Youth with a MissionNorway DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOLS

2 DTS-magazine

This DTS-magazine is published by: YWAM Norway2312 Ottestad // phone: +4762574300 // e-mail: info@ywam.no

Editor: Jo Yngve Svensen // Design: Jan Willem Middag // Coverphoto: Shutterstock/Jamen Percy

A special thanks to Krissy Bråthen for proofreading.

TEN GOOD REASONSDTS:

Ungdom i Oppdrag (UIO) is the Norwegian branch of the international interdenominational christian evangelism and missions-movement Youth With A Mission (YWAM). We desire to "Know God and make Him known". More

information about YWAM Norway at: www.ywam.no

#1 KNOW GOD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL #2 WE OFFER ONE-ON-ONE DISCIPLESHIP

FROM OUR STAFF #3 YOU’LL GET EXCELLENT TEACHING ON PRACTICAL DISCIPLESHIP #4

WE HAVE HAND-PICKED, QUALITY TEACHERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD #5 WE LIVE AND

WORK IN A COMMUNITY CONTEXT – BOTH STAFF AND STUDENTS #6 ENJOY THE HEART OF SCANDINAVIA #7 GET AN INTERNATIONAL

PERSPECTIVE #8 TRAVEL THE WORLD AND GET A TASTE OF BEING A MISSIONARY #9 IN YWAM THE DISTANCE BETWEEN VISION AND ACTION IS SHORT #10 DTS OPENS THE DOOR

TO A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

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We would like to invite you to be a part of something great. It’s about God and his burning desire to be known by each person in a deep way and his desire to see every sphere of society built on Biblical values. We at Youth with a Mission (YWAM)

want to be part of making a change and bringing hope to people.

Discipleship Training School (DTS) is an intensive program, jam-packed with life-changing teaching and unique possibilities for you to grow. On your DTS you’ll be invited into a com-munity of people who want to go deeper with God – and who want to make God known throughout the world.

Our longing is to see you experience more of who God is, and that you’ll discover more of the amazing plan God has for your life! When you join a DTS, you become a part of some-thing big, something that will open the door to a world of opportunities.

You can be a part of reaching the lost – those who’ve never heard about Jesus. You can con-tinue studying towards a bachelor or masters degree through our University of the Nations (UofN). You can be equipped for building up your nation with Biblical values by working within the various spheres of society. Or you can become staff at one of our 1100 bases in over 180 nations around the world. (More on the possibilities a DTS can create on page 34.)

But most importantly we invite you to get to know God and his character in a deeper way. When we know what’s on his heart we can truly take part in making a change. That’s why our vision in YWAM is: “To know God and to make him known!”

In this magazine we’ll cover ten reasons why we think you should do a DTS.

On behalf of Youth with a Mission and all the DTS leaders,Jo Yngve Svensen, DTS leader in Skien

INVITATION

Photo: YWAM Nordland, Ruben Stensrud, Rachael Knudson and YWAM Norway

A Discipleship Training School (DTS) consists of two main parts: A lecture

phase and an outreach phase.

The lecture phase lasts for at least twelve weeks where, in a community setting, we’ll get to

know God and learn to follow him through teaching and training.

Fellowship with other people and God is equally important to the

learning process as the teaching in the classroom.

There will be opportunities for you to spend time alone with God, write a

journal, pray and connect with others in small groups, and worship God in a

community setting.

Photo: Roland Baltzersen (girl in red sweater: YWAM Rogaland)

Fellowship with other people and God is equally important to the

learning process as the teaching in the classroom.

There will be opportunities for you to spend time alone with God, write a

journal, pray and connect with others in small groups, and worship God in a

community setting.

يخأ تنأ

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“Dear daughter.Kristine, my Kristine, I’m longing for you - longing for you to trust me. I know and see that you want to give me your every-thing, but you don’t know who I AM. That’s why you’re not able to give me everything, every area of your life and all of your desires. Give me your life, because only then you will find it. I created you and know how you function best. I would love for you to find out how many gifts you have inside of you – gifts that can only shine and blossom in my presence and power. …

… Kristine, I have given you a sensitive heart so that you and I can be together. Lay down your burdens, and run into my arms. It’s better to do one thing in my power than to do a thousand in your own. Always seek me first, and everything else will fall into place. I am faithful and will not let anyone take you away from me.

Spending “personal time” with my Friend and Father has be-come a necessary part of my day. I can always trust that he’s with me, whether I hear and feel him or not.

When I was on outreach I wrote the following:“Today I started to pray for Mohammed, a 15-year-old

homeless boy who Grace and I met yesterday. One of his eyes was full of infectious pus, and he had cuts and bruises all over his body. We bought some food for him, and after he had eaten we prayed for him…

We were with him for almost two hours. At one point I looked into his eyes and suddenly felt that he was my brother! I cried

when praying for him and said, “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. You’ are my brother and Jesus LOVES you.” He looked into my eyes and started to pray to you, Jesus, but then he wanted to leave because I was crying – he didn’t want to make me sad. So I said, “It’s all right! There’s hope. Jesus is hope!” I moved closer to him and simply held this young teenager in my arms. I felt so much love for him and started to pray for him again. I felt the way you gave me your heart for him, Father. I cried till my eyes were puffy and my heart was in physical pain. I believe that you’ll take care of him, and that your compassion is stronger than mine. I trust in your good-ness, Father.

When I finished praying I got the following Bible verse from you for Mohammed: "Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them." (Psalms 12:5)

WHEN YOU DO A DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING SCHOOL (DTS), YOU GET TO KNOW GOD BETTER. “KRISTINE”, WHO IS NOW A MISSIONARY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, DID HER DTS IN 2012. HERE ARE SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE JOURNAL SHE WROTE DURING HER DTS.

Text: «Kristine» // Illustration: Jan Willem Middag

« I felt so much love for him and started

to pray for him again.

(You Are My Brother)

#1 KNOW GOD ON A PERSONAL LEVEL

At a DTS you won’t just hear about God, but you yourself will be studying the Bible and experiencing who He is in a very real way. It’s life changing and turns your world upside-down when you start to fathom God’s enormous love. GOD LOVES YOU!

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Text: Jo Yngve Svensen // Photo: Jan Erik Solberg Johansen

Rolinke Bremer (40) is from the Netherlands. She and her hus-band Arno lead the DTS in Nordland. She’s been with YWAM for five years, and feels that working with DTS is a calling from God.

I want to be a part of showing people what it means to follow Jesus, whenever and wherever, no matter what he’s calling us to. After all, it’s not about us, but it’s all about Jesus and the world that needs him!

“What is your job in the DTS”?“As a DTS staff, you have a lot of different jobs and duties. We help facilitate students in getting closer to God, and to learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. A lot of this entails being a good example.”

“How do you help facilitate personal growth on a DTS?”“In addition to classroom teaching, the school schedule al-

lows time for growth in many different ways. Part of the sched-ule is reading the Bible and praying alone and with others.

Each student also has a staff member who will closely fol-low up with them in a one-on-one setting. They’ll meet regu-larly throughout the DTS so that the student can share what’s on his or her heart and process what they’re experiencing.

Sometimes life may be difficult, or maybe God is putting something specific on their hearts through the teaching, in which case it’s nice to have someone to share that with---someone who’s committed to you and really listening to you, someone who can help you get through a challenging situa-tion, and especially someone who can pray for and with you.

The students also get divided up into small groups where they can discuss what they’re learning in class, share their

FOLLOWING JESUS TOGETHER“MY MOST IMPORTANT JOB IS TO SHOW THE STUDENTS WHO JESUS IS AND THAT HE CAN BE TRUSTED.”

joy and sorrow, pray for one another – put simply: share their lives with one another. We’re all in different processes and places in our lives, and we can learn a lot from each other.”

“It’s not about us, but it’s all about Jesus and the world that needs him!”

“What motivates you?”In YWAM, no one is paid for the job they do. YWAMers are depen-dent on friends and family supporting them financially, so money has never been the reason that Rolinke works with the DTS.

“God pays me with more of himself, I think! He gives me so much joy. And it’s him that’s doing the work – I am simply a tool in his hands.

Being able to be a part of this journey makes me humble and gives me great joy!

« It’s not about us, but it’s all about JesuS and the world

that neEds him!

WE OFFER ONE-ON-ONE DISCIPLESHIP FROM OUR STAFF#2

On a DTS you get many opportunities to grow in your relationship with God. The DTS staff plays an important part in this, and as a student you receive close follow-up. All the students have a staff member they regularly speak with and are part of small groups lead by the staff. The staff – who aren’t there for the wages – raise their own support and have all done a DTS themselves. They’re committed to knowing God and making him known.

YOU’LL GET EXCELLENT TEACHING ON PRACTICAL DISCIPLESHIP#3

ON A DTS YOU’LL GET TRAINING IN A DYNAMIC AND RELATIONAL WAY. YOU’LL BE IN A SETTING WHERE TEACHING AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION GO HAND IN HAND. YOU’LL GET OPPORTUNITIES TO ‘LEARN BY DOING’ – WHERE THE WORLD IS YOUR CLASSROOM.

Text: DTS-magasin // Photo: left: Asbjørn Østreim, right: Ruben Stensrud

PRACTICAL CURRICULUM

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We put a huge emphasis on making a connection between what you’re taught in the classroom and actually living it out in the ‘real world.’ Walking alongside you will be other students, school coun-selors (staff) and school leaders, who themselves are all working towards the same goal: “Learning

how to know God and make Him known.” Your textbook is first and foremost the Bible, from which we can learn about so many subjects.

Topics included in the curriculum of the lecture phase:• God’s Nature and Character • How to Strengthen Your

Personal Relationship with God• Hearing the Voice of God• Worship, Prayer and

Intercession• Gaining A Biblical Worldview• Who Jesus is and What He Does• Sin, Repentance and

Restoration• Our Identity in Christ• Who The Holy Spirit is and

What He Does• Relationships: between friends,

husband and wife, parent and child, with the opposite sex and how to work in teams

• The Mandate of the Great Commission, the History of Missions, Unreached People Groups and How to Disciple Nations

• How to Share the Gospel• Foundational Principles for

Cross-Cultural Communication

During the lecture phase, there will be many opportunities to get to know God better through the Bible, through prayer, and through worship. There will be times set aside for you to be alone with God, process through journaling, have small-group discussions, and worship with the whole community.

#4

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Text: Runar Byberg // Photo: Jan Erik Solberg Johansen

While I was counting, God suddenly spoke to my heart that we should send out teams to every country in Europe at the same time. Every single one of them—46 countries in total—and the challenge overwhelmed me. The task was way too big for us. However, after praying I decided to embrace the challenge, thinking that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the victory if we were able to see it through.

Seven months later it became a reality! The DTS, staff, and other team members went out in small groups to all 46 countries in Europe simultaneously. They went to the biggest countries, down to the smallest states like Andorra and Mo-naco. In unison we covered every corner of the continent in prayer, preached the message of hope for Europe, and shared Jesus with many people.

God communicates! He speaks to us, leads us and wants to guide us in our lives. And doing what he asks makes life incredibly exciting. Do you wonder if your life has a purpose? It does! God has a perfect plan for your life that he wants to share with you, and he’ll faithfully lead you and advise you along the way.

Expect Him to SpeakGod doesn’t only speak to great prophets and preachers – he speaks to everyone who is willing to listen. He speaks through his written word, the Bible; he speaks directly to you – to your thoughts and your inner being, and through circumstances and others around you.

To be able to hear his voice, it’s important to first expect that he’ll speak to you. Typically, we don’t notice things that aren’t very interesting to us. However, if there’s something we want, we’re quick to notice when we see that someone else has it. Or like when you buy a new car, and suddenly you notice the same model everywhere on the road. That’s the way it is with God as well; if you want and expect God to speak to you, you will quickly realize that he’s doing just that—that he’s been

communicating all along, you just never noticed before. You might be thinking, ‘Okay, but that’s not my struggle.’

Lots of us have felt our heart beat a little faster than usual, had thoughts about something that seemed important to do or share with someone—but at the same time we were unsure, thinking, ‘Are these thoughts from me?’

Four VoicesThere are four “voices” you can hear. We’ve said that God speaks, but his enemy is able to talk as well. There are also the opinions of others and your own thoughts. Maybe for you this is the hardest part, differentiating between God’s voice and your own notions. In that case, I’d like to encourage you with the following tip: You can learn to know the voice of God – in the same way you got to know the voice of your mother or the voices of your friends. If you spend time with him, get-

ting to know his nature and character, trying to listen to him and act on what he says, you’ll soon start to recognize when it’s God who’s speaking.

A good idea is to practice in situations where it’s okay for you to make a mistake. Ask God to speak to you about how you can encourage others, pray for them, or help them out. In those cases you’ll know that you’re not doing any harm if you’re unsure.

Know that God will never say anything that contradicts what he has already said in the Bible. Remember that, and it’ll be easier to know when God’s talking to you. Good luck!

LOOK WHO’S TALKIN’

« Do you wonder if your life has a purpose?

I WAS SITTING IN A SLIGHTLY BORING MEETING, AND AFTER AWHILE I PICKED UP A MAP AND STARTED TO COUNT HOW MANY COUNTRIES I’D BEEN TO.

On a DTS you’ll have teachers from around the world – the very best from within our large network. They live what they teach, and they will challenge you! Runar Byberg, YWAM Norway´s co-leader, often teaches about "Hearing the Voice of God".

WE HAVE HAND-PICKED, QUALITY TEACHERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

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Text: Jo Yngve Svensen // Photo: Asbjørn Østreim

Late one Saturday night: I’m sitting at a table in the base-ment of the YWAM base in Skien playing a board game

with some DTS students and staff. In the same room there’s a group of people praying for others in the class with different types of inju-ries. Suddenly we hear sounds of loud rejoicing! A woman from the

staff runs excitedly over towards us: “Hallelujah! People are getting healed over here!” She told us that someone had just gotten healed in their back and someone else in their foot. After awhile we also joined the prayer session, and almost all of the students and most of the staff eventually joined in. We thanked and praised God as we felt his wonderful presence!

A lot of great things can happen in a classroom, but dur-ing a DTS we think the time spent outside of the classroom is equally important. There’s a long list of things that can be learned through conversations around the dinner table, clean-ing restrooms together, in spontaneous worship sessions---when we DO things together. It’s there in the doing that true discipleship develops. During a DTS you’ll live with the other students and some or all of the staff. We hang out together,

eat together, travel together: We share our lives!It’s easy to put on a mask when you only see other stu-

dents during school hours. In a classroom it’s easy to say a lot of “nice” words and come across as super spiritual. But when we live together we see both each other’s good sides and bad. But that’s how we can build some of the deepest friendships

of our lives. When you live in community, you get a lot of opportunites to practice your life with Jesus. Living together can be challenging at times, and you learn patience as well as have a lot of opportunities to ask for forgiveness in turn. In other words: you’re building character together!

In YWAM we don’t differentiate between our roles---we are all Youth With A Mission. Maybe as a DTS student you’ll find yourself building a shed with the base leader, making food with a missionary in India, or even planning and leading a mission trip. Totally possible!

In YWAM, we are one family.

«We hang out together, eat together, travel

together: We share our lives!

WE LIVE AND WORK IN A COMMUNITY CONTEXT – BOTH STAFF AND STUDENTS#5

LIVING IN C MMUNITY

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YWAM BORGENwww.uiobOrgen.no

We are the northernmost YWAM base in the world, situated an hour outside the university City of Tromsø. We focus on youth work in Northern Norway as well as missions to the Arctic Circle indigenous people groups, children in North Africa, and Roman Gypsies in Bulgaria and northern Russia. Borgen is committed to disciple people to know God and his ways for all areas of life and society, and we partner with ministries like Justice Water, Voice for the Voiceless and Steps of justice in our calling to engage with injustice issues and community development work.

The Justice DTS focuses on sharing Gods love in practical ways through projects providing clean water for villages in Africa, helping trafficking victims, ministering to homeless children and being a “voice for the voiceless” in today’s society using arts, photo and media. Time: September-March at Borgen and Grimerud. Ride Europe DTS: Experience Europe and Gods heart for its people in an epic adventure! We’ll have five weeks of teaching at Borgen before bicycling from Oslo to Paris while having more teaching and hands-on missions training along the way. We’ll finish off by evangelizing during the Tour de France. Time: Spring 2016. .

Photo: YWAM Borgen

Photo: Kristoffer Nilsen

WHERE IN NORWAY CAN I DO A DTS?

YWAM ROGALAND www.ywamrogaland.no

We are situated just south of Stavanger, right in the heart of the “Bible Belt” and “Missions Belt” of Norway. If you’re on fire for the nations, then this is the place for you! YWAM Rogaland has both a local and a global vision. We run a house of prayer in the middle of Stavanger that also focuses on reach-ing out to people with the Gospel. In addition, we have teams that visit churches and youth groups all over Europe to promote a life with God.

Backpack DTS: The Backpack DTS offers 3 tracks: Around the world, Explorer and The 10/40 Challenge. This school takes you all around the globe – which will open countless doors for further ministry! In six intense months, you will learn about God and yourself, experience other cultures and learn what it means to truly be like and follow Jesus. We hope that this broad exposure to the world will foster a desire and love for the nations in your heart. Time: January-June

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YWAM ÅLESUNDwww.creativedts.no

Our vision is to train, inspire and equip young people in many different artistic fields. Arts and entertainment is the sphere of influence that shapes our society the most, and we are called to be present in it. If you dream of being a musician, dancer, film maker, actor, artist or photographer, then the Creative DTS is a good place to start your career. Since the start of the Creative DTS in 1998 an exciting artist community has developed around the YWAM base in Ålesund. We have our own recording studio and art studio. We frequently have art exhibits, concerts and Open Mic nights at our well-known downtown café, Lyspunktet.

YWAM Ålesund offers a nine-month Creative DTS. In addition to ordi-nary DTS teaching and practice, we have seven exclusively “creative weeks” where you’re able to create with God. Here you may develop your skills in dancing, art, music, film, acting and photography. Time: September – June

YWAM NORDLANDwww.uionOrdland.no

We are located on the beautiful northern coast of Helgeland, a 2-hour ferry ride from the city of Bodø in the Arctic Circle. We focus on making Jesus known in the province of Nordland and among unreached people groups around the world. Come travel with us to little islands far out in the Norwegian Sea, to tribes tucked between Himalayan peaks, to vast cities or to tiny villages---to the places where no one has ever shared about Jesus.

YWAM Nordland offers two parallel nine-month DTSs:The Outdoor Adventure DTS allows you to experience the wilderness of the arctic through caving, ice climbing, cross-country skiing, sea kayaking, hiking mountains and the likes. Then take that experience and use it to share Jesus in the most remote corners of the earth! This school is an excellent choice for you if you’re searching for God in his creation. Time: September-MayThe Reach DTS offers many exciting opportunities to reach out with the Gospel! A great fit for those who want to learn more about practical evangelism and leadership. This DTS allows you to learn how to step out in ministry in a safe environment while bringing hope to the people of northern Norway. Time: September – May

Photo: Jostein Vestbøstad

Photo: YWAM Nordland

WHERE IN NORWAY CAN I DO A DTS?

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YWAM SKJÆRGÅRD-SHEIMEN

www.ywamkristiansand.comOur beautiful base, Skjærgårdsheimen, is located on the shore of Flekkerøy island, right outside Norway’s southernmost city, Kristiansand. The base has about 60 workers, 30 of whom are long-term missionaries abroad. Our vision is mission!

We offer a life-changing 6-month DTS with solid teaching that will take you into a deeper understand-ing of God’s purpose for your life. You will be able to choose one of two special focuses in addition to the standard DTS curriculum: maritime activities (sailing, SCUBA diving, water sports, fishing, etc), or biblical counselling. Time: September – March

YWAM SKIENwww.uioskien.no

We are located in downtown Skien and our base has a young and urban feel to it. Since the base is in close contact with the city’s churches and organiza-tions, we have many ministry opportunities locally, regionally and globally.Impact DTS: Takes teams around Norway and Europe in addition to the ordinary two-month long outreach. This is a great DTS for those who want to grow in their leadership abilities! Time: September – MayThirst for Life DTS: For growth and new dreams with God! Time: January – June

Photo: YWAM Skien

Photo: Ruben Stensrud

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YWAM GRIMERUDwww.grimerud.no

Grimerud is Norway’s largest YWAM base, situated on a 150-acre wheat farm on the shore of lake Mjøsa near the city of Hamar. Grimerud has many diverse ministries that focus on seeing God’s kingdom come to Norway, Europe and among the least reached people of the world. About 90 people from more than 15 nations are on staff at the base, and every year they reach out to thousands of youth, children and adults nationally and internationally.4.12 DTS: “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example …” (1 Tim 4:12) Led by base leader, Andreas Karstad, this school will focus on raising up young leaders (whether you think you’re a leader or not), and how to use your God given talents to walk out God’s calling on your life. Time: September – April.Justice DTS: Focuses on clean water projects, human trafficking, and on those living in extreme poverty. Time: September – March at Gri-merud and Borgen.All Nations, All Generations DTS for singles, couples and families of all age groups and nationalities. A DTS celebrating diversity, creating a solid community and an ideal environment for growth and break-through. Time: February—June (every other year) 

YWAM OSLOwww.ywamoslo.no

Our base is YWAM Norway’s newest location, situated in the heart of downtown Oslo in an old, elegant villa. YWAM Oslo’s vision is: “A Disciple in Everyday Life.”

We offer a unique Student DTS, tailor-made for those enrolled at local universities so that the DTS can be done alongside full-time studies. This creates a unique opportunity to practice what you learn every day and to create a culture, lifestyle and “rhythm” in your day-to-day routine that you can utilize for the rest of your life. Time: August – June

In addition to the DTS we offer Mission Adventures (tailored missions trips for youth groups), Disciple Oslo (fellowship for young adults), teenage ministries and Bible Nights (a book-for-book study of the Bible that meets once a week).

Photo: YWAM Oslo

Photo: YWAM Grimerud, Kyrre Hovde

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ENJOY THE HEART OF SCANDINAVIA#6

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Text: Jan Huse // Photo: Jan Erik Solberg Johansen

G’ DAY NORWAY

JONNY WESTWOOD (22) IS FROM AUSTRALIA AND DID A CREATIVE DTS

IN ÅLESUND. HERE ARE HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF NORWAY:

I  come from a warm culture, so when we meet someone on the street in Australia we usually say “G’ day,” which is slang for “Good day,” or we ask “How’s it goin’?” Usually you’re greeted back with a simple, yet just as polite reply.

Norwegians, however, don’t seem to get it – this form of communication with strangers on the street. My friend from Colombia and I would often greet people with a short “Hi!” or a little wave of the hand, and on several occasions we noticed some pretty surprised, but grateful, faces or some would simply seem confused and look away …

But it doesn’t get us down. Quite the opposite, I’ve made it my mission to help cultivate our neighborhood in the way we receive each other. I would love to see a culture of affirming and appreciating each other openly develop, something I con-sider a key value in my life. The way Norwegians make a cozy

setting by lighting candles, making coffee – black coffee – and sitting on the couch with a nice blanket and conversation, is a great example of what I see as a cultural value of Norway. The value here is deep, strong and caring relationships. Norwe-gians are one of the most understanding and faithful people groups I know.

My favourite part of doing a DTS and working with YWAM in Norway is the "flat leadership" of Scandinavian culture, meaning that while we’re all accountable to one another, we skip the hierarchy---every person’s input is valued despite age or seniority. This collaborative environment has enabled me to share my perspectives and also to start living the dream God has for my life. Everybody's opinions are heard, respect-ed and received with humble hearts by the leadership. 

This has been pivotal in learning about who God’s created me to be and my purpose in this life!

« Norwegians are one of the most understanding and faithful

people groups I know.

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Text: Laken Chapman Sandrød // Photo: Irish Grzanich

GET AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE#7

AT THE END OF A PLANE RIDE

The more I look back at my DTS, the more grateful I am that I chose to do it overseas. I originally thought about

doing my DTS in Colorado---not too far from home, some friends living right down the street, studying alongside mostly Americans—that sounded good to me!

But in all my prayers ask-ing God if Colorado was where I should go (hoping for a simple ‘go ahead’), I always threw in the typi-cal disclaimer, “But if it’s your will that I would go somewhere else, let me know.” Sure enough, over

time I began to feel a growing sense that God was challenging me to step out of my comfort zone and go abroad. I eventually felt led to apply for a 7-month DTS in Europe, which was both exciting and scary for me, as I had never traveled that far from home or for that length of time.

It was the first time in my life that I was in a setting where being American meant being the “minority,” and it was both exhilarating and humbling. I suddenly realized that even as a university-educated, cause-supporting Christian, I knew relatively little about the world I lived in or the people I shared it with. My DTS had 30 students from 14 different na-tions, each with a unique perspective to share as we learned about, and lived out, life with God.

I heard first-hand what it’s like growing up in the lowest caste in India (and as a persecuted Christian no less) from a classmate who had scrubbed busses day and night for over two years to save up for the plane ticket to come to our DTS. His understanding of what it means to follow God was so different from mine, and I cannot tell you how precious it was to me to share those 7 months

with this man—not as a westerner coming to his country to lend a helping hand, as is typical, but as a partner in learning, as a friend.

As I became immersed in this international setting, I began to ask what I believe are very healthy questions about my own culture—our values, both positive and negative—as well as the cultures represented around me. I like to say that during that time I learned to ‘see the world with both eyes’ instead of my former singular perspective, and my life will be forever changed because of that. I began to view the world as one great, big, connected thing rather than nations apart. This is something I think has ultimately made me a better citizen, a more compassionate person, and a greater authority to become a catalyst for change in the world.

I see that it has also been a tremendous blessing to be in a multi-lingual setting. Though all of our courses are run in Eng-lish, they are also translated into the local language, so you get a chance to pick up a lot just from listening. Through my time with YWAM in Norway, I’m now conversational in Norwe-gian and I hope to become fluent in the years to come!

Do a DTS abroad. There are lessons no book can give you wait-ing at the end of that plane ride!

When you do a DTS in Norway you become a part of an exciting multicultural environment. Around 30% of the YWAM staff in Norway are non-Norwegians, from more than 20 different nations. The international setting offers valuable intercultural understanding. In addition to a multicultural environment in Norway during your lecture phase you’ll get to practice missions abroad dur-ing your outreach phase.

Laken Chapman Sandrød (24), is from Texas, USA, and took her DTS in Europe in 2010. Today she’s on staff at YWAM Grimerud.

« The world is a boOk, and those who do not travel read only a page.

– Saint Augustine

CANADA

AMERICA

MAURITIUS

CAMEROON

KENYA

GERMANY

EGYPT

AUSTRALIA

GERMANY

INDIA

HOLLAND

CANADA

GERMANY

AMERICA

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Photo: Ruben Stensrud, Melissa Cervantes, UofN Kona

On your outreach the goals are twofold: We want to tell people

about Jesus, and also show his love in a practical way.

An outreach includes everything from evangelism, intercession, and worship, to working with kids and youth, providing health care, and

working in the slums.

Photo: Zhenya Shulgin, UIO Norge, Jo Yngve Svensen

God loves the nations, and so do we! Jesus gave us the following command: “Go into all the world

and preach the gospel to all creation!” We take that seriously …

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Text: Håkon Risnes // Photo: Ruben Stensrud, Roland Baltzersen

EVERY DTS HAS A MINIMUM OF TWO MONTHS OUTREACH WHERE YOU, THE STUDENT, GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE BEING A MISSIONARY. YOU AND YOUR TEAM SEEK GOD TOGETHER TO FIND OUT WHICH COUNTRY YOU’RE TO GO TO AND WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO DO THERE. REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU WIND UP, YOU GET A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE ABOUT JESUS AND TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED.

“This place turned out to be a little village with mostly Buddhists and a few Christians. We’ve prayed and made an exciting plan for our time here. After questioning the locals we found out that they drink muddy water, the kids have very little ac-cess to school and most of them don’t think that our God is a god for them … We can do something about that!”

“I’m sitting on the back of a pickup with wind in my hair. We’re on our way to our next destination: a refugee camp by the Thailand/Myanmar boarder. What are the people like there? What are the needs? Do they know Jesus? We’re going to spend the day visit-ing some homes and trying to answer these questions. I wonder what God has for us here …”

Håkon Risnes (32) is the DTS leader at Skjærgård-sheimen. Here are some highlights from his outreach-trip.

MY TIME WITH THE KAREN PEOPLE

TRAVEL THE WORLD AND GET A TASTE OF BEING A MISSIONARY#8

“Sweaty, worn out and satisfied after a day’s work. We made a simple drainage system using cement rings in the ground along the river so that the villagers can get clean drinking water with a lot less mud in it. “

“The Karen women are talented weavers! Today we’ve learned from them and helped out as much as we can. They’re part of an aid project where they weave and made cards, purses, pil-low cases, earrings, etc. We were able to save them many hours of work. It’s good to be able to help out in practical ways, rather than only with our words, in a setting like this.”

“The whole village came to our meet-ing tonight! Songs and games for the kids hit home with the adults as well. I shared the Gospel, and some of the oth-ers on our team shared their testimo-nies about what God had done in their lives. We ended the meeting by handing out clothes that someone had collected for us. I wonder what God’s going to do in the days ahead? I’m glad our local friends are going to continue to visit this village after we’re gone.”

MY TIME WITH THE KAREN PEOPLE

« I wonder what God has for us here …

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Julie Hjortland (22) was on DTS staff at YWAM Ro-galand in 2012/2013. Her outreach team went to both Thailand and India.

Before we started our outreach I talked to the rest of my team about getting God’s heart for the nations we would visit. I envisioned a person who has the whole world bursting in their heart, making it

impossible to not talk about it or share out of that passion. My deepest desire was to see our outreach countries through God’s eyes. How could we do that? By acting on the ideas that God gave us.

In Thailand we encountered many girls who placed little or no value on their own lives, and though we wanted to reach out to them, straight-forward evangelism was difficult. However, the girls on our team felt a deepening burden to act, despite a lack of interpreters and a totally different focus in our ministry at the time. That’s when I got an idea. Each of us made little bags for the girls with small gifts in them, and we wrote a Bible verse on the outside translated to Thai saying that they were valuable in God’s eyes. That’s how we put our faith into action, through this small act of love. God is so practical and creative when

Text and photo: Julie Hjortland

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

IN YWAM THE DISTANCE BETWEEN VISION AND ACTION IS SHORT#9

we are willing to respond to what he puts on our hearts. We can sit and pray, sing and have offerings forever---those are all good things---but compassion without action often dies away. We had to dare to hear God’s voice and have the faith to follow through. One of the girls from our team was later challenged to do that in a major way. After our month in India she realized that God was asking her to stay longer. Her heart for India had grown since the beginning of the DTS, and when it was over she faithfully returned.

During outreach, we truly fell in love with the people of every coun-try that we were in: the smells, the colors, the food – the unique way each nation reflects who God is! The love that grew for these countries gave us a continued desire for action.

Do you dare to see your dreams become a reality or to put your faith into action? Through the DTS you’ll have radical opportunities to act on your vision. What about starting a café for youth in your hometown? What about building orphanages in India, taking a Bible to someone in China, building a house in the slums of Ethiopia, or simply telling girls in Thailand that they’re valuable? The opportunities are endless. God has a plan, and he has given you dreams and passions for a reason. DTS may be a stepping stone to the vision you’re carrying or want to find.

My vision was to carry the whole world in my heart. And now I can’t stop seeing God everywhere, in every nation, and I can’t stop loving people I meet everywhere I go. What will that look like for you? Come find out.

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deepest desire was to see our outreach-countries through God’s eyes.

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Text: DTS-magasin // Photo: left: Ruben Stensrud, right: sxc.hu

1: A door to working at a YWAM base in Norway or in one of the 180

other countries that we’re active in.To be able to work in YWAM you need to have done a DTS – and there are countless work opportunities in YWAM. One example is discipling people through practi-cal preparation during schools and events, combined with a demonstration of God’s thoughts about subjects like discipleship, hospitality, stewardship, eating right, finances and much more. You can also work with art, recruiting for missions to the nations and follow-up of field workers, teaching, prayer and worship, counsel-ing, family ministry, youth, staff one of our schools and much more. And as we usually say: If we don’t have the job description of what God is calling you to, then we’ll make one. ☺

“It was a fantastic privilege to do a DTS, but God wanted more than six months

of my life. I learned more in just one year as DTS staff than I did in four years of

college. Now I’ve been in YWAM for 13 years, and I wouldn’t swap my life with

anyone else’s. I’ve been able to help out in many different ways to enable several hundred people to be discipled and have

their lives transformed by God.”

DOING A DTS OPENS THE DOOR TO A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY.

2: A door to the unreached and to something that no

one has ever done before.Youth With A Mission isn’t limited to the ministries we do at our bases – on the contrary, we are committed to making disciples of ALL nations. Are you a pioneer with a call to reach the unreached or has God put on your heart a new and innovative way to spread the gospel?

“Three girls in their late teens felt God calling them to go into the Amazon rainforest to an unreached people group. The authorities there told them that there was no one living in that area, but confident in the word God had spoken to them the girls embarked on a long jour-ney into the world’s largest jungle. After three weeks of exploration they were suddenly met by a group of naked men wearing only threads around their waists. Their spears were pointed directly at them, poised to kill, but instead of running away in fear, the girls sang out a song of worship to God. Slowly the men lowered their spears. After some time the girls learned that people who sing are considered very spiritual among this tribe. Over time, they discovered that this tribe was dying out because of disease. The witch doctor of their tribe had started to shout out to God three months earlier: “If there is a god greater than the gods I know, then please help us!” This was around the same time that God had started speak-ing to the three girls. Right about when the girls had started on their journey, the witch doctor had a dream where she saw each one of their faces. When the girls came to their village the witch doctor had taken each one of their faces in her hands and had told her people that these were the three faces she had seen in her dream---that they had been sent by God to save them.”

Hilde Aarskog (32) is the base leader of YWAM Borgen

together with her husband.

START HERE,GO ANYWHERE

DTS OPENS THE DOOR TO A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES#10

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3: A door to pursue a bachelors or masters degree from the

University of The Nations.YWAM isn’t only a place where you can know God and make him known – it’s also a place where you can get equipped to follow him in every area of life. University of the Nations (UofN) is Youth With A Mission’s interna-tional university. You can choose between about 800 different courses, in 90 different languages, at more than 500 YWAM bases in more than 130 nations.The university has seven colleges in the following areas: College of the Arts and Sports, College of Christian Min-istries, College of Communication, College of Counsel-ing and Health Care, College of Education, College of Humanities and International Studies and the College of Science and Technology.

YWAM is an innovative organization. Here are some examples of what has been done through University of the Nations recently: • Developed different types of sustainable water tech-

nologies for the developing countries of the world.• Developed a writing system that makes it possible

for people groups without a written language to learn how to read in the course of one day.

• Produced movies in Hollywood.• Started its own online news channel: www.grass-

rootsnews.tv • Developed a “food machine” that produces nutri-

tious food for 100 people in an environmentally friendly and simple way. www.foodmachine.org

What are you dreaming about?

4: A door to all the spheres of society.If you are among the “80%” of Christians that are called

to work in your own country, in our outside of a ministry setting, then YWAM is still the place for you. DTS is a platform to study how God wants to change the society you come from and how he wants to do it through you. How is your profession important to God? What does the Word of God say about the details of how you can honor God in your profession – beyond saying “Jesus loves you” to your colleagues? Learn to hear God’s thoughts for your country, and how you can be a part of seeing your nation built on biblical values!• Become a radical politician who is firmly

founded in the values of God.• Change the public health system through heal-

ing for the whole person: body, soul and spirit. Or take part in helping society view human life – from conception to death – as valuable.

• Be an innovative automation technician, electrician, carpenter or architect who in-vents low-cost and eco-friendly solutions to building projects.

• Give your school students creative oppor-tunities to learn in the way that’s best for them personally, so that they understand the teaching, their potential and their value.

• Get to the top of The Billboard Top 100 with songs of hope and healthy values.

• Be a journalist who conveys the truth about life and shows fresh perspective.

vywamnorway t @ywamnorwayÇ www.ywam.no

Photo: Ruben Stensrud