me in front of a door of one of the many beautiful houses on the walk down to the beach
How did I come to DTS?
I’ve been in Mexico for DTS for about 4 weeks now, and it’s been a wild ride so far.
riding the mechanical bull at our base-wide harvest fest today
Many of you know I lost my job in January. That was hard. Even before I got that job, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to do graphic design and photography, but where? How? No idea. When I lost my job, I began that search again.
hard at work on my blog in our DTS classroom here in Mexico
In March, I went to my church's international dinner where one of our global partner (field worker) families was speaking. I had already known Aaron from my (very) short stint serving in my church's youth group, but I hadn't really met his wife Lynnea yet.
After they shared about their field work in Mexico, I got to talking with Lynnea about her photography that I'd admired in the slideshow and how I was trying to figure out what to do with my life.
me with Lynnea in our DTS classroom
In response, Lynnea told me I could do a DTS. I said "what's a DTS?" And she told me what DTS is all about and how I should do the Photo Storytelling DTS on the YWAM base where she and Aaron served.
So I said okay!
What have I learned so far?
snacks at small group last Friday
I am God’s child, chosen before the foundation of the world for adoption though Jesus. God doesn’t want us to live as orphans!
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- From Is That Really You, God?: Life following Jesus is like sitting down to have a coffee with him, living our lives by every word that he speaks.
This was what I created for our "book report" assignment. Instead of writing an essay, we had to express what we learned in a creative way.
The truth of what God has said is more important than how I feel. If I don’t feel loved, or if I don’t feel close to God, the truth is I am still loved and I am still close to God. And life with God is about getting to know God’s heart more and more (and with friends!). Then, he will tell us the next thing to do, but it starts with the heart of God.
In other words, whatever you do for God should come from intimacy with God.
What has impacted me the most so far?
I think what’s really impacted me the most is that God is near, and I can ask him anything in the moment that I need it. I can keep running back to him whenever I need something. I don’t have to store up or hoard his goodness and grace for a later time, as if it will run out or not be accessible later. Life as a Christian is relationship with God, moment by moment, day by day, 24 hours a day.
Also, God doesn’t live in a box where he does the same thing the same way every time, where I just have to follow these rules and I’m set. God knows our hearts and that’s what really matters, even if the outer actions look good. It’s not about how I feel but about who God is—his character. I can accept his truth, that he’s near and that he loves me, even when I don’t feel like that’s true, because it’s just who he is.
This was a photo I took for our "Co-Creating with God" assignment, where we asked God to be with us and create with us as we took photos.
My one-on-one staff person noted how this palm tree shadow is a lot like our relationship with God: you know what it is, you can see and feel its effects, but you can't see the actual palm tree.
I was also really impacted by what this week's speaker said—how he used to think he needed God so he could feel better about his situation. But it’s really that he needs God all the time so he would keep running to God—because KNOWING GOD is the treasure!
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3
