Two down!
Two weeks ago today, I stepped into the presence of my beautiful DTS leader, Vicky, after a tedious, 17-hour trek from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles, and finally, Vienna. The journey was supposed to be only 13 hours or so, but because “all the instruments were down” at the SLO airport, my devoted parents drove me four hours to LA to catch my connection flight. I’ve never seen my dad drive so fast. Praise the Lord, I made it!
I spent most of my first week settling in, solidifying my responsibilities as staff, bulk grocery shopping, and relearning the ropes (and underground routes) from last year’s DTS. I’m blessed to be surrounded by four amazing staff members, Richie, Vicky, Sarah, and Harry (plus his wife Ani and two kiddos), and three wonderful students, Cynthia, Laura (my half-aunt), and Yvonne (Richie’s wife). This group may be small, but it is mighty! The authenticity and love I’ve experienced in only seven days astound and inspire me, and even the darkest of rooms lights up when any one of these people enters. I’m honored to be a part of such a team and to call this place home for the next five months.
Our Creative DTS 2018 officially started on Thursday, kicked off by an all-Austrian welcoming dinner of schnitzel (courtesy of Harry the Schnitzel Master), potato salad, and apple strudel. Despite some students still shaking off jet lag, we had a fun night of community, quality food, lederhosen, and dirndl.
On Friday, the whole team got together for what we call Information Day, an orientation during which the staff explains YWAM’s roots, principles, rules, and structure to new students. We walked our students through the daily and weekly schedules (which are dense!), allotted work duties, discussed the creative projects and journals they will complete during Lecture Phase (the first 11 weeks of teaching before we go on outreach), assigned one-on-one mentors, and answered general questions about the program. After a few hours of cramming information into their cramped brains, Vicky and I took Cynthia and Laura (Yvonne had not yet joined as a student) to the Danube River to dig deeper into YWAM’s nineteen biblical values via a savage, bloodthirsty game of charades. Just kidding. It was actually eighteen values.
In the evening, some of our team headed to a night of worship at Christian International Church (CIG). It was an amazing few hours of focused, joyful music and movement created by devoted Christians and filled with reverence for the Lord. Sometimes a body needs to pause and truly steep in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And that we did! It’s safe to say this team is steeped, soaked, and stoked.
On Saturday morning, our team headed to this month’s Vienna Arts Brunch, a three-hour gathering at 4 Corners Christian Fellowship during which local artists hang out and share both their creative and spiritual journeys. About 40 people, including musicians, actors, filmmakers, photographers, graphic designers, costumers, and painters, attended the brunch along with our team. After a time of fellowship, violinist and film director Jasmina Hajdany spoke about competition in the arts, sharing her childhood struggles with identity and the acceptance she found in Christ. The crux of her message was that we are not defined by our talents and that to compare them to other people’s is not only void, but also harmful. Nothing comes from self-criticism other than a shredded sense of self-worth. And that is hardly why we were put on this earth as artists. Our purpose as artists is to appreciate the gifts and passions God has given us without concern for the opinions of others—or even ourselves. As long as we live to reach our potential, using our expression to glorify God, we are successful by God’s standards. Perhaps not by society’s. But by God’s. His opinion is the only one that truly matters, and it is in Him alone that we find our identity and security. Upon finishing her talk, Jasmina guided us through a time of reflection and prayer.
Our original plan was to go straight from the Arts Brunch to join a 2-hour free walking tour around the city, but our students (and this staff member) were just too burned out to do it. So we instead dedicated our Saturday afternoon and evening to leisurely exploration, lounging around, and binge-watching Suits on Netflix until 1 am. It was pretty rad. Don’t worry, though—we hope to get our city tour in next week sometime!
Sunday was a day of worship and burgers. It was a beautiful day. Laura and I relaxed in the morning, attended Vienna International Chapel in the afternoon, and joined the awesome young adult group at Burgerista for dinner. Good food + good people + good conversation + good God = good life. Guess you could say life is…good! Except for that part where I squirted half a bottle of ketchup on my new jeans. That part was just mediocre (though entertaining). 😂 Here is a small survey of the flowers, cartwheels, and general shenanigans Saturday and Sunday entailed:
You know what else is good? Outreach. In particular, outreach as a full team. Thanks to some truly loving and phenomenal family members and friends, I have all the funds I need to support my participation in both Lecture and Outreach Phase. Some of my fellow staff members, however, have the same heart for mission but much less support. A few of them feel called and very much want to attend outreach from June to September but will have to drain their entire savings to do so.
After much prayer and thought, I have decided to reopen my personal fundraiser so that those of you who feel led by the Holy Spirit to donate may do so once again. Any new money added to my fund will go toward my fellow staff members’ outreach expenses. Your generosity could make the difference in whether or not one or even two of our team can join us for outreach. Please pray about this need and donate here if so led. The more hands we have on deck, the more efficient and effective we are for God, and the more secure we are as a family. Remember that every missionary of YWAM is a volunteer, willing to sacrifice both time, energy, and money to spread the gospel and serve the nations. They need the church’s help to do so. Thank you so very much.
Well, that’s all for now! Last Monday started the official Creative DTS Lecture Phase. The first teaching week was Holy Spirit, Intimacy, and Prophesy. Tomorrow we start Discipleship. Again, I’m sorry about the delay in blogging—I will try to catch up as fast as possible! Thank you for your prayers, support, and desire to be part of the journey! You are a blessing, and I am grateful for you. ❤️
Ambria's Ambry 
The bit you said below was right on and an encouragement to me as an artist wanting to following The Lords leading.
“Our purpose as artists is to appreciate the gifts and passions God has given us without concern for the opinions of others—or even ourselves. As long as we live to reach our potential, using our expression to glorify God, we are successful by God’s standards. Perhaps not by society’s. But by God’s. His opinion is the only one that truly matters, and it is in Him alone that we find our identity and security.”
Thanks for sharing your first week and a half with us and for all your doing for the Lords Kingdom! I’m excited to follow along on this blog to hear your journey. Your a beautiful soul
~Noelle Good
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