In October, I went to YWAM Seamill. It was a dream come through. Had always been drawn to revival and the YWAM school, with its emphasis on the Father's Heart, hearing the voice of God, the fear of the Lord, and missions. But the 5-month Discipleship Training School has always been too much of a commitment and time off from work. Then, there is the question of which YWAM school to go to. With so many to choose from in the different nations, my heart has inclined for some reason to either Scotland (land of the warriors), or Herrnhut (land of the Moravians, and 24/7 prayer). But Scotland seemed more intimate, more homely. So when the Lord opened the door for me to go recently, to attend the two-week School of Spiritual Deepening, I was so excited! Nervous and excited, because when it's been a lifelong dream, there is so much expectation wrapped in it. Would it be as what I thought it was? Or would it be a letdown?
Having completed the school, I must say that it was such a tremendous blessing! I loved every bit of it -
1. The YWAM Seamill community. Am sure the community changes all the time, with people coming and going, but there is such a wonderful warm air about the place. There is a commitment to seeking the Father's heart, whether through Monday base worship, or praying for the nations (every Thursday). Interestingly, in my time there, there was quite a number of Americans, Germans, etc. Not many Scots!
2. The old building that is the base. This stately house is massive -- and can apparently sleep 100 people at a time. It was built more than a century ago, and was a convalescence home for miners, being so close to the Firth of Clyde and sea-air. The doors are heavy in this place! I loved the space, and the common rooms like the lounge and our classroom. There is a library here stocked with hundreds of Christian books, which is so precious!
3. The surroundings and the neighbourhood. Just 5 minutes across the road is the Firth of Clyde -- my goodness, this seascape is raw, natural, vast beauty. As I walked one day down the seashore, with my eye looking as far as could be, the verse that came to mind was "How precious to me are your thoughts, Lord. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand." (Psalm 139) The vastness of the Firth of Clyde evokes that emotion! And then, on the backside of the school, just 2 minutes away, is such a picturesque glen. Because I was there in autumn, was treated to such beautiful autumnal colours walking through the glen to the village. It was just such a treat!
4. The School of Spiritual Deepening itself. Conducted by Shawna and Greg Hayes, the school was such a precious time for me, of being reminded about cultivating the inner life, so Christ is fully formed in us. We learnt so much over the 10 days about different disciplines to cultivate in our lives, whether it is eating the word through a time of corporate bible reading, praying the Psalms, coming to the Lord in courtroom prayer, or teaching. There was a time of one-on-one with Shawna, to process our time here at the school; and times of creative processing at the beach or just outdoors. And we got to participate in base rhythms, spending time with the DTS folk over mealtimes, fellowshipping with one another, doing practical helps like simple chores. I also really enjoyed the weekends, which was our free time; spending a Saturday in a small town with a fellow classmate and Sunday at the Lighthouse Church in Troon. And I loved my classmates!! It was a small school, and there were just 5 of us, but each has such an amazing testimony of how the Lord has worked in their lives; and have such treasure within. The oldest was 73, the youngest is in her 20s. I was the only one from Asia! The diversity was beautiful!
All in, was so glad to have taken the plunge. Now, to make sure to continue to work out my faith in fear and trembling, and to order my life with some of these spiritual rhythms incorporated into part of the daily routine :)
