{"id":2511,"date":"2026-08-14T12:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T12:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uofnjejustory.com\/?p=2511"},"modified":"2026-08-27T09:48:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:48:38","slug":"those-who-went-to-give-and-received-instead-a-cdts-outreach-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uofnjejustory.com\/en\/2026_summer-issue\/those-who-went-to-give-and-received-instead-a-cdts-outreach-story\/","title":{"rendered":"We Went to Give, but Received So Much More \u2014 A CDTS Outreach Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mission Field \u00b7 2026 Summer Issue<\/span><\/div>\n
We Went to Give, but Received So Much More \u2014 A CDTS Outreach Story<\/span><\/div><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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People who had already lived through much of life found themselves standing at another crossroads, ready to step onto the road again. They chose to leave behind familiar routines and step into unfamiliar places among people they had never met before. From May 18 to July 17, 2026, 11 CDTS (Crossroad DTS) students, 2 children, and 7 team staff were sent out in two teams to outreach sites both abroad and within Korea.<\/p>\n

God Who Calls Those Standing at the Crossroads<\/h3>\n

CDTS is not simply a missions training school. It is God\u2019s special invitation to singles and couples aged 35 and older who are standing at a crossroad in life. For those who have finished raising their children, left a long-held career, or find themselves at an unexpected turning point in life \u2014 asking \u201cWhere and how should I live now?\u201d \u2014 CDTS is a community that seeks the answer to that question together.<\/p>\n

In the classroom, students deepen their relationship with God, discover their calling, and develop their personal gifts. They also come to understand God\u2019s heart and plan for the whole world, being trained to respond to Jesus\u2019s Great Commission: \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations.\u201d This outreach became the place where that training was tested and lived out in real life.<\/p>\n

Two Teams, Two Continents, One Love<\/h3>\n

The two teams were sent out in different directions.<\/p>\n

The overseas team headed to Country A in Central Asia, and to the Philippines and Malaysia in Southeast Asia. In regions shaped by Islamic traditions and rich ethnic diversity, the team sowed seeds of the Gospel and joined in the work of God\u2019s Kingdom shoulder to shoulder with local churches and missionaries.<\/p>\n

After returning to Korea, the team traveled through Hongcheon, Pyeongchang, and Yeongwol in Gangwon Province, and Pohang and Gyeongju in Gyeongbuk Province. This was ministry that shared God\u2019s love not in major urban centers, but in smaller and often overlooked communities.<\/p>\n

The two teams ministered in different places, but the God they experienced was the same. Wherever they went, they encountered the same Father\u2014His love and His heart unchanged from one place to another.<\/p>\n

Those Who Went to Give, and Received Instead<\/h3>\n

What left the deepest impression during this outreach was the ministry to children (refugees) and to people with disabilities. When team members first stepped into those settings, honestly, they went in thinking they had something to give. They believed they had the experience, the preparation, and the love to bring. But the field was different. Faced with children who ran toward them with bright smiles despite the language barrier, and with people with disabilities who worshiped God wholeheartedly despite their physical limitations, the team members found themselves deeply moved.<\/p>\n

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“We went to give, but instead, we were the ones who received far more.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One student\u2019s confession spoke for the heart of the whole team. The children\u2019s innocence, the unwavering faith of people with disabilities, and the love communicated without words began to soften hearts that had grown hardened over the years. In the very place we went to serve, God was, in fact, serving us.<\/p>\n

Transformation Beyond the Classroom<\/h3>\n

Throughout the training period, there were excellent lectures \u2014 deep teaching from the Word, outstanding speakers, grace-filled worship. The students expected that these times would surely bring about change. But the real change actually happened in the outreach field, in ways they never could have imagined.<\/p>\n

An unfamiliar environment, unpredictable circumstances, and life in community 24 hours a day with team members of different personalities and backgrounds. In the midst of it, hidden parts of themselves surfaced, and they were forced to face things within that they had long avoided. Through the process of clashing with one another, forgiving, and joining hands again, the students learned things no lecture could have taught them.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI experienced change because I lived in community. I discovered parts of myself I never would have seen if I had been alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is at the heart of CDTS training: meeting God not only through knowledge, but through life; not only through theory, but through relationships; not only in the classroom, but in the field.<\/p>\n

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Outreach Overview<\/p>\n