What if you could graduate high school, and you and your friends could travel the world with purpose? Would you consider it?  Does it sound too far-fetched? Deep down doesn't it sound exciting⏤taking a year "off" and discovering everything God has for you before your next big decision?

Well you can, and for many it's been the best decision they ever made. I've talked with a whole bunch of students wanting to take a Gap Year and interviewed a few who already did it.

Here is what you need to consider before taking the leap: 

— DOWNLOAD THE GAP YEAR PLANNING GUIDE ebook / pdf —

ONE DREAM GOD DIDN'T LET ME FORGET

In 2013, I attended a Season of Service and Training (SST), a summer camp for teens at YWAM Tyler. One afternoon, we teamed up with multiple staff members to help with their different roles on the campus.

Some of us helped in the kitchen, some in the Ag-Tech training area and some of us in the Hospitality department. 😳

WHEN LIFE DOESN'T GO AS PLANNED

2020 has been a year none of us expected. I wish I could just blame the pandemic for wrecking my plans, but I'm learning a bigger lesson when my life plans get sideways.

On my journey over the last year and half, there have been many times I had to continuously remind myself of the goodness of God in spite of my circumstances.

My life needed redirection

As a burnt out special education teacher, I was desperate for anything different. At this point, I was wondering if maybe I was too desperate.

“Are you insane?” is what you may be thinking, and I do have to confess that we’ve felt that ourselves as we look to the future. To give a little background, our last three years have been some of the most challenging and rewarding times of our lives. We’ve walked through joy, grief, hopelessness, and anticipation. After serving two years in Jordan, we returned to America in  May 2015 

“Nah, I don’t need to do that!” I emphatically told God one day after being asked by our ministry leaders to do a YWAM DTS. At the age of 34, my husband and I had already been serving the Lord in full-time ministry for years. We had worked as youth pastors in Kansas, while attending school. Then we planted a church in South Carolina. Missions was nothing new for us because we had led numerous teams around the world. Why would we need to do a Discipleship Training School?