The Beginning of Something New
When Isabelle Lueddeke said yes to YWAM Lancaster’s DTS program, she wasn’t thinking about missions or travel. She wasn’t dreaming about outreach locations or long-term ministry. What she wanted was something much simpler and much deeper: a season set apart with Jesus.
At the time, she was coming out of a difficult season. What once felt exciting and freeing had left her empty. Throughout her teenage years she found herself searching for things to fill the ache in her heart; friendships, distractions, relationships, anything that could help her avoid the pain she was carrying. By the time she graduated high school and spent a semester in college, she knew something had to change.
“I came to a place of pure emptiness,” she said. “I just had to make the decision that I wasn’t going to live that way anymore.”
That decision became the first step toward Spring 2024 Discipleship Training School (DTS) at YWAM Lancaster.
Before DTS: The Yes
Isabelle grew up around faith. She was raised in a house of prayer environment in New Jersey where worship and prayer were part of normal life. Several nights a week she was surrounded by music, Scripture, and people who loved Jesus. Yet even with that foundation, something still felt incomplete.
She knew about God, but she longed to truly know Him.
A mentor who had walked closely with her for years suggested something simple: “Why don’t you try YWAM?”
That small suggestion opened the door to something unexpected. Isabelle started researching Discipleship Training Schools, and YWAM Lancaster kept appearing in her search results. At first the choice felt practical. Lancaster was close enough to home to feel manageable but far enough away to step into something new.
Then she checked out the base online.
“Honestly I looked at their Instagram and thought, ‘Oh, these people aren’t weird. Alright, let me give it a shot.’”
What drew her in was not the idea of missions. In fact, missions felt uncomfortable to her at the time. What captured her heart instead was the thought of stepping away from everything familiar for a season that belonged completely to God.
“The first spark was the idea of a set apart season with Jesus,” she said. “A time that would be fully for Him with the support I needed to walk in holiness.”
The cost of coming was real, but it wasn’t financial. God had already provided for the school. The hardest part was leaving the people who had walked with her through some of her lowest moments.
“The hardest part was saying goodbye to the people who poured into my life,” she said. “People who saw me when I was really broken.”
Even so, she felt peace about the decision. When she finally arrived on base, that peace only grew stronger.
“I remember driving onto the property that first morning and thinking, ‘This is my home.’”
Phase One: Seeking God
Isabelle expected DTS to change her. She just didn’t expect how personal that change would be.
One of the biggest turning points came during Hearing the Voice of God week. A teaching about the Garden of Eden shifted something in her perspective. She had heard the story many times before, but this time it felt different.
The speaker described God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day like a father spending time with his children. Then he described the moment when sin entered the world and they hid from Him.
That picture stayed with her.
“I remember thinking about how heartbreaking that must have been,” she said. “Imagine coming home to your kids and they’re hiding from you because they think you’re angry.”
For the first time she began to see God differently. Instead of a distant figure or a religious concept, she saw a Father who deeply wanted relationship with His people.
Before DTS she often struggled to understand how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit connected. Jesus felt familiar, but God the Father sometimes felt distant. During DTS that began to change.
“He stopped feeling distant,” she said. “He became someone I walk with and talk with like a friend.”
Another moment during worship left a lasting impression on her. Earlier that week she had been doing work duties cleaning windows by spot cleaning them. During worship she felt the Lord speak a phrase to her heart.
“Redemption isn’t spot cleaning.”
It changed how she understood the gospel.
God wasn’t just fixing small parts of her life. He was redeeming her completely.
“He doesn’t just clean a few spots of sin here and there,” she said. “He makes us completely clean through Jesus.”
That realization also reshaped how she saw herself.
“I realized I’m not too far gone,” she said. “I’m perfectly within reach of Him.”
During DTS, something started to change in how Isabelle viewed missions. It wasn’t at the center of her story yet, but it was no longer something she brushed off.
“Missions was kind of a cringey concept to me before,” she said.
But through her time with God, her perspective began to shift in a way she couldn’t ignore.
Community and Life at YWAM Lancaster
Another big part of DTS was learning to live in an intentional community.
For Isabelle this adjustment wasn’t easy at first. She describes herself as naturally introverted. Back home she would plan time with friends weeks in advance and usually only see people occasionally. Suddenly she was surrounded by others almost all the time; living together, eating together, worshiping together, and sharing daily rhythms.
“At first it felt overwhelming,” she said.
But over time that environment became one of the ways God helped her grow. Being surrounded by people meant it was harder to isolate when something felt difficult. If she was having a hard day, someone noticed. If she withdrew, someone asked questions.
“At the time it could feel annoying,” she said honestly. “But it was actually really good for me.”
The staff also played a huge role in her experience. From the beginning they encouraged her and called out gifts and strengths she struggled to see in herself.
“They immediately called out the gold in me,” she said. “They championed me when I felt insecure.”
Through conversations, mentorship, and simple encouragement, she began to grow in confidence as a daughter of God.
What surprised her most was the sincerity of the community around her.
“These were people who genuinely wanted Jesus,” she said. “They weren’t lukewarm. They wanted Him more than anything.”
That kind of environment changed how she viewed ministry. What once seemed awkward or distant suddenly looked joyful and meaningful.
Phase Two: Getting Sent
After the lecture phase, Isabelle’s team traveled to Central Asia where they served in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Some of their ministry involved serving in an underground prayer room connected to a hidden church. Because of the sensitive context, the team had to be careful about how they traveled. Small groups left the house at different times and took different routes to reach the prayer room.
For Isabelle the experience felt surreal.
She had grown up in a house of prayer where worship and intercession were normal parts of life. Now she was doing those same things in a closed nation where believers gathered quietly and cautiously.
“It was mind blowing,” she said. “I was doing the same thing I grew up doing, just in a completely different place.”
The team also spent time in parks and English conversation areas where young people gathered to practice English. These spaces often led to meaningful conversations about faith.
Starting conversations with strangers stretched her.
“I’ve always needed the Lord’s help with evangelism,” she said.
One of the most memorable moments happened unexpectedly. The team was trying to find an English zone but ended up at a restaurant instead. There they met a young Muslim man who owned an English zone nearby. Over the next several days they returned again and again, spending hours talking with him about Jesus.
Then one day the police contacted the hostel asking about the Americans staying there.
In that moment the reality of where they were hit hard.
Isabelle had been capturing photos and videos during outreach. Suddenly those files felt serious. She quickly deleted everything in case authorities came looking.
“It was a real wake up moment,” she said. “Even having videos of people reading the Bible could cause problems.”
Nothing ended up happening, but the moment changed how she saw missions. It was no longer an abstract idea. It was real.
She also saw God move in simple ways. One ministry opportunity involved serving at a camp for children with disabilities. In that culture many of these children are overlooked or separated from society. Their team spent time serving the kids and supporting the believers who were already doing that work.
“I saw God move in simple acts of love,” she said. “Just caring for people well.”
Being in Central Asia made missions real in a way she hadn’t experienced before. These weren’t just ideas or stories. These were real people with real lives, and many had little access to the gospel.
It didn’t answer every question about her future, but it changed how she saw it. Missions was no longer something abstract. It was something she had stepped into.
It gave her a glimpse of what it actually looks like to live out the Great Commission.
Phase Three: Debrief, Accountability, and Reentry
When Isabelle returned home, she realized something had shifted.
“DTS changed the direction of my life,” she said.
Before DTS, she felt lost and insecure. Afterward she felt like she finally had a foundation.
God also began removing fears that had shaped her life for years. Fear of abandonment, loneliness, heartbreak, and failure slowly gave way to confidence in who she was in Christ.
Scriptures she once understood only intellectually began to feel real in her everyday life.
Returning home wasn’t always easy though. After seeing places where people had little access to the gospel, it could be difficult to return to environments where faith sometimes felt casual or routine.
Yet even that tension deepened her compassion. God was giving her a heart for people everywhere who need to know Him.
Refining Moments
DTS brought beautiful moments, but it also brought refining ones.
Learning to be vulnerable was one of the hardest parts. Being honest about struggles and letting others see her process didn’t come naturally. Yet those moments helped shape her character.
On outreach she also learned how to navigate conflict in healthier ways. Before DTS disagreements often led to avoidance or frustration. During the school she learned how to have honest conversations and pursue unity.
“I learned how to fight for unity instead of enjoying conflict,” she said.
That meant setting aside pride and choosing maturity even when it felt uncomfortable.
Life After DTS
Today Isabelle is still at YWAM Lancaster. After completing DTS she stayed for Catalyst Bible school and eventually joined YWAM Lancaster’s staff. What started as a five month school turned into a new direction for her life.
But that direction didn’t stop at staying local.
Since completing DTS, Isabelle has already stepped back into the nations. She is part of a team returning to Central Asia, helping build relationships and explore future opportunities for ministry.
“I think about missions… maybe even moving overseas someday,” she said.
She doesn’t have every detail figured out, but she’s no longer closed off to it. DTS didn’t just change her relationship with God. It changed how she sees what her life could look like.
“Lancaster became home the moment I arrived,” she said.
Her daily life now looks quieter than the intensity of DTS. She works in the kitchen, helps with media and worship, and continues growing in her relationship with God.
She describes this season as one where God is teaching her how to walk with Him in everyday life.
“I feel like the Lord is just fathering me right now,” she said. “Teaching me how to live day by day with Him.”
Following Jesus doesn’t always look dramatic. Often it looks like simple daily obedience.
A quiet yes.
“Jesus, where are you in this decision?”
“Jesus, what should I do?”
“Where do you want me?”
Start Your Own DTS Journey
If someone asked Isabelle whether they should do DTS, her answer would be simple.
“Just do it. It’s five months. You’ll be fine.”
For her, saying yes to DTS changed the direction of her life.
Isabelle didn’t come to DTS with a heart for the nations. But somewhere along the way, her perspective changed.
If you are looking for a season to seek God, be transformed, and step into what He might be inviting you into, DTS at YWAM Lancaster could be your next step. Start Here >>
