DTS or Bust! Coincidence? I Think Not!

The summer of 1991, I went on a missions trip with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) to France. While talking to people about Jesus on the streets of Paris and Marseille, the Lord birthed in me a passion for missions, and I committed my life to that great end. Upon my return, I informed my parents of my plans to do a six-month Discipleship Training School (DTS) with YWAM, much to their chagrin. They were afraid I’d joined some cult, and said they weren’t going to pay for me to take time off from college for that. So, I got a job at The Original Cookie Company at the Esplanade Mall my senior year and planned to save every penny (and eat as many free cookies as possible!) till I earned enough to go.

My Senior Picture - Check out those sweet earrings!  

After graduation, my parents offered me a trip to Costa Rica with my cousins. While my lucrative job at the mall (yeah, right!) was tough to leave behind, the prospect of spending the summer on the beach in Drake Bay was irresistible – especially since my aunt and uncle had acquired running water, electricity, and an indoor toilet by then! Meanwhile, my friend Aileen was heading to Hawaii with YWAM, and my mom, who is a travel agent, was booking her flight.  The agent needed to know where Aileen would be staying in Hawaii, and my mom told her “YWAM Honolulu.” The lady said, “YWAM? I did a DTS with YWAM 23 years ago and it changed my life!” My mom could hardly believe it! She asked the woman if she had some time to talk, and with tears in her eyes my mom listened as this sister shared the testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness to her through that experience. 

By the time she got off the phone, my mom’s mind was made up. If this woman could be so significantly shaped by her DTS, then that was exactly what she wanted for her daughter. She got in touch with YWAM herself, had them mail us an application, and that September, I was packing my bags for France and Senegal.  Unbelievable!  Similar to that agent on the phone, that experience changed my life, as my three months in Senegal confirmed to me not merely my calling to cross-cultural ministry, but more specifically to Africa.  What I never imagined was that 18 years later, that passion would bring me to the very country where it was born.  Isn’t God awesome?!

(My theological perspective has taken a different direction since my days with YWAM. This is merely a testimony, not an endorsement of an organization.  If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a line.)