Tuesday, January 20
This morning we had a really nice worship session - one of Holmsted‘s staff, a guy named Paul, played the guitar and lead. Here worship doesn’t have a time limit; when we have worship it goes on as long as we feel lead. That means that the worship and teaching is that much more meaningful; guided by the Holy Spirit rather than schedules.
In the late morning we had a “lesson” on Intimacy With God - I say it that way because it seemed more like a discussion than a lesson or lecture. Peter (26, The Netherlands), one of our DTS staff, lead it.
Bangers and mash with homemade gravy and fresh vegetables for lunch! That was really good - as usual, I went back for seconds and thirds.
Today was the day we were assigned our work duties, so after lunch an American gal named Gina told us about all of the possible options and why we have work duties for students here at Holmsted, then we had to watch some very old and campy videos about food safety in order to comply with Health and Safety department regulations. After that we got to request what area we’d like to be assigned to. Of the options available I put down the kitchen as my first choice, hospitality as my second, and maintenance as my third - I got the kitchen, so I and three other students will be helping in the kitchen for an hour or two each weekday afternoon, cleaning the kitchen and preparing vegetables and things for the coming meals.
This evening we all went into the leather room to hear the leader’s and other student’s testimonies.
This was intense. Four hours this night, two tomorrow - time devoted to letting each individual tell their life story. Twenty-seven people - stories of abusive parents, happy families, lives on the mission field in war zones, growing up in the charismatic church, lives in ordinary neighborhoods with no troubles, near-death experiences, leukemia, leaving a degrading life behind, psychological disorders, lovers torn apart, miraculous healing, betrayal… the only common thread a desire to know God more. When you spend several days in the company of a group of people, you tend to put each individual in their own little box. The boxes are gone.
In the late morning we had a “lesson” on Intimacy With God - I say it that way because it seemed more like a discussion than a lesson or lecture. Peter (26, The Netherlands), one of our DTS staff, lead it.
Bangers and mash with homemade gravy and fresh vegetables for lunch! That was really good - as usual, I went back for seconds and thirds.
Today was the day we were assigned our work duties, so after lunch an American gal named Gina told us about all of the possible options and why we have work duties for students here at Holmsted, then we had to watch some very old and campy videos about food safety in order to comply with Health and Safety department regulations. After that we got to request what area we’d like to be assigned to. Of the options available I put down the kitchen as my first choice, hospitality as my second, and maintenance as my third - I got the kitchen, so I and three other students will be helping in the kitchen for an hour or two each weekday afternoon, cleaning the kitchen and preparing vegetables and things for the coming meals.
This evening we all went into the leather room to hear the leader’s and other student’s testimonies.
This was intense. Four hours this night, two tomorrow - time devoted to letting each individual tell their life story. Twenty-seven people - stories of abusive parents, happy families, lives on the mission field in war zones, growing up in the charismatic church, lives in ordinary neighborhoods with no troubles, near-death experiences, leukemia, leaving a degrading life behind, psychological disorders, lovers torn apart, miraculous healing, betrayal… the only common thread a desire to know God more. When you spend several days in the company of a group of people, you tend to put each individual in their own little box. The boxes are gone.
Wednesday, January 21
This morning several men and women from the surrounding towns came and told us about the different ministries they run and about the opportunities we’ll have to join them on Friday nights. Then Alex, one of the girls on the DTS staff, spoke about hearing God’s voice.
First day of work duties today - the kitchen hadn’t been ‘deep cleaned’ in a while because of a staff change, so we spent about an hour and a half scrubbing away.
At 4:00 we all met back at The Leather Room for a discussion about community values. Basically, we went through a list of what they call values as opposed to rules - things having to so with quiet hours, media in public rooms, drinking, dating, and decency in public areas.
It was really constructive - instead of laying down the law, Hanna asked us to give our opinions on the topics once she explained the reasons behind the community guidelines. For most things there wasn’t much discussion because we all felt the same way and understood the values behind the ‘rules’. For drinking and dating, though, Hanna encouraged us to split up into smaller groups and discuss things together then share our consensus with the whole group.
With alcohol we reached the decision that it will be up to each person to decide whether or not to drink when we’re outside of Holmsted. Dating came down to “leave with what you came with”, so if you’re not dating don’t start, but it’s something open for discussion with the staff. Apparently by the end of the last DTS of 28 people 24 had paired off - that’s got to be a disruptive. What’s YWAM stand for again? Young Women After Men? Young Wolves After Maidens?
First day of work duties today - the kitchen hadn’t been ‘deep cleaned’ in a while because of a staff change, so we spent about an hour and a half scrubbing away.
At 4:00 we all met back at The Leather Room for a discussion about community values. Basically, we went through a list of what they call values as opposed to rules - things having to so with quiet hours, media in public rooms, drinking, dating, and decency in public areas.
It was really constructive - instead of laying down the law, Hanna asked us to give our opinions on the topics once she explained the reasons behind the community guidelines. For most things there wasn’t much discussion because we all felt the same way and understood the values behind the ‘rules’. For drinking and dating, though, Hanna encouraged us to split up into smaller groups and discuss things together then share our consensus with the whole group.
With alcohol we reached the decision that it will be up to each person to decide whether or not to drink when we’re outside of Holmsted. Dating came down to “leave with what you came with”, so if you’re not dating don’t start, but it’s something open for discussion with the staff. Apparently by the end of the last DTS of 28 people 24 had paired off - that’s got to be a disruptive. What’s YWAM stand for again? Young Women After Men? Young Wolves After Maidens?
I liked your alternate forms of YWAM. Unfortunately hormones get in the way. Now, I know from experience that if love hits, you cannot deny it, but there are places that those feelings have to be controlled. A place where your focus is to be on God and learning how to serve others, it is not the time or place to be trying to hook up. Just my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteI agree - now is a time to focus. I'm definitely leaving with what I came with!
ReplyDelete