Reflections Of DTS
Published on Nov 18, 2015
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
REFLECTIONS
TESTIMONIES FROM DTS STUDENTS
"The pull of materialism after having 'denied yourself' for a period of time can be a real draw, but very subtle at first. I found that I felt I deserved the right to spend money on whatever I liked as soon as I started earning it again. Once you start giving into this pull it can be very hard to get out of the habit and not keep wanting more and more.
God knows what we need AND what we'd like and he meets our needs and gives us the desires of our hearts, so keep asking for His guidance when you go shopping!! It's important to remember that all we have is God's and we're called to be stewards of what He's given to us. We should always meet our obligations first, then fulfil our real needs and then our wants with the thought in mind of our brothers and sisters in greater need across the world."
"One thing I really missed was being able to meet with someone who I could be accountable to and pray with. Ask God to give you someone to pray with, maybe even someone who has had similar experiences to you in short term missions and can relate to your feelings of disorientation, loneliness or culture shock. It would be best to start meeting with someone as soon as possible after you return home; the longer you leave it, the less important it will seem. I left it, then didn't have anyone and really regretted it."
"Don't drift!! Don't get home and start to slack with your quiet times, thinking that you can give yourself a bit of a holiday. We always need to work at our relationship with God; the very nature of relationship is communication, so don't let things go or you may find that before you notice they have gone too far. God is not legalistic but he still wants to know how you are, what's going on and he still wants you to grow. You may find it helpful to get some daily Bible reading notes or other aids that help to be consistent and disciplined."
Photo by stephenjohnbryde
"The most difficult aspect of going home was loneliness - not having 90 people around and "on hand" 24 hours a day. Although I thought I would appreciate the peace and quiet, I consistently struggled with loneliness over the time I was home. I dealt with it by maintaining contact with YWAM and by organising groups of people to go out with to get my dose of "groups". Getting involved in church quickly also helped to strengthen relationships. Essentially, though, I learned to live with less people, noise and action around me."
Photo by DeeAshley
"Another difficulty was settling into church - maintaining and sharing joy and life I'd received in YWAM, without overwhelming people or dominating conversations with YWAM. I found meeting with my pastor soon after I came home, explaining what God had taught me and what my purpose at home was, was something that smoothed the way for me to become established in the church. I think it's important to become involved in the church and become settled - but probably not to become too involved and expect too much of a place of leadership. Take it slowly, make yourself available and serve and get counsel for the next step, don't walk in independence."
Photo by Claudio.Ar
"I found that settling into family life required the same responses - take the opportunities available to serve and show what you've learned in your actions. I felt a lot of grief at leaving YWAM - but realised I needed to deal with that before I returned home, so I could share in their happiness at my returning home."
Photo by photopehota
"Often at home we don't live up to our expectations of how we should be. It's important to move on even if we fail. It's good to find some people you can really share your heart and failures with. Don't feel that you can't share weaknesses openly because it will bring YWAM into disrepute. It's more important to be honest."
Photo by theqspeaks
"Going from lectures and input all day to only once or twice a week, is quite a shock so, to keep growing, we need to be active in seeking out resources for growth - teaching materials, conferences, etc. I found going over DTS notes and doing meditation of areas I found difficult, both a helpful thing."
Photo by xsix
"I think we need to realise that going home is entering a new phase, and not just rely on what we learned in YWAM. Don't have the same expectations that you had at YWAM. Don't think you've learned all there is to learn. Know what you're going home for and make that a priority. Are you going home to restore relationship with family? To serve the church? To earn money? Then make them a priority. Have a vision for the time and pursue God in that vision. Don't get side-tracked into other things, and keep your focus on growth in relationship with God."
Photo by Stuck in Customs
