Winter Prep

(*Pictured: Erin and I getting distracted with Photo Booth on my Macbook!)

So, what’s ahead? I will not be going on outreach with the Fall DTS, which leaves after Thanksgiving. However, I will be staying back to staff the Winter ’08 DTS, which will begin January 7th (while the fall school is still on outreach). We have just begun preparations for this school, and I am beginning to pray and get excited! It will be so good to do another lecture phase, back to back, so I can learn even more. And it will be all the more busy as I prepare to lead an outreaches with other staff.

Fall DTS '07

(*Pictured: My Awesome Small Group Girls-We're close! Lacey, Nicole, Erin, Me, and Melody.)

Our Fall 2007 DTS is under way! We have 50 students from the U.S., Canada, Thailand, and New Zealand. Steph and I had the opportunity to present the students’ journal project. Each week we make questions for students to answer reflecting on the week’s lectures. I love my small group girls: Erin (TX), Lacey from (NB), Melody (OR), Nicole (IL)-please pray for them. In addition to my DTS responsibilities, I was given the opportunity to teach for the School of Dance Studies 2 lectures for 2 hours each, on History of Ancient Egypt and Greece. It was a lot of studying as I stepped out to teach history for the first time, but I wanted to teach more, and also to use my love for dance and history (I have a Social Science B.A., History and Biblical Studies minors). I am also able to use my previous dance experience and help with the DTS dance track, which means teaching and choreographing some. So it’s wonderful that God is putting the pieces of my life together-I love it all, by the way.

Preparation

(*Pictured: Top, Roommates Carrie, Becky, and I dressed to the hilt for Welcome to Montana Night at the beginning of our fall schools! Left, Shannon hangin' around in Glacier National Park.)

After DTS Equip, the Fall DTS staff began fall preparations part-time, at first. The other half of each day for 2 weeks I helped another staff set up program documents on the base’s new intranet system. I was glad to help in this way because of my background in computer systems and working with IT staff at Simpson University. Other DTS training and preparation included retreats, building an art room in the lecture hall, repairs and readying rooms, etc. There was so much to do! My favorite part was praying for students and staff before school began!

Servant Leadership

(*Pictured: Saying goodbye to my wonderful DTS Equip friend Anna, middle, at the Whitefish train depot. My roommate Becky, left, and me, right.)

In July I began DTS Equip, a 2 month school for training 16 DTS staff and leaders for the MT base and bases around the world. I believe this time was essential to my growth and preparation as DTS staff. Not only did I make wonderful friends and learn from those with great experience, our leadership had quality, integrity, and had such good experience themselves. I was able to think and process with God, myself, and other people how to disciple, lead, and ask the right questions. At the end of our school, we helped facilitate discussion groups and did presentations for the 1 week Int’l DTS Workshop, where DTS staff from around the world attended seminars for further education. This was a successful first-year for DTS Equip, and I will believe it will be a wonderful tool to prepare future DTS leaders.

New Horizons ~ Settling In

(*Pictured: Hiking Mt. Aenaes near the base with YWAM MT friends.)

It has been an intense few months here at YWAM Montana, but oh, so good. I made it safely to the Lakeside, MT base on the night of June 1st. I looked like quite the vagabond, traveling with my car packed to the brim, t.v. belted into the front seat, and mountain bike strapped to the trunk.

During my first week I went through intake week, orientation meetings for the 6 new staff. I met my roommate Carrie from Quincy, CA, new kitchen staff, and we proceeded to paint our room from lime green and black to Mexican Sand and accented with Emerald City. It was a definitely a good change to fit our personalities and color scheme. Over the summer we slowly accrued yard sale furniture to make our dorm room home. In August Carrie and I opened our dorm room to a new roommate Becky from Aimes, Iowa (new DTS staff), who was my good friend from my DTS in Fall ’06.

I also worked for housekeeping full-time for June with another DTS staff JoAnn (serving in other areas when we have down time between schools). I now have cleaned just about anything and everything on the base. It was hard work but a good time to serve the base, talk with JoAnn, and pray together.