During Backpack DTS, I joined 28 other students from nations all over the world. Together, we walked through 10 weeks of lecture phase followed by 9 weeks of outreach, during which my team and I traveled to three different countries.

Those weeks stretched me deeply — spiritually, emotionally, and practically. They challenged me to step beyond my comfort zone and to willingly surrender my life to Jesus in ways I hadn’t before. I learned that laying a solid foundation in faith is not easy, but it leads to true freedom — a freedom rooted in the hope of Jesus and His plan to restore us into relationship with Him, bringing us into an everlasting Kingdom prepared by the King of Kings.

Lecture Phase — The Three Weeks That Marked Me

Out of all the teachings, three weeks stood out and left a lasting imprint on my heart: Lordship Week, Wilderness Week, and Biblical Worldview Week.

Lordship Week

Lordship Week revealed something both humbling and freeing — that we cannot live life on our own terms or in our own strength. Everything we need is drawn from God. True rest and freedom are found only in surrendering to His authority.

One of the most impactful days was Lordship Day, led by our teacher, Mark Parker. That day, we were guided through the symbolism of the Tabernacle. We began by entering the gate with thanksgiving and praise, just as Psalm 100:4 says:

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”

Each step represented surrender — confession, repentance, prayer, and intercession for one another. It wasn’t rushed. It was intentional. Sacred.

My personal highlight came when I confirmed my baptism at Sola Beach, a bay just behind our base. Standing before everyone, I publicly confessed that I would give my time to God. I realized that giving everything to God essentially means giving Him our time — something so short and fragile in this life.

Even now, I recognize how often I still waste it. Yet every day, I choose again to lay my life down before Him. I believe God works not through perfection, but through willingness — even when I am weak.

Wilderness Week

Wilderness Week is something I can’t fully describe, as it’s held as a sacred time on our base. What I can say is that we physically entered the wilderness, and through that, something deeper happened internally.

This week pushed me beyond comfort. It revealed my impatience and challenged me to recognize those who were weaker than I was — not to judge them, but to upbuild and encourage them. Wilderness Week places you under pressure, and pressure exposes what’s already inside of you.

That’s what I appreciated most. There was no hiding. It stripped things down to what was real.

Biblical Worldview Week

Biblical Worldview Week was eye-opening and deeply formative. After outreach, during our track week, our entire school traveled to Vienna, Austria. There, our teacher Nathaniel taught on the Seven Spheres of Society:

1. Family 
2. Economics (Science, Technology, and Business) 
3. Government 
4. Religion 
5. Education 
6. Media (Communication) 
7. Celebration (Arts, Entertainment, and Sports) 

He explained that none of these spheres are meant to be ruled solely by religious institutions — rather, each sphere needs God’s unique influence expressed through His people. Every sphere, and every nation, is designed as a vehicle for revelation, revealing different aspects of God’s remarkable character.

These spheres shape us profoundly depending on where we’re from. Yet as Christians, we’re called to disciple the nations, each through the unique identity God has placed within us.

It made me ask:
Which sphere has God placed closest to my heart?

Outreach Phase — Blindfolded, But Led

I could speak endlessly about lecture phase, but I feel led to share testimonies from outreach — specifically, my personal experiences in each country.

My outreach team was part of a track called Blindfolded. Unlike the other students who received their outreach locations by week two, we waited the entire lecture phase. For three months, we had no idea where we were going.

When outreach finally came, we boarded a plane and received a letter after landing. Inside was a card with three clues revealing our destination.

Our first location: Costa Rica.

Costa Rica — A Lesson in Conviction

We landed in San José and stayed at Krystal’s house for our first day, receiving cultural orientation and ministry preparation.

During one of our first days in the city, as we walked toward the ministry, I saw a man with no legs, crawling through the street. My eyes locked onto him. My heart pulled toward him.

But my mind began rationalizing:
“We’re on our way to ministry.”
“We need to be on time.”

And so… we passed him.

This memory still haunts me. It’s a testimony of what not to do — a moment where fear of man outweighed obedience. I regret it deeply. I believe God calls us to pray for the broken and help the lost, and in that moment, I failed to look like my Savior.

That moment has stayed with me to this day. 

Panama — Choosing to Stop

Our second location was Panama. We traveled near the Pan-American Highway and went door-to-door evangelizing in teams of three — Henny, Anna, and myself. Henny spoke some Spanish, so she led the conversations.

After visiting our last house, we saw two young boys pushing their uncle in a wheelchair. Without hesitation, we asked if we could help.

They said yes.

I pushed the wheelchair down a long dirt road under the hot Panamanian sun. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. We reached a flooded road near a swimming spot. The boys were trying to get their uncle there so they could swim.

I joined them.

After swimming, we prayed over their uncle and walked them all the way back home. Later, they even found where we were staying — a small church pavilion, typical in Costa Rica and Panama. What started as a moment of help turned into a relationship.

This was redemption from Costa Rica — choosing to stop.

Kosova — Redemption on My Birthday

After Panama, we returned briefly to San José and opened another letter. Our final destination was Kosova.

When we arrived, everything felt different. It was the largest city we’d been in, and for the first time on outreach, we slept in real beds. We were ecstatic.

My most impactful moment in Kosova happened on my birthday.

That morning, during prayer, I received an image of a phoenix. Later, during evangelism, another team spoke with a man who owned a clothing store — his brand featured a phoenix. They ended up eating with him and gifting him a New Testament.

Later that day, chaos erupted.

Hail began falling suddenly as we crossed the street. A man on a bicycle was hit by a car — and the driver fled. We rushed to help. Henny and Anna, both nurses, assessed him while others called an ambulance. He appeared concussed. We did everything we could until the paramedics arrived, then prayed over him.

On the walk back home, a poor man asked me for help. I had no money — but I stopped. With others, we shared Jesus and helped him however we could.

That night, we celebrated my birthday with ice cream, cookies, and milk.

It was most definitely an Unforgettable Birthday.

What This All Taught Me

Outreach shaped me deeply. Seeing new cultures expanded my mind and heart. I experienced love expressed in many different ways that are different to my typical American culture. 

It made me ask:
Who do I want to be?

Though culture influences us, I’ve learned to look beyond that and discover who God truly created me to be. Ministry doesn’t only happen across the world — it begins in our own backyard.

Do people feel welcome in your home?

I’ve realized how possessive I can be of what’s “mine.” What inspires me now are the people I’ve met — and Scripture. The Bible speaks endlessly about generosity and eternal perspective.

We aren’t taking anything with us.
So why do we cling so tightly?