But Jesus
October 19, 2020 - January 1, 2030
But Jesus
Joelle Wills, 19, Canada
It was two weeks after I graduated high school when I moved across the world and my life changed. I came to DTS with no expectations, no direction and a hardened heart.
But I think everyone needs a ‘but Jesus’ in their life…. to look at your past and say “I was broken but Jesus, I was lost but Jesus, I was messed up but Jesus, I didn’t know where to go but Jesus, I didn’t know how to get there but Jesus, I thought there was no way out but Jesus, I had no hope but Jesus, BUT Jesus.”
DTS was my ‘but Jesus’. I was so torn down from the world, but Jesus exchanged my rejection for belonging, my stubbornness for dependency on the Lord, my walls for vulnerability. He unraveled my heart and overwhelmed me with an overflowing love, enabling me to step out in a new freedom of faith I’ve never known before.
I gained such a passion, and I am eternally grateful.
“The Justice Movement stream really opened my eyes to what justice looks like through the eyes of God. Justice is more than making wrong right, it’s walking in mercy and humility. Justice is bringing light and life to orphans, widows, immigrants, and hope to anyone who is oppressed.”
Naomi Wilson, 18, AB, Canada
“The Medical Compassion DTS gave me a glimpse into the medical side or missions. The compassion part was what caught me. I saw that when we see with Jesus’ eyes of genuine compassion, we must get our hands dirty.”
Brady Picking, 21, Pennsylvania, USA
“My life used to be run by my fears, my struggles, and my failures. I had no way of fighting them because I didn’t know the truth. Over my time with YWAM and beyond, I have encountered so much freedom as God has shown me the truth of who He is in His Word. Dive into the Bible on Cover to Cover and watch God transform you as He begins to show you who He really is and who you were really made to be.”
David Souter, 22, England
“At the beginning of the DTS I did not believe in the power of prayer neither did I believe that God even heard my prayers. By the end of it I had no doubt in my mind at all that we have a Father in heaven who always bends His ear to us when we speak and that when we pray in the name of Jesus miracles will be birthed by our words and God’s power.”
Calvin Joubert, 20, South Africa
“Reading the whole Bible was a real challenge for me, but it was so rewarding. My eyes were opened to the fact that Jesus had existed from the very beginning and that God’s gracious heart always was and is the same! I learned that the Bible isn’t just a story about God, but rather a story about imperfect, raw, real people. I know now that I am one of them, and that I can see God work in my life just like He did it with them!”
Jenny Fritz, 19, Germany
“Coming into prayer and passion I had so much passion and desires but did not know how to bring them to the feet of the Lord in prayer. Going through the journey of growing in prayer and discipline I was able to walk out with a passion and desire to take all that was on my heart to the foot of the cross in prayer. I found a love for that intimate time of prayer with the Lord in a way I haven’t known before!”
Beza Sparkes, 22, Ethiopia/Alaska
“For the first time in my life, God showed the revelation of his father-heart through the Cover-to-Cover Bible read and I can now say that I know that I am a Daughter of the King of Kings. So many things moved from my head to my heart through the teaching and reading, and I’m so thankful the Lord lead me into this stream!”
Elizabeth Thruston, 24, Sacramento, CA / Monument, CO
“Being a Kingdom Come student was an awesome experience. We learned a lot about the kingdom of heaven and how to live it out in our daily lives.”
David Lindner, 21, Germany
“SPHC is such an incredible gateway to seeing the world with God’s eyes. To see how His heart breaks at the brokenness of this world, and to see how the lack of education about little things such as germs and washing hands causes so much illness and suffering in the world, to then be equipped and sent to BRING THAT CHANGE! It is such a life changing/ perspective shifting program that has really changed my life!”
Antonio Wolfe, 20, Alberta, Canada
“We had been married for 5 years when we came to Marine Reach. As a married couple, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves and gained a lot for our marriage. What we enjoyed most during the GO PAC stream times was the mix between the depth we dove into God’s Word, getting to know His plan for us better, and the times thinking and learning about the interesting Pacific cultures. We think it is so important to get to know new cultures. At the base, there are many different cultures, but you really want to get to know the one culture where you live and where you’re going on outreach. We experienced that when spiritual basics are understood with the heart and not only with the mind, that is what brings change into your daily life, and that is what you can carry home after DTS.“
Tobias & Annika Dietrich, 26 & 26, Germany