2013. It's just four individual numbers put together to differentiate the days that fell within its care from the preceding years and those that follow. People have written about what has happened to them or what they did in 2013. For me, it's what my God did in me.
The Classic Discipleship Training School (otherwise known as the Classic DTS) ended in March, it was quite painful for me when I had to say good bye to the people who had come to mean so much to me. I look back now and I'm ever so grateful for being able to meet that incredible group of individuals from whom I learnt so much. It was a privilege and an honour to work along side them. God was definitely behind my father's suggestion to do a DTS and it was God who lead me to YWAM Heidebeek. It was an incredible six months.
A number of years ago I became good friends with an English girl, who's parents were missionaries in Riga, the capital of the Boltic state of Latvia. We'd been email for a number of years and had met twice. I had really wanted to go to Riga and spend some time with her. So I had prayed and God provided. I spent just under two weeks with her in Riga over Easter. It was great fun and, for me, the first 'white Easter' I'd ever had (much the amusement of my friend and her sisters).
After my Latvian holiday I wasn't sure what God wanted me to do. I knew He had called me to missions but I had no idea where. Because I'd done a DTS in Holland, there were some who thought I'd stay on and work with one of the DTSs run by YWAM Heidebeek. But God had other plans. Before going to Latvia, I had gone on the YWAM International's website and looked for bases that needed staff for one of their DTS's. Then I came across YWAM Outback, in Darwin, Australia. It almost jumped off the computer monitor's display. I then made contact with the base and began filling in the forms, which I sent after flying down to South Africa to join my wonderful family. My application was accepted and I began to work on the visa.
Having grown up in Uganda, I knew that visas can be tricky to get hold of, but could be issued at the borders. I remember going to visit Hannah, my sister, when she was in boarding school in Kenya, and the lady at the Ugandan departures office threatening me that I'd get fined for having so many visitor's visas in my passport. I wasn't fined, thankfully. But I didn't expect that getting a visa for Australia would take so long. God is still working on my heart and has been teaching me a lot of patience over the last few months. I told Him that if this wasn't what He wanted for me, He could shut the door on the whole process. My parents have been a great support and I'm very grateful for that. They had both done a DTS (over 25 years ago) and had both staffed DTS's. That's where they had met... And when my dad had proposed. So YWAM and DTSs run in the blood, I guess. Now that my visa is at the department of Immigration, there's nothing more I can do, but wait. It's in His hands.
The past twelve months have flown by, but I'm so grateful to God for His guidance, and the lessons I've learnt. It's been difficult at times, but God has really taught me what trust is, on a deeper level that what I had known before.
So, at the beginning of a new year, I give God praise for what He has done and what He is going to do in and through me.