DTS WEEK 5: Elective Week
Here at Youth With A Mission Colorado Springs, we have subject-focused tracks for our DTS students to choose called electives. This quarter, our Fall DTS students had four different electives to choose from to focus on throughout their school — Identity and Calling, Creative, Adventure, and Business as Missions. Every Friday morning, our students spend time in their chosen elective, but we also have a set apart week for them to dig deeper into their chosen subject. Our heart and desire through our electives is to give students an opportunity to see the way their passions and heart can be stewarded, developed, and used in cross-cultural contexts. Not only do these electives help them grow personally but they also help give our students more perspective on how God can use anything for missions!
We sent a survey out to our students and asked them how Elective Week impacted them. Here are some of their responses!
ADVENTURE ELECTIVE:
“I learned how to fast and lean on God.” // “I learned how to spread the gospel through adventure and the methods used for doing that.” // “I learned about the importance of trying new things and communication. I also now see adventure in missions being trekking to bring the gospel to the least-reached.”
Our adventure elective focuses on engaging with God while participating in physical activities such as rock climbing, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, and other outdoor endeavors. Our desire is that our adventure elective students leave equipped to use their outdoor passions in a missional context!
IDENTITY & CALLING ELECTIVE:
“I learned more about how to hear God’s voice and how to interpret dreams. Knowing that I can hear God’s voice has been deeply impactful.” // “I learned about how the scriptures tell me things God thinks about me! I also discovered what my heart burns for and how to give a message about that. This week gave me new perspective on what God says about me through scripture.” // “I learned that dreams are intentional, and we have them for a purpose.” // “I feel like I have more tools for hearing God's voice, utilizing his word in power, and I have a better understanding of God, myself, and the people around me.” // “I feel like I am finally realizing just how much God loves me and learning to step into the ways that he wants to use me.” // “I learned that God manifests through feeling peace and joy and that he will speak to me through my thoughts.”
Our goal for the identity and calling elective is to help students develop their understanding of who they are and what God has called them to. We create space and opportunities for our students to know God on deeper, more intimate levels and through that relationship, we know they will discover more about who God is, who they are, and what God has put inside them.
BUSINESS AS MISSIONS ELECTIVE:
“I learned about different ways to implement kingdom virtues and serve the community through business. I also learned about how sticking to your original values in your business is way better than sacrificing something like quality over quantity. This elective week impacted my life because I learned how business is an extremely biblical thing, and it is meant to be done in a very specific way in order to represent the kingdom.” // “I learned about aquaponics, and I received some clarity and vision for the future! I’d love to do aquaponics overseas someday.” // “I discovered that I’m called to do ministry overseas. I can give people a job with purpose, dignity and a stability. You need to solve a problem there and not just bring your own idea of what you want to do in that country. This elective week impacted my life because I now know I’m called to be overseas and not in the states like I originally thought.”
The Business as Mission elective has weekly break-out sessions as well as a week-long intensive set aside to learn about the Business As Mission (BAM) movement and the strategic role it is playing in missions today. Students in the BAM elective also explore the scriptures to understand God's design for business and its potential to bring transformation to the spiritual, social, and physical foundations of a community.
CREATIVE ELECTIVE:
”Getting to hear other people’s stories has really impacted me in my creative process.” // “Elective week taught me so much about music theory and how to write a song. Knowing this helps further my creativity!” // “I learned that you can illustrate a story through melodies and dynamics, not just lyrics. Worship isn’t just music.”
The Creative elective (formerly split into media and worship) aims to create space for the expansion and shaping of our students’ creative processes! Students dig deep into the creative heart of God and learn about how art, music, photography, writing, and other creative mediums can be used to comfort, minister, inspire, and encourage both stateside and in cross-cultural contexts. Whether our students are proficient or just starting out in a creative skill-set, our heart is that they leave with more tools and understanding that will benefit them in all spheres of life.
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So, there you have it! A small glimpse into the electives we’ve been running this fall in our DTS. We hope this was informational for you and even helps you figure out which elective YOU want to sign up for. What gifts has God put inside of you that he wants to foster for the sake of the furthering of the Kingdom? What are you passionate about that you might not feel can be used for missions? You may be pleasantly surprised what God can and wants to do through your passions! Come join us for our next DTS here at YWAM Colorado Springs and find out!