Sidney Noland gives an update on the Impact UK DTS as they prepare to leave for outreach:
This past month on the DTS has been busy and fun, and everyone is getting excited as outreach quickly approaches. After two weeks away, returning to Harpenden was a welcome break for our nearly 40 trainees and staff. Most of us hadn’t showered for over a week! We enjoyed a relaxing long weekend, but on the Tuesday after our return, it was back to the classroom.
Since that first week back, we’ve had over a dozen speakers come and share with the DTS, including international YWAM leader Lynn Green, who spoke on spiritual discipline and maintaining a teachable attitude, and YWAM England & Wales National Director Carl Tinnion, who spoke on dreams and vision.
In the weeks leading up to outreach, classes often become more practical, and we had several workshops on the school aimed at equipping the trainees for a successful and fun outreach experience. Paul Baker, leader of the upcoming January 2013 Sports DTS, came to class for a day and facilitated a workshop on how to use sports in ministry. This was a lively day, packed with football matches, tennis contests, and even a cricket activity. We learned as a school how to incorporate important messages from the Bible into fun sports games, and using those games and messages to reach youth. Andy Kennedy, coordinator of popular children’s ministry King’s Kids, came and did a day-long workshop on children’s ministry, with a special focus on circus skills and magic tricks. Both of these workshops were a delightful combination of function and fun, and the school really benefited from seeing the countless contexts in which a person can share the gospel.
Now our school is preparing split off into three different teams for a two-month outreach in Olympic locations around the United Kingdom. One team is going to Newcastle and Manchester, another is off to Weymouth & Portland and Coventry, and one is heading to Cardiff, Glasgow, and Belfast. These past few days have been full of packing, cleaning, and last-minute laundry. It’s hard to believe that the four-month mark has come and gone, but everyone feels ready and excited for a change of pace and scenery. UK, here we come!