At ten years of age, I was filled with excitement and curiosity, as my family sensed God leading us to take a step of faith into the new and unknown. That expressed itself as a signing up for Discipleship Training School with YWAM.
I had never met anyone from a different country before YWAM, so I was thrilled to interact with people from all over the world who came for DTS. I found myself particularly drawn by their accents and stories of their home countries.
YWAM quickly became a second home to me. My siblings and I were very much a part of the community, and having many people a part of our lives was like having a lot of older brothers and sisters around. My siblings and I spent a lot of time playing with these young adults who modelled to us how to love God, live His ways, and share Him with others.
There were other children whose families were involved with YWAM too, so we bonded over hours of imaginative play, board games, and hide and seek. Us kids were encouraged to be involved in a lot of activities that the adults were a part of during DTS. I particularly enjoyed joining in the corporate worship times with the community. For me, these were the most meaningful times where I could connect with God. People would often pray for each other and give words of encouragement, and I felt so special when God would give a word to me through an adult.
We had what was called, “Community Night” which ran a little bit like a church service, and I listened intently each week as a message was shared by someone who was teaching on the DTS. I was hungry for God, and loved learning and discovering more about Him in these sessions, even though as a kid I didn’t always understand everything they said.
On our outreach trip, I took part in learning the local language, helping with a kids club and trying different cultural food. I made friends with a girl who was around my age, and it was great that as a kid I was able to be a part of what God was doing in another nation through simply building relationship.
I learnt that it was not just my parents that have been called into this journey, but that it was me too, and us as a family. I saw that you do not have to wait until you grow up to engage, but that you can make an impact and serve God at any age.