After nearly two months of lectures, worship, prayer, small groups, and community life, our 21 trainees have become accustomed to life here in England. They have learned some of the peculiarities of British culture, consumed countless cups of tea, and started to become a real family. Most importantly, though, they have begun to develop a greater understanding of the character and nature of God, of the unsearchable depths of His love, and the identity that He gives us as His sons and daughters. So in the tenth week of DTS, all trainees and staff packed their bags and left for a two-week mini outreach to get a taste of what it means to make God known. Some uncertainty surrounded these first two weeks away, but there was also a real feeling of excitement for what they were heading out to do.
In the first week, the group split into nine small teams and spread out around the UK to do outreach and work projects at different YWAM bases in England and Wales. Each group went with only one objective: to be a blessing to the bases that they were visiting. For some groups, that meant doing a week of practical labour, for others it meant praying for staff and students who live on the base, and and aiding in ministry the base was already involved in. The variety of activities was tremendous – they refinished floors, chatted with people in nightclubs, did break dancing in a skate park, prepared a four-course meal – the list goes on and on. Everyone — staff and students alike — came back with their eyes opened to how many forms evangelism and Christian mission can take.
The group reconvened in Coventry, a town in the midlands of England, for a week-long assembly of DTS schools from the UK, Milan, and Norway. Nearly 150 students and staff took part in the DTS Gathering, and it was both exhilarating and encouraging for the students on the Impact UK DTS to meet with others who are on the same journey of understanding God and making His name known across the world.
The Gathering was an opportunity for students to gain experience in evangelism. They went out in teams to talk to residents of the city about Jesus and praying for them. There were many stories of healing from the week and several people in Coventry made a decision to follow Christ. Most of all, students learned that telling 
people about Jesus is not scary, but very natural for those who have a relationship with God to want to share it with others. The school is now back in Harpenden for the last month of lectures. In May, the school will be off again, this time for a two-month placement. After these two weeks away, two months of outreach don’t seem as daunting anymore. Now our students are equipped and excited to go out to the UK and tell others about Christ!