I’ve believed in God since I was six—but nothing prepared me for what happened during my Discipleship Training School with YWAM.
DTS History
When a young man received a vision of “waves of young people” taking the gospel to all nations, he had the obedience, faith, and boldness to act on it. Now this vision has become the foundation of YWAM.
From the first Discipleship Training School that was held in 1969 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Loren Cunningham, the founder, started this program to train young people in missions through a training phase and outreach phase.
DTS begins with 3 months of teaching. This is a time where you can learn about God and build a foundation for your faith. From new believers to mature Christians, a discipleship training school is designed to grow people of all stages of life and help them to “know God.”
Each week, different topics are studied and you are invited to explore core teachings such as Hearing God’s Voice, the Holy Spirit, Bible Overview, Worldview and Apologetics, and more. This is known as the training phase, where you become equipped for missions and sharing the gospel.
The following 2-3 months include practical outreach. Where you get sent to a nation to spread the love of God!
It is a hands-on application of all that you learn during the training phase, where you get to “make God known.” Practically, you get to join a team with other DTS students, and serve in local ministries, tell people about God, and learn about new cultures and nations.
Now, this model is used worldwide today, and is the core training program of YWAM globally.
So I, knowing very little about the adventure I was about to take, packed my bags, moved across the world to a little island to join YWAM’s Discipleship Training School. I had no idea what to expect and if it would be worth uprooting my entire life for.
And even though I considered myself a Christian, once I got there, I realized there was so much more I had to learn…
Hearing God’s Voice
I’ve been a Christian for over 16 years and never realized I could hear God’s voice. This was the first lecture topic we had.
I grew up knowing that God in the Bible speaks and the importance of prayer, but I had never heard it put so simple. God is available to all of us, and wants to personally speak to you and me.
As amazing as it sounded, I wrestled a lot. Even though I called myself a Christian, I realized I had never really known God intimately. I always heard He wants a relationship with me, but I never believed it for myself.
Things shifted. I am called into a real relationship with God, and I was willing to say “yes”.
How to Find Quiet Time in a Busy Season
I was nervous for my alone time.
I love quiet, slow mornings and getting to recharge by myself. I didn’t know if I could have quiet times while living on a missionary base full of people. I wondered when there would be time and space to just be still and talk to God.
Though I loved being around people, I had to make time for myself too. I learned to wake up a little earlier. I learned to find a place I could sit in stillness when I needed it. I also learned that quiet times can look very different in different seasons.
Maybe I wasn’t able to spend an hour everyday reading my Bible, journaling, or processing. But I could wake up a little earlier to catch the sunrise with God before a busy day. Or I could sit in solitude during lunch and process away from the busyness.
I learned to prioritize time with God; but also learned that time with God and in stillness can look so many different ways.
How cool that I got to explore what intimacy can look like with the Creator of the Universe in such a beautiful place!
The Joy of Making Friendships with People from Around the World
“How could I be close friends with someone who acts, talks, and dresses so differently than me?”
I was naive and arrogant. I wondered what God was thinking when I heard that my DTS team was composed of people from 7 different countries.
But, there was so much joy in the differences!
I got to learn new styles, new music, and new cultures. I felt connected to places I had never been before because my new friends called them home.
The best part was learning that because we all believe in God, we had a very core thing in common. Knowing God, bridged all our differences and we learned to love each other so well because of how God first loved each of us.
It was so much fun. Now, I love knowing I have friends all over the world who love Jesus too!
Was it worth it?
Yes! Without a doubt. What I learned, how much I grew, the friendships I made, are invaluable to me. DTS changed my life.
I know God now.
And I can tell you it was worth it.
If you have more questions—whether it’s about dates, costs, housing, outreach—we’d love to help.
Visit our website for full details on DTS: ywamkona.org/dts/
