Today is the Saturday before the students get here! The past month has been quite an adjustment period of integrating into Australia and the YWAM Toowoomba base. My fellow staff members are awesome, we are starting to really become a family. God is really at work with creating unity amongst us as we prepare for the arrival of the students!
This month has been a time of preparation and training for when the Discipleship Training School starts this coming week, July 25th! We have 31 students coming to Toowoomba, Queensland from all over the world to dedicate 6 months to growing in the Lord and doing mission work. They will have 12 weeks of "lecture phase" which is when they will receive teachings from pastors and speakers from all over, they will be living in community, learning and participating in worship, intercession, and evangelism in the local community. During this time they will grow in the Lord, press into hearing His voice and experience His love.
After the Lecture Phase, they will be sent in 3 separate groups to Thailand on outreach for 2 months. This will allow the students to put into practice what they learned during lecture phase. They will be traveling to different locations in Thailand working with various ministries, depending on the needs of each location. Some will work in orphanages, schools, brothels, in the Red Light District, on the streets, in churches, anywhere the Lord leads all to show the love of Jesus and share His message. This is a life-changing time for these students and I know God will grab hold of their hearts and will work in and through them immensely!
Now that you have an idea of what the next 5 months will look like, all I can say is I am so honored and excited to be here on staff to serve in any way I can. The Lord has been so faithful in confirming over and over that I am where I'm supposed to be and that He has a purpose for me being here. He has revealed to me and to my leaders (Kerri & Warren Overbeeke and Jake, the DTS school leader), that this season of me being here is a time for me to serve and pour out into the students and the community of Toowoomba, but also to receive more growth and healing in my own life. I don't want to give any of you back home the wrong impression, it is not easy here, it is not a picnic. If I wanted to stay in my comfort zone and take the easy road I would book the next flight home. But God has called me here for such a time as this and for a purpose. Therefore I will serve and press on in this call on my life for this season. We are pioneering a YWAM base and are responsible for 31 students spiritually, physically, and emotionally. But God is so good and so faithful, He will continue to give us strength as we are obedient to His call.
I want to thank all of you for your support in this venture God has called me to, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. I would like to ask you to keep myself and the base in your prayers. God is at work here, which means the enemy will try to thwart His plans. We know the enemy is powerless here, however he will still give it his best to bring down us as a staff, and the students. If you would be in prayer with me for God's protection and blessing over us as a community, I would be so grateful. God is faithful and He is in control! Thank you so much for your support and I will do my best to keep all of you updated during the next 5 months with what God is doing and the updates from the base. May God bless you!
-Chelsea Ritter
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