Today was the start of our proper lecture series.
After Quiet Time, in which we focused on Psalm 19, had a time of sung worship with the whole base, and then we started our first lecture on "The Father Heart of God". We had an unexpected first lesson: we had to go around the group, and introduce ourselves and say something about the place we came from. We also had to mention someone who we miss. After that we had to think for a few minutes about how we saw God, and then we had a break.
When we came back, we were asked to take some magazines provided for us, and some colouring crayons and glue, and use the images from the magazines and the other material to produce a collage representing how we see God. This was quite a fun exercise. It was a bit like being in school again, but not having the pressure of being assessed at the end of it. It was funny how we managed to use magazines that has not been intended for this purpose. For example, I found images from National Geographic, such as an hotel porter carrying lots of luggage on a trolley. This reminded me of how God can (and wants to) take all our burdens and leave us free from our past, so we can have a great future with Him. I also found images from fashion magazines, such as a selection of watches. These got me thinking about God's timing. I've seen recently, with things like starting this YWAM DTS course, and getting together with my Girlfriend, that God's timing is perfect. It might not always be what we expect, but it is right.
I sat with some of the Canadian students at lunch, as well as the German student. It is nice to hear about other people's countries and cultures. It also makes you think about your own. For example, in Canada, they have a national holiday, "Victoria Day", in remembrance of our Queen Victoria. However, we do not have this holiday! Also, when it comes to food, there is a vast difference throughout the world (though it seems there may be some general themes which slight geographical changes too). The Canadians have lots of nice sounding dishes. Each week the school has a day to celebrate a different country, and we have a meal based on that country. I'm looking forward to the Canadian day. I am one of three English students on this course, so quite often I feel like I'm the foreigner. This is a good thing, I think, as when on the outreach phase, it won't seem so odd. I still don't know where I'll be going. The course leader has been giving broad hints. For example, the location will be somewhere on the planet Earth, but will not be Australia, New Zealand, or the Arctic.
At 2pm, once again we started the afternoon "Community Care" activities. I cleaned the toilets, while the other two people in the team I am on cleaned the sinks, mirrors, and floors.
At 4pm we started a session on Child Protection. This covered the topics we need to be aware of to spot the signs of children being abused. It is not a nice subject to think about, and it is upsetting to think that we have to be aware of such topics, but the session was very well run and informative. Having worked with youth for about eight years now, I have covered most of the subjects before, but it is always useful to have a reminder, and get to know the specific information relating to this location, such as the people we need to speak to if we suspect anything. I just pray that we will not have to use any of the information we learnt in this session. Also during this time, we found out that we may be having a trip to a local theme park: Thorpe Park. This should be a fun trip, and a great way to get to know the other students a bit more.
Just before dinner I joined in a game of volleyball. It is fun to get out an active a bit during each day. It is also helping to get to know some of the other people on the base. It is an initially confusing situation here. The DTS students and staff are not the only residents here at Holmsted Manor. There are also people who look after the grounds, hospitality, kitchen and probably various other tasks I haven't even heard of yet. There are also some people who just seem to "be" here, without having any specific purpose. It good practice to have so many new people around me all the time. It should help with relaxing around people and becoming even more confident in unusual situations.
Today has gone really quickly. I guess now that we are getting into the swing of things, and we are getting used to each other, the schedule and the environment, it will become easier to switch off and not think about time passing. I'm still really enjoying the course, and am so glad I'm here.
It is not just me blogging my way though the course. There are at least three other students that I know of blogging: Laura Piekos, and Stephanie and Joseph Brinkman. You can read their blogs too to get more views on how the course is going and what we have done.
Thanks again for reading. Please feel free to add a comment. I hope you had a great weekend and have a fun week ahead.
