Renaissance Discipleship Training School (DTS)
The Arrival
Ciao mia bella famiglia! (Hello my beautiful family!)
I am typing this newsletter in Rosignano Marittimo, Italy!!! I arrived April 26th around 730PM. When I walked out of the Pisa airport, I was met by my lovely base and DTS school leaders. They drove me to my temporary home in a really small European car called a “Panda”—a set of vacation apartments in Rosignano. About a 8 minute walk to the coast of the Ligurian Sea, and about a 20 minute walk to the train station and in between beautiful and TINY Italian shops, gelato shops, panini shops, and cafes. I met all of the YWAM Pisa base staff, the Renaissance DTS staff, my fellow DTS students and my roommate/housemates in the days to follow. The first day of my DTS, YWAM Pisa as an entire base threw the DTS students a welcome brunch to start off the first week in lecture phase and welcome us to be apart of the ministry family.
Meet the People
The people here at YWAM Pisa include the family who is leading and pioneering the base, Christina, Chris, and their son Ozzi Tempero. They have a wonderful and breathtaking story of how they have long term committed to spreading the gospel here in the Tuscany region and have been building this ministry and team for the past 2 years—but the calling has been well over the last decade in the works. Jesus is moving here in Tuscany and they are devoted to being His hands and feet in this region of Italy.
The YWAM base staff includes: Alaina, Krissie, Dong, Janine, Jon, Judson, Rachel, Maria, Sarah, Nick, Angela, Ivana, Grace, and Carol. The base hosts DTS programs throughout the year that run quarterly and secondary schools like School of Biblical Studies, Discipleship Bible School, School of Worship, and so so so so so many more throughout different YWAM bases across the entire globe. Right now this particular base is running my DTS, and soon to be “Life Around the Table” DTS in September and a Discipleship Bible School this year as well. The Renaissance DTS staff include my school leader, Carol Eliya, then our main staff, Ivana Fruscella, Nick and Angela Stevens, Grace Rhinehart, and Sarah Langkamp.
The DTS Staff and Students
Carol Eliya (School Leader: From New Jersey, Photography), Ivana Fruscella (My 1 on 1: From Florida, Dance), Grace Rhinehart (My Outreach Leader: From California, Fine Arts).
Sarah Langkamp (My Outreach Leader: From Australia, Portraiture), Nick and Angela Stevens (From Oregon and Washington, Music and Fashion), Nina and Paolo (Local Italian couple, DTS Students, Photography and Art of Hospitality).
Aeriel Fanuzzi (From Montana, DTS, Fine Arts), Jordyn Quarandillo (From North Carolina, DTS, Fine Arts), Gigi Thomazi (From Brazil, DTS, Performing Arts) and Housemates
YWAM Pisa
YWAM Pisa is one of over 1800 YWAM bases in the world. YWAM as a whole has reached over 180 countries planting bases for long term missions across the globe. This base is a base that is about 2 years old since being established but the process of planting this base has been in the works for about a decade. This base is still being pioneered and grown which affects me in a few ways. First, beautifully, I get the honor of being apart of the story of the base here and meeting the wonderful people who are carrying out God’s dreams in Italy. Secondly, I get to be apart of the first “Renaissance DTS” that has ran through this base and has been making my dreams with the Lord come true. Lastly, and most urgently, this base does not have a permanent home here in Italy yet and has been moving around a lot as God provides. This is happening as of right now, we need as an entire base of about 30 people, a place to live by May 31st. So— I am asking for prayer for YWAM Pisa, the base leaders, Chris and Christina and the rest of us as we do the possible and then position ourselves to watch God do the impossible. Pray for breakthrough, pray for doors to open or close as God wills, pray for the weight to be lifted off of the Temperos so they can joyfully and expectantly wait for God to move. We are on the cusp of a miracle and I want to invite you in on it.
We Got Our Miracle!
In the midst of writing this beautiful newsletter. The Lord answered our above prayers. He provided a perfect and complete blessing of a building. A 3 story Italian building where the two floors will be used for housing and the bottom floor will be used for classrooms, community spaces, kitchen spaces, etc. This was found through RELATIONSHIPS the base has built here in Tuscany. This provision came one single day before moving. AND—is in the same town we have been doing ministry. It fits the needs and dreams of the base and the biggest part of this miracle is that this 3 story building is only under 2000 euros a month… a specific prayer we have asked was that we would find a place for 2000 euros. Not only did we find a place but it was UNDER 2000s euros, fits all of us with room for hospitality for speakers AND the owners are willing to write a couple year contract!!!! WHICH MEANS WE HAVE A HOME not just a place. How KIND AND ABUNDANT IS THE LORD.
This building will be ready to move into in a couple weeks so as of right now. We, a base of 30 are staying in a small Italian church that we attend on Sundays in Livorno, Italy. Sleeping on the floor of a sanctuary with one changing room for the boys, one changing room for the girls, the boys are camping outside and there are only 3 showers, 3 toilets, one small kitchen. There are a few cafes in short distance and a few cute shops and restaurants about a 30 minute walk near the train station. There are no places without community but it is also a blessing to have an immediate accommodation as well.
PRAISE GOD.
About Lecture Phase
Lecture Phase has been full and fulfilling. Our daily schedule so far has looked like this:
Tuesday-Friday
7:30AM Mandatory Quiet Time with Jesus
8:30AM Breakfast
9:00AM “Puliamo” (Which means we clean.) This is a family base as a whole clean areas time.
9:30AM Lecture
1:00PM Lunch
1:30PM Lunch Clean Up ( DTS Student Work Duty)
2:30PM Arts Workshop (Intro-Tuesday, Creative Time-Wednesday, Sharebacks-Thursday, Friday-Outreach Team Meeting)
3:30PM Community Time as a Whole Base (Tuesday-Harp and Bowl/Worship and Prayer, Wednesday-Bible Time, Thursday-Intercession, Friday-Worship)
4:30PM Community Snack
5:00PM Dinner Prep (DTS Student Work Duty)
7:00PM Dinner
7:30PM Dinner Cleanup (DTS Student Work Duty
Saturdays:
We do Evangelism in the Town/Community Town Events.
Sunday Mornings:
We go to a local Italian church.
Sunday 1:00PM-Monday 1:00PM
We have Sabbath individually (Stop, Rest, Delight, Worship).
Mondays:
1:00PM Lunch
1:30PM Lunch Cleanup (DTS Student Work Duty)
2:30PM Bible Time (DTS STUDENT ONLY LEAD)
3:30PM Intercession (DTS STUDENT ONLY LEAD)
4:30PM Community Snack
5:00PM Dinner Prep (DTS Student Work Duty)
7:00PM Dinner
7:30PM Dinner Cleanup (DTS Student Work Duty)
Some Things I Have Learned
Our lecture topics change weekly. We have speakers invited to speak every week. Below I have included the speakers and the weekly topics. On top of lecture topics we have art workshops. These also change topic wise weekly.
Week One:
Lecture—Welcome Week (Introduction to DTS, Schedules, Spiritual Disciplines, Etc.), YWAM History (Judson Krauss), YWAM Pisa History (Chris and Cristina Tempero).
Art Workshop—Co-Creating with God using any medium (Cristine DeVillers Circuit Riders Lead Videographer)
Week Two:
Lecture—Character and Nature of God (Elisabetta Perrone), Hearing God’s Voice (Carol Eliya).
Art Workshop—Storytelling with the Arts, Tell your testimony through an art form (I wrote a song) (Carol Eliya).
Week Three:
Lecture—God’s Story (Sarah Langkamp)
Art Workshop—Painting and Self Portrait Through Gods Eyes (Sarah Langkamp)
Week Four:
Lecture—Discipleship of the Church/Church History (Ian Gosnell)
Art Workshop—Art of Hospitality/Hosting Family Dinner/Bread Making (Cristina Tempero)
Week Five:
Lecture—Life and Ministry of Jesus (Pastor Dante, Italian Live Translated to English)
Art Workshop— Performing Arts/Dance, Show how you see Jesus through dance. (Ivana Fruscella).
Week Six:
Lecture—Releasing Destiny (Joseph Watson)
Art Workshop— Photography, Pictures of how you see your relationship with God.
Week Seven:
Lecture—Identity (Joseph Avakian)
Art Workshop— Digital Media, 5 Posts on Identity
Week Eight:
Lecture and Workshop— Worship and Creativity (Nadia Molugova, Florence Academy of the Arts)
Week Nine:
Lecture— Father Heart of God (Chris Tempero)
Art Workshop— Exhibition at Italian Coffee Shop
Week Ten:
Lecture—Holy Spirit (Igor Siracusa)
Week Eleven:
Lecture—Urban Missions (YWAM San Francisco)
Art Workshop—Co-create with God in the City
Week Twelve:
Lecture—Relationships (Jaime Bates)
Art Workshop— Outreach Video
Ways God Has Moved in Me
God has really been moving in my life this year. Generally since I started this missions journey with Jesus. But especially during this DTS. It has been the most transformative season of my entire life. He has been teaching me, dancing with me, crying with me, lying down with me, running with me, and so much more. There is so much I have to share and so much I’d love to talk about but I’ll post simple concepts the Lord has spoken to me these past 5 weeks. If you have curiosity or questions—I’d ACTUALLY love to personally talk to you, if you have my phone number (TEXT ME, Voice memo me, call me) I don’t always have access to service but I will actually see all the messages once I connect to WiFi, if you don’t have my phone number please email me and I’d love to chat!! My email is on my contact page.
:)
Secrecy with God is beautiful and sacred not selfish. It is SAFE. It is a REFUGE. It is a SANCTUARY. To have things that only stay between you and Jesus does not mean you are hiding things from people. And—keeping things just between God and you does not mean you can’t be in close intimacy and vulnerability with community. The Lord will show you what is sacred and what is shareable in due time.
Psalm 81:7
Songs of Solomon 2
Psalm 91:1-4
Psalm 27:5
Matthew 6:6
Songs of Solomon 1:8 TPT
There is a “Safe Shelf” available to you with Jesus. When the Lord speaks, you can place things on this shelf, to sit in, to work out with Him, to ask questions, to ponder of time. This is not unfaithfulness or hesitation but a Holy Wait. Sometimes God speaks promises you won’t see for years and years fulfilled or in the works. These are things you should NOT throw away, ignore, or push aside. These are things to go on the shelf with Jesus to grow and nurture and prepare with Him. You don’t have to act or complete everything right away to be obedient. Sometimes He calls you to sit, be still and know that He is God.
Philippians 1:6
Philippians 2:13
Exodus 20:10
God wants to spend time with me, because He loves me. God has been addressing how I see Him, who has influenced my image of Him versus who He ACTUALLY is. How do I hear him, what tone, what is His posture. The Bible says he was moved with compassion when we fell away from him. The same word in Hebrew for compassion is “womb”. God when we were separated was filled with the emotions of a mother who carried us in her womb. A compassion that moves Him to action for His children. He is teaching me how He loves me, how He sees me, Who I am, to Father God.
Isaiah 49:15-16
Exodus 34:6
Psalm 89
God is a God of beauty. He created beauty. The Garden of Eden (The Garden of Pleasure). He is actually a God who cherishes and treasures delight and beauty. He created pleasure, substance and abundance in the Garden for US. He is teaching me to let Him define what is beautiful. “If David never wrote in psalms that God is beautiful—would you know God as the God of beauty?” Beautiful things actually come out of your relationship with God. In ways I have been seeing God wrong, it is worth it to find out what He is really like apart from everyone and everything but who He says He is.
God wants to talk to me because He loves me.
The Bible says that His sheep hear His voice. I have been practicing to hear His voice discern what He is saying, and invite Him into even the smallest of feelings and moments. He actually cares what I have to say. He cares about my dreams and He cares about my heart.
He spoken to me about restoring my childhood and has been walking me down a tremendous trail of healing in a lot of different ways. It has been an honor to grow with the Lord.
Some Photos :)
Some Photos :)
CONTACT INFORMATION
EMAIL: skylaraveryperkins@gmail.com
JESUS LOVES YOU
