice, of right and wrong, and want to fight for the only 2 things that will last forever: truth and people.
- Im actually quite shy and modest, but people don't always notice... :)
So, I grew up in an amazing and loving family; there is mum & dad, my older brother and sister, (who are both married, one has 3 kids and the other 2) and my younger brother and sister (my younger brother Jelle lives in Spain and will visit me Nov/ Dec at Newie, Yeahhh)! My 4 nieces and 1 nephew are my hero's, I miss them like crazy!
I have been a Christian all my life, but it wasn't untill my 20th that I started getting personal with God. This has been life changing, I have grown so much ever since.
For the past 9 years I have done many different things on the mission field within Europe during my free time. I used to work fulltime as a 'Display Designer/ Window dresser' for a Fashion shop and later as 'Recruiter/ Coordinator Testing solutions' for the Airport.
God called me to full time mission work for a while, but it was only 1 year ago I was able to give up everything that I was trying to hold on to; my house, my stuff, my job, my country, my family, my friends, everything... It has been the best choice of my life! I can't describe how much I have learned and how much I have been growing this year, you should come and experience it yourself! The only advice I can give is: 'don't hold back and give back everything to God, because He is to be trusted'.
Rewind... Information on what will actually be happening during the DTS!
If you would like any more information, other than what I provide here, I will have the link to the source of the information below the content. If this does not answer the question or curiosities you have, please don't hesitate to post a comment, or ask me, and I will endeavour to answering them to the best of my ability.
Cheers! :)
WHAT IS A DTS?
The Discipleship Training School (DTS) is an intensive 24/7 (24 hours, 7 days a week) Christian training course carried over 6 months. Three months (11-12 weeks) are spent in lectures/training at the YWAM base (the one I will be at will be in Newcastle, though there are bases ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!) and three months are spent over seas, putting what was learnt in the classroom, into a practical field assignment, as part of the ultimate assignment (Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit").
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A DTS?
(Note: Copied and pasted from source mentioned at the bottom)
The purpose of a DTS is:
1. To GATHER and CHALLENGE people to worship, to listen to and obey God, releasing
them (in the context of the DTS) to serve through evangelism, intercession, acts of
compassion and other expressions of God's heart for the world, possibly even pioneering
new ministries.
2. To INSPIRE and CULTIVATE growth in one's relationship with God resulting in Christ like character, which is based on a solid Biblical foundation, the work of the Holy Spirit and the
personal application of Biblical truth, especially concerning God's Character, the Cross
and empowering Grace.
3. To SHARPEN one's ability to relate to, learn from and work with people, including those of
different cultures, personalities and perspectives.
4. To further EQUIP each one to serve God's purposes either in or outside of YWAM Family
of Ministries, strengthening a commitment to reach the lost, especially the unreached, to
care for the poor, and to influence all areas of society.
5. To IMPART the vision and foundational values of Youth With A Mission International as
well as that of the host operating location and to provide information regarding a variety of
opportunities for service.
WHAT ARE THE GRADUATE AIMS OF A DTS?
- With a growing understanding of the breadth and depth of God’s character and ways
- Who are becoming more like Jesus in the way they relate to God and people
- Who increasingly cooperate with the empowering presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit
- Who listen to and obey God as the result of God’s enabling Grace
- Who search the Scripture in such a way that transforms beliefs, values and behaviours
- With strengthened lifestyles of worship, intercession and spiritual warfare
- With a greater ability to work with others, especially those different to themselves
- Who can share the Gospel with the lost and have a life long commitment to do so
- With a commitment to continue to be involved in some way with God’s work among the
nations, including unreached people, the poor and needy and in spheres of society - Who understand the calling and values of YWAM and are aware of a variety of
opportunities available to them throughout YWAM - With a clearer understanding of God’s purposes for their life and a sense of their life
direction - Who either:
1. Go on to serve God in either a context familiar or foreign to them
2. Pursue further training (in or outside of YWAM) to equip them for further service.
In short, the DTS course outcomes are as follows:
- To encounter God
- To see all of life from God's perspective
- To recognise Jesus as Lord
- To become more like Jesus
- To do the works of Jesus
- To orientate to YWAM
Training is delivered in a variety of ways, some of which are as follows:
- Classroom lectures
- Guided group discussions
- Research projects
- field training (local and overseas ministry and outreach)
- Intercession
- Prayer
- Worship
- Bible studies
- Morning devotions
- Individual mentoring times
- General housekeeping responsibilities
- Personal Studies, etc.
The teachers can be anyone from resident staff, to local pastors and ministers, to people (lecturers) visiting from different parts of the world! The visiting lecturers are experienced in their field of ministry and willing to share :) There are also leaders for the DTS, which I will do a post to introduce you to them, so you can also share the experience with me.
As I said above, if the link
(http://ywamnewcastle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Course-Information-Handbook-DTS-20110305.pdf) does not provide all the answers or ease your curiosity, please don't hesitate to drop me a comment, email or have a chat to me.
Have a great night and until next time,
God bless :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Pay Pal
New Posts
Months Unspoken, Now Spoken (All about what has been happening since March)
http://kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/06/months-unspoken-now-spoken.html
It's Time to Raise Support (All about raising support - pretty self-explanatory)
http://kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-time-to-raise-support.html
It's Time to Raise Support :)
Dear Friends and Family,
Wow, another year has almost gone since I last had the chance to write to you. Some of you I see regularly and some of you not so much, which I wish was different but sadly locations and times can make that goal difficult to achieve.
How are you all? What’s been happening? What has God been doing in your life? I look forward to hearing your answers either by email (rakaah@gmail.com), mail (15 Logan St, Gatton, 4343, QLD) or text message (0400909755), but let me tell you my answers in advance.
This past year has been an interesting year. It’s been one of ups and downs on the roller coaster of life, which I know most people ride regularly with me on, whether daily or yearly. It’s been one of trusting God, losing sight of God’s direction and therefore loss of perseverance of finding life’s enjoyments with God. But it has also been one, where I have learnt a lot of things too.
I’ve learnt to persevere through the hard times; to go to God first (or try to), and rely on God to help me get through the hard times. I’ve learnt the importance of regular quiet times with God, and the fact that regular contact, as we do in our friendships, is important to maintain the growing relationship that God programmed us to have. I have also found direction for six months of my life, which is exciting and a totally new step in an area that I would never have considered for myself four years ago.
For the last few months to almost a year, God has slowly been opening my heart to the concept of doing a Discipleship Training School (DTS) with Youth With A Mission, more commonly known as YWAM. (More details of this catalyst can be found on the blog I have created to share my YWAM experience, or leading up to YWAM experience, which is www.kara-followinginhisfootsteps.blogspot.com). But one of the more exciting things, which I haven’t actually had the chance to write about on my blog, is that I’ve actually put in an application to one of Australia’s YWAMs AND been accepted, which is REALLY exciting.
In October, this year (2011), I will be travelling down to Newcastle (New South Wales), Australia, for six months, to complete a DTS. What is a DTS you may ask? A DTS is an intensive, residential training course, which is based on the Bible, covering topics like God’s nature and character; building and maintaining Godly relationships; God’s intentions for individuals, peoples, and nations; the value of human life through the eyes of the creator; bringing the promise of hope into a broken world and addressing issues of poverty and injustice, just to name a few. These topics are covered in the lecture phase, which is conducted in the first 12 weeks of the six month course duration, and prepares the students for the following phase, putting the classroom teachings into action, which is outreach.
This year, the Compassion DTS (which is the DTS I am doing), has two team outreach locations. The first team will spend two weeks in Toowoomba helping out in the community, with people affected by the January floods (and yes there is still a lot of work to be done), as well as the general community, followed by eight weeks in Cambodia; and the second team will spend five weeks in Latvia and five weeks in Russia. All three overseas outreach locations will be focusing on ‘children at risk’ and human trafficking groups, which is exciting as it’s a field I was really keen to get into a few years ago, but just didn’t know how to.
Some of you may think that this is crazy, bizarre, and an act of delusion, and maybe I am delusional. But I would rather take the risk and appear delusional for God, and search for the unique plan He has for me, as well as every single one of us, than fit in with every day life; continuing in attempting degrees, spending money, gambling time in trial and error of what I think may be the right direction for my life and losing hope and purpose in living, every time I fall short. So I have decided that no matter what trials, difficulties or challenges I come across in this ensuing journey, I am going to give it everything I have; I am going to trust God with every aspect of my life, and I am going to allow my heart to be open for change. If this isn’t a part of God’s plan, then I will accept it, and seek His guidance for the plan He does have for me, but some help would also be appreciated.I am looking for people who would be able to support me, whether through finance, prayer, or anything that you think may help. Currently my prayer requests are as follows:
· Raising all the money ($3950) required for the lecture phase (which covers food, accommodation, classes, etc.) before the due date of 4th of October 2011
· That the plans God has for me, would become clear and fall into place, and that I’d be able to let go of the plans that aren’t His.
· Ideas to raise awareness and support for outreach, which is between $2500 and $4500.
· Learning to trust in God 100%; be content with His provisions and blessings, and to know that I should not be scared of anything, as He is in control.
· That the people that God has called would respond, whether that is to do this DTS or to speak or whatever God may have placed on people’s hearts.
If you would be interested in supporting me in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be contacting you personally in July, especially if I haven’t heard from you, to see how you are going and to find out if you can support me in any way, and if you would be interested in getting regular updates on the whole YWAM experience?
Hope you are all well.
GBUG (God Bless U Good),
Kara Martin
38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:38)Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Months Unspoken Now Spoken
In the last few months, almost a year, that I have seriously been considering on going to YWAM, I have been told and also have been telling myself to wait until I was stable, until I was sure that God was directing me to YWAM, before putting in an application. However, this has also added stress on what I can and can't do, as everything is up in the air and I don't want to commit to anything that I could not be certain that I would be available for.
I had already narrowed down the YWAM base choices to Norton Hills, Adelaide, South Australia (Justice and Mercy DTS), Newcastle (Outdoor DTS, Compassion DTS), Darwin, Townsville (Ship DTS), and Byron Bay. With these five bases and six DTSs, I knew it would not be easy to identify which base, if any, that I'd be going to this year (2011). So I started to try and just make healthy choices, or choices that appeared to be fruitful, whether in refinding my identity, building my relationship with God, learning good coping strategies, and conflict resolution strategies and confrontational confidence, amongst other things, and whilst to date (21/6/2011), not all have been completed; some have been undertaken and have also narrowed down the choices in YWAM bases.
One of the undertaken healthy -development for future choices was doing a Life Keys, Care Force, Recovery Program - Woman to Woman course (founded by Allan and Helen Meyers), which in small groups, covered topics like...
- The Arena of Healing
- Functional and Dysfunctional Family Dynamics
- Coping Strategies of the Child and Adult
- Denial and Anger
- Rebuilding After Grief and Loss
- The Influence of Shame
- Overcoming Co-dependency
- Sexuality and Intimacy
- Forgiveness - Letting Go
- Stepping into the Future
- Newcastle's Compassion DTS;
- Norton Summit's Justice and Mercy DTS; and
- Townsville's Ship DTS,
Even with only one of my short listed three choices being available, I still wasn't sure if God was behind it. I didn't want to jump in, if God wasn't going to be there to catch me, but I also didn't want to be too afraid to get near the water's edge and basque in God's opinion of beauty.
It was the slowly building friendship with the compassion DTS leader, Tessa Meakins, that finally gave me the guts to start filling in my application, and to full prepare the application, in expectation of being fully accepted. Even though I had my doubts and hesitancies, Tessa had been able to answer every question I had, that would've made me reconsider YWAM altogether. So having no mind changing questions lefts, I had nothing else to do except to have a go at filling out the application.
The application process isn't just a simple tick and cross application. It has a few components. From medical history to police checks, children checks, and agreements to answering the following questions:
- Please describe your Christian experience and present relationship with the Lord. Give month and year of conversion.
- What noticeable changes have you experienced since then?
- What areas of your character are you presently seeking God to further develop?
- Do you feel God has given you, or is leading you into any particular area of ministry at YWAM Newcastle and in general?
- Describe Christian work you have done.
- How do you feel you adapt and respond to changes in situations and new environments?
- Do you feel called to serve God full-time in ministry/missions? Give details.
With police checks and passport also obtained quickly and easily, apart from being a bit more lighter in pocket, things have come across easily, encouraging me to think more that maybe God is behind this, but there was still some uncertainty.
About a week before I submitted my application, I got an email from Darwin YWAM however, asking me how I was going and that they had been praying for me, as a potential YWAM student (due to interest I'd shown in one of their DTSs earlier in the year). Three things that God had told them was:
- Psalm 91
(1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”) - be open to the plans God has for you - don't hold back.
- Nothing is impossible with God
However, I knew I could not pull out. That I'd already come this far and there was no point quitting. Even though I wanted to pull out so many times, especially in the time from putting my application in, to being accepted, I had to tell myself, be reminded and still tell myself that God is in control of this all and to trust in Him with everything I had and am still to have.
So now I am at the spot of support raising, trusting in God and knowing His will, will be done. I am no saint among sinners, or a saint among saints, or a saint at all for a matter of fact... I'm just like you, a child of God, just wanting to give everything I have and work for the Lord!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Excitement has been unleashed.
The two teams that the Compassion DTS are being sent to are as follows:
Team A: Toowoomba and Cambodia - 2 weeks in Toowoomba helping with flood relief and setting up the new YWAM base, and 8 weeks in Cambodia.
Team B: Latvia and Russia - 5 weeks in Latvia and 5 weeks in Russia.
This is all the information that has been released to this date, but it is exciting. It is also going to make it harder to be able to define my ambitions and God's desires. I don't think I have ever fully recovered my heart after going to Cambodia the first time, but I only want to go if I am 100% sure that is where God wants me to go. I also drive for the sense of adventure... of exploring new places, and that is where Russia and Latvia have a little bit of a kick in the side as well.
So at this moment, I am putting my thoughts of YWAM off for one week and just digging into God's Word. I want to be on fire for Him first and to have no one but Him as my source of life. So this blog will not be updated for a week, unless there is urgent news and a flame is turned into a bonfire! Until next week, GBUG