It is a NEW SEASON!

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland

It is a NEW SEASON!

 

Our ASL DTS staff team has been back together for 3 weeks of staff training, which Dan lead and taught! It was basically a 3 week leadership school! Dan did a great job of teaching on developing our character, what the Bible says about leaders, and what is a YWAM DTS mixed with fun team building activities related to the topic he was teaching! We all learned a lot!

 Importance of Communication (pictures above and below): Each person had to draw a simple picture and then we got in partners and we can to communicate our simple picture to the other person and they drew it!  Communication is not about how we verbalize something but about what the listener understood.  We learned how to clarify things, ask questions and communicate details during this activity! 

 Dan planned a fun scavenger hunt to get the group moving!

Ready, set, GO! 

Simple clues like a door inside the church or a couch or stack of books leads you to the next clue. 

The clues where found in small colored boxes.  Can you find them in the pictures below?

Team work: Towel volleyball! 

 Active Listening: When we listen to others, we need to be listening to what they are saying but also asking Holy Spirit for what God is saying.  Asking him for themes or highlighting things that the person may not notice themselves.  Always, have our two eyes (ears) open to see (hear) what the other person is saying as well as God.   We set out 36 items from Dan and I's room for the staff to actively listen to for a minute and then asked them to share what they remember (listening to the the person).  As a group they remembered 32 out of the 36 items!  And then share themes they say saw among the 36 items, like sports or children or bathroom!  They did an amazing job! 

They are great active listeners!  

 

On the road again! 

This past week, we had the opportunity to join a regional staff training of the whole East Coast YWAM bases in North Carolina.  There was 13 YWAM bases from Maine to Fla that was there and 108 DTS staff that came to learn from our mothers and fathers in YWAM!  

It was an amazing training and great to connect with bases along the East Coast! They even had an all out dinner celebrating Renca Dunn's, one of our staff's birthday!  They loved us so much! And Alissa Matiya, a great friend from my college, came from Fla to help interpret and celebrate Renca's birthday.  She was also a huge blessing! 

The last night we were there.  The whole group prayed for our ASL staff team and prayed for the revival in the Deaf community and for all Deaf people to be saved!  It was so amazing how they embraced us and our calling as their own.  We were family!

This week is our last week to prepare for the students arrival which is this FRIDAY Sept 19th!  We are so excited about each one of the students.  This year we have 5 students who are so eager and hungry to know God and make him known on earth!

Pray with US! 

Our last week of preparing welcome baskets, classroom set up and speaker room, etc to start! Pray for grace and sleep for staff and quickness with Holy Spirit leading to make decisions and be good finishers this week!

Dan as he prepares his teaching for the 1st week of the DTS! He will be our first teacher and teaching on the Nature and Character of God, Hearing God's voice and Kingdom Culture! He will be teaching in ASL and will teach for about 12 hours! He is excited to step into the uncomfortable zone as God has called him to teach and rely on Holy Spirit to lead the week!

Open hearts for staff and students to fully embrace everything that God has for each of us this season.  Pray for the students flights and car drives on Friday, Sept 19th, arrival day and for their families and friends to commission them into the ASL DTS.  For the transition of moving to DC and living in community with others and an eagerness to grab everything God has for them! 

David's Tent started this Monday, Sept 15th at our base so the flow of the YWAM community with volunteers for David's Tent (about 20) and the staff and students for the ASL DTS to be living together in community! 

Interpreters!  This year it is harder as most interpreters have full schedules in the Fall to come and interpret.  We have 3 more weeks were I need one more interpreter to come serve with us! Pray for God to provide in his own way! We are grateful for the interpreters that are coming out and the local interpreters that are volunteering a day a week to come and bless us! 

I, Carole, will be making a 10 day trip to Taiwan, Oct 18th to 28th for a Asian Deaf Christian Conference.  There is a YWAM couple, from Canada, Jereme and Rebecca Doodle, who are living in Taiwan and learning Taiwan Sign Language and have a Deaf ministry through the YWAM base.  They are helping with the conference and have invited me to come and be a part of it!  I am so excited about connecting with Asian Deaf believers and meeting this couple who I have prayed for and skyped with and emailed for the last 2 years in person!  Please pray for safe travel for me and the baby and divine appointments! 

And anything else that God places on your hearts to pray! 

Thank you for joining us in prayer for this NEW SEASON!