:)

Hey everyone, my name is Miriam and I’m from Denmark. I’m staff with Community transformations this fall and I want to tell you a little bit about what it is like to be an international student on DTS.

Being an international student is amazing. Coming to Kona the first time in 2007 I had never spoken English before. At first I was shy and never really said anything, but as soon as I started to speak more it became natural. So do not be shy, just jump right into it.  People might copy your accent or repeat what your saying but don’t be discouraged about that cause its just because they love it.

Americans are some of the most friendly people I’ve ever been around. So if you’re in the airport feeling confused about something don’t hesitate to ask people, they will always help you.  Americans are very open and always up for a chat, which is amazing when you are traveling by yourself.

One last thing is, bring funny games or things from your country. It’s so good to be able to share things from your culture! 

Amazing Grace

Here’s something that God really used to speak to my heart a couple weeks ago.

So I bet most of you guys know the hymn “Amazing Grace.”  I’ve heard it sang in church, movies, and funerals.  Most people in America know at least the first verse by heart even if they don’t even believe in God.  But just a couple weeks ago they started playing it at Thursday-night worship, and I sang along like I always do, and all the sudden we got to the last verse.

“When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.”

I suddenly became overwhelmed at the concept of eternity!  Ten thousand years after I die and go to heaven, I won’t have any less time there as the day I died.  My days to sing praises to God and soak in his presence will never be limited!  My days there with him will never run out or become less!

Vision

Just a glimpse…

On September 29th 2011, 120 radical youth will gather together. The goal: Go to broken cities, neighborhoods, and families to see them TRANSFORMED through the power of the Living God. Over a course of three months spent in paradise, our own hearts will be renewed and revived, chains will be broken off, and we will dance before the Lord with freedom. As a whole, we will go from strangers with nothing in common but Jesus to a close knit family that authentically loves one another and runs together for many years to come. Our lives will be centered around raising up adoration to the Father in worship and walking out in radical obedience to the voice of the Lord. Flash forward to outreach where you will be led by the Holy Spirit to see physical ailments healed, broken relationships restored, liberation from the bondage of sin, people encountered by the love of God, lives surrendered to the power of the gospel, and a glance at the Kingdom of God coming on earth.

All this is only one stop in the journey. God has a plan. He wants to use you. You will see greater things than this when you walk out your life surrendered to His will. Love God. Love People. Disciple the Nations.

Community Transformations DTS 2011. Get Stoked.

Arms Linked

When I first came to Community Transformations DTS last year, I had no idea what it was about.  I didn’t even know what YWAM really was.  I just knew that I didn’t know what else to do after graduation, and that I needed something different.  I was just a Christian going through the motions.

So I got here.  I was freaked out.  The reality hit me that I was going to live in the middle of the pacific ocean with a bunch of strangers for a long time.

But little by little I started to slowly crawl out of my tiny little comfort zone, and the more I did, the more I found joy waiting for me right outside all the walls I had put up.

I found out there is nothing more freeing then letting God consume every single area of who you are.  Every crevice, every corner, even the parts you hate.  I also found the loveliness of knowing people, and letting yourself be known.  Not just your name and where you came from, but your heart and your story and your dreams.  Knowing people like that adds such a sweetness to life.  I had the incredible honor of watching Jesus captivate the hearts of people around me, all while being captivated by Jesus more every day.

I found it’s easier to run fast after Jesus if your arms are linked with the runners beside you.

That’s what community is all about.  Now let’s all link arms, run after Jesus, and then we’ll transform the world around us.

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Jonny…the brother at the helm of this forward rowing ship…never stops working!

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Comm Trans Staff hard at work accepting students! 27 Accepted!

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Accepting students and praying through applications…

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Working working working on the Comm Trans DTS site.

"You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking."

Henri Nouwen

Just getting started…