When I was in school, quite a few years ago now, there was a lot of pressure on me and my friends to know what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. By that time you were 16 so you could choose your career pathway, which informed your University focus, and in turn informed which subjects your took for the last 2 years of school. Talk about pressure. To be honest I had no idea what I wanted to do, at all. So I just chose a career that I thought I might enjoy and went for it.
I went to University when I was 18 and studied to be a Physiotherapist. I loved my years at Uni, made some life long friends, and got some great training. After returning home and working for a few years, I realised that even though I enjoyed what I was doing, I didn’t want to do it for the rest of my life. I loved that I could help people in my role as their physio but I just felt there was more. I had a desire to travel and do something more purposeful with my life. So, after 4 years of working in one place, I decided to change careers and worked on a cruise ship for a number of years. Here I got to travel the world, which was awesome, but I still didn’t feel the fulfilment from life that I felt there should be. After a while I had had enough of ship life and looked for the next thing.
It was at this point in my life that I heard about YWAM, and specifically about YWAM in Townsville, Australia. I didn’t really know what YWAM was all about but I felt that it was where I was supposed to be, so I signed up to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS). It changed my life. I learnt so much about myself and God through the lectures and outreach. It was here that I found the purpose I was looking for. I have been part of YWAM for 10 years now and I have been able to travel to some amazing places, work with incredible people, and bring life and hope to some of the most remote locations in the world. I didn’t realise there was so much opportunity out in the world and I am so grateful that I did not just stick to the original career I had chosen at 16 but was brave enough to change pathways and try new things. It is what has led me here, doing what I believe I was made to do. It is a rare gift to love what you do, and I am so grateful that I have found that for myself.
If you are at a point of not being sure what to do next, whether that is knowing which college course to take, which University to go to, or which job application to make, I would invite you to consider taking a gap year and doing a Discipleship Training School with YWAM. There is a world of opportunity out there, and this is a great step to take to discover your gifts, strengths and passions so you can live a life of purpose and fulfilment.
Helen Middleton
Helen joined us on staff in 2009. She is Australia born but grew up in Jersey, Channel Islands in the UK. Helen is passionate about seeing people understand who they are, discovering their gifts, and finding their purpose. Being active, heading outdoors and enjoying a good read in a hammock are just a few of her favourite things. She enjoys leading DTS’s and has been involved in leading 11 so far!
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