Outreach Location!!!

Whenever I told people I was doing a DTS, their first question after finding out I would be in Dunham was, "Where are you going for outreach?" (In YWAM we have three months of lectures, then 2-3 months of short-term missions where we put into practice what we've learned.) I would have to tell them I didn't know, because even our leaders weren't sure yet.

Last week, they were going to tell us the three locations for outreach on the Friday of Relationship week. But then we had lots of things to process that weekend, and we had art projects to work on. So they were going to tell us on the next Monday. (Father Heart of God week.) But then it got pushed back to Wednesday, and pushed back again to the Friday of Father Heart of God week.

Meanwhile, everyone was wildly speculating about different locations, and bugging the staff about it. If any of the staff mentioned anything about a foreign country, they'd be asked "Is that where we're going for outreach?" The suspense was intense.

So on Friday afternoon (FHoG week) we all gathered in the worship room, where three folding screens were set up, and we played Hangman to guess the letters and names of the countries we would be going to.

They are. . .




. . . Drumroll please. . .




ARGENTINA!
FRENCH POLYNESIA!
MAURITIUS ISLAND!

Each of the team leaders explained a bit about the country and what we'd be doing. Then we had the weekend to pray about which location we would be going to. We weren't allowed to talk about it with anyone, so that we couldn't be influenced by our friends' choices. It was so hard keeping quiet! We were all about to explode from curiousity.

We wrote down our first and second choices on paper, and why we chose that location. Then, on Sunday night (this Sunday, Fear of the Lord week), we all gathered together and had a big dance party, where we put our papers into a bag. The staff would then take them, pray about them, and decide on the final teams. We still couldn't talk about the location we felt God was sending us to, just in case people had to switch teams in the next few days.

The suspense was killing us all! Some people gave up and told where they were most likely going (not me). It was worse knowing where I was going and not knowing my team than not knowing where we were going.

But today was the Big Day; our teams were revealed! The staff blindfolded everyone, moved us into our groups, and then had us remove our blindfolds all at once.

I'M GOING TO MAURITIUS, and this is my team!

 

 

(Anticlockwise from me) Me, Céline, Aurélie, Ben, Stephan, Billy. Ben (with the beard) is our leader.

 

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS OUTREACH!!!

So, Why Mauritius?

Because that's where the Dodo Bird lived, obviously. And there's an underwater waterfall.

No, really there's more of a story than that. And those aren't the reasons why I'm going. In short, I'm going because that's where God told me to go. In long, here's the story:

Even before we knew when the outreach locations would be announced, I was thinking about where it would be cool to go for outreach. I was hoping for somewhere in Africa, or a Pacific Island. And then I heard that still small voice say, "You're going to Mauritius," and my response was, "Is that me or God? I don't even know if Mauritius is an option yet." (There was a fairly high likelihood, since YWAM Dunham likes to send teams there as often as possible, but it wasn't a sure thing.)

On Monday, the day we were supposed to find out our locations and the meeting got postponed, I was reading a prayer letter. The letter was for YWAM Canada, and it was hanging in the prayer room. I wondered what prayer requests Dunham had. I looked, and it said, "Please pray for our AMDTS students as they go on outreach to Argentina, Tahiti, and Mauritius." I had accidentally discovered the locations. So I kept them secret from the other students until Friday. I'm glad, though, that God gave me the extra time to think about it.

Now I knew Mauritius was an option. So things were becoming a bit more sure. But I've wanted to go to the Pacific Islands for a long time. I prayed more.

You need to know something about my character for the next part. I hate making equal decisions between two things, and I like it when I can find a way to do both things at once. So if I have to choose between a filmmaker's intensive weekend, or working on a drama-documentary, I'll find a way to do both.

When I thought about how I wanted to go to Africa and/or the Pacific Islands, God pointed out that Mauritius is technically part of Africa--and it's an Island! I could do both! (I also got the distinct impression that now is not the time to go to the Pacific Islands.)

My excitement and peace about going to Mauritius grew and grew. On Friday, when the locations were announced, Ben was talking about what we'd be doing, and at the end he said they want us to do media stuff. And I thought, "Yes, that's it. I'm going." It was sealed. I have complete peace and excitement about going to Mauritius.

And even though it was really hard keeping our thoughts to ourselves, and not telling people what locations we were going to, I'm very grateful for it. It means that I KNOW God told me to go to Mauritius, and when the teams were revealed, I wasn't upset at all. It wouldn't affect my decision knowing who was going or not. And actually, I am delighted with my team! The only sad thing is that we're separating from the rest of the DTS as they go to Argentina and French Polynesia. :(

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO MAURITIUS!!!