This month on YWAM’s Facebook page we are discussing the question, “why would someone attend a Discipleship Training School?”
The DTS is YWAM’s basic training program, an introduction to the values and culture of the movement and a unique opportunity to explore God’s purpose for your life. It is offered at hundreds of YWAM centres around the world.
Kelsey Bradley graduated in March 2009 from the DTS in YWAM Orlando. She has a great story about the purpose of a DTS... (Editor)
Being in a Discipleship Training School (DTS) is more than just learning statistics about the suffering people of the world. It’s about gaining a heart for those people, children of God, who have faces and dreams and passions. If you are ready to get in the game and take action knowing that you have the power to change lives, the DTS is the place for you.

My DTS outreach took me to India, where a small Indian boy with a contagious smile climbed into my lap and began fiddling with my hands and touching my face. I could literally feel my heart melting as he stared into my eyes, smiling the whole time.
At about the age of 2, this boy, yet unnamed, was found strapped to a tree. His parents, victims of leprosy and rejected by society, wandered the streets begging for food or money. Rescued by Youth With a Mission this nameless boy was taken to a YWAM home where children of leprosy victims are housed. There, he was given clothes, food, love, the message of Christ, and a name—Joe. Now at the age of 4, Joe has special needs due to his lack of development at such a young age.
During my time with YWAM in India, I had the privilege of working with victims of leprosy and their families. Leprosy is totally curable, but it leaves victims with gaping wounds, deformities like missing fingers and toes, and a spirit of rejection in their hearts. I helped to package and distribute medical supplies to entire colonies of leprosy victims and had the opportunity to pray with them
I was also able to help the kids with their English and school work. By playing with them and simply touching them, God used me to show Joe and others like him that they are valuable to Him, that He loves them with His whole heart, and that He accepts them. The people I met there have all left their permanent mark on my heart and in my life.

Kelsey has since returned to YWAM Orlando and recorded tracks on her third compilation CD as a student in the School of Worship. Kelsey plans to spend summer 2009 in the Dominican Republic building an orphanage and helping Haitian refugees. Follow her experiences at www.ywamorlando.org/news