We’re almost three weeks into the most recent Discipleship Training School, and I’m struggling to make time to update the blog. So much good stuff is happening!

We’ve added a group of ten (from the US, Canada, Costa Rica, and Ireland) to our community in Closkelt, here for six months of training and participation in some of the works we’re involved with. They’re really a great bunch, I must say, and I am already hoping that a lot of them will stay on with YWAM Ireland long term.

Those of you from YWAM will have varied pictures of what a DTS is supposed to be, and those visualizations will include growth, learning, praying, missions, and a variety of other things. We really need the DTS to reflect the realities of a training programme for missions within YWAM and also therefore to reflect where the Lord has our community at present – which is in a place of new vision, new opportunities, risk taking, and reaching out to a broken and beautiful world (all the good stuff that YWAMers have been doing since the late 60’s). We’re hoping to create an environment of inspiration for these new students, a time of realizing their gifts and their calling, a place of invitation to participate in YWAM Ireland’s mandate for reconciliation and missions (both locally and abroad, especially in nations with a history of conflict).

The first two weeks of this DTS were a mixture of orientation, team building, and teachings on the foundational values of YWAM. We also had a chance to spend a couple days in Belfast, learning about Irish history and seeing the living evidence of present sectarianism, as well as introduce our group to our colleagues in Belfast and thus help our broader community to grow in unity. A few minutes prior to our arrival in Belfast, we’d just secured the lease of a large townhouse to house the DTS students arriving for the Reconciliation DTS in November, and we arrived as the papers were being signed, happy to be the first occupants, hoping to warm the house with our presence and prayers ahead of more new arrivals in a few weeks. Unfortunately, unarranged details regarding utilities precluded any heating or hot water. Instead, we hunkered around at night to hot tea and testimonies, amazed at the many different ways Christ had brought us to Him and, then now, together.

In short, I’m really looking forward to the next couple months. This is only the second DTS I’ve lead and seventh I’ve seen in Closkelt. My two staff are great, fully engaged, creative and gifted leaders, and I couldn’t really ask for much more. The group will be going to South Africa on outreach in January, though neither Renee or I will go with. Throughout the school, you can regularly check out the YWAM Ireland website and blog for regular updates posted by the DTS (first one going up on the 24th or 25th, then every three weeks afterwards). Enjoy!