If you’ve been reading for a while you may find the tone of these posts changing a bit. That’s because I’m not constantly travelling the world at the moment but actually planting my feet for a bit with school.
Right now I am taking part in a Discipleship Training School (DTS) themed around camping and outdoor adventure called Beach to Bush. This is through Youth with a Mission in Brisbane Australia, and I am hoping to continue on with their University of the Nations afterwards, but who knows what’s in store!
Overall, it’s a wild adventure that I am so blessed and thankful to be taking part in!
And right now, I’m sitting here asking myself the question, how did I get here?
To my surprise I have to go back 5 years to answer that question.
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On July 1st, 2012 I arrived at Jacksons’ Point Camp on Lake Simcoe to take part in a 3 week leadership program called Timothy 1, designed to prepare us for a potential career at camp the following year.
When I arrived I can’t say I was really hooked of the whole camp concept yet, but by the end of it I most definitely was. In those 3 weeks I grew more than I could have ever imagined, igniting a whole new passion that I hadn’t had before and learned many things that I still carry with myself today. But how does that apply to Australia?
It was in Timothy 1 that I had the privilege of meeting Adam and Paul. They were my male session leaders and I had the chance to spend a lot of very valuable time with them over the course of those 3 weeks. Adam and Paul were the ones that introduced me to an organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM for short). They had been involved with this organization in Australia where they had spent many months (and I think years for Adam) growing with fellow believers and actively participating in missions abroad. They had countless stories of their times with YWAM that they loved to share with us. Their stories ranged from the hilarious (a lot of poop stories) to the unbelievable, and from what I understood they had participated in something most christians either dream of, or run for the hills at the thought.
I wanted in.
During my time in Timothy 1 God very strongly put it on my heart that I was to be involved with this organization. I began researching as soon as I got home and discovered that I could be involved with YWAM almost anywhere in the world. I discovered their University of Nations and thought it would be the perfect place for me. I began speaking about it with my family and friends, convincing them what a great opportunity it would be.
However at the time I was just entering grade 10 and a commitment like this wasn’t necessarily in the realm of possibility for me at the time.
As high school went on I still had the desire to be involved, but it dwindled on the back burner for a while as I focused on other things. As I discussed the idea with some they tried to convince me to pursue other paths more typical to our mainstream North American education system, and for a while I had even convinced myself that it wasn’t realistic. But why settle for mainstream and realistic?
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Fast forward to spring 2016.
After graduating and completing an internship with a creative agency, I was working as freelance multimedia artist in the industry I thought I would spend the rest of my life in. However, I was quickly finding that the industry which once brought me great joy and interest throughout school was now making me incredibly miserable.
I soon found YWAM predominantly on my heart once again and I began delving into the realm of possibilities, looking at a variety of DTS options around the world, searching for one that might fit into my life’s schedule. I had done this many times before and it never seemed to work out, but this time felt different, so I began preparing spreadsheets and organizing my finances for this potential endeavour. As I looked through and emailed all the schools of interest I discovered the dates for a DTS with YWAM Brisbane would match up perfectly with my previously scheduled trip to Antarctica.
I thought this must be the one, but I was not 100% sure yet, so I returned where I knew for sure I was being called at the time, camping ministry. After 6 years of summers at Newport Adventure Camp I felt my time there coming to a close. I loved camp and the ministry there with a deep passion and could stay there the rest of my life, so this idea of leaving was incredibly hard for me to swallow. Regardless, it was an incredible summer of fulfillment and closure for me, and at the end I felt God very clearly release me of my work there, and very clearly release me to take my next step with YWAM. And with that a chapter of my life came to a close.
As soon as I got home I began my application. Within weeks I was accepted. Shortly after that my visa was granted with miraculous timing and before I knew it I was on my way.
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So here I am. Sitting in Brisbane Australia, living out a journey that was placed on my heart 5 years ago. My heart overflows with joy at the thought of God’s incredible fulfillment in my life recently, and I am so excited for the journey ahead as big of a rollercoaster ride as it may be. He is so, so faithful.
I’m not sure where this course will lead me, I know I’d like to continue of with the University of the Nations, but where ever this road leads, that’s in his hands. Bring it on.
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