I've only been on the YWAM DTS course since Saturday, but I feel like I've been here a lot longer than a week. Every day, I get more and more glad that I found this course when I did. Even now, there has been so much good that has come from me doing this course. I have been so blessed, and have also been able to bless others. It is so easy to feel God strongly here. Holmsted Manor is such an awe inspiring place to live, I just hope at some point I remember to leave: it would be so easy to stay here and forget about the outside world, which would be wrong, as the point of these courses, at least in part, is to help us live out our faith in the wider world.

Today was another fun day, full of so much that makes me glad that I am here. After breakfast, we had our regular quiet time. Today we looked at Psalm 42, which starts "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?". It is a great reminder of how each one of us can long for intimacy with the living God who made us all. It is almost as if God is addictive: I've certainly found myself wanting to spend more and more time praising God here as we learn more about Him and as we spend time with Him. I also spent some of my quiet time reading a book we have all been given to read during the course, "Blue like jazz" by Donald Miller. This is a collection of essays describing the author's journey to faith, and walk with God. I've only read three or four chapters so far, so I've got a long way to go. The book has already made me think about my life though. We need to write our thoughts from reading in a separate book report, so I won't elaborate here.

In our lectures today, we studied 'intercession', which is the act of pleading with God on behalf of others: 'standing in the gap', as it were. The practical exercises were quite interesting. The first exercise involved us splitting into groups of 6 or so, and being given a newspaper clipping from this week's news. We read through the article, and prayed for those involved. My group's article was about the recent school shooting incident, so it was unfortunately quite easy to find things to pray about. The second exercise was quite different, but still very beneficial. We were again split in to groups, and had to pretend we were in a different country-one which is hostile to Christians. Our group was given India. We were given a clue on a piece of paper, and asked to go and find the correct location around the Manor based on the clue. We were also told there were people going around who we could not trust. So we set off, attempting to solve the clue and find the correct location. Eventually, we ran in to one of the 'untrustworthy' people, who captured one of our group. When they returned to the group, they had a cross on their hand, but they couldn't say why. We then carried on seeking the correct location, and taking in some more of the fantasic scenery around the Manor at the same time. After some more time, we were stopped by one of the leaders (who we still though we could not trust, as part of the game), who told us the game was finished and that we should follow him to the correct location. Even though we thought that perhaps they were trying to trick us, we went with him as we were ready for the end anyway. It turned out the game really had finished, and we were lead to the others, and the correct location. The point of the game was to give us a sense of what it would be like for a Christian trying to get to a prayer meeting in a country closed to the gospel. It turned out that the cross on our team member's hand represented him having been arrested on the way to the meeting. After this exercise, we went back and prayed for the situation in the country we were given. I don't know how much you know about the current violent situation towards Christians in India, but it is worth investigating. We might think we are having a bad day from time to time in The West, but really we have life so easy compared to people there, who's lives are in danger just for professing a belief in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

After lunch, we resumed our 'community care' duties, which saw me mop the floors in all the toilets and shower rooms in the Manor. This was a great way to stay warm, which will become an important activity as we move in to the English winter. After that, I took part in another activity which helped me stay warm: a nice game of football. It was quite fun to get out and active, though I know I need to keep it up to get fitter for the outreach phase and beyond.

After dinner we had a 'fireside chat', where we discussed, and came to decisions about dating and drinking during our time on the course. On the first topic, I was just so pleased that I didn't have to worry either way. I have been extremely blessed through my relationship with a girl, which in part came about because of my decision to leave Portsmouth and take this course. This new relationship is such an amazing gift and I am so thankful to God for bringing us together. On the second subject, alcohol, I was also partially quite ambivolent. I do drink, but not that often, so I would have been happy with whatever decision we came to as a group. We concluded that we would not drink during the course. It is funny how I now find myself wanting a drink more than usual! I guess that is just the way things go: as soon as you can't have something, you want it even more. This has been the pattern of the world since it started though-God let Adam and Eve have an entire garden to explore, but they were drawn to the one tree which had the fruit they were not allowed to eat of. I know it will be good in the lobg run to set aside drinking for this time, there would not be many opportunities to do it, and the course is not very long anyway, so I shouldn't struggle too much.

Which leads me to know, where I have been writing this entry while in the community 'chill out' room, chatting to the staff and other students along the way, so it has taken quite a long time and I am now quite tired! Thanks for reading all the way to the end, your support and your prayers. This course is turning out really well so far. Praise God!

"Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."