DTS is an amazing adventure, but for each one of us it looks diferently! Here are few stories put together from some of the DTS students over the years, how they got changed and what they learned in the 6 months.
For me, DTS was a great experience. I’d been to Latvia before during the summer three or four times to do children’s camps and I just fell in love with the country, so my friend Joel and I decided to do a Discipleship Training School. We spent three months at the training centre in Valdemarpils in lectures about the different topics in the Bible, such as the Holy Spirit, the Father’s heart, relationships etc. Then we spent almost three months in other countries on outreach, practically living out what we learned. I went to Moldova and Holland for the outreach phase and made so many great friends that I still visit today. DTS pushed me out of my comfort zone, helping me grow in confidence and faith. It is a really great experience and of course pursuing God first and foremost for six months is what makes it worth it.
David Geary, Northern Ireland (DTS 2011 – 2012)
My DTS experience was definitely something I will always hold close to my heart. Every week I learned something new about God, myself, and the people around me and around the world. With my diverse class with many backgrounds and cultures I was able to experience Gods love for not only my nation but all nations. During dts a new teacher comes every week and leaves every week. From lectures about Gods nature and character to biblical world view we covered so much in only three months. But these lectures would never break past the surface if it wasn’t for my one-on-one and other staff and friends who always wanted to go deeper on the subjects outside the lecture room. DTS allowed me to conquer my fears through Ropes Course and NIKO. Which allowed me to have the courage to do my outreach in India! Somewhere I never dreamed of going but now love. The staff always encouraged us to go outside our comfort zone and do something that we normally wouldn’t.
Dts is the way you make it, you can either sit back and let all that is happening just barely touch you. Or you can embrace all the difficult, confusing, and FUN that it has to offer.
Gabrielle Elise Marston, USA (DTS 2015 – 2016)
I went to Discipleship Training School (DTS) straight after high school. I decided to do a DTS because I felt like I needed to take some time for myself and with God to really understand what’s next for me. During this school God really changed my life, I really had to work on my character, I stepped out of my comfort zone. I had opportunities to forgive and to ask for forgiveness, to serve, to be patient, to experience God’s miracles in my life and the lives of others. I met many wonderful people and made friends for life. During the lecture phase I had the privilege to listen to experienced lecturers and missionaries. But my favorite part of the school was the 3 month long outreach in Estonia. I experienced many miracles and answered prayers. I could share the gospel with people in rehabilitation centers, soup kitchens for homeless and the streets of Tallinn. The outreach gave me a “taste” of mission work. That’s why right after graduating from the DTS I went back to Estonia to be a full time missionary there and I’m still a missionary today. During the DTS God gave a purpose and direction for my life.
Lelde Dykstra Latvia (DTS 2010 – 2011)
Laura Gaile, Latvia (DTS 2016 – 2017)
My DTS was a time packed with many different blessings. It was then that some basic truths and principles to live my life by really sank in and took root in me. I really enjoyed the wholeness of it all – no aspect of our lives was outside the discipling experience. Doing dishes and having movie nights together was a way to serve God and learn from Him as much as interceding for the nations and listening to the lectures. There were challenges for both the heart and the mind. I learned to put my beliefs on a test at an intellectual level, think through why I believe what I believe and whether my beliefs really agree with the Bible or not. But I also learned that faith in God is not a set of intellectual convictions, but the willingness to trust and follow Him into the unknown. Getting to live and work together with people from so many different cultures and backgrounds was another priceless lesson. What surprised me probably the most was how fast complete strangers became family – a family that supported and encouraged each other on the not always easy road of becoming more and more of who we’re created to be. All in all – if you want to learn more of what being a disciple of Jesus really looks like for you, I can safely say doing a DTS at Valdemārpils is an excellent chance for that!
Adele Vaks, Estonia (DTS 2015 – 2016)
DTS was a special time for me. Those who know me know that I don’t agree on things that easy; I always have so many questions and concerns. When I realized that God Himself is inviting me to go to DTS, I was surprised. Mainly because I was a Christian for a very long time already and didn’t see myself listening to the topics that I already knew. But God’s answer to my doubts was: “I want to spend time with you”. That was something that never crossed my mind before. Then I started to worry about the finances that are needed for the school, but also for that God had something in mind already: “I will provide those”, and He did. The more I talked with God about my worries, the more unbelievable His answers became. In September 2015 I started DTS still with questions, but God was faithful and I spent the most amazing 5,5 months in His presence. During this time I was learning again about Him and myself, but this time more personal and real. I never knew that I would go to Asia and in DTS I ended up painting a huge prayer tree on a wall in Thailand and hiking from one mountain village to another in Myanmar. Since this time my views are much wider on needed things in the world and in Latvia. God is calling each one of us to discover Him and the opportunities He wants to lead us to. If you hear Him calling, don’t miss it!
Madara Molnika, Latvia (DTS 2015-2016)
I don’t have some awesome story about why I decided to do a DTS, let alone why I chose a DTS in Valdemārpils, Latvia. But I can definitely testify to the fact that it benefited me for the better in countless ways. I learned so much about myself, my relationships with other, and most importantly my relationship with God. And while it’s an ongoing process (if you choose to do a DTS that word will have a whole new meaning, let me be the first to tell you) it is one that I know I don’t go alone and that I go with an abundance of joy.
Over a year has passed since I returned home from my wild adventure, and I would have to say that what has stuck with me the most (besides an unnatural love for tea and black bread) is the emergence to peace in my life. Before I went to Latvia, the notion of peace was just some whimsical, half-baked concept that I didn’t understand aside from its significance in the sixties and seventies as the hippie go to #flowerchild. While in the throes of lecture phase, however, epiphany struck and I began to recognize the worry and anger that clung to me like a second skin. And with the gentle guidance of the staff, the support of my fellow students, and the ever-present presence of God, I began to shed my chains and clothe myself stitch by stitch with tranquility.
It took me a while to even realize that I was changing and feeling lighter. I was sitting in the fireplace room after tea time with one of the staff members, Corina, and she asked me if I knew that I had become more peaceful and that she could see it. I don’t know how I responded, but I’m sure it was something lame and out of place in comparison to the significance of the moment, but I know that she was right. Through lots of awkward quite times that slowly became more personal and less uncomfortable, and a lot more Bible reading then I had done in probably my entire life before, I was slowly transforming, it most certainly wasn’t overnight, and it most certainly isn’t done, but I find myself feeling all around better. While peace is not alone in the treasures that I have gained in my time around different parts of the world, it is undoubtedly one that I cherish. I wouldn’t trade the time that I spent in my DTS for anything.
Stephanie Paxton, USA (DTS 2015-2016)