Picture this: you just got a phone call from YWAM Louisville telling you that you’re accepted to DTS (congrats 🎉). We’re excited, you’re excited, we celebrate together, it’s a party! After that phone call you begin to make plans to come to Louisville, and all of the sudden you have 55 different questions ranging from what to bring, what’s the weather like here, and how does laundry work? If this is you, don’t worry. We’ve got you! Here are some things to keep in mind as you are preparing to come.
1. Housing
We have 3 different houses and 1 apartment complex. Housing will be assigned to you before you get here. Guys live together and girls live together. We operate out of New Life church and only one of our houses is on campus, the rest are a 5-7 min drive away. You will be given a tour of your living space once you arrive, and our staff are always available to answer any questions that might come up as you do life here.
2. Laundry
We have laundry machines in our housing. It’s $1.50 per load. You’ll need to bring or buy your own laundry detergent, label it and put it in a designated space. When it’s time to pay you can scan the QR code located in the laundry room.
3. Storage and Space
You will be sharing space with lots of people, so you want to be mindful of how much you bring. You’ll have some closet and dresser space for your personal items. You’ll sleep in a twin-size bed/bunk bed. There won’t be space in the bathroom for your toiletries so most likely you’ll have to keep them in your personal space. A shower caddy is a good way to keep all your shower stuff together and makes it easy to transport.
4. Class Time & Homework
Every day looks a little different but overall you’ll spend time in class for 4-5 hours, Monday through Friday. During your DTS you will have homework that will include things like book assignments, a creative journal, memorizing scripture and reading through the New Testament. You will have free time but you should expect a good portion of your day to be full. Most weekends are free but sometimes there will be classes or assignments to do on the weekends. During your time here you’ll be asked to go to a local church regularly, our staff can help you find one!
5. Transportation
Transportation is provided for all official functions (class, meals, school activities….). If you’re thinking of bringing your car, you totally can! There’s a couple of things to keep in mind. Because of how our housing and parking works, there is a car rotation schedule. This means you will only be able to take your car home one or two nights a week so that everyone gets a turn. The nights when you can’t take it home you can leave it on our campus and a ride home will be provided for you.
6. Deputation
There will be a point in your school when you’ll go home for some time to meet with people to share about outreach. This is part of the process to raise funds for your outreach. We call this, “Deputation.” Everyone will need a plan to get home for those dates, so you’ll want to think through that! If you have any questions about this you can feel free to reach out to us.
7. What To Bring: Addresses
One of your assignments during your school will be to create a newsletter, print it, and send it out to your contacts. A part of the assignment is to have a minimum of 100 mailing addresses (not emails). Already having your addresses collected will make your life easier. So, we recommend having an address book or online document to keep track of your contact's addresses. If you have questions about this, feel free to reach out to us.
A Laptop
For taking notes and creating a newsletter. You can take notes by hand if that’s your preference, although the laptop will be especially helpful to make a newsletter when the time comes.
Clothes
The weather in Louisville can be all over the place, but here’s a very general idea of what temperature will look like depending on the season:
Winter: it’s cold, windy and sometimes with a little bit of snow. The temperature rarely drops below 0 F. The average temperature during the day is 23-39 F
Spring: It’s warm and rainy. It’s still cold in March ( 30- 60 F), in April it warms up (60-70) and in May the hot days begin ( 81 F and above)
Summer: it’s hot and muggy, the temperatures average between 80-87 F, and the highest temperatures are in July and August.
Fall: 48-66 F, October tends to be the driest month.
You’ll also want to have a couple of nicer/dressy outfits for special functions or events at the base.
Bedding/Towel
You will be sleeping in a twin-size bed so you’ll want to bring twin XL bedding. Another option is to buy it once you’re here. You will also need your own wash clothes and towels for showering.
9. Spending Money
What your budget for spending money should be will obviously depend on things such as how much you like to go out and do things, the kind and amount of groceries you buy, if you bring a car, etc… It would be good for you to bring some spending money if you can so you’re able to do fun things with your friends in your free time! You’ll want to budget around $120 for newsletters (printing, stamps, envelopes). We provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner through the week, and on weekends provide leftovers from the previous week. So, if you don’t want to go out for food you wouldn’t have to!
If you’re interested in reading more about things to do and places to eat in Louisville, here are a couple of blogs for you!
We hope these little tips and tidbits are helpful. If you ever have questions feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We’re excited to see you here soon!