Testimonies of God's Faithfulness - Part 1

Whether it's a testimony of healing, family reunification, financial provision, etc, sharing stories of God's faithfulness can be powerful. They bring encouragement, healing, and so much joy! We asked some of our staff to share stories of the Lord's unique provision for them or their teammates during their DTS. 

"Stop trying to do it in your own strength" ~

I grew up in a very independent family, so when it came time for me to pay for my DTS, I was determined to get the money on my own. I worked extra hours, took on additional side jobs, sold my belongings, whatever I felt I could do to save money. But every time I would put money aside, some random expense would pop up - issues with my car, family emergencies, medical bills. After months of zero progress, I sat in front of my tax accountant’s office and cried out to the Lord in frustration. “If you really want me to do this DTS, I’m gonna need you to handle the finances. My method isn’t working. This is your issue now.” A little snarky, I’ll admit, but that’s where I was. 

When I say the answers started coming within minutes, I’m not exaggerating. First, I got a phone call from a family member that wanted to give me an early birthday present - $500 to use towards my DTS. Then I walk into the tax office and find out instead of having to pay in like I thought, I would be getting over $700 in return. $1200 in under 10 minutes! It felt like the Lord was saying, “You need to trust me with finances and not try to do it all on your own strength. Just be obedient to what I am asking and I will take care of the details.” By the time I left for my DTS, all my expenses were covered. 

12 years later, and the Lord is still creating stories in my life of leaning on Him and seeing His faithfulness over and over again. Living a life of radical obedience to Jesus is an adventure for sure. Your job is to be obedient to the call He has placed on your life and trust that He’ll take care of the details. 

Andrea Cooper did her DTS in Panama in 2010 and has been a missionary with YWAM ever since. She loves all things administration, especially helping small or pioneering ministries build their admin systems and is a self-appointed Bible nerd with a heart to teach others how to study Scripture for themselves. She currently lives in Corpus Christi, Texas. ​

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God's Impossible Math ~

When I began my DTS, I was still $4,000 short of what I owed. I knew I didn’t have any money, but I went to the ATM every day. I would pray for my card, and then take out the max amount possible. I was too scared to look at the balance in my account because I knew it had to be negative. One day, the base director came up to me and told me my fees had been totally paid for. Someone covered the last $3,000 of my fees! No one knew where that money came from. 

For the rest of my DTS, whenever I needed money, I would go back to the ATM, pray, and take out the max amount. I gave some of it away, bought myself the things I needed for outreach, and more. At the end of my DTS, I came home and finally checked my bank records, fearing the worst. There was absolutely zero record of any of the transactions I made during the 5 months of DTS. My balance was $74, the exact amount I had the day I left for my DTS! 

Carl Baird did his DTS in Sligo, Ireland in 2014 and has been a full-time missionary ever since. He is passionate about evangelism, board games, and traveling. He currently lives in Texas with his wife, Erin, as they serve on staff at YWAM Ships Corpus Christi. ​