Thank You!

Hello!

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ John 10.10.

It’s been just over a week since we returned from Dreaming the Impossible, and WOW…what a week! Here’s to the God of the impossible who made it possible – to Him be the glory!

You should have received a thank you card from your team leader, but we also wanted to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU from DTI HQ for being on the DREAM TEAM this year. We are so grateful that you gave up the best part of a week to come, live in a tent and serve young people - even when it looked like it was going to rain all week! We’ve had so much feedback about just how brilliant the team were, and so thank you for everything you did to make DTI happen, both seen and unseen. DTI simply couldn’t have happened without such an amazing team, an army of super servants, putting in a shift and a half to serve so many young people!

We’re hoping that alongside all of the hard work, some challenges, and large step counts that you managed to have some fun, and made it into some of the meetings to worship alongside all the young people, and see them encountering Jesus so powerfully. We are absolutely blown away by all that God did - He never ceases to amaze us. I don’t think we will ever forget seeing 1000s of young people spontaneously singing over and over (and over!) again ‘Nothing else, nothing else, Nothing else will do, I just want You’. Over 370 young people decided to follow Jesus (202 of those for the first time) throughout the week, and many, many others experienced healing, freedom and God’s presence in a significant way. We are totally overwhelmed by the stories that young people, youth leaders, and parents have shared with us. We have received literally hundreds of them, and they are still coming in! We’ve shared just a few of them below for you to read. DREAM kids also had an amazing time - a number of children chose to follow Jesus for the first time, and many of them experienced the Holy Spirit in powerful ways - including physical healing and speaking in tongues.

We’ve already started planning for DTI 2024, and we’d love to invite you to come and join us on the DREAM TEAM again - bookings are open now! We’re aiming to expand the team for next summer as we know many teams felt stretched this year, and we are expecting growth. Please help us to spread the word – invite your friends and those from your church to come and be a part of what God is doing!

The dates for next year are 27th July – 1st August nb. team arrival 26th, leaving on 1st. Please head to https://dreamingtheimpossible.org/team and apply - we can't wait to see you again! Thank You to those of you who have prayed for us and the young people so faithfully over these last few years – we know that prayer changes situations.

Please continue to pray for all these precious young people and their leaders over these coming months - that they would grow as disciples of Jesus and get / stay plugged into their local churches. We’d also love you to join us in praying for all the plans and preparations for all our events and gatherings in 2024...the adventure continues! We believe that God has immeasurably more in store for this generation.

Big love and thanks again,

Susie, Zeke and the DTI team x

 

A FEW STORIES FROM 2023…

God gave me clarity in my struggles and set me free from the shame I’ve been carrying for five years. PRAISE GOD!

I used to be a very quiet individual who would never dream of praying for anyone, however through DTI and the prayers of others I have gained this overwhelming confidence in Jesus Christ and praying for others... It just goes to show how 1 moment in the presence of Jesus can change EVERYTHING!

Before DTI I had forgotten who God was and had lost touch with him. During DTI I had an experience with the Holy Spirit and I fell over and felt God's power and his goodness. I now feel God's presence and power within me wherever I go!

It was my first year at DTI but I was coming to encourage my autistic daughter. Thanks to the Space team she now happily joins in worship. What has been done here for my family is nothing short of a miracle as my daughter wants to come back next year without me (I have not had time away from her in years). This place loves her and celebrates her individual-ness. I cannot thank you all enough!

I’ve seen my friends grow in their faith and start believing in the power of prayer and have felt a call to leadership in my own life. I’ve learnt to trust the plans God has for me and want to cultivate a new passion for prayer and the Bible.

Before DTI, I was going through a low point of depression and conformity to my surroundings and an addiction. The first night of DTI I recommitted my life to Jesus and began to ask the Lord to refine me. After 5 nights of late night worship and much prayer from the amazing DTI equip team and many youth who have stepped out to come and pray for me, I feel completely renewed and refreshed. God has showed me through his presence and the peace of the Holy Spirit that he ran to me with open arms, he freed me from that addiction and my depression and he showed me the person that loved me was Him and Him only.

Before I came to DTI I was addicted to porn and was like this for 3 years, but now since I came to DTI my passion for following Jesus has grown and I have made a decision to stop watching porn and follow Jesus for the rest of my life. I know that the road will be hard but I know that Jesus is always with me no matter what.

I've been a follower of Jesus my whole life but this DTI I learnt what it felt like to love Jesus with every part of me. I have a fire burning in my heart for him and I want to help others feel the same way. I feel called to help other more disadvantaged children find our God and give them the life that they deserve. I feel a shift in my depression and I have so so so much hope. thank you dti & thank you Jesus.

For a few years now I have struggled with eating and self harm, often I would go all day without eating because I hated myself so much. I spent so long wanting to feel God's love but never letting him in because I hated him for creating me. In the last meeting I experienced the holy spirit and was filled with the love of God. I saw my life through his perspective and knew instantly that something needed to change. I was so tired and exhausted of living that I forgot to live. So I spoke with people in the chat room who helped me talk to my small group leader. I now have a support network at home to help guide me through recovery and to help me live life to the full. And for this I am so so so thankful to jesus and everyone at dti 🙂

For 2 years I've been struggling with depression, self harm, anxiety and more. This week God lifted it off of me. I'm sure it's not going to be a linear journey but I'm really hopeful. I also got some prophecies that really resonated with me and felt like this was the first time I've felt like I really mean it when I tell Jesus I love him. I watched people be healed. It's been the best week of my life.

I came to DTI this year not really feeling close to God and thinking that my mistakes and worries made me unworthy of his love. I was not expecting to meet with the Holy Spirit in the way that I did and to experience God’s incredible peace and love so profoundly. I found myself in tears during most of the worship and ministry sessions and on the final night I was being prayed for and met with the Holy Spirit in a way that I have never felt before. In that moment I felt a massive release from thoughts and lies which made me feel like I wasn’t good enough and that God couldn’t use me, which had been holding me back in my relationship with God for many years. It now feels like I have a new perspective on life that I can’t stop smiling about. I have always loved coming to DTI but never responded to the worship and talks as much as this year. It was my final year and it feels like God’s perfect timing as I know that I need to share the gospel and deepen my faith as I move into the next stage of life. I also received words about leadership and prophecy which have given me more confidence to trust in God’s plan for me and I am going to pray into this. I can now see how God has moved in my life and I want to live out my faith everyday. I understand that I can’t go through life without God and how much better it is with him. DTI has given me a new found hope and excitement in my Christian faith and provided experiences and moments that I will never forget and will shape my life and so many others forever.

I came to DTI with social anxiety and on the first night I met with God and he destroyed any trace of worry or fear.

I've been a Christian for practically all my life, but my faith has been on the rocks a bit recently. I'm going to college in September, and was seriously thinking about and acting upon compromising my beliefs in order to fit in. But this week I just encountered God - especially during the prayer and worship evening - and God set me free from the fear of it, the shame caused by the way I had treated him recently, and forgave me for all the times I've messed up. God has given me the ability to tackle those lies about my identity I've been believing, the gift of healing, tongues and just simply loving others the way he has loved me. I feel like Gideon - being called a brave and mighty warrior despite hiding in fear - and God is going to use me to do big things in the future cos I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

We were all kneeling on the floor at the main meeting and I had a sense from God to share my faith in school, where there are only 3 people who are real Christians. And then I went to get prayed for. As my youth leader was praying I felt some hands slip into mine. But there was no one in front of me. I closed my eyes and in the back of my mind I saw Jesus in front of me holding my hand. I knew it was him because he was wearing a white tunic and a navy blue robe over it. Also he had long hair and a beard, but the main reason was because he said I will be with you and comfort you all the way. He was referring to the fact that I was terrified to share the gospel with my friends.

This is my third year at DTI and I've enjoyed it as much as the last. However, this year made me realise that I am more than just marks on an exam paper, I am more than the crippling expectations at school. DTI 2023 made me reevaluate how much energy, tears, sadness and pain I have gone through just for a piece of paper at the end of the day. All the anxiety I felt before exams and the depression I've felt after them made me hate going to school. The preacher at DTI this year made me realise that putting my faith in God and giving / relying on him for my problems lifted the heavy burden on my shoulders.

I was called over by a lady I hadn't met before and she asked me to pray for her friend who had a slipped disc in her neck. I've never prayed for healing over someone before and it was a great moment for me and my journey with God because she was healed! She had no pain in her neck or anywhere in her body and I was so blessed and overcome by the Holy Spirit.

Before DTI I injured my knee and during DTI my friends learnt how to pray for healing and they prayed for me it took two attempts for the pain to leave my knee and now I can kneel. Before DTI I was far away from God but I am now healed from my shame and will share God's story with my friends and I will never get back to the past half hearted Christian I was before.

I lost one of my mates to suicide over a year ago. I was crushed. I felt like I had nothing to live for. A few days later, I go to church. I'm questioning God, why didn't you save him? A few months go by and I come to DTI. I got prayed for and felt something for the first time. I got up and gave my life to Jesus and at the moment I knew he's here to save me.

I came to DTI with questions, doubting myself in my faith, and struggling with prayer. I'm leaving DTI with so many questions answered, comfortable in my faith and I've seen many amazing things happen to me through prayer. But most importantly I know, I am a child of GOD! I feel God has given me a heart for intercession and answered prayers this week which has encouraged + fired me up to keep fighting in prayer, even when it feels like nothing's changing. He is faithful!

He is calling me to reach out to my friends and tell them about Jesus so that they too can be freed from the darkness of this world. I'm still journeying through grief but that's okay because our God is a God of comfort and I can lean on him. I feel my passion for worship leading growing stronger and I can't wait for what God has planned. I’ve decided to trust in him and hand my life over to him, and I cannot wait to discover the ways he will use me to share his amazing message of love.

A year ago now I struggled with pornography and it pretty much made my life a mess. I came to DTI 2022 and encountered the Holy Spirit for the first time and am SO HAPPY to say I haven't struggled with it since! I felt free. However, I still had memories and pictures of it every now and again in my mind which got in the way of me and God at times. On the second night of DTI this year I encountered the Holy Spirit after praying for God to cleanse my mind and free me fully. I felt a hand on my head and I couldn't stop shaking and crying. It was then I knew all the memories had fully vanished from my head. I know deep down that I am loved and fully forgiven, and I am free.

I was lost, lost in faith, drowning myself in social media and social status. DTI was soul feeding, and helped me to find Jesus and his spirit. I was lost and now I'm found. DTI helped me find God and myself again. I will worship him forever.

I tripped over guide ropes Saturday evening jarring my back. I couldn't move it and was resulting in a large amount of pain. Tuesday morning I asked my youth to pray and was immediately healed. All pain was GONE!!!!

This was my first time at DTI and I came just wanting to connect with God because I feel like I've drifted a bit recently. During this week I've experienced some miraculous events from helping to heal someone's knee to hearing people speak in tongues. I also, for the first time, dedicated my life to Jesus which was amazing! I feel like I have really connected with God and strongly felt his presence. I can't wait to share my experiences with other people and teach them about my saviour Jesus.

For the longest time I thought I was too young to pray for people, raise a hand to God or even worship loudly in church. At DTI God came over me six times at the most unexpected times in ways of praise, prayer, crying and laughter. This encouraged me so much, throughout the last days of DTI I started praying for people and giving prophetic words. DTI has changed me and my life! 🙂

I've been praying for the gift of tongues for a long time and during our extended worship I was speaking to the youth leader about it and she told me to pray about it. As I began to pray and worship, the Lord gave me the gift of tongues. Praise the Lord!!!

Last year DTI I had a picture of my friend coming to know God, and today she is here and fully saved.

I came to DTI with anxiety, fear and worry. However, I have met God three times this week and he has rid of this anxiety and fear and replaced it with love and courage.

Throughout this week, I felt the presence and love of God so strongly, and it's realigned my heart to his. One night, God met with me and revealed his calling for me to share my faith with people in my school, and to pursue revival there. I can't wait to see what God is going to do through me, using the little I have to make a big impact to further his Kingdom and show people that they too are loved by God.

I came to DTI in the worst place I have ever been in in my faith with severe doubts that were going down rabbit holes and preventing me from connecting with Jesus. However, this week Jesus has met me where I am and I know that I do not need all the answers but his grace and love poured out at Calvary is sufficient for me and I just went to sit at his feet in awe in his presence and follow him wherever he would lead me.

I came to DTI this year calling myself a Christian but doubting everything! My dad is really ill, my auntie has cancer and my friend committed suicide. It's been a really tough year, causing me to not act like how God would want me to, but coming here has changed that. I've really met with God and I've decided to once again follow him, but for real this time! I want to share Jesus with everyone! thank you DTI.

I was never strong in my religion and sometimes questioned if Jesus was ever real. but coming to DTI has opened my eyes up to god. I felt myself letting all the trauma I had go and gave it to god. I am finally a child of god. I am free.

I came to DTI very unsure of where I stood in my relationship with God. I felt like I had diverged so far away from him that there was no return. However with the memorable teachings and fire for God at this place I recommitted to God and repented. I'm so glad that I was able to be in an amazing community of believers that have the fire to God. I'm so grateful for this place and to be a child of God.

When I came to DTI, I struggled with anxiety, which had previously affected my relationship with Jesus. Throughout DTI I experienced peace unlike anything I've ever experienced before and God set me free from anxiety, and I put my trust into Jesus fully for the first time. Also, I’ve felt God calling me to do great things with my life, and I've been filled with the confidence to go forward. I feel filled with a passion to spread the word of God, and to change lives. Most of all I've learnt that God loves me, and I'm excited to live my life to the full with Jesus.

I came to DTI with a lot of grief and I was struggling to trust God. The Holy Spirit filled me with so much peace and I feel like my faith has been strengthened. At DTI I found myself surrounded by other Christians, and being around other teenagers who love Jesus has allowed me to put my trust in God and get prayer. Now I have much stronger faith and I can't wait to go back to my church and serve God.

Before I came to DTI I felt like I let God down, now I feel blessed and have a roaring sensation to read the Bible and learn more! I now feel free and confident. Love you Jesus! I encountered the Holy Spirit like never before. In a way that I will never forget. I am free from shame and guilt of sins that burdened me. I was also healed from five years of pain in my coccyx.

When I Came To Dti I Was Numb I Felt Nothing No God But During Dti I Had An Encounter With Jesus With God And Now I Love Jesus.

Before DTI I had badly hurt my left wrist and just wanted to go to DTI so much that I didn't care if it hurt but on Tuesday my wrist hurts so much and that morning after worship, there was a word for healing for someone who hurt their left wrist before DTI, I got prayer and I was healed by God!

I came to DTI this year not really expecting much or anything from God. but this week, I believe, has changed me from the inside out. God's presence and peace has been so strong and so powerful, working in my life in ways I didn't think he could. I've been set free from sin, redeemed in the spirit and have received the joy of the Lord. when I didn't think God could get any better he did!!!!! Thank you to all the DTI team!!

I've struggled with a self-harm addiction but with prayer my urges stopped and some of my scars physically healed.

On Sunday I said yes to Jesus! Bearing in mind this is my first DTI and only coming to church a few times. This week really opened my eyes to the power of Jesus.

In the night of extended worship and prayer, someone at the front talked about the gift of tongues, something I'd always found weird. Then suddenly I felt the urge to start speaking in tongues. Then for the next half an hour I prayed to God and called for his presence whilst speaking tongues as naturally as I would speak English. In that moment I felt the Lord's presence so strongly.

I broke my back (age 12), couldn't stand without lots of pain - then a girl asked to pray for me and as she was praying, heat filled in my back where the injury happened and now I can move freely without any pain - Thank you Jesus.

DTI 2022 was life changing and in the year leading up to DTI 2023 I got baptised and committed my life to God. This year my parents got divorced and I came to DTI with a longing to be healed and the Lord did just that. He eased my pain. Not only that but he gave me an incurable longing to bring other people to faith and set people and the persecuted church free. That service I was flooded with tears and I felt Jesus' hand on my back as I prayed. It was warm and comforting and I felt peace like no other for hours after. The talks were so powerful and moving and I have a thirst for God and spreading his word to my friends around me. During DTI God opened my eyes, showed me what I was made for and reminded me of his love and comfort and I can't wait for 2024!!

Because I have autism it makes it really challenging to make friends and I used to have social anxiety. I met Jesus at DTI and knowing that I have a friend In Jesus has got rid of my social anxiety.

Before I came to DTI I thought I knew Jesus. But it was only when I was worshipping at the late night worship I felt the power of the Holy Spirit fill me. I now feel equipped to spread the good news of the gospel in my school.

At first I was always stressed and angry but then DTI came. God touched my heart and I have been changed. I don't feel stressed or angry anymore I can feel peace and hope. Thank you DTI and God.

We brought a fully unchurched youth group with only 4 out of 17 even knowing Jesus. Everyone one of them encountered Jesus. We saw many salvations! Praise Jesus! We saw many healings! Praise Jesus! We saw young people lost and confused in their identity discover they are No mistake or accident and that God has plans for their lives. Praise Jesus!

I met Jesus