Comments from past Doulos participants
“Doulos taught me how to die to self. It taught me how to study the Word of God. I learned how to fast and pray. I came face to face with spiritual warfare and learned how to pray with power. I experienced accountability. I experienced giving my life for a child's life that wasn't mine, but whom I grew to love and who taught me as much as I did her.” (Jenny)
“I have told many people that my Doulos year was the hardest but best year of my life. It was the year that God used to strip me of my misconceptions of Him, faith, and myself, and to build me in His Truth. He shaped and disciplined my heart, made me understand community, and gave me a desire to live abandoned to His will. It was the year that fully prepared me for medical school and the life I now live. I am no less sinful, but live fully now as a disciple of Christ.
God used Doulos to change my life, my relationships with others, and, most importantly, my relationship with Him. Before Doulos, I was guarded and closed-off. Now, I am transparent and vulnerable. My heart was hard but I have been made soft. My dearest and closest friends to this day are the ones with whom I walked through this year. I hope that everyone has a time in their life when they are impacted as much as Doulos impacted me.” (Abby)
“When I look over my life there are paradigm shifting moments that define not just who I am, but who I am in Christ. We are blessed to have these life changing epiphanies once in a great while, sprinkled in the ordinary of life. My experience in the Doulos Discipleship program was filled with these moments.” (Michaela)
“My time at Doulos provided me with a hands-on lesson in the necessity of community as well as provided a safe environment in which I could face my weaknesses and hone my strengths.” (Ann-Victoria)
“Doulos...that's where life really started, that's where I first heard God speaking clearly to me, where I understood true freedom, where I found out who I am. That was the place where I trained for the life I have right now. There is something about those people and how wonderfully God uses them for His glory.” (Lumi)
“I was in a very rough patch of my life before I went to Shelterwood, I was having a hard time accepting God into my life and I was blaming him for a lot of events that had happened. Being at Shelterwood greatly influenced my life in a positive way, my relationship with God (whom I call Papa) grew very strong, with the help of my big (Doulos student), my counselors, and all of my peers. I am in a much better place now than I was before, and my relationship with Papa is prospering.” (Melissa)
“Shelterwood changed and saved my life by giving me love, hope, and the tools I needed to deal with my demons. :) I want to be a Doulos big sister some day.” (Emily)
“Thanks to my Godly big Sis (Doulos student) at SW I am a changed person. It was a long year and a half that I spent in Branson, but I think it was time very well spent. I’m not sure where I would be today if it had not been for my shelterwood experience. The relationships that I developed that year have lasted and will last a lifetime. I wanted to draw close to God, because I saw a glimpse of him in the way my Big Sister and House Director related to me. They made God very attractive. Thank you to all of the staff at SW and for the sacrifices you make every day!
I remember the Big Brothers and Sisters (Doulos students) playing a big part in my growth. They did not judge me. They encouraged me and walked beside me. I looked up to them. I wanted what they had. I wanted God in my life.”
Check out the impact of Doulos on the Shelterwood students: http://shelterwood.org/site/students
