What makes the DTS so good?

Hannah gave out to me the other day about not having written anything on our common blog and only on my personal one so I thought I'd take this moment to share a bit about why I think the DTS is so good.

The first speaker we had talked about hearing the voice of God. To me this wasn't really a new thing and it's something I've been learning about before so there was nothing new about it really. Still I would say I learnt a lot from that week. The thing is that we all came here strangers so I didn't know any of the other students. We had a few exercises that had quite the impact on me. You listen to what God has to say about a stranger and then you share that with the stranger and almost immediately the person tells you the significance of what you just shared.

We had one exercise where we were supposed to imagine a tree and then draw the tree. After that you fold it up so you can't see the tree and put a symbol on it that only you would recognise. Everyone gives the trees to the leader/teacher who then spreads them out in the middle of the circle and people pick someone else tree. Then you go back to your place and pray over the person whose tree you're holding and open it up. Then you listen to what God says and depending on what He says that's what you add to the picture. The person who had mine put a bible verse on my tree. The verse was something that I had already highlighted previously and it revealed a whole set of things to me which was just amazing.

Another exercise we had

During that week we as students came a lot closer. We opened up about our lives and how we came here and so on. It feels like these people are going to become really really close. I also feel like this is a really good place for Hannah and I to be together.

This week the theme was worship. Instead of a lot of teaching on the subject we practiced a lot. Lots of life stories were shared and a bit about why worship is important for different reasons. Throughout the years worship has always been a bit of a problem for me. I've never really ever gotten into it the way I see others doing it. I never find myself free enough to do what I want to do, but that changed here. I let loose and my real singing voice came out which meant I could finally be completely free to sing the way I have always wanted. During this week I feel like a lot of people have been freed from different things that have been binding them.

The DTS is a really safe place where people feel safe enough to open up about the different things they need to work on. It's been a very short time and I feel like I've learnt a lot and made lots of progress in a very short period of time. This would probably never have happened had I continued my life just like before.

A bit about our DTS

Innan jag och Alan åkte iväg till Paris för att påbörja vår DTS fick vi en hel del frågor om vad vi ska göra och hur programmet ser ut. Och för att vara ärlig visste vi själva inte vad som väntade oss men vi visste att det var vad Gud kallade oss till att göra och det har verkligen visat vare sig den rätta platsen för oss. 

Hur som helst har vi fått en hel del information om de kommande veckorna och om vår DTS. Visst finna det ännu saker som inte är helt klara men det är här vi får lära oss gå i tro och lyssna till Guds ledning. Jag känner trots allt att jag vill dela med er lite av vad vår DTS går ut på.

DTS:n är indelade i teorifasen och out reach fasen. För teorifasen har vi varje vecka ett nytt tema och en ny gästtalare. Under teorifasen fokuserar vi på att lära känna Gud bättre men också förbereda oss för outreach fasen. Vi gör lokala out reach i Paris (börjandes denna lördag) och så kommer vi även få lära oss mer om fransk kultur, historia och mat. Mitt i allt intensivt program får vi skapa nya vänskapsband, njuta av fransk mat och se mer av Paris.

De teman vi kommer behandla är följande:

Att höra Guds röst
Lovsång
Relationer
Dela Jesus
Gudsfruktan
Andlig krigsföring
Gud rike
Synd, omvändelse och korset
Guds fadershjärta
Mission
Evangeliet

Angående den andra delen av DTS:n, out reach delen vet jag ännu inte speciellt mycket om.

Before Alan and I left Finland we got quite a few questions concerning our DTS, what we would be doing and so on. To be honest we didn't really know what to expect but we knew God called us to come here and it is truly the right place for us.

However, we've now got more information about our schedule and our DTS. For sure there are things we don't know about yet but it's then we start trusting in God and listening to his guidance for real. Anyway, I feel I want to share a bit of the information we've got.

The DTS has two phases, the lecture phase and the out reach phase. For the lecture phase we've a new theme and a new guest speaker every week. During this time we focus on getting to know God better but also to start preparing ourselves for the out reach phase. We do local out reach in Paris (starting this Saturday) and we'll get to know more about French culture, history and food. And in the midst of our intense schedule we get to build new friendship, enjoy French food and discover more of Paris.

The themes we've during the DTS are:
Hearing the voice of God
Worship
Relationship
Sharing Jesus
Fear of the Lord
Spiritual warfare
The kingdom of God and the speheres of society
Sin, repentance and the cross
Father heart of God
Missions
The Gospel

Concerning the second phase, the out reach phase we don't know much about it yet.

An update for you all

Dagarna är fyllda med ett intensivt schema och det är mycket på gångs jämt och ständigt.
Bloggen har släpat efter men nu tycker jag det är dags för en ordentlig uppdatering. 

Efter förra måndagens (02.02.15) underbara lektioner fortsatte lektionerna med samma tema (att höra Guds röst) till torsdag efermiddag. Fredagen var ledig ända tills aftonstund då vi gick in en annorlunda värld för helgen. Vi deltog nämligen i ett intensivt utmanade läger ända till måndag lunchtid. 

Eftersom lägret stal helgens lediga tid fick vi en vilodag på tisdag och idag (onsdag) började den nya veckan. Veckans tema är lovsång och som gästtalare har vi Dave, från Sydkorea.
Dagens lektioner bestod mer av lovsång än av undervisning, men inte mig emot.

Idag fylldes även mitt hjärta av lovpris till Gud som förser. Han känner till varenda ett av våra behov och han är en Gud som förser. Tack Fader.

The days are filled up with an intense schedule and there's always something to do. Our blog hasn't been updated for way too long and therefor I think it's time for an update.

After having had lovely lectures last Monday (the second of February) the lectures continued through out the week (till Thursday afternoon). On Friday we had a day off untill the evening when we stepped into a different world for the weekend.  You see, we participated in an intense challenging camp Friday evening-Monday lunchtime. 

Since the camp stole the free time we usually have during the weekend we got a day off on Tuesday. And today (Wednesday) the new week started.
The theme of the week is Worship and our guest speaker is Dave from South Korea.
Today's lecture wasn't a lot of teaching but more of worshiping God, and I liked it.

Today my heart was filled with praise to our God who provides. He knows every need that we have and he is the Lord our provider. Thank you Father.

When God speaks

Har haft en givande dag för att säga det kort. Från stunden då jag tassade upp från sängen för att spendera tid med Herren, tills jag nu kryper ner under tecket har Gud talat till mig gång på gång. Det har varit en uppmuntrande dag. Gud han talar. Ja han talar tydligt och klart till de som är beredda att lyssna och Hans ord  är fyllda av liv. Han har så mycket mer för mig och för dig, mycket mer än vi förstår.

Veckans tema är *Höra guds röst* och denna vecka kunde således inte ha börjat på ett mer passande sätt än att höra Guds röst. Måste dessutom medge att vi har en underbar gästtalare som pratar med en vacker brittisk accent. Vilken bra vecka vi har framför oss.

I have had a an amazing day. From the moment when I woke up to spend some time with the Lord till the moment when I'm going to bed, God has spoken to me. Therefor it has been an encouraging day. God he speaks. Yes, He speaks to everyone who is willing to listen and His words are filled with life. He has so much more for me and for you, so much more than we realize.

The theme of the week is *Hearing the voice of God* and this week couldn't have started in a better way than actually hearing the voice of God. I also have to admitt that we have a wonderful guest speaker who speaks with a lovely brittish accent. We have a great week ahead of us.

Hannah