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Mexico CIty, here we come! |
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 My name is Julie Staaf. I am 19 years old and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I chose to do a DTS because I have always had a passion for doing ministry. I have helped out with my church’s youth groups. I helped mostly with the middle school kids. This is what God is calling me to do and I want to deepen my relationship with God.
A lot of the speakers have made a big impact on my life. From the speakers talking about relationships to leadership, it has really opened my eyes about life. God has been doing a lot in my life and I know he’s going to do more amazing things.
My favorite speaker so far has been Debi Tunney and Jessi Welsh. They talked a lot about forgiveness. It is important to forgive others because Christ has forgiven us. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
I am really looking forward to seeing what the speakers have to say and meeting the speakers. I have learned so much so far. I can’t wait what else is in store for me. I know God will do amazing things throughout this DTS.
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 My name is Stephen John Mingrino. I am 21 and I am from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. I wanted to attend DTS because I really felt God telling Me that this is the place I belong. It has been an amazing experience so far. God has been doing a lot in my heart lately and He has really has been teaching me to surrender all to Him. We have had a number of speakers so far and I have liked them all. Each has knowledge in the area they teach. I've been learning so much from them and I see things in a whole new perspective now. It’s been an amazing experience so far. For the rest of this lecture phase I'm looking forward to what God has for me and what He wants to do in my heart. For outreach I'm expecting God to do great miracles and healing and for more people to come and know Jesus for the one true God He is.
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 My name is Ólöf Anna Rúdólfsdóttir, I just had my 22nd birthday and I am from Iceland. I chose to do a DTS because I felt like I needed to spend more time with God and get to know him more. I wanted to make up for lost time with him by dedicating my time to him completely, so I knew that some sort of Bible school or something similar was what I was going to do. I had heard about YWAM a few months earlier and it sounded interesting but I kept procrastinating it until God spoke to me that I needed to do this as soon as possible! So all of the sudden everyone I met were somehow involved with YWAM, people that were doing outreaches in my country or people that were starting a base and just people that had done a DTS so that is why I decided to do it everything pointed in that direction. God has been doing a lot of things in my heart even though I have only been here for three weeks now. He has been healing me and helping me forgive things from my past. He has been opening me up more and I’m finding it easier and easier to be myself around people that I’ve only just met. God has been telling me what plans he has for me and they are pretty amazing! God is teaching me new things everyday and giving me more and more hunger after him and that is awesome. It’s hard to say what speaker is my favorite. They have all been different and exactly what I need at that time. The first speaker was Mark Britt he thought me things that I have a much better understanding on now than before, he explained it in a way that I have never heard so I loved learning from him. The second week we had teachers from Boston they were Debi Tunney and Jessi Welsh, they spoke on relationships and forgiveness, and this was the first time that I knew God was going to do some real soul work in me. It was a hard week but completely what I needed. The week after that, the teacher was Pastor John Derrico from our local church, he taught us about leadership and that was very interesting. Later on that week we had another teacher whose name is Dave Buehring; he though us how to make disciples. Dave was a really good speaker he was very personal telling us about his family a lot and that helped me relate to him very well. I can’t really say who my favorite is, because they have all helped me in different areas of my life and it’s been difficult saying good bye to each and every one of them. In my lecture phase I am looking forward to getting to know God more and know exactly when he is speaking to me. I’m also looking forward to getting to know the Bible better and to be a good soldier of God. In outreach I’m looking forward to seeing people get saved and healed, I am looking forward to seeing amazing things happen in the name of Jesus Christ. I can’t wait to get a taste of what God wants me to do in the future.
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 My name is Sarah Quinn. I’m 22 years old and I’m from Dayton, Ohio. I was an addict for four years, until June 2009, when God did an amazing turn around in my life. I decided to attend a DTS because I wanted to grow closer to God and find out what His purpose was for me. After praying, I felt led to come here to Pittsburgh, PA and pursue my future in Jesus. I haven’t regretted the decision; after only three weeks, I already feel immensely changed. God has really been speaking to me about the importance of putting Him above everything else, forgiveness, and my identity in Him. I feel so privileged and special to be here. My favorite speaker has been Mark Britt because of his excellent story-telling and enthusiasm. Through his teaching, I’ve learned about covenant, the fear of God, and how to do intercessory prayer. I have no idea what God has in store for me for the rest of my time here and on outreach, but I’m enjoying each day and I can’t wait to see what God is going to reveal to me.
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 My name is Jacob Haakinson. I am from Denver, Colorado and I’m 32 years old. I chose to do a DTS to better know who I am in Christ and the direction He has for me. God has been revealing many things like how I need always put my trust in Him. God is also teaching me humility, patience and how to overcome pride. My favorite teacher has been Pastor Dave Buehring, I learned how to receive new characters of Jesus and make them a part of my life. I am excited to put into practice my new understandings and share the love that Jesus has for us all.
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 Hello, my name is Summer Lee Steele. I am 29 years old from Canonsburg, PA. I wanted to attend a DTS after High School, but I decided to go to Bible College instead. Here I am 12 years later, because I saw an ad featuring YWAM Pittsburgh on Cornerstone television. The Holy Spirit was definitely drawing me here. I was at a dead end in my life and the call of full time ministry was ringing very loudly in my spirit.
God has been reshaping my image of Him during this time. I’ve always viewed God as harsh, rather than the loving Savior that He is. The dream of being in full time ministry had died and during this time He has resurrected the dream on the inside of me. God has been validating me as his daughter that is called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this lost and dying world.
I do not have a favorite speaker because I believe that each speaker was hand picked by God to speak into my life for such a time as this. I’ve longed to be mentored and these powerful men and women of God have spoken into my life in such a unique and timely way. After just one month of being here, I can confidently say I will never be the same. The lecture phase has been life changing thus far. The Lord has looked deep into my heart and He is removing whatever does not look like Him and He is depositing His character. I’m expecting to go deeper and deeper with Him. I am looking forward to outreach because I want to freely give what has been given so freely to me. "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required..." (Luke 12:48a).
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 Hello! My name is Abigale Marie Iverson. I’m 19 years old and from a little town called Wyoming, MN. I chose to attend a DTS because God called me here. To be more in depth, I crave to know God more and to know more about God and His Word. I have a passion for the Word and applying the Word to my own life. I felt as though I was in a drought and I needed water (a large supply of it). John 7:37 says that “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” I needed a huge drink of Jesus. DTS has become my never-ending glass of water and now I’m drinking and soaking up all that God is and more.
Recently God has spoken to me through a teacher that He wants me to be more quiet and attentive to the speakers, leaders and fellow students. God has started to “tenderize” my heart, as speaker Dave Buehring phrased it. If you can imagine a steak before it’s soft and ready to eat, that was me before DTS and now I’m getting hit over and over with a tenderizer (i.e. hammer to tenderize meat). My tenderizer is God. I know that, even though this process is really hard, in the end I’ll be more how God intended me to be. The speakers here have been so awesome! Mark Britt showed me to be enthusiastic about the history of the Bible and to continue to have passion for the Bible. Jessi Welsh and Debi Tunney opened my eyes to the lies that I have believed about the people closest to me and myself. They also helped me to forgive those who have hurt me in the past. Pastor John Derrico helped me to open my eyes on the ways of leadership and also gave me a word from the Lord that allowed me to have more trust in the Lord. And Dave Buehring reminded me of how much wonder, like a child, we need to have in our Father in Heaven and that God is our Father, Abba, and Daddy! The things that I am looking forward to in the Lecture Phase is learning how to go deeper with God, learning more about God, and learning more about who I am in God and who He wants me to be. I’m excited about our Outreach phase as well because I’m excited to share my testimony with others and just show how powerful He is. There is no way that anyone can place a cover over my mouth because what He’s done in my life can happen to other people as well and they need to know it! When I think of the people around me that don’t know God, it hurts my heart. I’m so passionate about God and His love and power. I cannot suppress this joy that He has given me. There is not one word that is long enough, deep enough, nor powerful enough that I can place to describe God! He really is everything! |
 Hey! I’m Kathleen Savannah Postlewait! I’m 18 and my birthday is April 14th (yes, the day the Titanic sank). I’m from the spiffy town of Hartville, located in Ohio! I’m the oldest of 13 siblings, I play guitar, piano, and a little bit of drums (but drumming is mostly a gag!) I’ve been playing Guitar for 11 yrs, piano 13 yrs, and drums whenever I feel like hitting something that makes noise (for like a year now). I‘m the worship leader at my church for the adults service as well as the children’s. I started leading when I was 13 going on 14 at my old church for the youth group and adults but then God called me to the church I‘ve been attending now for 3 yrs!
To be honest with why I am here, It’s a God thing….It’s all His doing!---I was attending The University of Akron, in Ohio. I was planning on my spring semester, but God got a hold of my lost, sad life with out Him and told me about YWAM. I kind of shrugged it off as “I’ll do it later…like I‘ll think about it after college” but God had other plans. I continued my terrible college lifestyle until He showed up again one day in my dorm room. In January of this year He caught me off guard but then I knew He wasn’t kidding so I decided to go to church. Little did I know that I forgot about what I had told God (when He first came to me about YWAM I said if it’s something you really want me to do, let someone I trust and look up to tell me about YWAM). So I was at church and my Pastor approached me and said “Hey have you ever heard of YWAM”. So then I decided to apply, and here I am!
There have been a lot of things God has been telling me so far. There is a lot of pain being healed, forgiveness from God being received and I’m forgiving others that hurt me. I’m learning how to really become a “Woman of God”. He has been speaking to me a lot as well. Oh, and He has given me the privilege to write another one of his songs (lyrics, chords and all) and I have to say it’s one of my top 10 favorite songs that I’ve ever written! I was nice to be able to hear Him sing to me again in a song, it had been a long time since He had given me a song. I’m loving where God has me right now, He is the most AMAZING thing that has EVER happened to me. I’m enjoying the lecture phase so far! I love the speakers they are all very blessed men and women of God! They have a lot of wisdom to learn from them and their trials! And I’m a sponge ready to soak up what ever they’re willing to give to me to learn from!
As for our overseas outreach, I really don’t care where we go as long as God is the center of it and it is His heart’s desire. I know He’ll lead us in the right direction!
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