Well, the Fall quarter and the beginning of DTS is upon us! Before I get going on that, though, I think I need to give a little more of a personal catch-up on my summer. I posted photos and wrote about all the wonderful visits with family and friends, but I wanted to share about my time doing DTS Equip this summer. It was a leadership training course that is aimed at those who want to staff and lead Discipleship Training Schools, but it was also very helpful for the development of general leadership skills.
One of my favorite weeks during this 6-week program was when we had a professional counselor come and talk to us about discipling people from difficult backgrounds. He talked about many addictions and family difficulties that people have and how that can so negatively impact huge areas in their lives. He gave us so many practical tools, as far as how to ask good questions, etc. that will be really helpful when I am dealing with students who have had troubled pasts. His teaching wasn't to make us professional counselors, but to simply help us to help others find more healing and freedom in their lives. I am so excited to put these skills into practice this fall! This teaching really piqued my interest in possibly getting my Masters in counseling one day. I feel like this course really helped me better discover my giftings and leadership style, and I think that counseling would fit really well into that.
Another week that was a highlight was one where we spent the entire week doing community outreach. It was humbling and eye-opening to spend the week having conversations with people in the area, most of whom were homeless. We spent time in parks praying and looking for opportunities to have conversations with people, as well as doing things like free car washes and art in the parks. One older lady came to know Jesus through this week, which is so exciting!! We ended the week by hosting a barbecue at a park for all the people we met during the week. After sharing dinner with all our new friends, a couple of people in our class got up and shared their stories/testimonies. It was incredibly powerful, as many had gone through similar hard things. The best thing about that night was to watch the way that after those personal stories were shared, everyone began to open up so much. At the beginning of the night, our guests seemed to feel a bit awkward and out of place, but it was so amazing to watch the way that hearing about the power of God caused everyone to break off into twos and they then shared their stories with us. God touched a lot of hearts that night.
I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to learn these things and to share God's love with others. Now, I have a whole new season beginning where I can put all those lessons into practice on a daily basis! Thanks for your prayers, and for continuing to be involved in my life.
Love, Erika
