Join us every week through November as we check in on Kim Hart, a young woman from England doing her five-month Discipleship Training School (DTS) at the Youth With A Mission training center in Harpenden, England. Kim tells us about what she’s learning, what it’s like to live in a community with other young Christian missionaries-in-training, and how God is changing her. We’ll travel with Kim and her classmates as they occasionally hit the road during their DTS lecture phase, and then go abroad with them as they take what they’ve learned to another nation to serve the people there. Editor, YWAM International Communications Network.
I’ve just returned to the YWAM training center here in Harpenden, England after a week of ministry in Liverpool. We leave tomorrow to staff a Youth Adventure Camp in Bedford (where I am reliably informed there will be canoeing and archery and all sorts of fun things that make sleeping in a tent on the hard ground worth the pain!). Allow me to catch you up on the last week.

My parents visited me here at YWAM just before we left for Liverpool. I showed them around and introduced them to my DTS friends; we even had a special bonfire during the evening here with marshmallows on sticks (not customary in England). I really enjoyed the opportunity to see my parents and catch them up on my last two months, as so much has happened. We said our goodbyes on Saturday afternoon and my school was sent off on our trek up north to Liverpool. Being an Englishwoman, I was one of the designated drivers, and between the vehicles we used our walkie-talkies for urgent activities like a Beatles sing-a-long.

We arrived at the Albert Dock in Liverpool to find the Marine Reach shipping vessel, called “The Next Wave”, ready and waiting for us in the harbor. The ship was much smaller than I was expecting from the outside, but once on board I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wasn’t quite sleeping on a ‘shelf’! It was exciting to be right in the tourist hub of Liverpool on one of the most popular tourist attractions the city has to its name – the Next Wave! Tourists and locals loved talking to us to find out more about the ship and what it was like to be onboard.

Once we were settled in, we met as a team to determine what kind of things we felt we should do to reach people in Liverpool with the love of God. We decided almost right away that we should offer prayer to the thousands of people who were lining the streets for the biggest free concert in Europe, the Matthew Street Festival. Armed with signs that read “FREE PRAYER”, we stood on the city streets and made ourselves available to anyone who needed prayer. I was a little nervous at first but had a rush of boldness once we were out on the streets. People were very receptive to us. Many stopped for prayer, and we were able to ask God to reveal to us what His unique design and plan was for each one. One girl was expecting God to say she was rebellious when in fact He called her delightful. It was a great blessing to both her and us.

We met Christians who were encouraged by our presence on the streets, policemen who asked for prayer and party-going teenagers desperate for real hope. People of all ages and backgrounds were impacted by our simple cardboard signs and our availability to them. I was excited to be part of something so simple yet so profound. It showed me that if I make myself available to God and to others, anything is possible. I don’t need a theology degree to “evangelize.” I just need to be willing to share my faith with those who need it the most.

We also spent time helping the Next Wave crew with some of the maintenance and upkeep of the ship. We found ourselves hanging off the edge of the ship with a paintbrush in hand, or floating in a dingy alongside her. Later that night, most of us took a little trip up the mast to the ship’s “crow’s nest” where we had an incredible view of Liverpool Cathedral…and quite a drop below us! It was a lesson in trust as our teammates held the rope that kept us up there.

It was a wonderful trip and much was achieved during a short stay. I was honored to be part of such a great team and spend time with the open and hospitable people of Liverpool. I can’t wait to see what this next week holds as we leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Bedford! I’ll tell you about it next week…..

Until then,

Kim