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April 2010 DTS on a roll...

Wed, 19 May 2010 15:26:40 +0100

Monday, 5th April saw the beginning of another DTS with a noticeable difference in this one ...a male majority! With 5 men and 2 women as well as the official opening of our 3 BLS students the day was certainly a time of celebration.

The DTS students representing the nations of USA, Belgium, Holland, Spain and the BLS students flying the flag for Hungary / Germany, Sweden and the USA make a great multi-cultural and diverse team.

Now fully immersed in the life of DTS we can see the students challenged and slowly but surely changing. Such a good group, they have bonded with each other and are now firmly part of the Notting Hill Team family.

This week embarks on the Plumbline Week (also known as Inner Healing week) and with preparation and excitement we have high expectations of what God will do just as He has so faithfully done in previous schools.

Keep us all in your prayers and we head well into our last part of the lecture phase.

Check out our website on www.ywamlondonnottinghill.com/dts for more information on how you can get involved in a DTS.

They're back!

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:22:26 +0100

It’s a few short days since the DTS team landed back in the UK from their Italy and Spain outreach. Brimming with smiles and certainly with loads of stories to tell we enjoyed a great time of prayer, thanksgiving and now look forward to their graduation this Friday at 7:30pm. If you’re in the area and would like to meet some of the team why not join us at Notting Hill Community Church, W10 2ES. There’ll be lots of stories and pictures shortly so come back to hear their God given adventures!

A couple of the ladies (Stefanie and Lisa) will be returning home for a short break before beginning their Basic Leadership School (BLS) with us and Apryl will be coming back in October.

Our BLS will start on 29^th March and we can still squeeze a few more people in so, if you have completed a DTS and feel called to join our team here in London get in touch on prayforyou2005@hotmail.com!

And so outreach begins...

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:32:33 +0100

Saying hello to the frosty streets of London the team of now 8 students prepare to take on the infamous Notting Hill. Known for its stylish boutiques, famous people, chic cafes and the Portobello Market who would have known that once the area was full of pigs, pottery and marsh land! Also famed for riots and extreme distinction between rich and poor today the area is vastly unrecognisable from its beginning but by no means a small challenge.

The team will be led by Angela for this first week in the UK and will then will re-pack and head off with Jose Luis to Milan, Italy and then with Gabriela in Barcelona, Spain.

One of the original students, Rafael, unfortunately had to leave us for a previous commitment but we remember him fondly and keep in contact and hope to see him very soon for the completion of his outreach.

The outreach has only just begun so we hope to have more details on this time in London along with pictures. Don’t forget to come back and also check out the photos tab!

The start of September 2009 DTS

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:51:09 +0100

Monday 7^th October brings another beginning. This time we have 9 fine young men and women from Europe and the US coming to take hold of the promises God has for them on this DTS. A wonderful mix of ages, nationalities and backgrounds give us a group of people who smile readily and seem to be embracing London just as readily. Already we can see that this group have a real unity and servant heart which we hope to see continue throughout the school.

Seth Young, the youngest of the group tells us his expectations for the school and his first impressions.

"I expect to learn about community, God and overall to grow. My first impression of when I arrived was "I need to learn more Spanish!" but also that I made the right choice."

We will be hearinf more from the students no doubt as time goes on.

Daniel Etchart, leader of the Mar del Plata base in Argentina welcomed us on the Monday night opening and left us with an encouraging word...TRUST! See beyond the circumstances, see God in the circumstances and trust Him.

The Finish Line

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:43:17 +0100

Completing the last leg of their journey the April 2009 DTS students arrived all the way from Argentina. The team shortly came to settle in the busy streets of Notting Hill for their final few days of outreach. Joining an eclectic team from around London and internationally, the team spent an intense 10 days mission preparing the streets and the people for the Notting Hill Carnival.

Intercession and worship were key aspects of the mission as well as creative evangelism on the streets each afternoon with a follow up concert on the Saturday night.

20-31 August 2009
Notting Hill Carnival Outreach

Once a year a steaming mass of people from all over Europe and further afield descent on one of the biggest carnivals in Europe – the Notting Hill Carnival.

Parades of colourful, creative and often wacky floats, costumes, designs and concepts demonstrate their creativity and showcase the best of what they have as well as pound our eardrums with pumping bass and jumping beats.

Though primarily known as a huge celebration of culture, the Carnival is not so colourful and bright in all of its aspects; in fact it is well known as one of the darkest times of the year for the area. Just a few days before the Carnival starts you will see trucks going round the area boarding up shops at every turn and securing areas ready for the stream of party goers. The majority of families and locals choose that time to take refuge in a holiday destination or firmly make sure that they are safe and secure inside their homes ready for the onslaught.

Attracting many party goers as well as tourists, the atmosphere rapidly becomes inundated with a heaviness and almost sickness about it as the alcohol consumption rises hourly, the drug use spreads and the music helps to induce people into trance like states. Perhaps not the pleasant and colourful attraction you may have been expecting but very much part of the whole parcel.

The police and the local council invest a lot of time and workers to ensure public security and keep the area as contained as possible but to make a real difference we know that it needs more than just bodies; it needs significant intercession, spiritual warfare and God’s people shining their light in the midst of this darkness.

Last year our small team dedicated their time to be right in the heart of the Carnival. Working with another church and mission group we volunteered at a sound stage area called the God corner, maintaining the facilities, interceding throughout the whole Carnival and taking every opportunity to be out in the crowds doing face to face evangelism. At the end of our day at that particular venue we moved just outside a church we work with near Portobello road and set up a small table offering water, tea and coffee to passer buys as well as a rose in exchange for a prayer. In the short time we were there we found a harvest ready for the taking, hence our desire to do something bigger this year and involve many more people to help reach out with faith, love, hope and ultimately salvation that is, Jesus Christ. You can read all about last year’s effort in our blog (Notting Hill Carnival 2008).

We want to invite you to make an impact. To be IGNITED with passion and vision, to get INVOLVED and be part of the battle, and ultimately, to MAKE A DIFFERENCE not just in what is seen, but also in what is unseen.

Check out our website www.ywamlondonnottinghill.com and the EVANGELISM page where you will find details of the outreach and how to get involved.

See you on the battlefield.

Week of Prayer for Parliament and Government

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:50:31 +0100

Patrick Cronin, one of our dedicated workers for the area of government reports on how the Week of Prayer went...

Firstly, a big THANK YOU and WELL DONE to all those who prayed during the Week of Prayer for Parliament and Government.

There was a strong sense during the week that much of the current events with MPs expenses was the result of the prayers that have been made over the years. The Lord has been shaking things up and although it is and will continue to be painful and disrupting to Parliamentary business, we know that He is in control.

Highlights include praying up the Tower of Big Ben and a Praise and Prayer session just metres away from where Gordon Brown was meeting with his Parliamentary Labour party.

Among other things, it was felt that the Lord was saying:

to persevere in prayer - it will bear fruit

to pray for and encourage young Christians to stand at the next election

His justice will prevail

Please do consider, if you can:

setting up a Love Your MP group in your consistency (let me know if you would like to do this)

encouraging your church, home group or prayer group to pray for

our government and parliament on a regular basis

mobilise others to get politically involved

Let me know if and how I can help and serve you.

Prayer really does change countries. Look at South Korea. Once a poor, agricultural nation. Now the 11th largest economy. 2nd largest missionary sending nation. Its success many trace back to a prayer group that met in 1907.

Be part of a move of prayer for this country

Wherever you are

Whoever you are

April 2009 DTS - the start

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:45:57 +0100

On the 5th April the YWAM London team opened its arms once again to 5 bright young DTS students - all ready to jump in and see what God has in store for them this DTS.

Megan, originally from South Carolina, gives us some feedback about how its going so far...

"Here in London we’re in the middle of week seven of the Discipleship Training School and as one of the five students, let me tell you it has been an adventure! I arrived on the first of April and I don’t think my brain has stopped working since I arrived. I arrived with another student and the rest of the girls trickled in over the course of the next week until we were finally all together by the weekend. Yes, you’re assuming correctly, this DTS was an all girls school. Where are the guys, you may wonder? We wondered the same thing but it has been nice with just the five of us girls. We’re like a room full of sisters.

Our first adventure and mission as a DTS team, however, was to figure out how to fit everyone in our room. We all crammed into a room full of bunk-beds and cupboards and tried to shimmy and shake everything into a proper place and now we finally have a system that works (and I say ‘system’ very loosely).

When the actual school began a week after our arrival, I felt like I was riding a roller-coaster to the top of the first major hill and I drew in a deep breath just before we took the plunge into our full time schedule. Our week begins Monday afternoon with small group and our first class of the week is Tuesday morning followed by Salsa class in the evening. Salsa is REALLY interesting, let me tell you. I don’t think it is physically possible for my hips to move like that, but we’ll see how it goes by the end of the DTS. Wednesday we go as a team to a church about twenty-five minutes (by twenty-five minutes I mean it is really forty-five minutes when you consider London traffic) away from where we live to help at a soup kitchen for the homeless. We are there most of the day after class lets out at lunch time and it has really blessed me to go and serve. I really enjoy Mercy Ministries and this one is beautiful because of the hearts of the workers there and their goal to share the love of Christ with the men and women who come. Thursdays are pretty quiet, sometimes we have class at home in the base and then Fridays we go to our church across town in Notting Hill and spend the day there to help out and end the day with art class and evangelism.

All in all, the thing I’ve come away with most so far is the unconditional love that our leaders exemplify. Their patience and care for us has touched me deeply. This base and these missionaries who have welcomed us into their family and home with such open hearts and minds have blessed me beyond words and expression and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to begin to return their blessings. Their mentorship and discipleship will be with me long after September when this school ends. Every day teaches something new and their love and support make sure to not only stamp the lessons we learn but help us to place a seal over our hearts to better serve God. They lead by example and love and just watching that is a DTS in and of itself."

Keep coming back for updates on how the school is doing and let us know if you are interested in doing one. God bless!

Success!

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:44:16 +0100

March 4th heralded the victory home run to the September 2008 DTS. Five blooming, rosy cheeks individuals made it to the finishing line and all successfully completed and graduated from their DTS.

The past 5 months has brought ups and down, struggles and victories, changes, transformation and, peace. The kind of peace you get when you achieve and found what you were looking for. There is too much to recount over the past school but below are some glances back at the memories that comes to my mind and that showed a marked difference in our lives.

Victory in Torino

Completing their six weeks of the lecture phase our six students get their teeth into some more meaty lectures and times of ministry as we delve into deeper topics challenging and encouraging them to review teachings, way of thinking, lifestyles and generally life as a whole through the eyes of the Word of God and His Kingdom.