Winnipeg Discipleship Training School

Previous Post - Jan. DTS Begins

HEY HEY HEY, what’s up everybody! Well before I become too wound up gushing about our wonderful first week, I would like to introduce myself. Hi! My name is Stacie Lund, you can call me Stace. I am a first time YWAMer and fellow student here at the Winnipeg base. Let’s begin with an overview of my life: Scene 1; Act 7: Stacie exits the building in a cautious manner….hahaha..okay…No, just kidding, but seriously, I’ll try not to be that specific, soooo here it goes.

I was born in a rural community called Roosevelt, Minnesota.I lived a pretty average life; that is until Jesus Christ became my Lord when I was fourteen. Ever since then I have been experiencing life in a way that is overflowing with energy, love, and an abundance of God’s grace. Even though this is true, I am still hungry for more; for a deeper relationship with my heavenly Father, for a clear-cut calling upon my life, and for greater obedience and commitment.

As I have observed in this brief amount of time, every one of the YWAM students this DTS has come to seek God in a greater way. Whether it is to learn how to share in others’ oppression to lift them up (one of the reasons I am here), to learn how to hear and discern the voice of their Maker , or to pursue the vast multitudes of heart desires that God has imparted upon him/her, all strive for one goal; to please, love, and serve others and God. This is why we are here. We did not come seeking ourselves; we came to help others and to serve Jesus Christ, not to mention have a little bit of fun in the process. Everyone needs some joy in his/her life after all.

I hope that anyone reading this will know that his/her prayers, sponsorship and support are vital to us as learners here! And in advance; Thanks bunches! We really appreciate you guys! Back on track though; even in the short amount of time we have lived here, we have tasted the richness of community life, friendship, and open mindedness. Not saying that we will not or have not at some point become “irked” by, for example, our night-owl roommate who at first was tolerable but after the first month becomes “uberly” frustrating, or at the fact that “somebody took the last dinner roll…sheesh how rude!!” haha…the point is that we are all the body of Christ, each functions in his/her own unique yet equally important way, and we are pushing through our sometimes “not so wonderful” tendencies and learning how to work together for a greater cause. Now can I get an AMEN! okay seriously..that was some pretty sweet stuff!!!!

Hesitantly I pulled over my beastly Chrysler Lebaron next to the restored house on Furby Street and carefully scrutinized the building…was this really the place?! Immediately, almost to my horror/astonishment, a slew of staff came stampeding through the doors and surrounded my car. I cautiously rolled down my window and said, “Umm…hi?!” Anyways, I was welcomed by a seemingly “overly” eager staff who helped me carry in my luggage. It was nice though! I didn’t even have time to carry in a single thing! I know that every student who arrived received just as warm and eager of a greeting as I had that day. It was pretty amazing.

After everyone settled in, we all strolled through the chilly Winnipeg night to our dinner location. The first meal we had gave us an opportunity to become acquainted with where we would be dining: the Ellice Cafe. This resturant has an amazing history behind it. It was established by a local church to provide a nice dining experience for inner city Winnipegers which creates community while offering decently priced and quality food. It truly is a place where all feel comfortable. The next day we walked two blocks to our YWAM classroom, a store front on Sargant Ave. Getting settled in, we started off with a game called, “I have never”. One would have to stand in the middle of the circle while he/she proceeded to share something that they had never experianced. If someone else had, then they would have to frantically get up and dash to an available seat. It was interesting to learn that some of our fellow staff and students have, “blowed bubbles under water,” “eaten bugs on purpose,” and/or, “have killed a kangaroo with his/her bare hands”…ahem Kim.

We then went over our binders with YWAM’s goals, rules, and objectives. Over the week, we proceeded to become better aquianted with each other and with YWAM as a school. A basic history of the Bible was offered by Matt, while an activety with twelve prayer/reflection ideas were demonstrated by Michelle (totally awesome by the way; it gave ideas of how to pray/meditate/grow during our quiet times with God). Amazing worship was also provided by Doug Sadler, who works with Kings Kids, another ministry of YWAM in Winnipeg.

One afternoon we spent cleaning up, which was a good experience. Everyone received a task in order to keep the house nice and tidy. I enjoyed it since the Bible says we should find joy in working with our hands, so that was good. We had activity nights and fun nights, such as playing the “eat the chocolate game” where if someone rolled a specific number he/she would have to eat a piece of chocolate (mind you while putting on a hat, oven mitts, and using fork and knife, for manners of course!) as fast as he/she could to gain points for his/her team. We also played a game of strategy which involved one team trying to “dominate the couch”…hehe that one took forever… yet it was fun.

A supply run was held Thursday night, meaning we all went to the mall to pick up some necessities, or to rummage through a sales bin of course! We also watched “Finding Nemo” Friday night and enjoyed some good laughs. Saturday, we all went either “Value Village” shopping or to a movie. It was a great week of bonding. It is crazy how I can feel so close to everyone in such a short amount of time. I believe that everyone has bonded very quickly. It helps that we are sharing close quarters, not to mention the love of Christ. It is hard to attempt to explain all that has occured within this week. We have laughed, maybe even cried a little. We have teased and encouraged, but most importantly, we have established the fact that this DTS will be Christ centered and great!

Tune in next week for a report on the first week of teaching on Prayer from Dan King of 24-7 Prayer Canada.