«For I alone know the intentions I have for you, says the Lord, intentions for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope»
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Plans for 2024 have appeared, and the most unusual ones at that! If we are alive and God blesses us, we will spend six months in the wonderful company of YWAM’s DTS missionary school students.
How it all began…
In the beginning there was a word, and the word was YWAM, and it was written on the fence! Or rather – on the wall in the courtyard of the mission center in Georgia, where we spent last winter, 4 blessed months waiting for documents. I didn’t even notice this huge inscription on the whole wall, but my husband saw it immediately and memorized it.
Then there was my brother Andrew, who teaches at DTS, he came to Georgia for a couple of days and offered us to be trained in his city. But we looked at the cost and immediately decided: it was not for us. The daughter of a local pastor had by some miracle gotten into such a school in Europe, and we saw the glory of God in it, but we did not even think of trying it on ourselves.
A year later, while already in Tajikistan, we met several missionaries who had been trained at YWAM and strongly encouraged us to go there as well.
For me, the last stone on the scale was the testimony of a brother from a closed country. When I met him in person, he told me that it was in the YWAM office that his family found refuge during the time of danger, having applied there as former students of the DTS school. God Bless! After such a testimony, I wanted to be part of this big family.
But we were still not accommodating the thought: that we would soon fly somewhere to study for a few months… After all, we had only recently arrived in Tajikistan, had just started to get used to the place and were not planning to go anywhere yet. But one evening our good missionary friend asked: «Have you tried applying to DTS? No? Why?» And really, why? What if God opens that door…..
«God opens and no one shuts, shuts and no one opens»
(Revelation 3:7)
After a couple days of prayer, we wrote letters to 5 or 6 different YWAM offices in different countries. They were different courses, different topics, different areas of ministry. I liked only one direction – family ministry – and I honestly told my husband and God: «If I’m going to go to study, I’m going to go to family ministry!»
A few days later we heard back from one office in Switzerland, where a family discipleship course was planned for April. The other offices were silent. We took this as approval and encouragement from the Lord!
Now, in January, we filled out the forms and had a video call interview, were accepted into the school and sent the necessary paperwork for our visas. In April we plan to fly to Switzerland to study at the DTS missionary school! We do not have a penny for this training, but we have peace in our hearts and complete trust in God.
For the first three months of training for two students and a teenage son, we need about $8000… This amount includes room, board, and tuition. Visas, insurance, and plane tickets are separate expenses.
Before Christmas we wanted to go to sell our car in Kyrgyzstan to pay at least for the visas and flight. But the Lord did not let us go (the car broke down and there was a snowstorm on the highway, we had to go back), and I realized in prayer: we already had the money for the training.
«Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything impossible for Me?»
(Jeremiah 32:27).
Well, if the Lord wants to make this miracle even more incredible, that’s His right! We decided that on our part we will do what depends on us (visas-documents-tickets), and put everything else (impossible and impossible) on God.
P.S. If you have money for our education, please contact us 😉 we will think together how to send it to the Swiss school.
P.P.S. If God puts it on your heart to support us in getting visas and buying tickets – click here or contact us in Telegram under the nickname Nicelightio.