When I decided to do a DTS and started to consider different locations, I did not even think about doing the school in my home country, Finland. God had already spoken to me, and I just knew that He had  something great in store for me on the other side of the world. So I decided to follow God’s call and I packed my bags and flew to the USA. That is how I ended up doing DTS overseas.

One of the best things that has happened so far during the DTS is that my English skills have improved so much. I know a lot more words now and my speaking is more fluent. In the beginning, it was obviously difficult to keep up with the teaching and conversations with other students, but very quickly I noticed that my English was becoming more fluent. Of course it is not easy at all to do a DTS in a language other than your mother tongue, but when you challenge yourself and see the effort becoming something great, you just know that it is totally worth it.

…going overseas for DTS forces you to step out of your comfort zone, which is only an awesome opportunity because you actually have no choice but to grow as a person and grow in a relationship with Jesus.

The other big thing when you go overseas is the different culture. The most noticeable difference between Finnish culture and American culture is probably that in the US, people are so much more social than in Finland. In Finland, people just mind their own business and are very quiet compared to Americans. At first it was so weird and confusing when everyone was talking and smiling all the time. Also, the food is so different to what I am used to eating back home. There are also many other differences, but I think it is only a good thing to learn about different cultures. I absolutely love that! This is a great opportunity that God has given.

It is so eye-opening to understand that God is literally everywhere in the world at the same time.

Also, going overseas for DTS forces you to step out of your comfort zone, which is only an awesome opportunity because you actually have no choice but to grow as a person and grow in a relationship with Jesus. When you are suddenly in a totally unfamiliar environment you will get more independent for sure and you will get a new perspective how you see life.
It is so eye-opening to understand that God is literally everywhere in the world at the same time. It is just so cool that we all serve the same God in the US and Finland. Going overseas for my DTS has just given me so much more than I ever even imagined. It might be challenging but it is definitely worth it and I am so happy that I chose to do this.

Written by Kristiia Kärkelä