DTS UPDATE...POST 4

On January 5, 2013, we flew from Tahiti direct back to the Cook Islands. It’s about a 2 hour flight. We stayed with the CICC in Arorangi. (CICC being the Cook Island Christian Church—the church first established by the missionaries). The church was having its annual week of prayer, and we went to 5 am church services all week long. The CICC has become quite traditional in its views and it was interesting that the topic for the week had quite a bit to do with being born again, as most of the CICC members don’t believe in being born again or the Holy Spirit. Our team joined with the services and ran one of the mornings. We also helped out in the village and ran a women’s Bible study, at the request of the pastors’ wives.

We were really encouraged to see the move of God in the CICC. Our last morning service we witnessed an altar call, which is apparently the first altar call seen at a CICC in over 50 years. Some of the deacons came and spoke to us throughout the week about how YWAM used to play a huge part in the church in the 70’s and 80’s, so we’re hoping to rebuild those connections with the younger people in the church. They invited us to continue to teaching and reaching out through the Bible Studies they run, as well as asking if we might help out with the band.

We’re praying through these options as the school is finished now and there are only a handful of staff on base...however, before I go into that, let me continue with our time of outreach in the Cook Islands.

After our week in Arorangi, we moved back to the base. When we moved back to the base there was a teen missions group of around 30 that were doing a few building projects. Our students helped them in the afternoons, and got to build some really good connections with the youth, and many of them are thinking of coming and doing a DTS here in the Cooks once they turn 18. We’ll see how God leads them, but it’s exciting to see another generation be impacted for God, as well as seeing how 13-16 year olds are thinking of serving God full-term. During our week at the base, we held debrief in the mornings, and had team devotion/Bible Study times in the evening. On Saturday, the 19^th of January, the students graduated from their DTS. The students are all still on the islands. Two of them are flying back home in a few days, and two are staying on as staff. And that is DTS over, done and gone. Myself and the team leader just finished wrapping up paperwork and forms and things today, and we’re heading into our week off before we start with other base ministries, and preparations for the next school.

As a base, we’re starting 3 weeks of fasting and prayer on January 31. We’re looking at starting new ministries, finding a vision for the year, building relationships into the community, and basically just growing in what God wants us to do, personally, spiritually, and in ministry.

What is Darla planning on doing? Is probably a question on a lot of your minds. I’m not committing to anything at the moment. I will be praying through a few different options through my week off, as well as through our time of prayer and fasting. I will definitely be staying with YWAM. My thoughts are either to take a second level course with YWAM and then return to the Cooks and continue staffing, or to go to a base in Canada, and serve the Lord in some capacity through whatever ministries are being run. I really love DTS though, and love seeing the change and growth in individual’s lives as they seek to model their lives after Christ and to fall passionately in love with Him, so I would like to stay with the Discipleship Training School. But I’ll decide after I’ve slept for a week and just had time to process what God has taught me in the last 5 months. Please pray for me as I continue to seek His will for the future. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. It’s been amazing to see the hand of God work through this DTS, and we could not have finished this strong without the prayers of all of you. So Meitaki Maata (thank you) and have a blessed New Year. Ka Kite (Good-bye for now)