Have you ever been curious about going to a Discipleship Training School but don't know what to expect? In a recent interview, Christy Ellis gives her perspective on the transformation she witnessed God do during her step-daughter Katelyn's DTS experience.

"Jacob is sharing his testimony of how he said 'yes' to Jesus. Now he is showing how he was baptized to hundreds of students in schools, and even on the streets of Norway and Sweden 🤯."⏤Matheus.

Sometimes it's hard to believe what can happen through the life of just one Discipleship Training School (DTS) student.

The chilly air in the theater lobby reminded me I should have brought a hoodie to stay warm. As my wife, and the 16 year old young man we invited to watch this film with us strolled past the marquee, he asked, "What kind of movie is this, anyway?" That's fair. The photos of hippies and what looked like a Jesus type character decked out in psychedelic garb made it clear this would not be a Liam Neeson thriller. 

I’ve been re-reading a book that my husband Richard and I read when we planted the church ReaLity in Greenville, South Carolina. No Compromise is the life story of Keith Green written by his wife, Melody Green. It tells the story of how Keith and Melody came to believe in Jesus and then follow Him.

Something about their story and Keith’s music resonated within us as we were ministering to young people in Greenville. Not only were Richard and I drawn to Keith Green’s life and song, but the people in our church were as well. His songs were raw, deeply moving, and full of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Keith’s story changed us. We were challenged to live fully surrendered and love sacrificially.

As many are commenting on the overturn of Roe Vs. Wade, we had the opportunity to hear from a YWAM Tyler missionary who has walked through some of the trauma related to this topic first hand. We are thankful for her vulnerability, as she shares her story with us.

SUICIDE WAS KNOCKING ON MY DOOR

This was a bad idea. Clutching a $20 bill in my hand as the answer to the pain I was in didn't give me any peace. I didn't want to be in this place. As a kid I didn't dream about committing suicide, but now I was quickly losing the urge to live. I needed out! I needed a change! In the darkest time of my life God reached out to me, and saved me from the demons tormenting my mind.

This is my story...

It all began when I was tossed into middle school. My older brother wasn't around like he had been during homeschool. Now, I had to make new friends. 

LEFTIST PUNK BECOMES MISSIONARY

I was a member of the radical underground. While few Americans remember the tumultuous 60s era in our history, I was right in the middle of it. The hippie movement was at its height, and I fit right in doing drugs and participating in protests and demonstrations in Washington D.C. and elsewhere during the Vietnam War.

E neste fim de semana se fechou um ciclo, uma etapa da minha vida em que várias pessoas fizeram partes, muitos não estão nessa foto, mas estiveram fazendo parte de fora, sempre me apoiando e encorajando mesmo que de longe.

When you’re a little kid, someone always questions, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" There’s the popular options of firefighter, policeman, or cook, but for me it was a forensic scientist. It wasn't a popular choice amongst young people, but I always knew what I wanted to be. After graduating high school, I went to college at Sam Houston State University in the fall of 2018, full of dreams and plans for the next four years of my life.

Do you ever wake up and forget where you are?

This happens to me often, particularly when I find myself doing crazy things, things I never thought I would have the time, finances, or abilities to do. I'll think, “What am I doing here?” “How did I get here...ME...here doing this right now?!?”

"My family and I are very happy to be part of this place. This place is very special; it brings life and freedom. The influence in the classroom transformed my daughter's life, turning the dark colors she had in her emotions into a rainbow again bringing life, joy, and security.  She had lost all of this, and she found it all again here."  ~ A grateful mother of one of Heather's students from Brazil.